Bella's Bladder Blockage

Late last year Bella, the Affenpinscher had surgery to remove several urinary stones. Her owner had noticed her struggling to urinate normally and an x-ray confirmed the stones. Initially, Bella was placed on a special diet to try to dissolve the stones. Unfortunately after a month on this diet, one of the larger stones had passed into her urethra where there was a danger of it causing a life threatening blockage.

Bella's vet Sarah, performed surgery to remove the stones. Most challenging was the removal of the urethral stone because of its hard to reach location. Fortunately, everything went well and after a short stay in hospital and plenty of TLC from her nurses, Bella has made a great recovery and is back to her normal spirited self.

Bella's stones were sent to America for analysis and the results showed that they were struvite stones. Struvite stones are the most common urinary stones seen in dogs, occurring as a consequence of urinary tract infections (UTIs). Bella has continued to do well and remains on a special diet with regular monitoring for UTIs to prevent the stones from re-occurring.

Breathe Easy

Brachycephalic breeds are those which have short noses, such as Pugs, Boston Terriers, Bulldogs, Shih Tzus and Boxers. This shortened face shape can resut in the syndrome known as brachycephalic airway syndrome (BOAS). BOAS may be charaterized by narrowing of the nostrils, a small windpipe, and excessive soft tissue structures at the back of the throat (the soft palate and laryngeal saccules).

Symptoms of the syndrome vary but can include, loud and rapid breathing, snoring, exercise intolerance, retching and collapse.

For minimally affected pups, a regular exercise routine, healthy diet and avoiding overheating will help with breathing and ease other symptoms. Early surgical intervention to widen narrow nostrils will also reduce the risk of deterioration of the airways that can lead to severe BOAS. In more severe cases surgical removal of excessive soft tissue in the back of the throat can also be performed to inprove breathing ability.

Both Rocco the Pug and Angel the English Bull Dog are patients that have recently undergone airway surgery to improve their breathing at the Veterinary Centre Oamaru. We are happy to report that both are doing well, are more active and snoring less.

Izzy

Izzy is a miniature pincher who came to see us at Veterinary Centre Waimate tremoring uncontrollably, stressed and panting heavily. She was a new mother with a litter of 4 week old puppies in tow.

Izzy had eclampsia, which is a low blood level of calcium. Calcium is vital for muscle and nerve function. It is often seen in larger breeds with very large litters causing too much of a calcium drain through their milk production.

After a physical exam it appeared that Izzy was also fighting off an infection which compounded the problems and likely tipped her over the edge of being able to regulate her own calcium levels.

Izzy was admitted into our Blue Cross hospital and treated immediately. Luckily for Izzy after a period of intensive care she responded well to the calcium treatment and within a few hours was bouncing around her kennel and wanting to go home.

Pregnancy and lactation are a major drain on whelping bitches. Ideally they should be on a good quality diet prior to whelping and right through lactation. If you have any expectant pooches or have any questions feel free to come and talk to any of our veterinary professionals at the Veterinary Centre.

Motz's Heartache

Motz, a dog in his senior years, got into a bit of a fighter with another dog. None of his wounds were too serious so after a clean-up his owner didn’t think too much more about them. He presented to the clinic a few days later because some of his wounds weren’t healing as expected and he had started to become unwell. He was admitted into the Blue Cross Veterinary Hospital for supportive care and antibiotics. Within a day he developed a quiet heart murmur that continued to worsen. We performed an echocardiogram (a cardiac ultrasound) which showed that he had a growth of bacteria (endocarditis) growing on one of the valves of his heart. The infection from his bites spread via his bloodstream, causing his heart to work less efficiently. Motz was promptly put onto intravenous antibiotics and some supportive heart medication to which he responded amazingly. Motz has made a good recovery and is back to enjoying his daily walks with his owner around their farm.

Ivan's Weight Loss Journey

You will remember back in March we had our weight loss competition.

