Shelby is a 7 year old Bischon Frise. In late 2016 she was brought to the Animal Hospital very off form and with a high temperature.
We routinely see cases like this and usually an antibiotic and an anti inflammatory rectifies the problem.

This was not the case for Shelby however………..

Several weeks later all Shelby’s lymph nodes were swollen and she had lost a lot of weight. This is a very worrying sign and and rings a lot of alarm bells. Despite weeks of treatment and further tests here in the Animal Hospital Shelby continued to deteriorate.
Eventually we sent her to the Referral Hospital in UCD, After many investigations Shelby was diagnosed with a problem with her immune system.

She was put on immunosuppressive treament along with other meds. Gradually over the coming months she slowly returned to her old self.

At a check up several days ago she was in fab form. She continues to receive daily meds and will probably do so for life…….

Holly is a 2 and a half year old cavachon.

At around 6 months old Holly started scratching excessively. So much so that she regularly caused her skin to bleed and become infected.
A change of food for a few weeks made no difference so blood samples were taken for skin allergy testing.

Results confirmed that Holly is extemely sensitive as to what she eats – she is allergic to beef,chicken, lamb, turkey and amazingly not to pork. The indoor allergy tests confirmed her intolernce to house dust mites.
Treatment has vastly improved Hollys itchiness but has not cured it.
This is what we regularly find at The Animal Hosptal, Tallght – we can manage but not cure skin allergies.

The main treatment that Holly is getting – on an ongoing basis – is a special low allergy food. Her owner has also purchased a high powered Dyson Pet hoover to keep dust mites to a minimum.

TIP – if your dog is scratching excessively from a young age – initially try a food change to see if that helps.

In December 2016 Bobby started drinking and urinating a lot. He also started eating much more food. Blood tests were taken over several weeks and confirmed that Bobby is a diabetic.
Diabetes in dogs is very common, although definitely more common in the female !! The most common clinical signs are excess drinking and urnation. It is really easy to rule it out by a simple in-house blood test.
Bobby is now getting insulin injections morning and evening and in great form – as you can see from todays picture of him.

TIP – if you have a diabetic dog be aware they can get LOW blood sugar when receiving insulin. Weakness and lethargy is usually the main signs. A couple of spoons of honey by mouth will usually sort the problem

Food, walks, Sleep, Food Walks, Sleep…..

These are the things that occupied Bonnie’s mind.

She is 10 years old.

She lives the life.

She shares her home with Rocky, who is one year younger.

She has had a few health problems, nothing she couldn’t handle. She had the odd lump or bump removed but hasn’t been tempted to have cosmetic surgery.

At the beginning of October she felt really unwell. She walked much slower and was occasionally vomiting. She clung carefully to her owners.

A blood sample was taken during her visit to the hospital which revealed she had a liver problem. She was Jaundiced.

Now sleep replaced the walks and food in her list of priorities.

She had a scan of her liver and gallbladder .

Her gallbladder was abnormal, her liver was also affected.

Bonnies owners faced a very difficult decision, she was so sick and the surgery needed was very risky.

Her gallbladder was removed along with a portion of her liver.

It took a while for food and walks to become important to her again, but the have.

She wouldn’t be a Labrador otherwise!

Millie Before Her Incident

She is a fantastic little dog, very lovable but can be cranky at times but we love her all the same. She is house trained also but has the odd accident!

In 2013 we nearly lost her as she was in a fight at a kennels in co Wicklow. Due to human error she was kenneled with a big dog who nearly tore her to pieces. When I got to the kennels I got a shock to see Millie’s condition. I got her into the car and put her on the front seat. There was Blood everywhere inside. She then stopped breathing due to, I found out later, she had a collapsed and Severed Larynx and a Fractured neck. She stopped breathing 3 times, one can imagine my terror.

I was alone in the car and I had to put her under my arm and drive 50 miles to UCD Vetinary Hospital with all the windows down to get more air into the Car. It was nerve racking and enduring. I tore up the road in the car. I knew Millie’s life was on the line and I didn’t realise at the time but I was putting my own life in Danger too!

I eventually got to UCD and I ran into the hall with Mille and said into the Intercom “come quickly! My Dog is going to Die!”. The Nurse rushed out and took Millie from me into the Emergency Room and all the Nurses and Vets rushed in, it was like a scene from ER.

The nurse came into the waiting room and told me I was in shock. There was blood soaked into my Tee Shirt. Then the Vet came in and said we lost her she stopped breathing but we got her back. It was panic and relief at the same time. (I am in tears writing this).

I was told to go home. The next week was the most enduring time of my life. Between being told Millie had a slim chance of survival because of the swelling she had and having to transfer her every morning and night. This was because UCD Emergency hospital closed early in the morning and opened at 6pm in the evening meaning Mille had to go to my own Veterinary Practice during the Day.

Millie after Her Emergency Tracheotomy Surgery

Receiving Some TLC After Surgery

I have met some fantastic very dedicated People including the vets Michael and Paul and the Nurses at Animal Hospital in Tallaght and UCD.

Millie was referred to the main UCD Hospital. When the Vet called me with the news that I had the option of putting Millie to sleep which I said no immediately to but she said there was 1 option of doing a tracheotomy on Millie. I was told it would cost E3’000.00. It was never about money, so I gave the go ahead.

The next day they operated and that day I could not breathe due to anxiety and worry. Then I got the call and I was dreading it but it was Brilliant News, Mille had survived and she was recovering well. She was discharged approx 2 weeks later from intensive care.

It is now 3 Years on (Anniversary in August 2016) and Millie is doing extremely well considering her initial injuries. She needs her Trachy to be cleaned about twice daily, sometimes more. I did have 1 frightening incident with her when her Trachy stuck and closed over but thank God I was there to release it. The only other contraindication is she is a bit prone to chest infections.

In May 2016 Mille came second in the Dog show in Harold’s Cross see photo, Hopefully we will have more great years to come, So a big thanks to all the Vets and Nurses for Our little Mad MILLIE, she’s  one in a Million!

A New Lease on Life