Charlie came to see us with low platelets and a Pact Volume cell (PVC) of 17% (this tells us how much blood is in the body with the ideal range being 35%-55%). On a ultrasound a mass in the abdomen was detected and it was established Charlie would need to go into surgery immediately, but he would need to have a blood transfusion first . A call was made to the pet blood bank and we were able to source blood to be delivered the next day. Charlie had his blood transfusion and his PVC was 24% and he was able to go into surgery to remove his kidney this known as a nephrectomy.
A blood transfusion in a dog is a very lengthy process but due to the urgency of the situation a cross match of blood or blood-typing was not required and Charlie was given type DEA 1.1-negative blood. A catheter was placed in Charlies leg and the blood was infused intravenously over a few hours, once his PVC had risen enough he was able to go into surgery.
Nephrectomy is the surgical removal of a kidney, an incision is made along the abdomen to expose the internal organs. The blood vessels and ureters of the affected kidney are tied off and the kidney is then removed.
Charlie has had a slow recovery but his PVC is 42% and he is home recovering well. Charlie and his family are very grateful to the anonymous negative blood donor!
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