I work a few Saturdays a month. I don't mind them since we don't answer the phones on Saturday - this means there aren't a million things "coming right down" that people generally WAITED to call for - you know, the dog has been vomiting for weeks but 11 am on Saturday AFTER they slept in and had coffee, it's OUR problem? Oh yeah.
Most of what I see at this practice on Saturdays is fairly routine stuff. We have a smaller staff on that day so we can't really do a lot of involved stuff but if needed, of course we would. Still, most of what I deal with are routine vaccines appointments and problems that can wait (skin issues, ear issues, some lamenesses, weight loss or gain).
This past Saturday was similar to the others but there were two cool things:
1. The chicken, Rosa, from the other day, came in for me to recheck her. The technician that owns her works only on Saturdays so it worked out well. She was doing good - bright and even more alert. Her crop was still open and food was coming out of it at times. Still she was obviously getting some calories. She was such a sweetheart - letting me take a REALLY good look at it, debride it some more, clean it up, flush it and then suture the crop itself closed. All this without anesthesia. The skin is still open as the area is infected and needs to continue to drain. Hopefully the sutures will hold long enough for the crop to heal and then the secondary granulation that needs to take place around it will occur. We will be rechecking her Wednesday.
2. A middle age, overweight yellow Lab came in for vaccines and a few minor issues that were mentioned at the time of the visit. One of them was the dog was scooting and had been constipated. Sometimes this CAN be indicative of anal gland issues. They also mentioned seeing some blood from the area. So in cases like this we have to do a rectal exam as well and check the anal glands. They mentioned they weren't sure if she got into anything (we know Labs LOVE to eat whatever!) but they didn't "know" of anything for sure. Interestingly, while her gland were full, I think the bigger issue was this:
Yes, this is a sewing needle with just a bit of thread attached. This was literally caught in the dog's rectal mucosa just at the end but I don't think it was going to easily come out on it's own as I had to work it out and yes, it did hurt a little. Amazingly it went through her entire GI tract without issue! (another example of the importance of listening to the owner and doing a THOROUGH exam - the best diagnostic tool!). The owner had NO idea her dog ate this. Of course, we followed up with some radiographs of her abdomen to check for any more needles or other objects she may have eaten. Thankfully, this appears to be the only one. Now she knows to be extra careful when sewing and put away the goods!
No comments:
Post a Comment