Cody - DVG Star Pet

At Downland Veterinary Group we see some very special pets that have been through some traumatic times.  Our Star Pets are patients that have suffered exceptional accidents or illnesses but despite this have made comprehensive recoveries and this page is dedicated just to them.


Cody - 5 month old Golden Retriever

Cody is a five month old Golden Retriever puppy. He presented to Andrew with a history of having eaten a stone the previous evening.

Andrew suggested taking an x ray to be sure Cody had really swallowed the stone, sometimes owners suspect their pets of eating unusual things, only to find them under the sofa several weeks later! As you can see from the xray, Cody had definitely swallowed the stone!

In some cases of a swallowed object still being in the stomach we can remove it with an endoscope and forceps, but the stone was deemed too large to be removed by this method. The risk of leaving it in the stomach is that a 'foreign body' can cause irritation to the stomach lining, or cause a blockage in the intestines.

The decision was made to perform a gastrotomy, which is a technical way of saying 'opening up the stomach'.

Cody was given a premed to make him feel sleepy, started on an intravenous drip and then anaesthetised. He was also given intravenous pain relief and antibiotics before the surgery started.

Andrew started by opening the abdomen, and then making a small hole in the stomach. It is important to prevent stomach contents from spilling into the abdomen at this point so this must be done with great care. He was then able to remove the stone, close the hole in the stomach wall and stitch the abdomen closed.

Cody recovered well from the anaesthetic but he was kept at clinic for two night after the surgery to stay on his intravenous fluids and antibiotics. By two days post op, he was eating well, very lively and Andrew felt it was the right time to discharge him.

Cody has had several check ups and as you can see has suffered no ill effects from his adventures. Puppies are always curious creatures, picking up new objects in their mouths, which is why it's best to give them larger toys to play with that they hopefully can't swallow!

This sort of mishap can turn into a large vets bill, which is one of the reasons that we recommend pet insurance. Luckily for Cody (and his owners) his insurance will cover the cost of his surgery and subsequent hospitalisation!

Previous DVG Star Pets...

Frankie
Izzy
Paddy

Picture


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