Birmingham Dachshund is the face of pet hospital appeal

A Midlands pooch named Tegan has been picked to be the face of PDSA’s pet hospital appeal, after she had emergency surgery to remove over 20 bladder stones that were causing a potentially fatal blockage.

 

The leading veterinary charity launched a campaign to raise £6 million to build three new, state-of-the-art facilities to replace the ageing PetAid hospitals in Birmingham (Quinton), Cardiff and Plymouth.  A photogenic pet patient was needed to front the appeal when the 11-year-old Dachshund was brought into PDSA by her owner, Mrs Fisher (73). She originally thought her canine companion’s expanding waistline was due to a few too many treats.

 

Mrs Fisher said, “At first I put Tegan on a diet but this made no difference. Then I noticed she was struggling to pass water and would have the occasional accident in the house, which was unlike her. She was also very sluggish, so I knew something must be wrong and I made an appointment at PDSA.”

 

After an examination the vets suspected bladder stones and did an x-ray to confirm the diagnosis, but they were all astonished to see the number and size of the stones.

 

PDSA Vet Nurse, Andrea Northall said, “Bladder stones are fairly common, but it’s unusual to see quite so many, and some were very large indeed. There was no way Tegan could pass these, and if we hadn’t operated then this could have led to some very serious complications, as well being very painful for her.”

 

PDSA vets performed a cystotomy, surgically removing over 20 stones from Tegan’s bladder under a general anaesthetic.

 

Mrs Fisher continued, “I was shocked when I saw the amount of stones; some were as big as pebbles and it didn’t seem like they could have fitted inside her. Tegan needed quite a bit of nursing at first, but now she’s like a puppy again and has so much energy. She loves to be the centre of attention and it’s thanks to PDSA that she’s still with me.”

 

Demand for PDSA's services has soared in recent years and three of its older PetAid hospitals are struggling to cope with this huge increase in demand. PDSA’s PetAid hospitals in Quinton, Cardiff and Plymouth each now see as many as 150 pets a day in the cramped conditions, and although they work hard to maintain a good standard of care, it’s a daily struggle. They are desperately in need of more space and newer equipment, which will enable them to continue to save the lives of sick and injured pets.

 

PDSA provides free treatment to the sick and injured pets of eligible people in need. For more information about PDSA's pet hospital appeal visit www.pdsa.org.uk/build or to donate £2 text 'BUILD' to 70099.