Bull terrier Kasper saved by emergency vets after becoming critically ill
A dog needed TWO lifesaving blood transfusions after suspectedly eating fibreglass from a skip.
Emily Devine, from Maybole in Ayrshire, feared bull terrier Kasper was going to die, even after receiving crucial blood at her local vet.
But round-the-clock intensive care at the Vets Now pet emergency hospital in Glasgow, and a potentially risky second transfusion, saved the day.
It meant graphic designer Emily, 43, was able to give her nine-year-old pet the hug she never thought would be possible.
She hailed the dog’s recovery as “a miracle”.
Emily and husband Craig were woken at 4am by the sound of Kasper being violently ill.
“He was lying with no strength to get up and there was blood and dark matter all over the kitchen floor,” said Emily, whose other bull terrier, Luna, was thankfully unaffected.
“It’s still a bit of a mystery, but we’d been having some work done and there was a skip that included fibreglass insulation, so we think it may have been that.
“We phoned our local vet who met us at the surgery in the early hours and gave him an anti-sickness shot.
“We then went back when the surgery opened and blood tests showed he was really anaemic and because he was obviously bleeding internally, he needed a transfusion.
“A donor was found and that pretty much brought Kasper back to life. He was stable enough for us to then make the drive to Vets Now where he could receive the intensive treatment and care he couldn’t get at our local vets.
“I had been to the hospital before, so I knew he was in the best possible hands.”
The Vets Now hospital in Glasgow is a 24/7 pet emergency service, with a team of dedicated specialist, referral and emergency vets on hand to provide care.
The situation for Kasper was so grave, Emily admits she had braced herself for the worst possible news.
“I handed over his leash and wished him luck, but I really thought that was the last time I was going to see Kasper,” said Emily, who also runs cat-sitting service Candyfloss Cats.
“By then he wasn’t able to stand, and my only hope was the vets could work a miracle.
“The bond we have with Kasper is like the one you share with a child, so it was an awful nightmare to have to go through.”
To complicate matters, Kasper has a lifelong fear of vets following a bad experience as a puppy. This made examining him more challenging.
“Kasper had a muzzle on, but he wouldn’t tolerate any examination while conscious,” said vet Alison Robertson.
“We had to sedate him for X-rays, scans and investigation and we found some foreign material that corroborated the suspicion that it could be fibreglass.
“Although there was no obstruction, which meant we didn’t need to do surgery, the continued bleeding meant his anaemia was getting worse. We decided he needed another transfusion, which does have its risks.
“It’s wonderful to hear he’s now back to his old self. I could tell he means the world to his owners.”
Emily and Craig were kept informed through the critical hours. Then, although he wasn’t fully out of the woods, Emily got the call she’d been praying for.
“We had been told of the risks of having a second transfusion so quickly, so we really didn’t think it was going to turn out well,” said Emily. “When we went to pick him up and saw him walking and wagging his tail, it was as if our pleas for a miracle had been answered.
“We knew it could still be a bit touch and go and we camped in the living room so we could watch him every minute and give him all the love and kisses.
“It took a few days, but now he’s completely back to his old self.”
The Vets Now pet emergency hospital in Glasgow is one of a nationwide network of Vets Now clinics and hospitals open through the night, seven days a week, and day and night at weekends and bank holidays.
All of Vets Now’s out-of-hours clinics and 24/7 hospitals have a vet and a veterinary nurse on site at all times.