Dog owner tells how Vets Now specialists saved her from ‘living nightmare’
Boxer Scout was seriously ill before her referral to pet emergency hospital in Glasgow
A dog has bounced back from a debilitating illness that left her so poorly her owners considered putting her to sleep three times and even paid for a cremation.
Boxer Scout spent months not eating properly and losing weight as her owner, Karen Paton, battled to keep her alive by feeding her through a syringe.
But after being referred to Vets Now’s pet emergency hospital in Glasgow, and having her medication changed, Scout’s health improved almost overnight.
Karen, an equine lecturer based in Perth, said: “We have been through three months of hell. Our lives completely revolved around giving Scout medication and trying to keep food inside her and if she was sick we would have to start all over again. It was a living nightmare.
“Scout was so thin her ribs were sticking out and we bought her a jacket to try to help her keep warm.”
Boxer Scout spent months not eating and losing weight due to illness
Karen said it did cross her mind that she was only keeping Scout alive for her own benefit.
She added: “While she rarely ate food of her own volition and was vomiting a lot, she was keen to accompany us out in the yard and was running about with our other dogs every day despite being so ill.
“One morning she was shaking and I thought it was the complete organ failure that we had been told to expect and I phoned the vets to come and put her to sleep. I gave her medication and by the time the vet arrived Scout was fine.”
On several occasions, Karen was so convinced Scout was about to suffer organ failure she told her teenage children to say goodbye to her. When they got home from school there was Scout wondering what all the fuss was about.
Karen even told how, on one desperate occasion, she paid for the 10-year-old dog’s cremation. Eventually, after months of tests at different vets, Scout was referred to the Vets Now pet emergency hospital in Glasgow which provides emergency and specialist care.
Scout is now back to eating regularly, and hasn't vomited since visiting Vets Now
Vets put her on a drip while reassessing the medication she’d been prescribed for thyroid problems – a decision which Karen believes saved Scout’s life.
Karen added: “Just before the referral to Vets Now things were getting worse and Scout was losing half a kilo every three days. The referral transformed both her life and ours.
“Previously vets had been unable to pinpoint what had been making her so ill and had treated her for mouth ulcers as well as liver and kidney problems.
“From the moment the specialists at Vets Now reassessed her medication, she has never looked back.
“Scout has not vomited once, she is back to her full weight and she is brighter than she’s been for months, just bouncing around – it’s so good to see. She’s been eating like she has never seen food before and syringes are a thing of the past.
Scout is now undergoing treatment for a bleeding stomach ulcer and irritable bowel syndrome
“Thank god we persevered. She’s a real fighter. I could cry at having our beautiful girl back so bright and happy.”
Once Scout’s weight was back at a reasonable level she returned to Vets Now to undergo further investigation.
Specialist vet Scott Kilpatrick identified the root of her health problems and she is now undergoing treatment for a bleeding stomach ulcer and irritable bowel syndrome.
Scott said: “Clearly Scout and her family have been through a lot over the last few months.
“We’re just pleased we’ve been able to get her back to health. It’s great for everyone to see Scout putting on weight and enjoying life again.”
Dog owner tells how Vets Now specialists saved her from ‘living nightmare’
Sick dog scout was rushed to Vets Now emergency hospital in Glasgow after a traumatic three months of being unable to hold down food. Owner Karen Paton was running out of options for treatment when Scout was referred to Vets Now, and the cause of her problems was quickly solved.
