GOOSE CREEK, SC...We were contacted last week about a 4-year-old Pitbull that had gotten away from the Owners and ten days later was found injured and emaciated. The dog was taken to the ER and was told he would have to have more medical care based on his wounds. The Owners looked after their dog Bentley as best they could until he became sicker. Bentley was taken to their regular Vet. where they were shocked at his emaciated state. The owners agreed to sign him over so he could get the medical care he needed instead of Euthanizing.
In addition to Bentley being emaciated, the gaping wound under his arm was infected, and he was becoming septic. The owners were adamant; he was healthy when he went missing. We had x-rays done to see if he had an obstruction in his intestine. We did not find an obstruction but did find a mass or abscessed area in his abdomen. It was such a mess that the Specialists determined we had to do a Cat Scan to get more detail before the Surgeons went in.
All of Bentley's Specialists got together, and it was determined he had to have exploratory surgery to take biopsy samples and possibly repair and remove any area that was suspect. Dr. Rachel Seibert went in and did Bentley's Surgery. What she found was a lot more complicated than she was expecting. It appears Bentley had a large chronic walled off abscess from ruptured pylorus (possible foreign body or GI ulcer). Dr. Seibert removed the abscess and repaired the area of the pylorus and put a feeding tube in.
The pylorus is the furthest part of the stomach that connects to the duodenum. It is divided into two parts, the antrum, which connects to the body of the stomach, and the pyloric canal, which connects to the duodenum. The area is not one you ever want to cut into or repair because of complications and the risk of the repair opening up. Unfortunately, to save Bentley's Life, we had to.
The next five days are critical for this sweet boy. The abscess is the reason why he was throwing up and losing weight while he went missing. The gaping wound under his front leg and his tail that has part of it missing are a mystery we will probably never know what happened when he was missing. He looks more like he was hit and dragged under a car right after he was gone. His Family had identification on him which is how they got him back.
We have lots of unanswered questions that we may never know the answers. What I have to focus on now is giving Bentley the best chance possible of surviving these Medical Emergencies. The bills for Bentley are massive to save him. If he were an older dog, I would have agreed it was best to put him down. He is a young dog that has medical problems that can be addressed which is what we are doing. Please, DONATE whatever you can so we can keep going.
Bentley is a sweet pup that deserves his Life back, but it is going to be expensive. There are no guarantees he will survive even after his surgery. What started out as a gaping wound that had become septic is minor compared to what is going on in his abdomen. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day for this sweet pup. I know I say it a lot, but life is hard for Man's Best Friend. Please, say a Prayer for this special pup because he needs more than money can buy.
