Our "interesting cases" section may contain "before and after" images of pets undergoing veterinary procedures that some clients may be upset by.
• Sam's Nail Gun Accident
• Ben's Car Accident
• Tess's Skin Disease
• Benji's Dog Attack
• Sasha's Ovarian Cyst Weighing 5 kg
• Cocko" the Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
• Free Wildlife Treatment
Sam's Nailgun Accident
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Sam's Dad was a builder and Sam loved to go to work with Dad to help with the building. Sam had just dug a few holes for the footings and came up to his Dad for some praise and a pat. Sam's Dad was holding a loaded nail gun and was busy talking on his mobile and didn't notice Sam. Sam was not used to being ignored so he tried to make his presence felt by nuzzling up to Dad. Unfortunately Sam nuzzled his head up against the pressure sensitive nail gun and "bang" it went off and Sam had a three inch nail in his head ! Sam's Dad went into a spin when he realised what had happened and he rushed Sam up to the vet hospital. On opening the mouth we could see the nail coming down through the hard palate into the mouth. The nail had travelled down so far that it had put a big tear in the tongue. X Rays revealed that luckily the nail had avoided the brain but had gone through the frontal sinus, a nasal cavity that has no important structures in it. We gave Sam a general anaesthetic and painlessly removed a three inch nail from his head and stitched up his tongue. Sam woke up with nothing more that a bad headache and he went on to make a full recovery. Needless to say Sam has given the building game away for a cushy job at home as a security guard.
Bens' Car Accident
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| 2 weeks after the accident | Ben 2 months later | Ben 12 months later |
Ben is a boxer that has the best personality ! Kevin Troy brought Ben in after hours (vets love those 3.00am calls !) with a severe foot injury. Ben had been dragged for ten metres along the road. Ben had what we call a "degloving" injury......the rough blue metal surface had literally torn the skin, muscle, tendon and bone away leaving a mangled mess instead of a foot. X Rays revealed that Ben had 2 bones fractured in the foot and one bone had been sheared away so only half of it remained. We were faced with a dilemma in that we needed to cast the foot to allow the fractures to heal but the shocking soft tissue injury would require regular bandage changes. We opted for a compromise - a bandage system that incorporated a half splint so we could change the bandage regularly but still provide support for fracture repair. We treated the wounds with a good old Aussie Tea Tree Oil preparation called Vetex Cream. Tea tree extract has been used by aborigines for thousands of years and has recently been found by scientists to have antifungal and antibacterial properties. (A word of caution, human preparations can cause liver toxicity and can be licked off by pets. They should never be used - only use medications under veterinary supervision.)
Back to Ben's personality ! He was the most affable dog and would get so excited at each bandage change that he would almost demolish the waiting room in his excitement and enthusiasm at his impending visit. We had to sedate him at every bandage change, not because he was aggressive or in pain, but simply to curb his enthusiasm so we could change the bandage! Even though Ben's injuries were shocking (the 1st photo in the above series was taken actually after 2 weeks - the original photos were too disgusting !) with time he made a full recovery. We really can't take much credit. It never ceases to amaze me at the healing powers built into the body......and it all just evolved from a random mutations in a peat swamp millions of years ago!?!?
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| Tess after 1 week | Tess after 6 weeks |
I knew Tess was in the waiting room before I could see her. I could smell the most disgusting smell wafting in to the consult room from the waiting room. When Tess came in to the consult room the smell hit me and I was almost physically sick. Needless to say I had to open the windows quick smart. Tess had a shocking skin problem. She had lost most of her hair and her skin was covered with oozing scabs and pus. Treatment at other vets had been to little avail and Tess' owner was desperate. After a skin scraping to look for mange, woods lamp (UV light) to check for ringworm and other tests it became evident to me that Tess had a severe Staphylococcal dermatitis skin infection. But something just didn't add up - there had to be something else, she hadn't responded to the normal treatments and the skin seemed much worse than the typical staph pyoderma. We decided to do a worm test and heartworm test to look for underlying diseases and .... bingo, Tess had a severe heartworm infection! The heartworm infection had depressed Tess's immune system and made her more susceptible to the Staphylococcal dermatitis. We started Tess on antibiotics for the skin and got her back in one week for a check up. The skin was much less smelly and the pus had gone. The 1st photo was taken at the one week check up so you can imagine what she looked like before treatment...... well she smelt worse ! After treating the heartworm Tess responded beautifully to the antibiotics and all the hair grew back. Tess's owner is now thankful to have a dog that she cuddle !
