Gilmoor Vets Limited
Pet of the Month 2010
February
MOJO
Mojo is an 11 month old Westie that has been registered at the practice since April 2009.
Mojo was seen at the surgery in October of 2009. His owner were concerned that he was very small for his age and had begun vomiting frequently.
Mojo was admitted to the surgery for investigations and had a series of blood tests an X-rays. These indicated that Mojo had a condition called a portosystemic shunt.
A portosystemic shunt is a condition that usually affects small breed dogs and is congenital (exists from the time of birth). This condition results in abnormal circulation of the blood, bypassing the liver. As the liver helps with digestion and metabolism, this was the reason for both Mojo's small size and vomiting.
To repair the shunt involves major surgery so Mojo was sent to a local referral hospital, that has specialists with the required expertise in this kind of surgery. Surgery to repair a shunt costs in excess of £2,500, however because Mojo's owners had insured him they only paid an excess of £50.00.
Mojo's owners are now happy with his progress. His weight has increased and although he will always be small for his breed, he has grown ever so slightly.
Although insurance premiums may seem costly for your pet, without insurance Mojo's owners have said they would not have been able to afford his surgery, nor possibly all the previous investigation work that was required to make a diagnosis.