Recently we caught up with the winner Ivan, an 11 year old Sheltie owned by Mr James Glucksman. Ivan’s first weigh in was in February this year where he was 26.7kg. After a month he was 26kg and Ivan continued his steady gradual weight loss of 5kg by the end of May and is now an amazing 20kg. The great thing about Ivan’s weight change is that it has been gradual and continuous. Premium scientific petfoods such as Royal Canin’s Satiety Diet are great options for clients who are struggling with their dogs weight and we see regular success from owners who choose them.

Congratulations to Ivan and James for continuing on from the great work achieved in the competition.

Molly's Lumps

Molly’s owners were concerned about several hard lumps growing quickly on her tummy. Her owners brought her into Veterinary Centre Oamaru where her vet, Aroha was suspicious of mammary tumours.

Mammary tumours are the most common type of tumour in female dogs. Up to 25% of entire bitches will develop mammary tumours in older age. Some are fast growing while others may not be noticed for some time. The prognosis for these tumours is generally good with early surgical removal.

Spaying dogs and cats before their first heat greatly reduces their risk of mammary tumours.

Unfortunately, a biopsy of Molly’s lumps revealed cancer. An urgent mastectomy was performed to remove the cancerous tissue. Molly has recovered well and is now back to her playful self but still visits Aroha frequently to monitor her health closely.

It is important to monitor your dog regularly for any lumps and book an appointment to have these checked. Any lumps or bumps are certainly worth investigating and the sooner the better. Don’t wait until it’s too late - pop into your local Blue Cross Veterinary Centre to see one of our professional veterinary team.

Combatting Hip Dysplasia

Canine Hip Dysplasia is a common cause of crippling lameness and painful arthritis of the joints later in life. It is an extremely common, inherited disease in dogs where there is abnormal formation of the hip socket. Larger dogs such as German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers are commonly affected breeds.

The Veterinary Centre Oamaru offers a diagnostic x-rays procedure, called the “PennHIP procedure” that identifies the risk of this disease. Puppies can be screened from as early as four months of age and the procedure can be easily performed at the time of a spey or neuter.

Additionally, in puppies under 5 months of age that have been diagnosed with hip dysplasia or are considered at high risk for the disease, a minimally invasive surgery is available to prevent canine hip dysplasia by influencing the shape of the hip joint as a puppy grows.

Identifying and treating this disease early can have huge benefits later in life. Please call us if you would like more information on each of these procedures.

Caring for our Long Term Patients

Some diseases can be prevented with vaccinations, while others are treated with a single round of antibiotics. Chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, kidney disease and heart disease however, are not so easily handled. These diseases are not uncommon and usually required lifelong treatment and monitoring.

Abby is one of the highly skilled veterinarians in our Oamaru clinic who “has a particular passion for providing the best care and quality of life for these patients”. She has recently taken on the key role of managing all of our long term patients. Abby has an advanced knowledge in chronic medical diseases and has impressively completed master’s papers in cardiorespiratory medicine, endocrinology, neurology and gastroenterology.

Max's Amazing Recovery

Max was hit by a car and sustained a severe injury to his front leg, shattering the bone just above his elbow joint. This type of injury often results in amputation, but both Max’s owners and his veterinarian Sarah were determined to save his leg. Sarah’s orthopedic skills were put to the test during a 3 hour surgery in which several metal pins and a frame known as an external skeletal fixator were inserted to hold Max’s bones in position. This frame remained in place for 3 months while Max healed. We are proud to report that Max has made a full recovery and is enjoying life with four good legs.

Murphy's Menacing Molar

Murphy was visiting the Veterinary Centre for a routine check-up when his owners mentioned that he had quite bad breath. An oral examination revealed he had a bit of a build-up of tartar on his teeth and he was admitted to the hospital to give these a good clean and polish. During this procedure, it was noticed that the gum around one of his molars was a bit inflamed. An x-ray of this tooth revealed an abscess at the root of this tooth meaning it needed to be removed.

After his treatment, Murphy’s owners report he has a new lease on life, is playing more, wagging his tail and is generally much happier. Dental disease is extremely common in our pets and may be the cause of significant pain that goes un-noticed. Please don’t hesitate to bring your pet into one of our Blue Cross Veterinary Centres for a dental check-up to ensure they are not suffering in silence.