Dottie’s unforeseen condition.

Dottie’s unforeseen condition.

Dottie is a typical three-year old Labrador that just loves to eat. Whether it’s excitably waiting for breakfast, guzzling down dinner, or following a scent to detect anything that’s left within her reach.

When Dottie is not seeking her next meal, she enjoys spending time being close to her owner, Mary.

Just before Christmas, Dottie woke up with a loud cough and was taken straight to the vet, no reason was found for the cough at the initial consultation.

Mary’s daughter visited after COVID lockdown and immediately noticed Dottie’s face looked different, she was rushed straight back to the vet where a huge abscess was discovered under her chin and neck folds.

The abscess was aspirated by the vets and an operation was then performed to drain it. Dottie had to be referred to the Animal Referral Centre, as a specialised operation was needed. It was suspected that she had a damaged salivary gland and a blocked duct, but a CT scan was needed to assess the scale of the operation.

Due to this happening over the Christmas break, there was a month’s wait for an appointment. “The wound needed to be kept open until her next surgery, so I had to put up with a yucky dripping wound for 4 weeks,” said Mary. A few days after the CT scan, Dottie was operated on, and the damaged gland and duct were removed.

Mary’s younger and more energetic dog made Dottie’s recovery a little more difficult, but they were able to manage it. She spent most of the time recovering in her playpen. Thankfully, it was only 10 days at home before she had recovered and was back to her usual self again.

Dottie has been insured with Petcover New Zealand from the moment that she was picked up, this is the advice that Mary gives to all her friends and family. “I used to boast about how healthy Dottie was, I had no complaints, she didn’t suffer from skin allergies like many Labradors do – but this just came out of the blue!” says Mary.

“My last piece of advice is to always observe your dog’s behaviour, they can’t tell you if something is wrong and I felt bad that I had initially missed the swelling” she adds.

It was lucky that this abscess had been identified at the time it did, as Dottie could have ended up with Sepsis, escalating into Septic Shock. It’s been reported that there is a 70% mortality rate associated with Sepsis for dogs that experienced MOD (Multiple Organ Disfunction). Mary mentioned “this could have gone horribly wrong, but just a few weeks later her hair has grown back and there’s little evidence of the large scar. Now I just face the task of slimming her down”

Mary is thankful that Petcover were able to support her and Dottie during a complicated time, picking up the cost of all the eligible vet fees* associated with Dottie’s conditions.

If you have a pet that Petcover has been able to help, let us know! You can email us at marketing.nz@petcovergroup.com