February’s patient of the month is dazzling, twelve year-old, tri-colored papillon, Frosty Scullion. Frosty has a history of urinary stones, so when his owners noticed that he was having blood in his urine, they knew to head over to Oak Animal Hospital.
Upon Dr. Dhillon’s physical examination, he recommended complete lab work and an abdominal ultrasound in order to find out why Frosty was having blood in his urine, as at this point, there were several possibilities given his symptoms and past history. He also noticed during the exam that Frosty’s teeth were in need of a cleaning and was diagnosed with grade 2 dental disease.
Dr. Dhillon performed the lab work and ultrasound, and found a large bladder mass with mineralization in the middle during the abdominal ultrasound. He advised the owners that Frosty would have to undergo a cystotomy (a surgical procedure where an incision is made into the urinary bladder). The procedure was a success, and we were able to remove a pedunculated (elongated stalk of tissue) polyp-like growth, which was filling the whole urinary bladder. The growth was sent for a biopsy, and because Frosty was already under a general anesthetic, this made for a good opportunity for him to also have his teeth cleaned. His teeth were scaled and polished, and three teeth were extracted.
Frosty recovered quickly, and went home the day after surgery. He is currently happy and doing very well in his loving home.