Dealing with the red stuff
So blood can be a lifesaver, but it can also cause a few problems.
the point where the artery divides in three to supply the back legs and tail.
This clot then blocks the blood supply to the back legs and subsequently the muscles become very painful and unable to function. Small clots breaking off larger clots in people’s legs (as in aircraft lower limb clots) are life-threatening because they can be sent upwards to the brain or lungs.
It was certainly looking like Neo had a clot lodged at the base of his aorta supplying his back legs.
A quick X-ray of his chest showed him to have a very large heart, with a lot of congestion in his lungs as well. Neo had underlying heart disease that had contributed to the formation of the clot.
Treatment of these cases involves several different drugs and a good deal of pain relief. Also, the prognosis is often not great, especially if there is evidence of heart disease.
Neo’s parents chose to pursue treatment as long as Neo was in no discomfort, which for me is always a priority. After a long night, Neo was a lot more comfortable the next morning and our coffee supply was gone.
It’s going to be a few more days before we will know what Neo’s outcome will be and we will have to be careful as Neo’s underlying heart problems will make him susceptible to another episode, unfortunately.
So blood can be a lifesaver, but it can also cause a few problems.
Other blood related problems we see:
Blood clots in ear flaps (similar to frontrow forwards)
Haemophilia or prone to excessive bleeding (dobermans)
Immune-based anaemia (low red cells)
Bleeding into the abdomen from tumours of the spleen (german shepherds)
Anaemia due to rat bait poisoning (as I write this I have just seen yet another dog that has eaten a rat bait block)
At the hospital we keep fresh blood on hand all the time and it has saved several patients in the past year.
It is an amazing thing. But for Neo, it almost cost him his life. Anderson’s Veterinary Hospitals in Palmerston North, phone 357 9993 for Pitama Rd or 356 9993 for Hokowhitu, open till 7pm Monday to Friday and open Saturday and Sunday.