A beloved family dog has received a life-saving operation after local vets identified a life-threatening disease as a result of a free dental check.
Brave Eddie, the nine-year-old Border Terrier, was brought in to All Creatures Vets in Warrington, Cheshire for a free ‘summer smiles’ dental check, as his owner Dee had noticed a lump on his gum.
All Creatures vet Simon Gillingham confirmed Eddie had dental disease and planned surgery under anaesthetic to remove the lump. He also recommended taking blood samples to make sure it was safe to proceed.
The tests revealed that Eddie’s liver markers were increased, so Simon undertook a scan of his liver to check if any lesions were present which may need to be treated. The scans revealed Eddie was suffering from the deadly disease mucocele which affects the gallbladder but can lie dormant with few external signs.
Simon said: “When this disease strikes it can quickly rupture or block the gallbladder, causing serious illness and a high risk of death. Even emergency surgery carries a high risk to life – both during surgery and within the recovery period.”
With Dee’s consent, Eddie was immediately booked in to surgery, to be conducted at All Creatures larger sister practice Rees Veterinary Centre.
Vet Simon operating to remove Eddie’s gall bladder
Led by Simon, with the assistance of vet Kathryn Rogerson and vet nurse Simone McIntyre, Eddie was taken into the operating theatre within days. Here the team undertook the extremely risky and challenging surgery to completely remove Eddie’s gallbladder to completely remove the mucocele. The complex and precise operation took over three hours.
To everyone’s relief the operation was a success and the procedure was completed without any complications. Miraculously, within just two hours, Eddie was back on his feet, back to his cheeky old self, and charming the Rees team. At teatime Eddie was allowed to go home.
Further laboratory tests taken during the operation revealed that Eddie’s gall bladder was severely ulcerated and at the point of rupture. Within hours, days or weeks, the outcome would likely not have been so good.
Simon continued: “It’s amazing cases such as this which demonstrate the importance of regular pet check-ups. A simple free dental check identified this nasty disease and luckily we were able to successfully operate on Eddie just in the nick of time.”
Owner Dee said: “As you can imagine Eddie is a very special little man to us. And if we hadn’t had the test done when they were he would have been lost to us. The care that Eddie has received from the vet group has been amazing! We are very happy for Eddie’s story to be out there, so other owners know about this nasty disease.”
Eddie has now made a full recovery and is being booked in for his dental work soon.
Please head to the Vet Collection website to see a practice near you offering free dental checks. The free initiative is running until September 2025.
