Everyone Meet Scooby!
Age: 1.7 year old
Breed: Yellow Labrador
Veterinarians: Cole Diagnostics + Surgical and Linda Surgical
Vet Nurses: Karen Intensive care + surgical preparation and Nadine Anaesthesia
Scooby was out and about doing dog business while his family were busy moving an empty 25,000lt (approx. 375kg) water tank off the back of a truck. When Scooby decided he was feeling super motivated and tried to get amongst the action to lend a hand and ended up getting squished as the water tank was being loaded off. After the accident Scooby was a bit quiet but as the breed is well known for their love of food, he still decided that eating was still a high priority!
On arrival to VetsOne Scooby was quite quiet not the norm for a young Labrador, his capillary refill was more than 2-seconds (this gives us an idea of blood perfusion and volume) with his gum colour being a bit darker than normal, his heart and respiratory rate were both up. Internal bleeding was a high on the list of concerns. Radiographs, ultrasound and an abdomen tap (sample) were performed to confirm how much and to indicate a likely source of the bleeding. Tests confirmed everyone’s worries!
Surgery was required to further investigate and to fix the source of bleeding. Scooby was placed on a pain relief IV drip, prepared for surgery and an exploratory laparotomy (surgery to examine the abdomen) was conducted. Upon opening the abdomen pooling blood was making it difficult to visualize the source but it soon became apparent that poor Scooby had ruptured his right kidney in four places! A nephrectomy (Nephro = kidney, Ectomy = removal) was preformed as this type of bleeding would not just stop on its own and without removal of the kidney Scooby’s life would hang in the balance.
This is a relatively uncommon surgery and requires great care and precision for its success.
Amazingly most dogs and cats can live normal lives with the loss of a kidney. After surgery, Scooby was placed on more pain medication and close monitoring. The most common postoperative complications of nephrectomy is bleeding and urine leaking into the abdomen. After a few short days of snacks, rest and recovery in the hospital he was ready to be discharged to his family who had spent a few worrisome days at home without their friend. Scooby looked ecstatic to be reunited with his owners appearing like he had just been away for a short holiday and not at all recovering from major surgery!
UPDATE: Young Scooby has been in for his post-surgical checks and passed with flying colours with his owners reporting he is back to living his best dog life with his best friend (See photo). The future is bright for our friend and we wish him all the best in his continued recovery!
Written 16 Nov 2023
