Tweet
Three-year-old Tairrie’s only chance of survival was an emergency operation at Linnaeus-owned Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists (AMVS), which is one of just a handful of animal hospitals in the UK equipped to carry out the complex procedure.
The much-loved pet was severely ill with idiopathic chylothorax whereby the thoracic cavity fills with a milky looking fluid, known as chyle, without a known cause.
Tairrie’s concerned owner, Sarah Jewer, from Reading in Berkshire, first thought Tairrie was suffering from lungworm or kennel cough as she often sleeps most of the day but was restless and had very laboured breathing.
However, Sarah soon realised something was very wrong with her pet and took her to her local vets, who then referred Tairrie to AMVS, where diagnostic and soft tissue surgery experts were waiting to treat her.
Sarah said: “It was a frightening time as had I not taken her into the vets late at night when I did, Tairrie likely would have suffocated in the night.
“Once AMVS was able to identify the condition and give treatment advice it was a relief to know that there were options.
“However, I was very concerned because of complicating factors in Tairrie’s case and the potential for recurrence of the condition after surgery, but it was clear that it was the only option in terms of there being any chance of a successful outcome.”
The surgery, a thoracoscopic (keyhole) thoracic duct ligation, at AMVS was successfully performed by specialist in small animal surgery Matteo Cantatore.
Matteo said: “Tairrie had been suffering from a persistent cough, and rapid and laboured breathing, and she had previously had more than five litres of suspected chylous effusion removed.
“When she arrived at AMVS even more fluid was removed before the keyhole chest surgery to allow fluid to drain safely away.
“The pleural fluid volumes rapidly decreased after surgery and Tairrie was quickly back to her normal self.”
Tairrie’s owner Sarah added: “Tairrie now has more energy and more confidence, is loving her food and her walks and is enjoying life.
“When Tairrie was at AMVS I felt she was in the best place and in safe hands, and it certainly felt like everyone that I spoke to really cared about Tairrie and doing the best for her.”
Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists offers specialist care in anaesthesia and analgesia, cardiology, dentistry, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, emergency and critical care, feline hyperthyroid clinic, internal medicine, neurology, oncology, orthopaedics, and soft tissue surgery.
For more information, visit www.andersonmoores.com or search for Anderson Mores Veterinary Specialists on social media.