Hector

Hector came to see us at the beginning of June, as he had developed vomiting & diarrhea, was lethargic, and would not eat his food - which is very unusual for Hector!

Initially we treated him for a straightforward stomach upset. We changed him onto bland food, started a course of antibiotics and gave him a kaolin-based product to settle his stomach. After a few days of treatment Hector was not showing any signs of improvement, so we decided to perform some more diagnostic tests.

Blood samples showed that his liver enzymes and his bile levels were higher than normal, which gave rise to concerns about Hector's gallbladder.

The gallbladder is a sac-like structure which sits in-between the lobes of the liver. It produces a substance called bile, which when secreted into the guts helps with the digestion of fats.

We decided to perform an ultrasound scan of his liver and gall bladder, and made an interesting discovery. Hector had a gall stone sitting in his gall bladder which was causing all the problems.

The only treatment was to perform surgery in order to open the gall bladder and remove the stone. Hector was kept in on a drip for 48 hours before the surgery to ensure he was in the best possible condition to withstand the surgery. It took two vets to perform the surgery, as the gall bladder sits in a difficult position to access, but it all went very smoothly.

Hector has made a good recovery and is now back home and enjoying his food again!