Joey’s Pet of the Week – Gorgeous Gir

By Scott Lackenby | Dated January 22, 2015

Hey everyone! How are you all? I bet there are some excited parents out there. Not long now until the kids go back to school! Good luck to all the little ones who will be starting school for the very first time. I’m sure you’ll all love it!

You know how I’ve been complaining a lot recently about how busy I’ve been? I may of mentioned once or twice that I’m the busiest Pymble Vet clinic cat. Well, turns out I’m right. Two weeks ago we officially had the biggest week we’ve EVER had at GVH!! That means lots of consults, lots of dog surgery, lots of cat surgery, lots of dental and lots of cat boarding in the cattery! Thank you to all of amazing clients for choosing us to look after your precious pets. It makes us feel very privileged to be able to share in your pets journey.

My star this week belongs to our very own Nurse Emma. Gir, an almost 9 year old Terrier cross. Nurse Emma brought Gir in after noticing a funny looking rash on her tummy. The funny rash was actually not a rash and was blood pooling under her skin. Dr David Owen took some blood and discovered that Gir had a low platelet count, so Gir was admitted so Dr David Loneragan could perform an ultrasound on her the next day. In the mean time Gir was started on some medication to help support her. The next day, Gir had an ultrasound and some X rays, all of which were normal. Based on all of this, Gir was diagnosed with Immune Mediated Thrombocytopenia. This is a condition where the immune system starts attacking the platelets mistaking them for a virus. Gir needed to be kept confined to avoid her potentially injuring herself and causing a massive bleed. After a few days in with us, Gir was able to go home, as
long as she kept resting. She was doing quite well at home until she started vomiting. Dr John Morgan was suspicious that Gir was now also suffering from pancreatitis, which can be a side effect of some of the drugs Gir was taking to treat her Immune Mediated Thrombocytopenia. Dr John performed a special blood test which confirmed that Gir now also had pancreatitis. Gir needed to have her IMT medications modified. Luckily for Gir and Nurse Emma, Gir was responding well and her platelet levels are returning to normal and her pancreatitis is resolving. In the long term, Gir will need to follow a low fat diet as fatty foods can cause a relapse of pancreatitis. Gir will also not be able to be vaccinated anymore as vaccines work on the immune system, it can cause a relapse of the IMT. But as long as we follow this, Gir should be just fine.

Well, now that I know I, I mean WE have truly been busy, I’m tired and think I’ll go and have a nap before dinner and bedtime. Meows for now, love Joey xoxo

Having a rest after the busiest week on record

Gir’s bleeding

Gorgeous Gir

Nurse Emma and Gir