Internal medicine = busy (again)

Internal medicine is picking up speed as the week progresses. I had a relativly easy start to the week, with 2 hepatitis patient rechecks on Monday and my rock-eating buddy Emmie on Tuesday.

Yesterday, I had a dog with a 10 month (yes *10 month*) history of straining to defecate and fresh blood in his stool. After much rectal examination and poking with many needles, we diagnosed him with a perianal gland tumor, which, in his case, probably has few treatment options. His owners elected to try a diet change, antibiotics, steroids, and stool softeners to see if they can keep him more comfortable for a little while.

My second patient yesterday was a transfer from Urgent Care -- a DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis, "diabetic crisis") dog also with severe pancreatitis and a gallbladder mucocele. The mucocele was a "bonus" find on the ultrasound. Mucoceles generally head to emergency surgery, but this poor kiddo is so sick that we're taking a chance with managing her medically for awhile, and hoping her gallbladder doesn't burst in the meantime. It's a really interesting case, and I hope to have time to blog about it soon! However, as these things go, the more interesting and busy the caseload is, the less time for blogging...