For Emergencies:
Kidney ultrasound
As our peripatetic offering becomes more in demand our ability to offer synergy across our departments becomes evident.
Our Internal Medicine and Oncology department, headed up by director Darren Long, has been working up cases and passing them over to our surgical teams. This is allowing Bridge Referrals to offer a unique holistic service to veterinary practices across the north east of England. Our veterinary peripatetic service is driving client satisfaction producing excellent clinical outcomes for our beloved pets.
One example of how Darren can assist and then facilitate further surgical work is anal sac adenocarcinoma in dogs. This is where a tumour grows from the dog’s anal gland. This type of tumour can affect any type of dog. In some cases, the tumour can spread into other parts of the body, often via the lymph nodes. With this condition, the dog can experience constipation, increased thirst, increased urination and sickness, due to high calcium (hypercalcaemia).
Darren will perform an ultrasound scan for changes, such as enlarged lymph nodes, as well as disease in other organs such as liver, spleen, adrenals, gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, kidneys and bladder. Additionally we’d recommend a chest x-ray or CT scan to explore disease involving the lungs. Including possible biopsy, blood samples and urinalysis, this investigation is referred to as cancer staging, which determines the extent of your dog’s disease. This allows us to tailor treatment to your individual pet.
With seamless integration to our soft tissue service for dogs, Darren books the Bridge Referral’s surgical team. If there is no evidence of disease within the dogs abdomen, the soft tissue team will remove the anal sac mass.
From October 2022 Bridge Referrals will be offering advanced surgery and intensive care for dogs and cats which have this condition. We’ll also be offering adjunctive chemotherapy, which can be beneficial for cases like this. Our holistic approach to these patients, ensures quality of life is of paramount importance, as well as supporting owners through this journey.
For more information call 0191 580 8330 or email us at [email protected]
