Meet two-year-old Loki. When his owners noticed that he’d lost his usual happy demeanour and started vomiting up his food they were concerned about his well-being and so brought him to Vetwest Currambine.
This continual vomiting had made Loki very dehydrated and sick, so our vets decided to do an abdominal ultrasound and radiograph. These two imaging tools are often used in combination to diagnose reasons for disease. This is when the clinicians found that there was something stuck in Loki’s stomach and small intestines. After thorough conversations with his owners, they agreed that surgery was needed to remove the obstruction.
During the procedure, hair and plastic material was found in Loki’s stomach; some of which had passed into the small intestine. Part of this hair had cut into the intestinal wall, causing Loki to be very ill. Unfortunately, a large part of the intestine was too damaged to be saved and had to be surgically removed.
Loki remained in hospital after his surgery. After his treatment, he was still in a critical condition and hadn’t recovered enough for his owners to take him home. At this point, his owners were getting concerned and were preparing themselves for the fact he may not survive the ordeal.
Thankfully, Loki recovered sufficiently to go home but the battle had not finished there. His owners continued to care for Loki and look after him by ensuring all medicine was given at the right time and regularly monitoring his condition. After a hard few days, everyone was relieved to know that Loki was starting to look a lot better and was now able to eat food again without vomiting.
With every visit to the clinic, it was clear that Loki was regaining his strength and returning to his happy and loving self. We were delighted to receive pictures from Loki’s owners of him celebrating his second birthday after being given the post-surgical all clear.
It is vital that early recognition is made when your pet is unwell, as early detection with diagnostic tests can lead to an improved chance of a good outcome, ensuring your pets stay happy. Luckily, due to Loki’s parent’s vigilance, they were able to notice this change in time and we could save him!
