Pet of the Month Archive

How can 4-pounds of fluff steal your heart?? Peak into Winston’s soulful brown eyes and just try not to fall in love. His story, fortunately, is not one we encounter at the hospital very often; it is, however, a true testament of courage, endurance and strength.

Winston was purchased from a local pet store on January 19^th of this year. Just a wee ball of a puppy, it didn’t take much to convince his owners to take him home! He was happy and playful his first two nights in his new home--Sunday night became a different story. He had begun to vomit, had stopped eating and was having diarrhea. His owners brought Winston to Smith Veterinary Hospital on Monday January 21st for a full exam; being such a small guy, we were concerned about his dehydration from the vomiting and diarrhea and decided to hospitalize him on intravenous fluids.
While we waited for Winston’s blood results to come back from the lab, Dr. McLaughlin decided to test him for parvovirus. Unfortunately, the results were positive; we now had a reason for his condition.

**Parvovirus is a virus that infects rapidly dividing cells such as those found in the intestines and in bone marrow. In fact, one of the first actions of this virus is to inhibit the production of white blood cells in the bone marrow; this shuts down the immune system. The virus then makes its deadly way to the gastrointestinal tract, producing the characteristic bloody diarrhea seen in most parvo positive patients*

Winston began a treatment course aimed at replacing his fluid loss and electrolyte imbalance; he was administered antibiotics to fight bacterial infections and medication to help alleviate the nausea and vomiting. Over the next couple of days, Winston continued to vomit and have diarrhea despite all efforts. Blood samples were again sent to the laboratory to recheck his levels; we discovered that he was now more anemic (low red blood cells) and that his protein levels had also lowered. He received blood transfusions over the following two days; unfortunately, his body did not respond to these treatments and his blood levels continued to drop. At this point, Winston had been hospitalized at SVH for 5 days; as it was now the weekend, the doctors decided to transfer our little guy to the Veterinary Emergency Clinic where he could receive further transfusions and intensive round-the-clock care.

**Treatment for parvovirus centers on support as there is no cure. The only way to prevent its spread is to VACCINATE, VACCINATE, VACCINATE!!! For questions about vaccination protocols and your dog, please do not hesitate to ask one of our knowledgeable staff members**

Winston spent the next few days at the VEC, bravely tolerating numerous blood draws, transfusions, medications, x-rays and examinations. He was finally released on January 30^th with several medications and warnings to keep him isolated from other dogs as he was still contagious-his owners were thrilled to take him home!!
I wish I could tell you that this was the end of Winston’s ordeal…unfortunately, Winston had to again be hospitalized at the VEC barely 24 hours after his release as he had begun to vomit and become progressively lethargic. He was once again poked and prodded for the next few days: poor Winston. On February 4, after an extensive stay, (he’s been hospitalized longer than he’s been with his owners!!) Winston McCluggage was FINALLY released from the VEC!!

Today, Winston is doing great!! He is at home with his family who are thrilled to finally get him settled. He’s on the road to recovery, thanks to his owner’s quick initial response to his vomiting and diarrhea. Even with intensive parvoviral treatment, just over 50% of dogs survive. Winston is certainly one of the lucky ones. The McCluggage critters have been patients of Smith Veterinary Hospital for years; we anticipate and look forward to many happy and healthy years ahead with their newest addition, Winston!

He has big green eyes and soft, tabby brown fur. He’s curious. He’s playful. He loves attention, bouncing balls and treats. We’ve named him Riley and for the last few weeks, he was a member of our staff.

Riley first came to Smith Veterinary Hospital after a tragic fall left him non-weight bearing on his right hind leg. After administering pain medication and anti-inflammatories to help keep him comfortable, a series of radiographs were taken to hopefully determine the reason for his lameness. The news was shocking: Riley had severely fractured his leg and required surgical repair. His owners were informed; unfortunately, due to financial constraints, they were unable to cover the cost of his extensive surgery and hospitalization and made the painful decision to euthanize.

Have I mentioned yet that Riley was only an 8-month old kitten??

Needless to say, after having spent the day keeping Riley stable and comfortable, cuddling him and ensuring his safety, the decision to euthanize was not an option for our staff!! He had touched our hearts. We were all protective of him. We felt he hadn’t been given a chance at life yet and being so young and healthy, the chances of a successful surgical outcome were very high. Most notably affected by little Riley was Jennifer “JJ” Allen, who was a key team member in spearheading his survival. She spent hours with him upon admission and especially during his recovery; a life-long bond has certainly been made between these two.

We decided, as a staff, to “adopt” Riley and finance the cost of his hospitalization, critical care and orthopedic surgery. Riley underwent reconstructive surgery January 9^th, 2008; the bone was so fragmented, it required several steel pins in order to stabilize his injured leg and allow it to heal. Our little guy spent the next three weeks confined in a cage as it was imperative that he have very restricted exercise!! Needless to say, he was not impressed with us!! Of course, lots of attention and treats helped smooth over the situation. Soon his “incarceration” was over and he was finally able to roam our cat ward.

