Faylene - Emergency Care

Faylene a 12 year old, spayed female, Pug dog was brought to the Alameda East Veterinary Hospital because she had been vomiting for 3–4 days. Though many things can cause vomiting, the owners knew Faylene had gotten into the trash shortly before getting sick, and were concerned she could have an intestinal obstruction.

When Faylene arrived at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital, she was critically ill and too weak to stand. She was admitted to the intensive care unit for stabilization and additional diagnostic tests. She was stabilized with intravenous fluids and other medications. The additional tests performed included abdominal x-rays and blood work. These tests confirmed intestinal obstruction complicated by sepsis. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition characterized by systemic infection and inflammation.

Within a few hours Faylene was showing some signs of improvement and was taken to emergency surgery. During surgery we discovered foreign material including a length of string entrapped in a portion of the small intestine. The string had been cutting through the intestinal wall, causing that segment of intestine to necrose, or die. The diseased portion of her small intestine was removed and the two ends sewn back together (intestinal resection and anastomosis). Though we had fixed the source of Faylene's illness, Faylene was still critically ill due to the sepsis.

Sepsis can cause multiple problems in multiple organ systems. Faylene suffered from an inability to appropriately regulate her blood pressure, blood glucose and blood clotting ability. She was treated aggressively with many different fluids, plasma transfusions and intravenous antibiotics. On her fourth day in the hospital, Faylene started to eat and was sent home to finish her recuperation. She was rechecked several times and by the time her stitches were removed the owners reported she was back to normal.