George's Emergency Eye Surgery - Pet of the Month February 2010
February’s pet of the month is not only a real star, having undergone weeks of treatment, but also belongs to a staff member and is a much loved pet.
Meet George a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel owned by one of our longest serving veterinary nurses, Gareth.
George had an injury that is very common in dogs and cats, a scratch to his eye, probably from playing with his cat housemates. In most cases these injuries are simply treated with eye drops for about a week with no long-term damage to the eye or the vision.
In George’s case, he developed an infection inside his eye, which meant that the eye ruptured and needed emergency surgery.
The procedure is called a conjuctival flap and involves using microsurgery techniques to suture a “finger” of tissue over the eye to seal the hole created by the infection. This intricate surgery is normally carried out at referral specialists, however at Summerhill we are lucky to have Jamie – who stepped into the breach and performed the emergency surgery on George.
Whilst Jamie is not a specialist in ophthalmology (eye problems), he has a keen interest and has had great success with this procedure over the years.
George and Gareth are very grateful to Jamie and Gareth’s fellow nurses who have looked after George during his recovery. Jamie is hopeful that George will have a functioning eye at the end of all his treatment.
The nurses say George is a model patient and a joy to nurse – we all wish him a speedy recovery. George has loved all the cuddles and attention at Summerhill but is glad to be home where he belongs – although he is now keeping a careful watch on his feline companions.
