Pet Success Stories

On 11-09-2022, two French Bulldogs, Boomer and Bella, presented at our clinic with probable snake bites; unfortunately, Bella succumbed to her injuries shortly after arrival. We began treating Boomer aggressively with antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and anti-nausea medicines. We placed an IV catheter and began pushing fluids to assist in clearing the venom from his system. We ran bloodwork, urinalysis, and used the sonogram to look for fluid in the abdomen, but were struggling to stabilize him as he continued to vomit blood. We had no anti-venin and gained control of Boomer’s clotting and vomiting issues. Boomer was a hard fighter, and after a couple of days of being hospitalized, he was able to go home. A week later, Boomer returned for a checkup and, although his face was still swollen, he was in great spirits. Boomer is a very lucky dog.

Please be aware of snakes and the areas in which they live; monitor your pets around those areas in particular. Most veterinary clinics do not keep anti-venin in stock as it has a very short shelf life and is expensive. At Whitehouse Veterinary Hospital, we carry the rattlesnake vaccine, which is helpful for pit viper and other common snake bites. While most snake bites are not as serious as the ones sustained by Boomer and Bella, it is always a good idea to consult your veterinarian if you have any questions or concerns.

Gizmo first came to see Dr. Ochoa for issues with his hind legs and back. Dr. Ochoa suspected that our ferret friend had injured his back somehow and recommended an X-ray to make sure that there wasn’t anything more serious going on. To our surprise, the X-ray showed that Gizmo had a large bladder stone along with a back injury. We first started Gizmo on medication and strict cage rest to let his back injury heal. After he had recovered from his back injury, Dr. Ochoa performed surgery to remove the large stone from his bladder. Gizmo has now recovered from his surgery and is living the best life with his parents and other ferret friends.

Meet Taz! Taz is a two-year-old orange tabby cat whose owner became very concerned about him when she noticed that Taz had stopped eating, was acting very lethargic, and had a bloated abdomen. Taz’s concerned owner made an appointment to bring him to see Dr. Ochoa right away. Upon physical exam, Dr. Ochoa noticed Taz seemed depressed and lethargic, his gums were extremely pale, and he had a pendulous, bloated abdomen. That made Dr. Ochoa suspicious that Taz had a large amount of fluid in his abdomen.

Dr. Ochoa quickly realized there was something serious going on and that his life was in danger. Taz’s owner was willing to let us do whatever we could to save her beloved pet, so we started with bloodwork and an abdominal ultrasound for diagnostic testing. Taz’s bloodwork showed that he had extremely elevated liver enzymes that were almost ten times the normal level and that he was dangerously anemic — meaning his red blood cell count was dangerously low. This let Dr. Ochoa know that Taz needed a blood transfusion immediately, or we could lose him at any moment. We then performed an abdominal ultrasound, which revealed a large mass on his liver and a large amount of free-floating fluid in his abdomen. Dr. Ochoa extracted some of the fluid from Taz’s abdomen, only to discover that all the fluid was blood. It all made sense now. At only two years old, Taz had a mass on his liver that was causing him to bleed out internally. Dr. Ochoa explained to Taz’s concerned owner that without a blood transfusion and immediate surgery, he would not survive much longer. Taz’s owner wanted us to try everything we could in an attempt to save his life, so we immediately started to give him a blood transfusion with blood donated from an employee’s own cat.

Once in surgery, Dr. Ochoa suctioned out almost two liters of blood, allowing her to see the mass on his liver that was the size of a grapefruit, and that this mass was also attached to his vena cava, which is the largest artery in the body. Dr. Ochoa understood that if this artery had even a small nick or puncture, then Taz could bleed out and die in a matter of seconds. She wisely asked Dr. Reese to assist her with trying to remove the mass without harming the vena cava. Dr. Ochoa and Dr. Reese worked together to very carefully dissect the mass off of the vena cava and remove it from the liver, remarkably leaving Taz’s entire liver and vena cava intact. To everyone’s relief, Taz recovered from surgery and started eating again that same evening.

