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Stirling's parents had a rough
year! They came to our clinic at the end of
December when their Scottish Terrier, Maggie,
needed an ultrasound to rule out bladder stones.
Thankfully no bladder stones were present. Two
days after Maggie's ultrasound we received
another call from them. Their other Scottie,
Stirling, had begun vomiting. He was acting
mostly normal, but his parents and Dr. Beatty
were worried. Stirling had also just finished a
long recovery from an accident he had in spring-
he was run over by a car! Thankfully Stirling
made a full recovery from the accident. Now it
was time to figure out what kind of trouble he
was having now.
Stirling was examined by Dr. Beatty. He appeared
normal, but he had been intermittently vomiting
for a few days. His owners thought that it was
possible he could have eaten a piece of a toy
called Giggly Ball. They were not sure. He also
had received some new treats for a Christmas
present. Perhaps they had upset his tummy.
Unfortunately, the examination gave Dr. Beatty
no indication as to the cause of the vomiting.
So, he recommended a diagnostic series of x-rays
after having Sterling swallow a white chalking
substance called barium. This method allowed him
to visualize the barium traveling through the
stomach and intestines. Sometimes, barium can
help highlight an object in the stomach or
intestines. It will also stop progression if the
animal is completely blocked internally.
Unfortunately, the barium did not show anything
significant.
Dr. Beatty next recommended blood work to screen
for pancreatitis. When dogs eat new treats, rich
people food or switch to a new dog food too
quickly it can upset their pancreas and cause
vomiting and other problems. The blood work came
back within normal limits, but it does not
always catch pancreatitis. At this point,
Stirling was stable, eating, drinking,
defecating and acting normal. His only symptom
was the intermittent vomiting. So it was decided
to give Sterling time, rest and medication to
hold down vomiting.
We stayed in close contact with
the owners over the holiday weekend. On New
Year's Eve it was clear that Sterling was not
feeling better and his mom was worried. Dr.
Beatty was becoming more concerned that the
piece of Giggly Ball could be the cause of
Stirling's vomiting. Although he was not fully
obstructed, it was possible a small piece was
causing a problem. Dr. Beatty and Kate came in
that evening to perform exploratory surgery.
This procedure involves anesthetizing the dog
and physically looking into the stomach and
intestines for an object.
Stirling's surgery was a success! A piece of
Giggly ball was removed from his stomach.
Surgery and anesthesia went smoothly. Dr. Beatty
examined his other organs and found no other
worries. Dr. Beatty took Stirling home for the
night so he could personally monitor his
recovery and continue his pain management.
Stirling's parents were thrilled that we had
found the solution and saved their problem-prone
baby!
Stirling has recovered 100% from his surgery. He
is back to being an active and happy Scottie,
again. We are thrilled for his family that all
of their pet worries are in the past. They can
get back to enjoying life with them again. We
look forward to seeing our smiling friend
Stirling here to visit soon. Hopefully this time
he'll just stop in for a cookie instead of a
surgery!
Dr. Beatty with Maggie and Stirling
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