Life of Riley threatened by rare liver condition

A Blunsdon mum has described the frantic international drama that unfolded when her daughter’s 12-year-old dog needed emergency surgery for a rare liver condition.

Gillian Burgess, from Blunsdon, was looking after golden retriever Riley while daughter Ceri Roberts was away in Egypt but a canine crisis emerged when he suddenly collapsed and needed specialist care at Linnaeus-owned Eastcott Veterinary Referrals in Swindon.

A CT scan revealed Riley had two liver lobe torsions, an extremely rare complaint in animals, especially dogs, and Eastcott’s Gerard Olivares, a European specialist in internal medicine, knew he needed urgent surgery.  

Gillian said the bombshell news hit hard, explaining: “When Gerard called to say Riley had a liver torsion it was a great shock to the family.

“We were very concerned, especially with the increased worry due to the rarity of such a thing and Riley’s age, added to the fact Ceri was in Egypt and Riley is her dog!

“The care was exceptional, though, including Gerard taking the time to talk to Ceri in Egypt at the initial consultation, and she obviously had lots of questions.

“All of this care went above and beyond our expectations. We were kept fully informed at all times throughout his admission, surgery and beyond and I’d definitely recommend Eastcott Referrals to other pet owners.”

Gillian, who works on the client care team at Drove Vets in Marlborough, said her professional knowledge and experience meant she was immediately alert to Riley’s initial need for urgent veterinary attention, which was a key contribution to ensuring he made such a good recovery.

Gillian recalled the moment she knew something was drastically wrong, adding: “I took Riley for a walk but unusually he stayed walking very slowly behind and was not interested in anything, not even his dog treats.

“He was very lethargic, I checked his gums and they were white, so I took him straight to Drove Vets where vet Hannah McNicholas examined him.

“Blood tests and an ultrasound examination were performed. The scan was inconclusive but the bloods showed there was a liver issue and a syringe full of bloody fluid was removed from his abdomen.

“When Hannah discussed a referral to Eastcott I jumped at the chance and we’re all very grateful to them.

“Riley has now made a terrific recovery; you wouldn’t’t know what he had been through. He is totally back to normal again.”

Eastcott specialist Gerard described the dramatic events, saying: “Riley arrived at Eastcott as an emergency admission after collapsing at home earlier in the day.

“We knew at this point Riley had a haemoabdomen (blood in the abdomen) and abdominal pain, following the investigations at Drove Vets.

“Riley was stabilised at Eastcott with the help of our anaesthesia team and underwent a CT scan. We the assistance of our imager on duty, we diagnosed Riley with torsion of two of his liver lobes.

“This is a relatively uncommon and life-threatening disease in dogs but, when diagnosed early, can carry a very good prognosis.

“He was taken straight to theatre for an emergency surgery, where the torsed liver lobes were removed by our surgeons.

“Riley was then kept in our Intensive Care Unit for initial recovery, but despite his age, recovered swiftly and was discharged after 48 hours.

“We re-examined him two weeks after the procedure and his wounds had healed uneventfully and the owners report he was already getting back to his usual self.”

For more information about Eastcott Referrals visit www.eastcottreferrals.co.uk or search for Eastcott Veterinary Referrals on social media.