A PUPPY who became dangerously ill with a ruptured bladder while his owners were away on honeymoon has made a full recovery, thanks to the care and expertise of an Aylesbury veterinary hospital.
Eight-month-old Labrador Loki was rushed to Hampden Veterinary Hospital by his pet sitter when the normally bouncy and energetic pup became lethargic and started vomiting and showing signs of being uncomfortable.
At the veterinary hospital in Anchor Lane, Aylesbury, which is part of VetPartners, Loki was examined straight away and tests identified that he had fluid in his abdomen.
Suspecting Loki had eaten something he shouldn’t, the team performed exploratory surgery and was shocked to discover that the young dog’s bladder had ruptured. Urine had leaked out of his damaged bladder and into his abdomen, causing pain and inflammation.
Vet Callum Evans, who performed Loki’s surgery alongside colleague Kirsty Stratfull, said bladder ruptures are rare, and neither Callum nor Kirsty has seen a case before.
Callum said: “A ruptured bladder is a life-threatening emergency and Loki is lucky that his pet sitter acted swiftly and brought him to the hospital, because without surgical intervention he wouldn’t have survived.
“The surgery took three hours and we put in two lines of stitches to repair the damage and securely seal the bladder to prevent it leaking again. We also flushed out all of the urine from the abdomen, which had made it very angry and sore.
“After the surgery, Loki was given round-the-clock care at the hospital for three days, and we’re delighted that he’s made a good recovery. He’s a lovely dog and he was a very popular patient with our team.
“We have no idea why his bladder ruptured and there were no signs of trauma or underlying causes, but in rare cases it can happen without any external injury. Loki’s case does go to show how quickly pets can become critically unwell and how important it is to act fast if you something might be wrong.”
Loki is now back home with newlywed owners Alex and Katja Meyer-French. The couple had been waiting at the airport for a flight home from Crete, where they had just got married, when they found out Loki was unwell.
Alex said: “We went from the high of having the most wonderful wedding and holiday to the low of finding out our much-loved puppy was dangerously ill. It was awful being so far away, but we knew that Loki was in safe hands at Hampden Vets and they were brilliant at keeping us informed. Callum called us at 11.30pm that night to let us know the surgery had gone well and were able to go and see Loki the next day.
“We’re so grateful to the team at Hampden Vets for saving Loki’s life, and it’s so good to see him back to his old bouncy self. Looking at him now, you wouldn’t know he’d had emergency surgery just a few weeks ago.”
Article by Jo Browne, PR & Communications manager (South), email: [email protected]