In the following days, he continued to eat and improve. Dr. Ochoa and Dr. Reese sent off the mass to a diagnostic lab to be biopsied. Although Taz was doing great, our doctors were still concerned that the large fluid-filled mass was potentially cancerous. Taz’s owner and our entire staff were elated to find out a few days later that the mass was just a benign fluid-filled cyst and that Taz did not have cancer!

Thanks to the entire Whitehouse Veterinary staff and Taz’s owner for never giving up. It is now several months later, and Taz is living a happy and healthy life like any normal two-year-old cat should!

Meet Wonder, a two-year-old German Shepherd who has been a beloved member of her family since she was a young puppy. Wonder has been a happy and healthy dog until recently, when she started to present chronic GI symptoms and weight loss. Her owners took her to their local veterinarian in Dallas, where they live. She had an examination and general testing to hopefully explain her symptoms and rapid weight loss.

When testing didn’t provide an answer for her symptoms, she was prescribed medication to treat her symptoms in hopes that her issues would resolve, and she would quickly recover. Unfortunately, Wonder continued to lose weight, was vomiting, and had diarrhea. Her owners became increasingly concerned, and she was referred to a specialist in the area. Wonder and her owners visited the specialist, where several tests were performed, including blood panels, urinalysis, fecal testing, and physical examination. Although there were slight abnormalities in Wonder’s bloodwork results, there was still no clear answer as to what was making her sick.

With the bill getting increasingly higher, the choice was made to try a new regimen of medication prescribed by the specialist in hopes that it would cure her illness. After some time on the new medicine, Wonder continued to suffer from chronic GI symptoms and weight loss. Her owners were incredibly worried now and reached out to a family friend who is a technician here at Whitehouse Veterinary Hospital to get a personal opinion. After looking over the lab results and considering her symptoms, he reached out to Dr. Ochoa and asked her to review the results, as it seemed to be a very complicated case.

After reviewing the test results, she requested that Wonder’s owners make the trip from Dallas to Whitehouse so she could do a workup of her own, as she had some suspicions as to the cause of her symptoms. Wonder’s owners agreed, and they set up an appointment. Luckily, Dr. Ochoa had just taken part in an education meeting with a veterinary GI specialist and, armed with the most current information on GI illness, Dr. Ochoa decided to run specialized tests. Wonders’ owners were desperate for an answer and agreed.

A few days later, we received results from the lab confirming Dr. Ochoa’s suspicions and diagnosing Wonder with a disease called exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, also known as EPI. Epi is a condition where the pancreas does not secrete enough digestive enzymes to properly break down and digest food. This results in the inability to digest and absorb nutrients, causing GI symptoms and weight loss, often in young animals.

Elated that we have a diagnosis, Dr. Ochoa prescribed the proper medications and supplements to treat EPI. Although EPI is a chronic and incurable disease, it is easily manageable, and with the proper care, Wonder can go on to live a long, happy, and healthy life.

Just two months after Wonder’s visit with Whitehouse Veterinary Hospital, her relieved owners reported that she had gained 15 lbs and was no longer experiencing GI symptoms. Thanks to Dr. Ochoa, the staff at Whitehouse Veterinary Hospital, and Wonder’s caring owners, she is now well on her way to recovery.

Westley is a six-year-old Dachshund mix who came in to see us in June of 2018 with back issues. He was having trouble getting up and around every few days and was starting to eat less than usual. Dr. Ochoa recommended radiographs so she could determine what the problem was. After radiographs showed inflammation in his joints, Dr. Ochoa prescribed muscle relaxers and pain medication, along with strict cage rest, to hopefully allow him to recover over a few weeks.

Unfortunately, though he did initially seem to respond to treatment, he had a setback a couple of months after. In August, he was brought back in for weakness, weight loss, and loss of appetite. It was recommended that he stay on his muscle relaxers and limit his movement. Unfortunately, as time passed, our doctors saw that Westley wasn’t responding to medications, and further tests were needed to determine the cause of his symptoms.

He returned again in December with the same issues and dehydration. Dr. Reese recommended bloodwork and some additional tests, but the results were unremarkable, which led the doctors to suspect that a tick-borne disease might be the cause. They prescribed a round of steroids and antibiotics, which tick-borne diseases respond to, and sent him home.

