19 Nov 2021
Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service operates on boxer Toby, born with exposed intestines.
Joshua Silverwood
Job Title
Toby with Moira Watkins.
A puppy that was only minutes old when it underwent emergency life-saving surgery on exposed intestines has been saved by vets in Solihull.
Toby the boxer was less than an hour old when he was rushed to Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service after his owner noticed he was born with his intestines herniated through his abdomen.
Emergency and critical care vet Moira Watkins took over the case, asking the owners to cover the exposed organs with a damp paper towel to limit trauma and contamination and prevent drying of the exposed tissues.
Dr Watkins said: “The call was from a lady who described how a puppy had just been born with ‘pink wiggly tubes’ coming from the abdomen.
“On arrival, the puppy was actually very bright and active, despite his underlying problem – he had been born with his intestines herniated through his umbilicus.
“This was most likely caused by a body wall defect or widening of the umbilical region creating a weakness in the abdominal wall.
“The intestines had most likely been pushed through this weakened point by the increased abdominal pressure created when passing through the birth canal.
“The good news was that the intestines still appeared viable with no discoloured areas of compromised tissue.”
Toby was given some pain relief into his muscle, and local anaesthetic was injected into the abdominal wall tissues in front and behind the body wall defect.
During surgery, the intestines were cleaned then replaced into the abdominal cavity and the wound was successfully closed.
Dr Watkins added: “We had to consider which drugs were safe to use for the surgery on such a young patient, how to keep him warm during and after the procedure, and then ensure he was comfortable postoperatively.
“Toby came through strongly and recovered well. Within 30 minutes he was back on the move on his heated bed and letting us all know he was feeling hungry.
“He was closely monitored in our intensive care unit by our expert nursing team and had responded so positively that he was discharged the following day.”
