A tiny Bichon Frise needed emergency care at a top vet practice in Kildare when he suffered horrific injuries after being violently attacked by another dog.
The six-year-old pet, called Buddy, was a bloody mess and had gaping open wounds when he arrived at My Vet in Maynooth, Co Kildare for expert treatment following the attack.
Vet Violet Doherty was the first to treat Buddy and admitted she was taken aback by his injuries.
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Violet said: “Buddy presented with the worst traumatic wounds I've seen in my four-year career so far.
“When he arrived, he was in shock and respiratory distress. Both sides of his chest had large traumatic bite wounds with lung tissue visibly herniating out each time he panted.
“He was given strong pain relief on arrival and we immediately commenced emergency management of shock.
“He was anaesthetised and his chest wall was closed. A temporary chest drain was placed and 30mls of blood and 100mls of air were removed with the blood carefully collected and stored in case Buddy required an autoblood transfusion later.
“A lateral chest X-ray and A-Fast scan revealed a fractured sternum, subcutaneous emphysema and an ongoing pneumothorax (collapsed lung).
“We also suspected he had a ruptured lung lobe so we called our My Vet practice in Lucan for help and Buddy was soon transferred over to them ventilated on an ambu-bag.”
At Lucan, Ciaran Jones, a specialist in small animal surgery, and surgical intern Pietro Sabbatini took charge of the difficult task of repairing the extensive damage.
Ciaran explained: “Surgical repairs of the thoracic wounds and fractured sternum were challenging due to the severity of the injury.
“There was significant damage to the left chest wall and the lung was visible once Buddy’s skin was retracted. His fractured sternum was repaired using a very strong suture to hold the bone together.
“We then placed a 14-gauge chest tube, debrided the soft tissues and closed the thoracotomy using a strong absorbable suture material. We placed a Jackson Pratt drain to clear any excess fluid from the body and closed his wounds primarily.
“The right chest wounds were similar to the left. We again debrided the soft tissues and placed a 12-gauge chest tube and a urinary catheter.
“Both chest drains and the U catheter were removed within 48 hours post-surgery with Buddy on a Methadone CRI (Constant Rate Infusions) for the first 48 hours and was then given a buprenorphine IV injection.
“Baytril was administered postoperatively and he was kept on maintenance fluids for the first four days and placed on rheumocam, paracetamol, Marbofloxacin tablets on his discharge.
“It all contributed to very successful outcome and Buddy recovered well post-operatively and is now happily back at home.”
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