14 Dec 2021
A three-vet team was required for the “challenging” operation to remove the 5kg tumour from the abdomen of a four-year-old Dalmatian.
Joshua Silverwood
Job Title
Vets have saved the life of a Dalmatian by removing a 5kg mass from its abdomen that was displacing its kidney.
Four-year-old Penny was rushed into Paragon Veterinary Referrals in Wakefield after a scan revealed the size of the malignant tumour that had been growing in her abdomen.
Soft tissue surgeon at the Linnaeus-owned practice David Barker was joined by fellow surgeons Dan Kenny and Kat Grzywa, who were needed to help remove the heavy mass.
Dr Barker said: “Penny presented with suspected ascites, given a large volume of peritoneal effusion. Her abdomen was very swollen and taut.
“We performed a contrast-enhanced CT scan with an iodine-based contrast to help highlight the areas of the body we needed to examine and the results were startling. The mass was enormous. It almost completely filled the abdomen.”
Scans showed the mass had originated in the right kidney, which had been displaced into the left side of the abdomen, and also compressed the rest of Penny’s internal organs. There was also no evidence of metastatic disease.
Dr Barker added: “A right ureteronephrectomy was performed and the large cystic parts of the tumour were dissected free from the omentum, the peritoneum and the retroperitoneal vasculature.
“The surgery was really difficult because the mass was so large and heavy, and it required extra surgeons to hold and manipulate the mass, while its vasculature was dissected and ligated.
“The weight of the mass on the diaphragm also made the anaesthesia challenging, but surgery went very well. Once the surgery was over, the weight of the mass was confirmed at nearly 5kg.
“Penny made a good recovery from the anaesthesia, her blood renal parameters remained normal throughout her recovery and she was discharged 48 hours later.”
