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"The vet just wants to make money in proposing surgery," the breeder's eye
brows furrowed when the buyer returned the 8-week-old Shih Tzu with a
large navel swelling to him after a post-purchase veterinary examination.
"I have no problems in my female dogs with hernias of such sizes.
They are still
alive today."
The breeder continued, "The vet must be incompetent warning the buyer that
the puppy may die under anaesthesia if the surgery is done."
So, what should I do now? "You can sell the puppy at a discount
of the veterinary fees and let the buyer do the surgery when the puppy has
grown older," I said. "Puppies under 12 - 16 weeks old are high
anaesthetic risks and the vet was doing the right thing to warn the buyer
of possible death of the puppy on the operating table."
The
breeder could not wait till the puppy grows older as it would not be cute
and would not be marketable. The breeder decided to get the large
umbilical hernia repaired. I was not keen to operate under such
risks but this case needed surgery. So I took the challenge and the
risks.
This was a strong Shih Tzu puppy. He survived the surgery which took at
least 30 minutes as the muscle layers above the liver lobes were scattered
apart or were not developed near the linea alba.
The general anaesthetic gas was given at the lowest dose. He
was just unconscious and not feeling the pain, but he was breathing fast.
Would his small heart fail? It was not possible to speed up the hernia
repair as it was a large hole.
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The abdominal muscles of the right
and left side of the abdomen could not be seen as the hernia is so large.
They are further to the side. The liver lobes are normal although there
seem to be two pimples on one lobe. |
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He woke up immediately when the last stitch was placed and that was a good
sign of a very healthy patient. He was returned to the breeder for nursing
immediately. He could not take the car ride and vomited up some
fluid.
This breeder was good with puppies and seldom consulted the vets. The only
thing he could not save money on was how to repair the defect in the
muscle wall.
This was not just a simple umbilical hernia but included defects in the
abdominal muscle walls. The muscles were spread so far apart
that I had to search for them far away from the hernia area and bring two
parts to stitch them together. I trimmed a bit of the skin to give
the puppy a trim tummy.
It was a surprise that the intestinal loops did not get trapped
(incarcerated hernia) or twisted (strangulated). The hernia disappeared
when the puppy was placed upside down. It was a reducible hernia
more than 10 cm in diameter but the puppy was very active and healthy.
Large hernias need to be repaired. When the Shih Tzu feels the pain
or discomfort of the gut being twisted and deprived of blood supply, it
may be too late. |
TOA
PAYOH VETS