Benji's Dog Attack
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| Benji on arrival | Benji after surgery |
Like many small male undesexed dogs, Benji has an ego. Benji decided he was as much of a dog as the neighbour's Rottweiler. The Rotty thought differently ! Benji does now too ! After giving Benji an anaesthetic Scott found that almost the entire flank skin had been peeled back. After about 1 hour and sixty sutures Benji's skin was reattached to his flank and his testicles were removed. Benji now barks at the rotty but he keeps his distance!
Sasha's Ovarian Cyst weighing 5 kg
Sasha was a bouncy, lovable Labrador, the type of dog that at 8 years of age the owners ask "When is she going to grow up ?" - she was a perennial puppy ! At a routine check up we noticed a lump in Sasha's abdomen. Sasha was well and had suffered from no health problems. X Rays and needle biopsy suggested the lump was a ovarian cyst. Sasha returned about two years later because the owners were concerned Sasha had a weight problem. Sasha's owner had put her on a strict diet for a few weeks but Sasha seemed to be getting fatter instead of thinner ! Indeed Sasha had put on about five kilos in the last twelve months and had a fat tummy. On clinical examination it was evident that Sasha's weight gain was due to a massive lump in her abdomen. We decided to operate and as the photo shows, removed a massive mass from Sasha's abdomen. As we had suspected, the mass was a ovarian cyst and weighed five kilos. Sasha left the surgery the next day five kilos lighter, looking trim and looking forward to normal sized meals!
All Creatures Great And Small
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| After dog attack | 2 weeks later |
Cocko was a 25 yr old cocky owner by the Bowtells of the "Bowtells Garage" at Avoca Beach. (The garage on the corner opposite Haezlett Park). Cocko was a wild cocky that lived in those massive pine trees along Avoca Drive. Old Mrs Bowtell made a pet of him and he became a loved member of the Bowtell family. He became well known to the clients who pulled in for petrol and indeed was an entity at Avoca Beach. One day he was attacked by a fox terrier and came in with serious tearing of his leg & chest muscles. We thought that we would lose him but because he was so loved by the Bowtells and their clients we decided to risk a general anaesthetic and extensive surgery. Cocko came through just fine and the wounds healed surprisingly quickly as the 2 week post surgery picture shows. Cocko now throws a few choice words at any fox terrier that comes his way from a safe distance up the Avoca pines !
| "Molly" the Guinea Pig | "Pecky" the Chook |
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Australian veterinarians donate $17 million a year in free treatment for sick - or injured - native animals and strays, according to an industry survey released today.
The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) said its study had found that the average practice 'spent' an estimated $8500 a year in time and treatment contributed to the welfare of such animals.
The survey - the first of its kind - showed that the average practice handled 153 sick or injured native animals (at an average cost of $41 each) and 38 strays ($59), each year.
The AVA Vice-President, Dr Roger Clarke, said the study had been undertaken by the Association's National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee as a means of quantifying the profession's direct contribution to caring for animals without identifiable owners.
"When the survey results are spread across the 2000 practices in Australia it quickly becomes apparent that veterinarians are donating the equivalent of $17 million a year to this great cause," he said.
"This level of sacrifice has been taking place for many years, but until now it went largely unrecognised because nobody had previously quantified the extent of the contribution the profession was making.
"Our members willingly undertake this work, usually referred to us by the general public or various community services which find sick or injured animals, because of their commitment to the care and welfare of animals. "Unfortunately, in many cases that work produces very sad results. This happens when the animal fails to recover from its illness or injuries - or where an animal recovers but then, for various reasons, cannot be returned to the wild or to an owner."
Dr Clarke said the AVA intended to make the animal welfare survey an annual event among its members to help them - and the community - assess the value of this work.
The increasing use of computers in veterinary practices meant the process of
keeping appropriate animal welfare records was now faster and simpler than
ever before, he said.