Tess is a 10-month-old Border Collie pup with a very bad habit of playing with rocks!
Recently, Tess’s owners noticed she was not her usual bouncy self, and over the next 24 hours, she started vomiting profusely. They quickly brought her into Vetwest Currambine for a check-up. On examination, Tess was very subdued and mopey, which immediately raised concerns as a 10-month-old Collie pup is usually a ball ofy energy at the vet. She was dehydrated and when her abdomen was palpated the vet could feel a hard object in her intestines which should not be there. Tess was admitted to hospital for further investigation to work out exactly what was going on.
Blood tests confirmed dehydration and an elevated lactate level, which is a useful marker of how sick a pet is. If lactate is high they need urgent treatment. Tess was started on intravenous fluids, and X-rays were taken. The X-rays showed not one, but three rocks in her tummy! Two were still in her stomach, but one had made it into her intestines and was causing a blockage which is a life-threatening condition requiring urgent surgery.
Tess was taken into surgery within 2 hours of presenting to us, where the three rocks were removed through incisions in her small intestine and stomach. She spent the rest of the day being closely monitored and recovered very well. She was discharged home that evening for lots of love and snuggles from her owners.
The two weeks after intestinal surgery are critical to recovery, but luckily Tess went from strength to strength. A fortnight later she had her final check-up and clean bill of health, and was sent on her way with strict instructions to avoid her favourite rock games in future!
If you’d like to book an appointment, contact your local Vetwest clinic or book an appointment online today.
