NEWSLETTERS

Feel free to visit this page to download copies of our most recent newsletter for both large and small animals. You will need a PDF reader to be able to read them. If you do not have Adobe Reader, you can click here to download it now.

NEWSLETTERS
Summer 2009 (PDF file 1.15MB)
Spring 2009 (PDF file 1.02MB)
Winter 2009 (PDF file 478kb)
Autumn 2010 (PDF file 661kb)

INTERESTING CASES

Each newsletter, we like to present interesting cases which highlight how veterinary medicine can be used to help solve unusual problems. Here is one example you might enjoy. There will be others in our newsletter downloads.

TABITHA USES ONE OF HER NINE LIVES

Tabitha was found as a kitten abandoned beside the road. She was a sickly kitten - always breathing rapidly, hardly ever playing or running, and tiring easily. Tabitha was treated for a respiratory infection, but it never responded properly. When she was older it was noted on exam that her heart couldn’t be heard from the left side of the chest, which is unusual. Later that year she fell pregnant and had problems giving birth.

Although anaesthetic was thought to be higher risk in Tabitha than normal, it was agreed that it was still best to spey her to prevent future pregnancies and queening problems. Once anaesthetised, Tabitha was not breathing on her own, so the attending nurse breathed for her using an oxygen bag. We discovered that her diaphragm (partition which separates the chest with the lungs and heart, from the abdomen with the stomach and intestines) was ruptured. This had allowed the liver, spleen, intestine and stomach to move into the chest cavity, resulting in her breathing problems. These organs were carefully returned to their correct position and the tear was repaired. Her breathing was noticeably better even immediately after the surgery. Her owner says she became much more playful and appeared much happier. She ate better and gained weight (increasing by 50% in just eight weeks).

Hernias are usually caused by a trauma such as being kicked or being hit by a car. In Tabitha’s case, we will never know what started all the problems off. After a trauma, hernias can go unsuspected for some time, as there may be no obvious changes on x-rays taken immediately after a trauma. If suspected, a hernia may be diagnosed by special radiography, including barium x-rays.

The surgery to repair a hernia can be risky because of the compromised breathing, which increases the risk of the anaesthetic, but the risks of trying to continue with a hernia are much greater, and improvement following surgery can be dramatic. In Tabitha's case, we had a happy ending, which is what we are all aiming for.