After beginning the medicine, Westley started showing improvement! We had high hopes that this was the answer to Westley’s problems. We rechecked him after being on the medication for two weeks, and he was still improving, so we planned to let him finish with the current round and slowly wean off the steroids. As he was finishing the steroids, he started the decline in health once more. This brought the doctors to suspect that instead of a tick-borne disease, they were dealing with a disease called Immune-Mediated Polyarthritis. This is a condition where the body’s white blood cells start attacking the joints, causing inflammation and pain. This is generally treated with steroids, which Dr. Reese prescribed again, and Westley responded well!

Over the next several months, Westley underwent steroid therapy and has been steadily improving. With this particular issue, steroids may possibly be a lifelong treatment used to alleviate the symptoms and give Westley the best quality of life. We wish Westley and his family the best and are happy that he is in such good hands!

Meet Icharis Biddle! Icharis is an 8-year-old short-haired cat who came to see us because he had had trouble with vomiting. It had been on and off for a few months, and after first trying to get him better at home with medication and low-fat food, Icharis came in when he started vomiting multiple times a day. The poor guy was not feeling well and needed some special help.

Dr. Redding decided we needed a better look at what was going on with Icharis and suggested a blood panel. The panel showed that Icharis was fighting a slight infection and was a little dehydrated. He went home with more medication and a new special diet to try to alleviate the symptoms. That night, he became very sick and went to the emergency clinic for treatment. He was transported to our hospital the next morning where Dr. Redding performed radiographs and ultrasound.

During the procedure, she found that his stomach was quite enlarged. It was determined that Icharis needed exploratory surgery to see what this was and if it was causing him to continue to vomit and lose weight. During surgery a large mass was found and was removed along with a few inches of intestines. After this he was hospitalized for a few days while he recovered from his surgery until he started eating on his own and stopped vomiting. The mass was sent off to a lab to be tested and unfortunately was found to be cancerous.

For now, Icharis is being cared for at home and has a special regimen of medicine to help his nausea and to help decrease the size of the cancer cells. He’s also being fed a diet that is easy to digest so that he can continue to be comfortable. He seems to be doing well and being taken care of by his loving family.

Meet Brammer Newton! Weighing only 90 grams and measuring a few inches long, this tiny baby was minding his own business walking around at home when the family dog thought he had found a new toy! Unfortunately for Brammer, being as young as he is, his shell provided little protection against dog teeth when the pup tried to get him to squeak. He suffered a crack to his shell and a puncture wound and was very distressed by the entire ordeal. He drew himself inside his shell as much as possible and stayed there. When his owner rushed him to us, he was slightly cold and not willing to come out. Unfortunately, we can’t force him out of his shell, and it was a tough call at the time to tell if he was even alive. The best thing to do at the moment, since the bleeding had stopped and the bites weren’t too severe, was to have him placed under a heat lamp for a couple of hours and get him warmed up so we could work on him. Once he warmed up, he was willing to say hello to everyone, and we were able to get him started on antibiotics and work on repairing his shell.

The shell repair is important because the wounded area needs to be protected, as it takes a couple of years for it to completely heal. The repair is a two-part process, the first providing stabilization and protecting the wound from outside infection, and the second is a resin seal that waterproofs the area so when a turtle swims or a tortoise soaks, it won’t allow water to seep into their abdominal cavity. This repair will last them a long while, and as they grow, it will eventually fall off. Brammer was very patient with us with each visit and took all the handling and oral meds like a little champ. He’s doing well now and toddling around like nothing happened!

Dottie is a tortoise who was admitted to our office when her owners saw she wasn’t feeling well. She wasn’t eating and was open-mouth breathing. This is not normal behavior for a tortoise, as they typically breathe with their mouths closed. Open-mouth breathing was a sign that Dottie was having trouble getting enough oxygen in her lungs. Dottie’s mom was very concerned and agreed with Dr. Reese that radiographs were in order. The radiographs showed definite signs of pneumonia.

