When choosing our ‘Pet of the Month’ for the past month, we couldn’t go past one of the most interesting and challenging cases that we have dealt with for a LONG time!

‘Arnie’ is a very handsome and much-loved 6-month-old Pointer, who first presented to the clinic some months ago with a strange breathing noise. He was always too excited in the clinic for us to truly appreciate the noise, but over time it gradually got worse. Examination under anaesthetic revealed a very low degree of air flow through Arnie’s windpipe and larynx, and a strange shadow within his windpipe on xrays.

At this point we referred Arnie to the talented team at WA Vet Emergency and Specialty (WAVES) in Perth. Endoscopic examination of Arnie’s trachea (windpipe) revealed a large tumour within the interior of the trachea blocking about 80% of the air flow. No wonder he was making such a loud noise! Unfortunately, Arnie deteriorated rapidly after this investigation, prompting WAVES to perform an emergency chest surgery to expose the affected section of trachea and remove it. Luckily for Arnie and his dedicated owners, the surgery was a complete success, and the tumour turned out to be benign.

Arnie is now healing carefully at home, and trying not to to be too active! We wish him and his family all the best for a rapid and full recovery.