TINY JULIETS BIG ISSUE Juliet is a cute little 6 month old Chihuahua who went to her local vets for a routine spaying operation. The surgery went well, and Juliet went home to make what should have been an uneventful recovery. However, a few days later she became lethargic, went off her food and had suspected pain in her tummy and possibly in her neck. Her vets were worried that there could be some relationship between her illness and her spay operation, but after carefully checking her over and giving Juliet a course of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory tablets, she was still no better. Juliet was then referred to our internal medicine service for further investigations and treatment. She was found to be small in stature (weighing only 1.23kg – about the weight of a small bag of sugar!), and she had a very high temperature and evidence of pain in her neck and spine. Juliet was admitted to the hospital and her owners waited anxiously for news of her subsequent general anaesthetic and MRI scan. The scan showed evidence of inflammation of Juliet’s brain, as well as of the lining of the brain and the spinal cord. A sample of the fluid which bathes the brain and the spinal cord was then obtained (by performing a ‘spinal tap’ of the cerebro-spinal fluid), and this fluid was then processed and looked at under the microscope. The analysis showed the presence of inflammatory cells in the fluid. Whilst infections can cause inflammation of the brain and its linings, these were ruled out in Juliet’s case. Instead, it was felt that the most likely cause of her meningoencephalitis (inflammation of brain and lining of spinal cord) was an over reactive immune system – this normally fights off infection, but in Juliets case it was damaging her own tissues. Juliet was subsequently treated with high doses of steroids, as these damp down the activity of the immune system and reduce inflammation. Juliet was showing signs of improvement within 12 hours of starting treatment and has continued to improve since then – she is much happier and more comfortable and has already gained 0.5kg in weight! The dose of steroids is now gradually being reduced, and it is hoped that we will eventually be able to stop all therapy, although some dogs with the condition require continued long-term treatment. Juliet’s owners are delighted that she is now back to her normal, but bigger, self! willows.uk.net/news/m/news/view/371
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 14:00:00 +0000
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