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VAT No. 174346162
Clients' Thanks
USA:
U.S. Dermatologist Lowell Ackerman has discovered and used pictures
from this website in his new book on Veterinary Dermatology book
(extract)
Australia Parts of our website are now being used for teaching vet nurses on
Gilles Plains Campus
JAPAN: Our
Firework Phobia leaflet is now in use in Japan!!
(Download Japanese
version)
Heaven for Pets
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<back>
 T.J.s
Bowel Tumour
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A bowel
tumour with a life of it's own! |
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T.J., a big strong 5
year old German Shepherd dog was presented at the surgery on an April Monday
morning (2001) looking very weak and depressed. He had vomited several times
over the weekend and had noticeable lost weight. On palpation of his
abdomen we could feel a firm mobile mass about the size of a tennis ball in
the middle of the intestinal area. Possibilities included a bowel torsion, a
foreign body obstruction, or a bowel tumour. Whatever it was it wasn't good
news. T.J. was admitted immediately for X-ray and blood tests. The mass
wasn't visible on the X-ray (fig. 1) but it's effects were. The long loops of
gas-filled small intestine were a strong indication of intestinal
obstruction. Blood tests were encouraging: most results were near to normal
but the white cell count was high, indicating inflammation. We anaesthetised T.J. and prepared him for abdominal surgery. Once inside we found a 7cm
diameter mass attached to the wall of the small intestine. The tumour was
made up of dense muscular tissue which wriggled and pulsated constantly of
it's own accord as if it were an alien being trying to escape! A 20cm length
of bowel including the active tumour was removed and the two ends of bowel
reconnected end to end by basic surgical plumbing. T.J.'s recover was
wonderful to see. He went for a short walk later that day, went home the
next, barked at the milkman two days later and was back to his normal happy
self after a week or so. The pathology report on the tumour described it as
a leiomyoma, an benign growth of the smooth muscle of the small intestine.
The prospects were good. Total cost of treatment £1100. Fortunately T.J.'s owner had taken out a pet health insurance policy.
In February 2002 T.J. was given a thorough examination under anaesthetic and
his abdomen was given the all clear. |
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Fig. 1. X- ray showing loops
of gas filled intestine <top of
page>
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Fig. 2. The bowel and tumour before removal
<top of page>
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Fig. 3. The bowel after "end to end" repair
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Fig. 4. T.J. 6 wks after
recovery
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