Our Community

On this day one year ago, our team was preparing for the opening week to come; we switched on our equipment, put on our scrubs and opened our doors to our first patients.

We have been in touch with some of our pet carer community to find out how those patients are getting on one year later. We’d like to share some of their stories with you, starting with an adorable Cockapoo called Maisie, who really wasn’t herself when she was referred to us.

How Maisie’s treatment unfolded…

Maisie was assessed at her primary care practice for sudden onset of vomiting, regurgitation and inappetence (she didn’t want to eat much). Medical management with maropitant, a drug developed specifically for the treatment of vomiting in dogs, did not resolve the problem and so Maisie was referred to our Emergency + Critical Care Service.

Along with the above symptoms which would have made Maisie feel very tired and subdued, our team suspected that Maisie was in mild shock due to loss of fluid from her body.

Following medical management of Maisie’s symptoms, we performed an abdominal ultrasound which indicated an obstruction in her small intestine. We explored the intestinal area in surgery… below you can see what we found: a corn on the cob wedged at the entrance of Maisie’s bowels! Her carers have no idea where she found it, but it’s likely that she picked it up while out on a walk.

The cause of the problem: a corn on the cob

The morning following surgery, Maisie was more interested in food and was no longer vomiting or regurgitating. She continued to improve over the course of her stay with us and was taken home by her family to continue the journey to a full recovery.

Maisie’s carers restricted her exercise for the following weeks and implemented a new diet plan of small and frequent meals to progressively ease her back into her normal lifestyle.

Maisie in recovery, supported by a visit from her carers

Maisie taking a well-earned recovery nap at home

In the words of Maisie’s carers…

“Maisie is a massive part of our family, so it was heartbreaking to see her so quiet and lethargic when she became ill.

While we sat and waited nervously to be seen for the first time at The Ralph, anyone walking past came to say hi and made a fuss of Maisie. Our consultation was thorough and we were able to understand the whole process of investigation, operation and care. We had regular updates and were able to visit her to encourage her to eat! After her surgery, she gradually ate more and more, which felt like a really positive step after her operation.

When we were able to bring Maisie home,  she was quiet for the first few days. Her bald belly (which we actually found very cute!) soon grew back and she made a good recovery. After a week she was just as interested in food again and was beginning to want to doodle dash around! It was a little tricky because we had to stop her overdoing it with the jumping.

A year on and Maisie is still her crazy, Cockapoo self! She loves playing ball and sneaking into the undergrowth to chase the wildlife (she never catches anyone). We absolutely adore her, her doodle dashes and the way she plays with her woofer friends! We love to see her happy.”

Maisie at home nearly one year since her operation!

Maisie enjoying the sunshine with her family!

Thank you for taking the time to read Maisie’s story; keep an eye out this week to see where more of our patients are one year later!

Take care,

Team Ralph