Cooks Hill Veterinary Clinic: September Hero of the Month

Meet Billie.

Billie is an eleven week old Golden Retriever, you may recognise her from a post we did at the start of this month after her initial puppy meet and greet.

Sadly, Billie soon returned to us, this time not a happy healthy puppy but a puppy suffering from lethargy, diarrhoea, and vomiting.

After a few days in hospital on intravenous fluids and medication, as well as extensive diagnostic testing, it was diagnosed that Billie was suffering from intussusception.

An intussusception occurs when there is underlying inflammation of the intestine and an increase in motility causes a section of the intestine to telescope into another segment (see image three).

In 75% of cases, the affected pets are less than 1 year of age.

Signs of intussusception include bloody diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and vomiting.

Possible causes of intussusception include parasites, infection (bacterial, viral, protozoal), foreign bodies, sudden change in diet, intestinal mass, etc.

Intussusception is commonly diagnosed by obtaining a thorough history and completing a physical exam. Further tests such as radiographs and ultrasound help with a definitive diagnosis.

Dr Darren and Dr Amy performed surgery on Billie to repair the intussusception and ultimately saved her life.

Billie has been such a strong and brave girl during this process, and we are glad to say that she is recovering very well thanks the wonderful care of our staff as well as her wonderful family at home.