At the beginning of March, we were contacted by one of the fabulous Irish rescuers that we work with regularly to ask if we could take a 4-year-old male Golden.
He had been surrendered to them that day with no explanation. He had a lump on his shoulder, the owners said it was the result of a bite and he’d seen a vet. On collecting him the same day, it was immediately apparent that he needed urgent vet attention, there was no visible bite wound but a huge swelling that was hot to the touch. He was also almost emaciated and clearly hadn’t received care in a long time!
He was rushed straight to our vet where he was immediately placed on a drip to bring down his raging temperature with the intention of lancing the swelling once he was stable. After almost a week at the vet, he was stable enough for the lump to be lanced but instead of pus as expected, there was simply haemorrhagic serosanguinous discharge which is not typical of an infected bite.
The immediate concern was the prospect of cutaneous haemangiosarcoma and authorisation for a biopsy to be taken with fast-track histology.
The prognosis of haemangiosarcoma was bleak and the decision was made that he go home with Kathryn whilst we awaited the results, and if the worst was confirmed, he would remain there for as long as his short life maybe.
After what seemed like a lifetime, the results were in…… NOT the dreaded HS. It seems that the lump was a result of a number of bites causing deep trauma that had been left untreated, leading to haemorrhage and build-up of fibrosis and granulation. So brilliant news for our boy, but did mean that he would have to undergo a second surgery to remove what was possible of the lump.
This sweet boy has been through so much but is now back home with Kathryn where he will remain until he is fully healed and able to start the process of being passported and prepared for travel to his new life in the UK.
Whilst it’s fabulous news for Hashie, it’s not such great news for IRR’s bank balance, the surgeries and week’s vet stay have amounted to £2205.56 alone.
UPDATE 27 APRIL 2022
Hashie experienced serious complications from the original surgery resulting in the lump refilling and then bursting under vet supervision! We were seriously concerned about the level of care he was receiving and got him referred to a specialist, where the extent of his issues became apparent. They were instantly concerned that surgery had been carried out on the merit of a simple biopsy without any kind of scan which would allow them to ascertain the extent of the issue and any secondary issues related to the original lump.
Within a day Hashie had had a CT scan which thankfully showed no progression beyond the original site. It did however show that the granulation went all the way to the muscle not simply skin deep and that the surgery performed achieved no margin and would therefore never have been successful in the long term and that any biopsy taken could not have ruled out cancer!
Further surgery and biopsies were therefore required in order to achieve the required margin and ensure that there was no sign of cancer deeper than the original site. He has now undergone radical surgery which the specialist is confident should be his last and although the healing process will be slow due to the extent of the surgery, he should make a complete recovery. Thankfully we have now had the results of the latest biopsies and there is no sign of malignancy.
Thanks to our wonderful supporters we raised £1,200 in direct donations and a further £318.50 via items offered for auction towards our original appeal.
Now for the bad news, the original surgery and diagnostics totalled £2,205.56 and now the specialist fees have come to £3,429.44, making a grand total of £5,635.00.
Can you help?
If you can spare a few pennies towards this huge unexpected bill, we and Hashie would be incredibly grateful.
Paypal to
or direct Bak Transfer:
Lloyds Bank
A/c name: Irish Retriever Rescue
A/c number: 27769160
Sort Code: 30-99-29