“Lucky” an 11 year old Maltese terrier was referred from another clinic for abdominal ultrasound due to ongoing abdominal pain, vomiting and dehydration. His blood results pointed to liver disease; which in aged dogs can be due to cancer, infections, immune based disease, fatty liver disease, and a blocked bile duct often secondary to pancreatitis.
Our ultrasound showed a gall bladder with a particular image suggestive of a gall bladder mucocoele which is rather rare, and certainly offers a better prognosis than liver tumour; but still requires immediate surgery. The gall bladder fills with thick, bacteria laden bitumen like contents that requires a gall bladder removal asap. So “Lucky” had an exploratory laparotomy that same day, with the operation going very well despite the difficulty of access in this tiny patient
Lucky made a prompt recovery and is now back to his best although his mum has to ensure he stays on a low fat diet.
