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| Mia before her operation when she was not very well |
MIA - HER STORY
From the Rescue.
It was in early February 2007 when we were first approached to ask if we would re-home this young setter bitch - the reason,
she was not getting along with her sister!!! During the course of the next few days we found out that Mia was not in her
owner's home, she had been given to the owner's son, he had a Labrador bitch and he and his partner went out to work all day
leaving the two bitches alone together. It is believed that they had access to the garden and we were informed by a local
vet - who we had contacted because Mia had no vaccination card - that Mia had been picked up by a dog warden and taken to
their surgery on one occasion.
Eventually, after a little delay, Margaret Hutchings from Plymouth again came to our rescue and picked Mia up from the
owner in a car park. The owner also had Mia's sister with her and Margaret said that the difference between the two bitches
was spectacular - the sister being a largish over weight setter whilst Mia was skeletal thin! There was obviously no love
lost between Mia and her family and she was very delighted to be going into Margaret's car and away. Mia stayed with Margaret
for a few days before making the journey to the Fleet Service Station where she was collected by one of our helpers. Whilst
with Margaret, Mia was fed little and often, which had we been aware of her condition, was exactly the right thing to do.
Margaret found Mia to be a delightful little bitch, who was affectionate and got on very well with Margaret & her own
bitch Titian.
THE STORY OF OUR GIRL MIA!
From Mick and Jackie Newman
We picked Mia up from the Ladybird Kennels on 24th February 2007, Mia was extremely underweight at just 17 Kg and quite
frail. Mia and our English setter Alfie, really got along right from when they first met, although Mia seemed a little subdued
and depressed at times. We put this down to her settling in and getting used to her new surroundings. Mia was always a little
strange in some ways even for an Irish setter! She would bark constantly for no apparent reason and could not be comforted.
She would also wake us 4-5 times a night to go outside and couldn't rest. We tried not to make too much of this as we knew
little about her past and thought things would improve over time with a lot of love and attention.
From the start feeding times were always stressful for both Mia and myself, with Mia needing constant reassurance and
encouragement to get her to eat. It was as though Mia was scared of the food and she would try to run away and escape from
meal times. Having had setters before I found this very strange as they usually have a very healthy appetite! She seemed to
favour roast or boiled chicken with rice and with lots of patience Mia began to eat 4 very small meals a day quite comfortably
and by July she had reached 21 kg
Mia had her first season in July and this caused her to completely go off her food again and become very depressed and
unwell. Mia's issues baffled the vets, as she seemed to be physically very healthy. When the season reached its end Mia developed
pyometra and had to be given an emergency hysterectomy. When Mia came home after the operation she wouldn't eat anything and
never really picked up much and therefore began loosing more weight. We knew something wasn't right, but several visits to
the vets didn't leave us with any clear reason for her problems. The vet thought Mia was just a picky eater she obviously
hadn't worked with many Irish setters! Even with the lack of help we received from the vets, we constantly kept trying new
things with Mia at home, desperately trying to find something she would eat and generally trying to improve her quality of
life but sadly to no avail.
On the 30th November Mia suddenly collapsed and was rushed to the emergency vets who thankfully thought he knew what was
wrong. He suspected that Mia had a liver shunt and that night continued to stabilise her and did numerous tests to try and
confirm his thoughts. He then referred Mia to the Royal Veterinary College in Hatfield for further investigation by a specialist
in this condition.
We first took Mia to the Veterinary College on the 5th Dec, Mia was kept in overnight and by the next day they were able
to confirm that it was a liver shunt. A liver shunt is a condition that dogs are born with. The dangerous toxins that are
in the body usually pass through the liver which prevents them reaching the blood stream and getting to the brain, a liver
shunt is where the toxins bypass the liver and are sent directly into the blood stream and end up affecting the brain and
causing much physical discomfort.
The shunt is corrected by surgery, which involves blocking the vein that sends toxins to the blood stream and redirecting
it through the liver. In order to operate on Mia safely they needed her general health to improve and they sent her home
for two weeks with antibiotics and a medicine called Lactose to help neutralize the toxins in Mia's blood stream and to improve
her well being. She was also on a prescription diet. Mia went back five days before Christmas and had her surgery, during
which they successfully managed to close the vein. Mia was allowed home on Christmas Eve and her new-found health was the
best Christmas present we could have wished for! She continued to go from strength to strength and now has a normal setter
appetite and weighs 27 kg. She is now able to fully enjoy life with plenty of love and usually being spoiled. She was recently
discharged from the Veterinary College after a check up confirming the success of her surgery. She is like a different dog
and we now know that all Mia's strange behaviour was due to the toxins in her brain affecting her and that Mia's loss of appetite
was due to the discomfort she felt from eating. Mia proves how important it is to be educated as much as possible to common
conditions that occur in dogs,even my normal vet didn't know!
I would also like to add the importance of keeping up to date with your dog insurance policy. Mia's surgery cost over
£4000 and without insurance could have proved very costly. So please, don't think for a moment that it isn't worth it because
it simply is!
From the Secretary.
The vets at the Royal Veterinary College who operated on Mia said it was a miracle that Mia had survived as long as she
did, she was born with the liver shunt and they had never before known an animal to survive that length of time without surgery.
Mia's condition was spotted just in time by the emergency vet. Thanks to the Royal Veterinary College and Mia's loving and
dedicated owners Mia can now look forward to a long,happy and healthy life.
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| Mia at home recovering after her life saving operation |
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