Brave Pet of the Month March 2011

 

SPLENECTOMY CASE
 

Jet is a 10-year-old Labrador. He has been a patient at Cedar Grove his whole life and is brought to the clinic regularly for a health check and vaccination. Jet was brought in by his owner for such a health check and vaccination a few weeks ago. His owner had not noticed him having any problems at home. During his examination, a large swelling was found in his tummy. As Jet had just eaten lunch before his visit, it was possible that this was just a very full stomach! The vet examining Jet that day

 

asked his owner to return with him a few days later with an empty stomach. At this revisit, the large swelling was still present and so Jet was admitted to have this investigated.

A blood sample was taken to help assess Jet’s kidney and liver function, sugar and salt levels and blood count. These were all normal. Jet was then sedated so that he would lie still for x-rays of his tummy. These confirmed the presence of a large swelling in the front part of his tummy. An ultrasound scan of this swelling identified it as his spleen, albeit abnormal looking with fluid-filled pockets. Unfortunately, there was a chance that cancer had developed within the spleen and the fluid pockets were at risk of rupturing and leaking blood meaning that Jet could have bled to death. Jet was taken to surgery to see if we could remove this abnormal spleen.

 

This surgery was successful and Jet’s enlarged spleen was removed – it weighed 2.2kg – more than twice the weight of a healthy dog’s spleen! After surgery, Jet was on an intravenous drip for a few days and was given painkillers and antibiotics regularly. His

appetite was poor for the first day or two but this soon improved when the nurses gave him lots of TLC and regular dishes of roast chicken!

 

Four days after surgery, Jet was allowed to go home. He was delighted to see his owner and went off with a happy wag of his tail. He has since been back for several check-ups and to have his stitches removed. He is progressing very well and is back to his old cheery self. The biopsy report of his spleen was also good news – it

showed a benign growth on his spleen.

Jet’s case highlights the importance of bringing your pet to the clinic for regular check-ups. Jet’s problem was detected at such a health check and so was dealt with before it caused him any problems.

 

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to book your pet in for a check-up, even if you feel that they are fit and well.