JANUARY 2012 “MILLY”
Milly is a much loved 15yr old female cat. In late December Milly’s owner noticed she had become very lethargic and weak and was barely able to lift her head. She took Milly to her regular vet to be examined, initially as the signs weren’t too severe they tried some anti-inflammatory medication and Milly’s owner took her home. She, however , started to deteriorate rapidly and her owner rushed her back to the vets. Blood and urine samples were collected to be analysed and in the meantime symptomatic treatment of intravenous fluids was started for a suspected toxicity until results were available. The results came back the next day showing very low blood levels of potassium (a vital electrolyte essential for normal body functioning) The low potassium levels explained the clinical signs of extreme weakness and lethargy Milly was displaying but the underlying cause was still a mystery.
At this point the owner presented Milly to our vet clinic for further investigation. After examination we decided to run some more blood tests this time checking the thyroid hormone levels. This came back normal and along with the previous tests that had been run we had ruled out a lot of the most common disorders that can affect cat’s potassium levels. We then had to start looking into some of the rare causes. We ordered a special hormone test for aldosterone that had to be sent away to a specific laboratory and organized an abdominal ultrasound. The blood test confirmed our suspicions of hyperaldosteronism and the ultrasound showed us that a tumour in the right adrenal gland was the cause of the elevated hormone.
Hyperaldosteronism is a condition where the adrenal glands are producing too much of the hormone aldosterone which leads to low levels of potassium in the blood along with other problems. This may occur if there is a tumour or abnormal growth of the adrenal gland. Major abdominal surgery was required to remove the tumour and fix the hormone imbalance responsible for causing the clinical signs. This is major surgery and can be quite risky due to potential anaesthetic complications caused by the blood abnormalities and the fact that the tumour is very closely adhered to a major blood vessel making surgery very delicate.
We proceeded with the surgery and it was a success, the tumour was removed and the anaesthetic went smoothly. Milly then had to be monitored in hospital under intensive care and we had to closely monitor blood levels of the vital potassium and supplement it as needed. Milly was a good patient and although she didn't appreciate having to get her blood taken all the time, she was always quick to forgive and snuggle up for some cuddles and attention. Milly is now doing well at home and her potassium levels have stabilized back to normal levels. She is able to enjoy being a normal cat again and lapping up all the special attention.
DECEMBER 2011 “CINO”
Cino, a 5 month old Pomeranian puppy, was presented to our clinic in a very critical condition. His owners found him drowning in their home pool. Fortunately the owner’s friend had performed life saving CPR on Cino and rushed him to our hospital. Cino was only showing very faint signs of life when he arrived at the clinic and his heart stopped soon after. Our staff performed CPR and emergency treatments and managed to revive him. Although Cino was now breathing on his own and his heart was beating, he was unconscious and not aware of anything going on around him. Cino was in a critical condition and required intensive care.
The following day he gained consciousness, however he was showing severe neurological abnormalities. He could lift his head and recognise his name but couldn’t sit up, walk, see or eat without assistance. With dedicated nursing and veterinary treatments by day 5 Cino was able to sit up and take a few wobbly steps, he was eating well and his lungs were clearing. Cino’s owners were able to take him home but still had to nurse him well as he wasn’t able to get around on his own. At this stage, we didn’t know whether his neurological damage would be permanent or not.
At his revisit 10 days later Cino was back to his normal self, his sight had returned and he could run around again. Cino was very lucky to survive, as if not immediately fatal, drowning can have serious and potentially life threatening complications such as pneumonia and brain damage. Thanks to the initial CPR by the owners and the skill, technique and dedicated care by our staff he is now able to be a happy puppy again.
NOVEMBER 2011 “SASHA”
Sasha is a beautiful 10 year old mixed breed dog who was given a second chance after being adopted years ago by her current owners. She is now part of the family and a much loved and spoilt dog.
Sasha is a regular here at Karrinyup Small Animal Hospital and we enjoy seeing her every month for her arthritis injections. Recently Sasha had to spend a week in our hospital recovering from knee surgery after rupturing the cruciate ligament in her right leg. Sasha was a perfect patient, having been through this procedure a year ago when she had the same injury in her left leg. Sasha’s owners missed her very much whilst she was in hospital and made sure to bring her lots of her favourite treats and all of us at Karrinyup Small Animal Clinic were sure to provide her with plenty of care and cuddles. Sasha is now continuing well with her recovery at home.
Cruciate rupture is a relatively common injury in dogs. As dogs get older their cruciate ligament degenerates and can be easily torn. Rupture of the cruciate ligament causes instability of the stifle (knee) joint. This is a painful injury and the dog will often not be able to put much (if any) weight on the affected leg. Cruciate rupture requires joint surgery to re-stabilise the joint and assess for any concurrent cartilage damage. The dog must then go through a recovery period initially in hospital and then at home. Due to ligament degeneration being bilateral if a dog ruptures its cruciate ligament in one leg, they will often tear the cruciate ligament in their other leg in the future.
Lilly - Rat sac poisoning
Lilly presented to our veterinary hospital with a swollen left front leg. The swelling was non painful and Lilly's temperature remained normal. She had pale mucous membranes, and also had haemorrhage in to the sclera of her right eye. It was suspected from these signs that she may have had access to rat poison.
If a dog or cat is suspected of eating rat posion, it is important that we know the active ingredient, as this determines the dosage and length of treatment required.
Rat poisons work by stopping the body from being able to clot blood. It does this from depleting the body of Vitamin K which is necessary for clotting. Obviously without being able to clot, animals will just bleed to death, usually internally. Usually it takes a while before you will see any signs of rat posioning toxicity (2-3 days).
Given the signs Lilly was showing we decided to do an emergency blood transfusion. To do a blood transfusion we must first have a donor dog. Dr Baynham's dog Whisk was decided the best candidate for the job, and she was anaesthetised for the procedure and approximately 300mls of blood collected into a special blood collection bag. In the meantime Lilly was being prepped ready for the procedure. First she had to have blood taken (approximately 5mls) to have all her blood levels checked and her clotting times. Then she had a 22g Catheter placed and was put on a 0.9% NaCl fluid bag, and given a Vitamin K1 injection, along with some other injections as well. After the blood was collected from Whisk, the blood was put into Lilly via the port of the 0.9% NaCl and both were infused at a certain rate. Lilly was closely monitored for any adverse reactions.
Lilly's blood results showed that her clotting times were more than 120 seconds. The normal for a dog is under 10 seconds. Lilly stayed in hospital for about 5 days. In that time she was given more Vitamin K1 injections, kept on iv fluids, and other treatment, and was closely monitored. The swelling reduced on her leg, and when she left our hospital her leg swelling was gone and she was bright and happy. She went home on 28 days of Vitamin K1 tablets.
Lilly's owners were explained to that it is extremely important to finish all the tablets otherwise we could still have problems. They also removed the rat poison within their home.
Lilly came back for another blood clotting test 2 days after finishing her Vitamin K1 tablets and her blood clotting times this time are normal.
Wrex - Spinal Menigioma
Picture of Wrex 3 weeks after surgery.
Wrex is Dr Baynham's own dog. Wrex is a 9 year old male desexed Kelpie. Within the span of a few weeks Wrex went from walking normally, to knuckling his carpus (this would be like a person walking on the back of their hand with their wrist crunched up).
Wrex had a CT scan of his spine and it was revealed that he had a growth in his spine around his neck area. Specifically C2 (Axis) of the spine. C1 and C2 are known to be the Yes No joints. This means they are responsible for nodding the head (yes) and shaking the head (no).
Given that Wrex was deterorating so quickly, it was decided that surgery was the best option. Dr Baynham carried out Wrex's operation.
This operation is tricky as it involves removing the hard bone on the top of the spine to create a window in to see and remove the growth. The growth must be carefully removed as they often are attached to the spinal cord. Dr Baynham removed the growth and this was sent off for pathology. Wrex was then sutured up and allowed to recover. During recovery Wrex had to be on high doses of pain relief.
Pathology results showed that the growth was a Menigioma. It was important that this growth is removed as literature states that without surgery most dogs live 2-6 weeks.
Wrex is now 3 weeks in to his recovery and I am pleased to report that the knuckling has stopped and he is back to walking, running and playing.
Wrex after surgery wearing his neck protective collar