Monty conquers conker complications

A Labrador retriever left critically ill after swallowing a conker has made a full recovery following intervention by skilled teams at Davies Veterinary Specialists.

Seven-year-old Monty swallowed the conker during a morning walk, and within hours became sick and unable to hold down water.

Rushed initially to Vets4Pets in Milton Keynes after collapsing, he required surgery at his own vet practice to remove the obstruction, which had caused damage to his small intestine and abdomen cavity.

Complications

However, Monty developed post-surgery complications, including cardiac arrhythmia and aspirational pneumonia; his bile pigment was rising; his protein levels were dropping; and he was deteriorating rapidly, so he was admitted as an emergency to Davies’ intensive care unit.

Julien Bazelle, small animal internal medicine specialist at Davies, said: “He was extremely poorly on arrival and due to his lack of proteins, his tissues had started to swell.

“Once we had stabilised him, tests revealed further alarming complications; low calcium, inflamed pancreas and a large blood clot in one of his major abdominal blood vessels. We also suspected he had multiple blood clots in his lungs’ blood vessels.”

Rare

Severe inflammation of the intestines can affect the pancreas, leading to the release of its digestive enzymes and triggering a cascade of inflammatory metabolic complications, including overactivation of the clotting system. Such complications are rare and Monty was unlucky to present with so many of them.

Monty’s swelling increased in the first few days, with his face and neck twice the normal size. He was also fed through a feeding tube and required round-the-clock nursing care.

Mr Bazelle said: “It was a very long and worrying couple of weeks, but Monty is a very determined dog and he eventually turned a corner.

“He gained strength and no longer needed the feeding tube, and to his owner’s delight we were able to discharge him just over two weeks after admission.

“He is now enjoying his normal life as if nothing had ever happened.”