A German Shepherd puppy with a rare condition that made him regurgitate after eating is now loving life after specialist treatment at a renowned Cambridgeshire animal hospital. Little Bailey’s illness meant his stomach, spleen and the start of his small bowel were all in his oesophagus which required emergency surgery at Linnaeus-owned DWR Veterinary Specialists near Six Mile Bottom.
The oesophagus is the connecting tube between the pharynx and stomach which transports food and drink.
Bailey’s owner, Kim Abbott from March, said: “Bailey being a puppy always loved his food, but after we had him for one week he did not want to eat or drink anything and just laid by the back door crying.
“Obviously, we were concerned and did not know what was wrong, so we rushed him to the emergency vets who conducted x-rays and referred us straight away to DWR.
“We did not know if our little boy was going to survive such a severe problem as most dogs with his condition do not usually make it past a couple of months. We were also concerned as it was a high-risk procedure.”
Rachel Hattersley, specialist in small animal surgery and head of theatre at DWR Veterinary Specialists, said: “X-rays had been performed prior to referral and raised suspicion for a gastro-oesophageal intussusception where the stomach telescopes inside in the oesophagus.
“This is a rare condition and is usually associated with an abnormal oesophagus that a patient is born with.
“We carried out surgery to correct his abnormalities, and while Bailey’s mega-oesophagus means he continues to have issues with regurgitation and aspiration pneumonia, this has responded well to medication to help with movement of the muscle in Bailey’s oesophagus and he is now much happier and healthier and back with his grateful owners.”
Bailey is loving life
Following the successful operation, Bailey’s owner Kim said: “Bailey is loving life! He is now back to being a puppy, so full of energy and constantly wanting attention and to play with our other dogs.
“Now he has been given all clear by Rachel we have begun puppy training with him, so we hope to take him out on adventures regularly.”
DWR Veterinary Specialists offers specialist-led care in anaesthesia and analgesia, cardiothoracic surgery, dentistry, cardiology, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, diagnostic pathology, emergency and critical care, internal medicine, interventional radiology, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology, ophthalmology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthopaedics, physiotherapy, and soft tissue surgery.
For more information on DWR Veterinary Specialists, visit www.dickwhitereferrals.com or search for DWR Veterinary Specialists on social media.
