Cocoa

April 2012 Pet of the Month: “Cocoa”

Cocoa is a 12 ½ year old miniature schnauzer who is always happy to see us.  She is a very lucky dog with a wonderful caring family.  Cocoa has quite a lot of medical miracles to bark about!

We’ll start with just the last 4 years…..

In 2009, Cocoa came in for a sore back and while examining her, a heart murmur was discovered. Through X-rays, bloodwork, and an echocardiogram, we determined that Cocoa’s condition didn’t need any medication at that time.  However, we do yearly X-rays of her chest to make sure there are no changes.  In addition, Cocoa has lost some weight which has actually made an improvement in her heart murmur!

In 2010, we were preparing to do a dental cleaning for Cocoa.  We repeated the X-rays to evaluate her heart.  While doing X-rays we found a tumor on her spleen and stones in her bladder.  So, instead of doing a dental cleaning, a splenectomy (removing the spleen) was performed and the stones were flushed from her bladder.  The splenic tumor was benign, but it could have been life threatening if we had not found it because these tumors can easily rupture and cause internal bleeding. (She did end up having her teeth cleaned later that year!)

In 2011, Cocoa was hit by a car.  She suffered a broken leg, which was fixed with surgery.  Even as an older lady, Cocoa recovered well!

In 2012, her owners noticed an increase in water consumption and repeat bloodwork was performed to find out that she is diabetic.  She is currently on insulin injections and we are monitoring her closely to get her properly regulated.

Cocoa is such a joy to work with and after all she has been through is still doing great!

Jack

My name is “Jack”.  I am a 6 year old male American Bulldog.  My owner is Shannon, the groomer at All Pets Hospital.

I was picked to be Pet of the Month because I have had a lot of surgeries!  I like to eat things that the humans say I shouldn’t, like dish towels and razors.  Those are a couple of things they have found in my belly.  I have had 4 surgeries to remove things that I have swallowed.  Dr. Navin says they are going to put a zipper in me next time, whatever that means.  I also had a surgery to repair a torn ligament in my knee.  After each surgery,

I bounce right back.

I am trying to be a good boy from now on because I don’t think my mom or Dr. Navin will be very happy with me if I continue to eat things I shouldn’t.

Thank you for loving me!

Love, Jack

M&M

My name is M&M.  I am a lovable 6 month old American Bulldog pup in need of a good home.  I was sick for a long time when I was younger until Dr. Navin figured out I needed an operation.  My original parents brought me to All Pets Hospital because I had constant diarrhea with blood in it.  No matter what they fed me or what medicine I was on, nothing worked and I could not find a new home like my litter mates.  On one of my visits to All Pets, Dr. Navin felt something funny in my abdomen.  I had x-rays taken and Dr. Navin didn’t like what he saw.  He said I had to have surgery to find out what was wrong.  During surgery, Dr. Navin found a condition called intestinal intussusception, which Dr. Navin had only seen 3 times in his whole career.  He was able to correct it surgically and I began my recovery.  With the help of the staff at All Pets and my wonderful owner who never gave up hope, I started to get better.  Now I’m doing great. 

I am putting on weight and am more active and playful than ever.  I would like to thank my owner and my vet who actually cares about us pets.  

My owner has too many dogs (my mom, my dad, and my brother).  She had my mom spayed after all the problems with my litter.  She spent a lot of money to take care of us.

I am doing great now that my intestine has been fixed, so I can go to a new home.  I get along well with dogs, cats, and kids.  I am being potty trained and am catching on real quick.  My name is M&M.  That’s short for Mini Miles (he’s my dad).  Well I hope I find my forever home because I’m real lovable.  Talk to the people at All Pets and they can help you get in touch with my owner.

Pig Pen

Pig Pen is a 9 year old male neutered cat who has had diabetes mellitus for 6 months.

Diabetes is a fairly common disease for middle to older cats, especially those that are a little overweight.  What makes “Pig Pen’s” story unique is the set of circumstances surrounding his diagnosis and subsequent treatment.  I also chose him because of his all around fantastic attitude in the face of repeated visits to the hospital for monitoring and treatment.

We determined that “Pig Pen” was diabetic when he was presented to All Pets Hospital

in May 2011 because of difficulty breathing.  From x-rays, we found fluid in his chest surrounding his lungs.  We initiated treatment for the pleural effusion and performed blood work looking for the underlying cause of the fluid.  We found a highly elevated blood sugar.  Quickly, we started treating the diabetes with insulin and recommended a recheck within 1-2 weeks.

“Pig Pen’s” owners have been diligent about bringing him to All Pets for monitoring.

Although we were seeing his elevated blood sugar respond to insulin, we could never get the level of control we had hoped for initially.

In late October, “Pig Pen” presented for a routine recheck and he was not his normal active, outgoing self.  His blood sugar was still poorly controlled and he was now suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis, which is a complication that can be fatal.  We initiated treatment for the ketoacidosis and decided that we had to switch him to a new type of insulin if he was going to recover.  Happily, within a few days, he bounced back beautifully and we switched to a new type of insulin called glargine.  During the course of the most recent illness, he also developed fluid in his chest again and a heart abnormality known as a gallop rhythm.

We are currently still in the early stages of trying to determine if the new insulin will be effective for him.  The link between the fluid in his chest and diabetes is not one we commonly see.  Cats with diabetes 

T-Rex

T-Rex is a four- year- old English Bulldog who has never met a person he doesn’t like. His kind nature made him the perfect candidate for Pet Therapy work, which he did for two years as a registered therapy dog.  He loved visiting children at Mooseheart Child village and disabled veterans on the spinal cord unit at Hines Hospital. Though now retired from professional therapy work, he still tries very hard to endear himself to everyone that he meets.

Recently, T- Rex started acting lethargic, eating less, and groaning as if in pain.  His observant owners also found a bone fragment in his feces.  Our receptionist recommended an exam right away.

On exam, T Rex had a slight fever and was extremely lethargic.  The most important finding on his exam was his enlarged lymph nodes.  X-rays confirmed that there was no evidence of an obstruction from the bone, but it did show another enlarged lymph node in his abdomen.  We took samples of the abnormallymph nodes, which unfortunately diagnosed lymphoma.  T-Rex is currently undergoing chemotherapy and responding well.  

Although the diagnosis came as a shock, T-Rex is lucky to have such loving and observant owners and a great team at All Pets Hospital looking out for him!  His owners say he is feeling better already!