Beesa, a German Shepherd, has been awarded the Fromus Vet Group’s

May 2007 PET OF THE MONTH AWARD

Nature presents many biological challenges to our animals. On many occasions, these can present as very debilitating or painful conditions.  Generally, the older the animal the more likely they are to succumb to diseases such as arthritis and cancer, two conditions that cause considerable suffering.  There is one German Shepherd Dog determined not to be perturbed by nature’s calling, her name is Beesa.

Beesa was brought in to the Fromus Veterinary clinic by her owners one morning.  Her owners reported that she had a very pronounced limp in one of her front legs.  Being a potentially serious emergency, she was taken straight through into the vet’s consulting room and was checked over from nose to tail.

As she was being examined, the vet noticed that she had a big bony swelling in her left elbow and was very painful to have it moved.  More worryingly, the vet was concerned at something else that was found during the thorough examination.  Beesa had a huge lump inside her belly!

LUMPS AND SWELLINGS

IF YOU FIND A SWELLING OR A LUMP ON YOUR ANIMAL ALWAYS CONTACT US FOR ADVICE.  YOU MAY BE ASKED TO OBSERVE FOR THE FOLLOWING:

• LOCATION OF LUMP/SWELLING
• SIZE OF THE LUMP
• CHANGE IN GROWTH
• PRESENCE OF DISCHARGES (PUS/ BLOOD)
• GENERAL HEALTH OF YOUR PET 

Being very concerned about the lump, the vet discussed the various options available for investigating it further.  An x-ray was easily arranged and Beesa was admitted into the clinic for further evaluation.

Under a short general anaesthetic, Beesa had her belly (abdomen) and elbow x-rayed.  On the x-ray, it can be seen that there is an obvious lump in the front of her abdomen.  The lump was identified to be the spleen.

THE SPLEEN

• The spleen is responsible for storing part of the body’s blood
• It helps to fight infections
• It is a very common site for tumours in the dog, and the consequences are that they can spread or even rupture causing bleeding into the abdomen
• BLEEDING CAN LEAD TO DEATH

At the time of identifying the lump, the vet made sure that there was no bleeding by taking a blood sample to check for anaemia.  Thankfully, there was no evidence of bleeding.  The blood test revealed the liver and kidneys to be in good health too!

After careful consideration of the benefits and risks of surgery Beesa underwent a splenectomy (spleen removal).  The procedure involved a general anaesthetic and some intensive hospitalisation.  The risks are of blood loss (haemorrhage), infection, shock and kidney failure.

The whole operation took the surgical team 2 hours and it involved cutting the blood supply off to the spleen and then removing it from her body.  There is a very high risk of serious complications at this stage as the body’s blood reserve is removed.  The next few hours were going to be very critical for her.  Thankfully, the dedicated nursing team at Fromus Veterinary Group ensured that she had a smooth anaesthetic and comfortable post operative period.

(Below is a picture of the spleen that was removed from Beesa’s abdomen.)

Tumours of the spleen can have various manifestations.  These can range from pale gums , a swelling in the belly, lethargy, poor exercise tolerance, vomiting and occasionally they can cause an irregular heart beat.  If you notice any of the above signs at any time, please contact the veterinary surgery to arrange a health check.

Some tumours can have more serious consequences than others.  If they are malignant they can spread to other organs in the body (e.g. Liver).  These cases are very difficult to treat, even with spleen removal.

The following morning, Beesa was back to her normal self again and she was pulling on the lead to go home!  Despite the successful operation, Beesa continues to live life fighting arthritis and chronic eye problems.  She is an exceptional German Shepherd Dog who deserves to be the Fromus Veterinary Group Pet of the Month for May.

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