It wasn’t long before he was walking around, wreaking havoc and getting into trouble: our next mission was to find our guy a loving and permanent home.

Thankfully, this took no time as one of our team members, Anna, had completely fallen in love with Riley and had asked to adopt him.
We, as a staff, agreed that she would offer him a wonderful home in which to thrive and grow and continue his journey to a full recovery.

Needless to say, his last night with us was filled with mixed emotions: we were so excited that he was going to his new home but yet we were also so sad to see him leave!! Luckily, we still get to see him regularly for his checkups and we get full updates from Anna. Riley is adapting well to his new family which consists of Meme and Lucynda, two resident kitties who for the most part are tolerating his antics! We wish their whole family many happy and healthy years ahead.

It is a situation that presents itself to us often: “My dog/cat has been vomiting, having diarrhea and not eating”. Generally, one of the first questions asked by the veterinarian is: “Has he/she gotten into anything?”

Unlike human medicine, where the patient can usually verbalize what’s bothering them, veterinarians must try to determine the cause of an animal’s ailment by its owner’s history and by the patient’s signs and symptoms: fever, lethargy, pain, inappetence, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, mucous membrane colour. A variety of tests follow the exam. Comparable to a medical puzzle, we then attempt to put all these pieces together and diagnose the problem.

On February 19^th, 2008, Rascal’s owners brought him to Smith Veterinary Hospital for an examination as he had been vomiting, anorexic and having diarrhea the past few days. An 11-year old Sheltie, Rascal was a healthy senior.

The first question asked was: “Had he gotten into anything?” No, the owner was very careful; therefore, it most likely was not caused by a dietary indiscretion. Upon physical examination, Rascal had a fever (pyrexia) and a tender abdomen; otherwise, his vitals were normal. He was admitted to the hospital for a full medical workup which included blood-work, intravenous fluid therapy and radiographs. The results of his blood profile showed elevations in his pancreatic enzymes, indicating pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).

Rascal was treated with intravenous antibiotics and analgesics to help control his pain and discomfort. He was also not allowed to eat or drink in order to allow his pancreas to rest (no food or water=NPO).

*The pancreas excretes the enzymes Amylase and Lipase which help break down ingested food*

An abdominal ultrasound was scheduled for the following day as we had not determined why his pancreas was inflamed. The radiographs were inconclusive; all we knew was that his abdomen was painful and that he had pancreatitis. We needed to determine if his discomfort was solely from his inflamed pancreas or whether there was an underlying condition.

Unfortunately, the ultrasound did find a serious underlying condition: two masses were found in his intestine. Biopsy samples were taken and sent for histopathology.

We continued Rascal’s supportive therapy at Smith Veterinary Hospital while we awaited his biopsy results. During this time, his pancreatic enzymes were rechecked and found to have decreased to within the normal range. As he was no longer vomiting, we offered him food low in fat to see if he would eat. Rascal refused. His owner was invited to spend time with him at the hospital to encourage him to eat; still he refused. We decided to send him home with the hope that he would eat once he was settled.

Rascal spent the next few days at home with his family; unfortunately, his appetite began to decrease and he was once again admitted to the hospital for treatment. His condition continued to deteriorate; we were all very concerned. Finally the biopsy results arrived with devastating news: the two masses in Rascal’s intestine were malignant.

We contacted the Oncology Department at the Veterinary Emergency Clinic Referral Centre to schedule surgery the following week in order to have his cancerous tumours removed.

Rascal’s condition continued to decline; he was not responding to treatment this time. It was therefore decided to have him transferred to the VEC the following day.

This decision potentially saved his life.

The surgeons at the VEC discovered that the bowel section where the masses were located had perforated, allowing contents of his bowel to leak into his abdominal cavity, causing septic peritonitis. After his surgery, Rascal recovered in the Intensive Care Unit; his surgical team was very concerned and offered a guarded prognosis as there was evidence of the cancer having already spread to surrounding tissue.

Rascal spent almost ten days at the Referral Centre; on March 4^th, he was finally sent home!!

On March 18^th, Rascal and his owners returned to discuss the next step in his treatment protocol: CHEMOTHERAPY. Although cancerous, his masses are a type which thankfully respond to chemotherapeutic drugs.

Rascal’s first treatment is scheduled for April 3^rd, 2008.

The Gregoris crew has been a part of the SVH family for years: they include Rascal’s brother Sean, Celeste, Sasha, Natasha and Toonces (the feline friends). Rascal’s “mum”, with a medical background herself, is well aware of the potential risks involved the treatment of cancer. There was never any question as to Rascal’s care: no expense was spared. Rascal was supplied with the best that veterinary medicine can offer. Well-loved and well-cared for, the Gregoris gang could not ask for a more dedicated and caring family.

Rascal: we are thinking of you as you begin this life-saving treatment and we wish you a speedy recovery and many, many treat-filled days ahead!