This week: Your dog's head makes a poor golf ball
In previous articles, I have talked a little about Murphy's Law and how the veterinary profession is plagued by it.
I had a prime example of this inescapable law just last week. It was a busy Saturday, the morning appointment chart was packed to the rafters with surgeries and in the afternoon we were double-booked till closing time. It was with a great sigh of relief that I heard the door close behind the last appointment as she was leaving.
I went into a meditative relaxation mode, sat down on my moderately comfy swivel office chair with a nice hot cup of coffee and picked up a veterinary journal. Just as my blood pressure started to come down, there was an almighty crash outside in the appointment room and a very distraught cry for help. I spilled coffee on my lap and had to psych myself up again to work.
My nurses helped bring a large German shepherd named 'Jane-mo' onto the examination table. The dog was in a comatose state but still breathing. The dog's two owners were speaking at the same time, and through all the stressed-out gibberish, I gathered the story behind the dog's state was an accident with a new set of golf clubs.
It appeared that during a practice swing with a one-iron at home, the dog got in the way and the owner accidentally clubbed it on the head. The dog dropped to the ground instantly in the same coma-state as was presented to the clinic.
On examination, there was a large contusion to the skull with a little bleeding that had already stopped. What was disconcerting was the crater-like skull fracture underneath the bruising. The dog was also very pale and clearly in shock with very low blood pressure. This led us to a medical conundrum, as we needed to increase blood pressure without increasing the pressure in the skull.