But what caused it? After taking a culture and sending it to a lab, we found that Dottie had developed an infection. A regimen of breathing treatments and oral antibiotics was started immediately.

Just one problem, though: Dottie did not want to eat at all. It was very important that we get Dottie to eat, so a feeding tube was surgically inserted into Dottie’s stomach. The surgery was difficult, but with the help of his highly trained technicians, it was a success. An incision was made in the side of the esophagus, and the tube was inserted down the esophagus into the stomach and was sutured into place so it could not be moved. Now Dottie would be fed from a syringe straight into her stomach until her strength and appetite returned.

It was a difficult task, but Dottie’s parents never gave up. They did an excellent job making sure Dottie got her breathing treatments and medications. Dottie’s feeding tube was finally removed when she started eating on her own and feeling better at home. Today, Dottie has grown and is doing very well thanks to the help of Dr. Reese and his staff.

If you have any questions about your exotic pet, please give us a call at Whitehouse Veterinary Hospital so we can help keep your pet happy and healthy!

Bunny is a very sweet four-year-old pet rabbit who was presented to Whitehouse Veterinary Hospital with a previously broken leg. Prior to coming to us, a splint was attempted on the leg with hopes that it would heal. The attempt to heal the fracture by means of the splint was unsuccessful, and Bunny had actually begun to self-mutilate the limb, which most likely had nerve damage, causing Bunny to have no feeling in the limb.

When Bunny came to us for her initial consultation with Dr. Reese, the bones of the lower part of the front leg were severely damaged beyond surgical repair, and there was a lack of healthy tissue and skin on the lower leg to make a surgical repair of the leg successful. After assessing the injury, Dr. Reese discussed the limited options we had that would give Bunny a good quality of life and prevent this injury and infected tissue from becoming potentially life-threatening. The decision was ultimately made to amputate the leg.

Dr. Reese and the Whitehouse Veterinary staff took Bunny to surgery, and while the staff closely monitored anesthesia, Dr. Reese was able to successfully perform the amputation of the front leg. Bunny was sent home with pain medicine, antibiotics, and instructions for the owners to follow, including complications to watch for.

We are happy to announce that Bunny healed nicely from surgery and has made a full recovery! Bunny is now enjoying life at home with his loving and devoted family and should continue to have a good quality of life for many years to come.

Meet Jack, a three-year-old hound mix who was rushed into Whitehouse Veterinary Hospital by a kind-hearted police officer who found him after being hit by a car. Jack arrived in critical condition and was quickly examined by Dr. Reese to evaluate the extent of his injuries.

Upon physical exam, it was apparent that Jack was in shock and had several superficial lacerations, severe bruising, and suspected broken bones as a result of the trauma. Further diagnostics were also needed at this time to rule out potentially life-threatening internal injuries. The Whitehouse Veterinary Hospital staff immediately began treating Jack with IV fluids and injectable drugs to help bring him out of shock, followed by an ultrasound scan of his chest and abdominal cavities, which, to everyone’s relief, showed Jack did not have internal bleeding in his chest or abdomen.

Once Jack was out of shock and in a more stable condition a few hours later, he was then sedated so his lacerations could be sutured closed and X-rays could be performed without him feeling any discomfort. As suspected, the X-rays revealed that Jack had several fractured bones in his paw, as well as a fractured elbow and fractures to his pelvis in three different places.

By this time, Jack’s concerned owners had already been identified and contacted, and the decision was made to splint and stabilize Jack’s front leg so that the fractures in his paw and elbow could heal. The fractures in his pelvis would heal with time and strict cage rest. Jack was also prescribed pain medicine to help keep him comfortable and antibiotics to help prevent infection. It was evident that Jack had a long road to recovery, but with diligent care from his owners and the Whitehouse Veterinary Staff, he is now on the mend and doing well a few months later.

Special thanks are given to the police officer who played a major role in saving Jack’s life by finding him and rushing him into our hospital for emergency care. The heroic officer continues to stop in from time to time to get updates on how Jack’s recovery is going, and we are all glad to know that Jack is doing well and is happy at home with his loving family.