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WORKING TOGETHER AS TEAM PET
BY DUGIE GEMMILL , PARKSIDE VETERINARY PRACTICE
In life we constantly form relationships and partnerships . It is the way that we humans survive and thrive . At the level of family and friends these partnerships keep us sane and happy . In our work and professional lives , partnership and teamwork allow us to succeed and be the best we can be . As a vet I have always regarded myself merely as the member of a team . It is obvious within the clinic itself but without our most important partnership – with our pet owning clients – we would accomplish very little . “ Team Pet ” comprises our clients , ourselves and of course all creatures great and small .
Recently we have dealt with one or two unusual medical cases . One such is the lovely Jazz – a petite and amiable wee West Highland Terrier . Jazz ’ mum and dad adore her and rightly so – she is one of those dogs who is just nice to be around and who takes all of life ’ s good and bad with the same calmness and good grace . This is just a well as poor Jazz has endured quite a few tests and procedures and her owners some stress and worry . Initially we saw her as she had been less enthusiastic than usual about her food and lost just a little weight . This is where the partnership between the practice and our clients begins – they were not sure that Jazz was ill but trusted us to examine and evaluate her to be sure . As it happened our routine blood tests showed that her liver was not functioning normally . Our vets have access to a vast array of diagnostic equipment and the skills to use them and we were able to evaluate Jazz ’ s liver with an ultrasound examination , which indicated that further investigations were required . With no hesitation mum and dad agreed to blood tests to ascertain if her blood clotting was normal so that we could perform a procedure to visually examine her liver , take biopsies and sample the contents of her gall bladder . As we are a practice that specialises in laparoscopic surgery , we were able to do this in such a way as to maximise the quality of our examination and sampling and minimise the discomfort for Jazz . The biopsies showed quite serious liver cell damage and following further tests to exclude infections we were able to diagnose Jazz with a condition where her liver was abnormally accumulating high levels of elemental copper within the cells . This “ copper storage hepatopathy ” is quite rare and has a genetic component . We can also see it in Bedlington Terriers . With our diagnostics and the unwavering support of the owner ’ s we have been able to establish a detailed diagnosis and design a specific
treatment and management plan for Jazz – using drugs to reduce her copper levels alongside a specialist diet .
At the other end of our patients ’ size spectrum , we have encountered a gentle giant who although he wears a German Shepherd dog ’ s body , I am sure is at least part cuddly bear . The handsome Riley had slowed down only a wee bit , but his vigilant owners sought reassurance that he was in good health . Unfortunately , he had some suspicious abnormalities on his blood test results and a very enlarged spleen on an ultrasound examination . German Shepherd dogs can commonly suffer from tumours in their spleen , so the decision was made to perform an exploratory operation . We performed a splenectomy ( removal of the spleen ) and sent samples of this and from lymph nodes in his abdomen to the laboratory . Unfortunately , the pathologists ’ diagnosis was of a lymphoma . This is a malignant tumour arising from white blood cells called lymphocytes which when present can appear throughout the body . We have teamed up with a specialist oncologist to design a programme of chemotherapy for Riley . His owners devotion to his health and welfare is inspiring and is in turn inspired by Riley ’ s kind and gentle temperament . We are about to embark on a journey with Riley and his owners which although may be difficult , we hope will reach a happy destination . It is a journey which is only possible because of the partnership of trust that exists between his owners and the vets and nurses here at Parkside . When I last saw Riley for an examination he greeted me with a baritone woof in the waiting room – I look forward to him rattling my ear drums for a long time yet !
Both our patients now have a lifetime of treatment at some level ahead of them , but with the care and devotion of their owners and the support of our vets , nurses , and receptionists they will have the best lives that they can . This is all we can hope for in life ; do the best that you can and be the best that you can be .
Dugie is a graduate of Glasgow University and has worked at Parkside Veterinary Practice since 1990 and has been the Clinical Director for the last ten years . He has a keen interest in laparoscopic and orthopaedic surgery .
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