The cause of an illness or injury is not always immediately obvious and these are just a few examples of the sorts of cases that don't crop-up every day but are all in a day's work for our dedicated vets and devoted nurses.
Perry In Peril as told by Mrs Wrightback to top
Patient: Perry Wright (an 11 year old border collie)
On Friday 29 June 2003 we were out walking with Perry across the fields behind Whitwick Quarry, it was a very hot afternoon. Perry was running around as normal, in and out under the hedgerows, and all seemed well that evening.
The following day, Perry was not himself, so we took him to the surgery where it was found that he had a high temperature and a swollen front left leg. Upon examination the vets discovered that Perry had been bitten by a snake, but at the time they were uncertain what type of snake it was (it was eventually discovered to be an adder bite).
For the next few days Perry was very poorly and remained in the hospital area, and his leg continued to swell. A few days later the flesh began so fall away, revealing a massive hole in his armpit, elbow and down the leg. It was up to Perry if he lived or died, the vets and nurses did everything they could.
We were visiting Perry two or three times a day, and I cannot remember how many days Perry was fighting for his life, but the day I walked into the surgery and saw him standing and wagging his tail, it was the greatest relief ever. Perry had to remain at the surgery for another week. He was now a firm favourite and enjoyed special privileges. Under close supervision he was allowed to have the run of the place – he was in treatment rooms, corridors, anywhere where there was a member of staff so he was only in his kennel at night.
When we took Perry home, visits were three times a week, coming down to once a week. Each time he had his dressing changed it was marvelous to see how the flesh was growing together again. His main vet would always put a towel down for Perry to lie on, and on the command “let’s have a look at this poorly leg” Perry would roll over onto his back and hold up is leg – one day Perry was seen by another vet who did not put down his towel, and Perry refused to lie down!
It took 12 months for Perry’s leg to heal completely. He still has a seam of bare flesh down his leg, on his elbow and under his armpit.
Perry is still going strong. The expertise, dedication, love and care that was given to Perry, not just by his vets and nurses but also the receptionists, was outstanding – even to this day they all come to fuss him when we visit, and still will lie down, roll over and show off his poorly leg!
Milo Loses His Appetiteback to top
Milo, an English Springer Spaniel was brought into the practice on 18th June. He was being sick and had diarrhoea and was completely off his food. He was checked over by the vet who treated him as a routine ‘upset stomach’.
On the 22nd he returned for a check up and ‘did not improve as quickly as we would have liked’ said our veterinary surgeon Susie, so he was admitted into the hospital. He had become dehydrated from the fluid he had lost through vomiting and diarrhoea, which can be common. He was immediately put onto an i/v fluid infusion to re-hydrate him. Some blood samples were also taken which showed him to be slightly anaemic. This led the vet to believe he possibly had a bleeding ulcer somewhere in his intestines and he was treated for this.
The next day, the vomiting and diarrhoea had stopped but despite picking up well, Milo still would not eat. Because of this, the vet decided an xray was necessary to determine if there were any other unusual causes of his symptoms.
‘The xray revealed something that we suspected was a foreign body’ said Susie. To determine what the foreign body was, we needed to perform an operation. Later that day Milo was anaesthetized and the vet performed an exploratory laparotomy (which means to investigate into his abdomen). In his intestines was part of a plastic ball, which he had eaten and that had become lodged there. This blockage wasn’t allowing anything to pass through his system and was causing him to feel so ill.
‘The ball was successfully removed and Milo made an excellent recovery’ said Susie. He began to eat small amounts of liquid food for the next day which he kept down.
He went home on the 24th to his owners who were very pleased to see him. He was seen again on 4th July by the vet for a check up. He is now eating solid food again and has fully recovered from the operation.
Cockburn Veterinary Group has received many unusual requests over the years but when we were asked by a client to xray a seventeenth century ‘witch bottle’ it was a definite ‘first’! We carried out the request on 21 February 2007 before cameras from the BBC Central News.
The story goes that when someone fell ill in the late seventeenth century they thought a witch had cast an evil spell on them. A witch bottle was a ‘white magic’ device used to throw back the spell onto the witch, causing her so much pain that she had to remove her evil spell – and the sufferer would get better.
Contemporary recipes suggest placing urine of the patient in a bottle with things having a “shew of torture” about them: bent pins and nails for example. These metal objects would give much pain to the witch as she tried to pass her urine (the pins and nails, having been killed by bending them, were able to perform their magic efficiently from the “other world”).
The patient identified themselves by adding some personal items such as fingernail parings or hair, along with the urine. The bottle was then to be corked and buried upside down in some special place – near to a chimney, under a doorway or sometimes outside (the upside down position kept the cork damp, so preserving the magic for as long as possible) – and it over-turned the witch’s spell.
This particular bellarmine was found in Greenwhich, about five feet below ground level. It is owned by the Greenwich Maritime Trust and will feature in the exhibition to be opened early in 2010 at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich.
As you can see, our xrays revealed the pins and nails, and also what later proved to be a lock of hair and a scrap of leather.
