Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.



 
HomeLatest imagesSearchRegisterLog in

 

 Liver Lobe Torsion

Go down 
3 posters
AuthorMessage
Guildheart

Guildheart


Posts : 7
Join date : 2010-03-03
Age : 59
Location : Lancs

Liver Lobe Torsion Empty
PostSubject: Liver Lobe Torsion   Liver Lobe Torsion Icon_minitimeWed Jan 19, 2011 9:22 pm

We just got our dog, Heidi, back from the vet after she suffered a liver lobe torsion. It's quite a rare condition so I thought it was worth posting her symptoms which may be helpful to you in future.

Last Thursday we noticed that Heidi didn't eat her tea (very unusual for her!), and then she started to vomit thick clear mucus a few hours later. She drank lots of water but brought it all straight back.

After a couple of hours we checked her over to find her abdomen full of fluid and her gums were very pale, indicating that she was dehydrated. She was hyperventilating, her heart was racing, her temperature was elevated and she was clearly distressed, so took her into the emergency vet in the early hours of the morning.

Suspecting an enlarged heart, they put her on a drip and started to carry out tests to find out what was wrong with her. After taking x-rays, putting her on an ECG and scanning her with ultrasound they decided that she didn't have a heart problem, but that her liver was giving them cause for concern. They drew some fluid from her abdomen and found that it contained blood.

They gave her a general anaesthetic and opened her up for exploratory surgery, during which they found that she had a torsion of a lobe of the liver. Basically, one lobe of her liver had twisted around on itself and had become engorged.

They removed the affected lobe and stapled her back together again. Following the surgery her heart rate has reduced to normal levels and she is very much more comfortable. She will be on antibiotics and painkillers for a while and needs to go back to have her external staples removed in a week (30 of them!) Apparently she has been very lucky that we took her into the vet when we did. She is expected to make a full recovery and shouldn't suffer any long term problems as the liver is the only organ that will regrow itself. Apparently you can take away up to 80% of the liver and it can regrow to it's original size.

Back to top Go down
http://www.guildheartstbernards.co.uk
Guildheart

Guildheart


Posts : 7
Join date : 2010-03-03
Age : 59
Location : Lancs

Liver Lobe Torsion Empty
PostSubject: Re: Liver Lobe Torsion   Liver Lobe Torsion Icon_minitimeWed Jan 19, 2011 9:23 pm

By the way, one of the morals of this story is to insure your dog. The vet bill so far is over £2,500!
Back to top Go down
http://www.guildheartstbernards.co.uk
ourfairview
Admin
ourfairview


Posts : 2398
Join date : 2009-05-28
Age : 38
Location : Norfolk, England

Liver Lobe Torsion Empty
PostSubject: Re: Liver Lobe Torsion   Liver Lobe Torsion Icon_minitimeThu Jan 20, 2011 10:41 am

thanks for sharing!

not something ive heard of before i must admit!!!

glad she is doing well now!!!

cheri
Back to top Go down
http://www.fairviewstbernards.co.uk
lora

lora


Posts : 798
Join date : 2009-06-06
Age : 53
Location : OH USA

Liver Lobe Torsion Empty
PostSubject: Re: Liver Lobe Torsion   Liver Lobe Torsion Icon_minitimeThu Jan 20, 2011 10:16 pm

Oh my goodness... glad they were able to figure out what it was and she is now on the mend.

Speedy healing!
Back to top Go down
http://www.itsthedogslife.com
Sponsored content





Liver Lobe Torsion Empty
PostSubject: Re: Liver Lobe Torsion   Liver Lobe Torsion Icon_minitime

Back to top Go down
 
Liver Lobe Torsion
Back to top 
Page 1 of 1

Permissions in this forum:You cannot reply to topics in this forum
 :: Owning a saint :: Saint bernard Healthcare-
Jump to: