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"Reg" a 6 year old Black Labrador was presented
to see my colleague Ingrid because he was limping on his
right front leg.
A small wound was apparent adjacent to his wrist (carpal)
joint. It was assumed that he had grazed his leg or possibly
been bitten by an insect. Consequently, the limb had become
infected and was the cause of his problem.
Antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs were prescribed
and Reg was discharged.
Several days later Reg's limp had disappeared. He was bright,
lively and appeared to show no ill
effects. His owners however had become concerned about a
lump that had gradually appeared around the area of the
original wound.
My second colleague, Geraldine, became alerted to the fact
that this was rather unusual and booked "Reg"
in to see me!
"Reg" was sedated and radiography confirmed that
there was a large abnormal shadow adjacent to the carpal
joint. At this point we all made several suggestions as
to what this shadow might be...............all subsequently
proved wrong!
Exploratory surgery of the area revealed a large shard
of glass. How more severe damage had not occurred or how
"Reg" was able to run around without any problems
or severing some vital structures is hard to understand.
The point is made that, despite our collective experience
and expertise, we can still be astonished by a final diagnosis.
This variety of daily challenges is what makes our profession
so fascinating, sometimes terribly frustrating but ulimately
very rewarding. The fact remains:
You can teach an old dog new tricks..............as long
as you use the right treats!
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