October - 2015
Ouch! you broke your leg.
The story of Nala and her Orthopedic Surgery
Hi, my name is Nala, I am a very busy 6 month old Bull Arab Cross puppy. I had a quite a rough start to my life, I am a rescue dog and was lucky to
survive from Canine Parvovirus several months ago. Fortunately the staff at the Horsham Veterinary Hospital nursed me in their Isolation Ward and I
have made a complete recovery. My foster family who took care of me after my illness fell in love with me and I became a permanent part of their lives. I
live with them and my Staffy sibling who I have great fun with This is my story…...
On Monday I was playing with my Staffy friend in the back yard
like I do most days, we always enjoy a great game of tug-of-war
with our rope toy and when I am done tugging I always like to run
around like crazy. I had just started my run when all of a sudden
there was a very loud cracking noise that my dad heard from inside. I let out a giant squeal and suddenly I couldn’t walk on my
back leg at all, I needed help. I could not use my leg and it hurt a
lot…
surgery. I was transferred through to the operating theatre and
both vets scrubbed in to perform the plating.
My dad took me straight to the Horsham Veterinary Hospital
where I saw Dr Sarah Farnham. She was so gentle and caring. She
gave me some pain relief and sedation, this allowed Dr Sarah to
feel my leg and take x-rays because she suspected I had broken it.
The x-rays showed that I had a nasty spiral fracture of my tibia
bone in my left hind leg. Then I was given another injection to
reverse my sedation and wake me up.
My bone needed a plate because it holds the two sections of
bone together so it can heal properly. Here are some photos of
the vets drilling holes into my bone to place screws which secure
the plate to my bone. Once my plate was secured, Dr Debbie
sewed my leg tissue back together over the top and then sutured
my skin together. Dr Sarah took another x-ray to make sure my
bone plate was sitting where it should.
Dr Sarah placed a splint on my leg to stablise it overnight and
gave me another pain relief injection to settle me for the night.
Once they were finished, Nurse Liz cleaned me up and put my on
a nice padded bed so I could recover from my anaesthetic.
They cut open my skin so they could see the break in my bone.
They could see that the two ends of the fracture didn’t meet anymore and they had to put them back in place so they could fix the
plate. It took a bit of time, but finally the two ends of the fracture
met and the plate could then be screwed directly across the fracture in my bone.
Guess what… surgery for me tomorrow they are going to be
Within a short time, I woke up feeling a little groggy. I stayed in
plating my leg! I think they felt sorry for me; they gave me a really hospital overnight. Nurse Liz woke me up Wednesday morning to
yummy dinner mmmm mmmm.
go to the toilet and have a yummy breakfast. My Daddy came to
Tuesday morning Nurse Liz woke me up to take me out to the
pick me up and I was feeling pretty good, I was walking gently on
toilet. Dr Debbie Delahunty checked me over and gave me a nee- my leg already and had some nice pain relief tablets to make sure
dle that made me a little sleepy. Shortly afterward I had a needle I was comfortable. Now I need to remember to stay calm and
in my front leg connected to a bag of fluids. Everything was a
quiet so that my bone can heal. I think I will learn to stay calm
blur. Nurse Liz told me that once I was stablised on the anaesfollowing our games of tug-of-war in the future.
thetic machine my leg was shaved and scrubbed to prepare it for
25 Dimboola Road
HORSHAM VIC 3400
P:5381 1439
F: 5381 1717
www.horshamvethospital.com.au
[email protected]
HVH News
HORSHAM VETERINARY HOSPITAL - October 2015
Snake bites require fast response
Time is of the essence, do you know what to look for?
By Dr Debbie Delahunty
In these warm summer months, that rustling sound in the dry grass brings to mind one thing….. snakes!! In the Wimmera, brown and tiger snakes are the
most common venomous snakes. They can kill cattle, sheep and horses but are generally of most concern to dog and cat owners.
Dogs
Cats
In dogs the signs are quite acute. The dog may collapse within
minutes or signs may take an hour or two to appear. Other
symptoms are dilated (wide) pupils, shaking and salivating
(drooling) and sometimes vomiting. If there is no treatment
the dogs become paralysed and die. Death can occur as quickly
as within 15 minutes.
The onset of symptoms is slower in cats and the signs are
different. Cats develop paralysis that starts in the back legs and
spreads forwards. Their pupils are usually widely dilated and
the cat may meow and appear distressed. It can take over 1224 hours for symptoms to become obvious. Cats have a good
chance of surviving snake bite with appropriate care.
Dogs can be successfully treated with anti venom but it is critical to get treatment as quickly as possible. If you suspect there
is a chance your dog may have been bitten, restrain them to
stop running around as muscle activity can help to spread the
toxin, ring us and bring the dog to the clinic immediately. DO
NOT WAIT FOR SYMPTOMS TO DEVELOP, if you do, you may be
too late.
If you suspect your pet may have been bitten by a snake, don't
risk it, call us & bring them straight in for assessment. A trip to
discover your pet is OK is a much better scenario than waiting
and finding out it is too late.
PICK UP AND DELIVERY TO YOUR DOOR
Trouble finding the time to get to the clinic?
Are your pets too difficult to transport?
Just don’t like the fur floating through your car?
Let our trained nursing staff collect your pets for
their veterinary visits.
The Flea & Tapeworm Connection
By keeping your pet flea free, you can better protect your dog or
cat from common tapeworms.
Fleas are intermediate hosts for these tapeworms, carrying tapeworm eggs that your pet may ingest when they itch or groom.
The eggs then hatch inside your pet and the tapeworm finds a
home in the intestine until appropriate treatment is administered. Flea treatment in conjunction with a regular worming
regime is the best way to protect your pet. Talk to us for advice.
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Horsham Veterinary Hospital
25 Dimboola Road
HORSHAM VIC 3400
P:5381 1439
F: 5381 1717
www.horshamvethospital.com.au
[email protected]