Meet Florence, the adorable Rottweiler (who, according to her owner, still hasn’t learnt from her ordeal!)
Florence presented during the COVID lockdown as an emergency in status epilepticus. The team of vets and nurses had to act quickly and calmly to gain intravenous access to start giving anti-seizure medications. Despite the medications, she continued to seizure, and in the end, we decided to put her under general anaesthetic to control and stop the seizures.
We were suspicious that Florence had ingested a mycotoxin (something mouldy) – possibly human food from a bin or similar. Mycotoxicosis is life-threatening, and Florence was extremely unwell.
Our next step was to stomach lavage Florence. The team of vets and nurses placed a stomach tube, which allowed all of the contents of Florence’s stomach to come up and remove the potential toxin. After this, her stomach was flushed with water. Florence had a considerable amount of stomach content, and in the process of it coming back up, splattered all over one of our nurses – all part of the not so glamorous job we have!
Florence received 24-hour round-the-clock intensive nursing while she remained under general anaesthesia. When animals are asleep under general anaesthetic for that amount of time, we have a lot to consider and provide a wide range of nursing care. Her body parameters, including heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, capnography, and temperature, were monitored continuously. We had to place a urinary catheter to ensure we were able to empty her bladder so that she did not urinate on her bedding as this can cause further complications, including urine scalding on the skin. Florence received oxygen therapy via her endotracheal tube and anaesthetic circuit. Her eyes and mouth were frequently lubricated to prevent ulceration. When an animal has been siezuring for that length of time, it is tough to tell what the prognosis will be. Florence was under general anaesthetic for over 12 hours, throughout the evening, all night and into the following day.
The next morning Florence seemed stable, so the team decided to start to wake her up. This was a gradual process, and we slowly reduced the anaesthetic drug she was receiving as a constant rate infusion. Slowly but surely, Florence started to wake up and show us signs of regaining her hearing and sight.
Florence made a remarkable recovery and was able to be sent home five days later when she was back to her usual self! We were thrilled when she was ready to go home, Florence has a special place in the team’s hearts.
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