ROCK HILL, NY — Emergencies are difficult for everyone involved. A few weeks ago, that was certainly the case. My office received a phone call from one of our clients regarding her dog, Mason. Mason was in an altercation with several other dogs while at a local horse farm. Mason’s owner was not certain as to the extent of his wounds initially but she knew there was a severe neck wound.

Upon further evaluation, Mason was presented in severe pain and was in a state of shock (a state of circulatory or cardiac compromise). Mason indeed had a severe neck wound that was just millimeters away from severing his jugular vein which would have been extremely catastrophic. We also discovered that there was a very deep wound that went from his groin and possibly penetrated his abdominal cavity. Mason was immediately evaluated and was started on intravenous fluids, provided antibiotics, pain management and had the wounds cleaned and flushed. Given his state at the time of coming to the hospital, we sterilely wrapped all of the wounds and planned a surgical closure in the following days. In many cases, it is critical to allow the patient’s condition to stabilize before rushing to surgery; otherwise, there is a much higher complication rate that can result in death. That evening was certainly not easy for Mason. He was under the watchful eye of one of my veterinary nurses around the clock and placed on a morphine pain infusion to help control his severe pain.

The following day, Mason was brought back to Catskill Veterinary Services and reconstructive surgery was performed to close the wounds in his neck and groin. Both wounds were extremely severe and much worse than what they appeared initially. Aside from the nearly severed jugular vein, Mason had a very deep wound that was just one muscle layer away from entering his abdomen. After an hour-long surgery time, Mason was in recovery.

Mason was hospitalized for several days as we dealt with his severe pain and fought to prevent infection. During the surgery, two fluid drains were placed to help pull off fluid and decrease the risk of infection, which required continuous nursing care. After a week’s time, Mason’s condition drastically improved. The swelling from the initial traumatic event and the surgery resolved and Mason was starting to look like his normal self again. His appetite improved, his energy increased and his vital signs stabilized.

Thankfully, today, Mason is doing extremely well and is back to his normal activity.

Catskill Veterinary Services, PLLC
www.catskillvetservices.com
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drjoe@catskillvetservices.com