Nor'West News: January 31, 2017

4
Tuesday January 31 2017
McMaster & Heap
Veterinary practice
KIDNEY SURGERY
A 6 year old Golden Lab called, you
guessed it, LOLA, came to see us for a
referral ultrasound at the end of last year
because she had been urinating “clots”
of blood. She was clinically bright and
alert at the visit but did have a history of
possibly having access to rat bait 7 days
earlier.
The abdominal ultrasound was
performed by Catherine and she found
a possible bleed into the left kidney but
no sign of tumours anywhere else. A
wide range of blood and urine testing
was performed, including clotting times
in case of rat bait access, and all showed
up very normal, apart from evidence that
she had experienced a recent bleed. So
initially she was discharged on Vitamin
K in case of rat bait and antibiotics. She
seemed bouncy and was of course still
ravenous but a follow up ultrasound was
scheduled for the following week to check
to see if the haemorrhage had resolved in
the left kidney.
She returned happily to see Kirsty the
following week looking great. No further
blood clots were seen in her urine. The
ultrasound of the left kidney appeared in
worse shape – the kidney was increased
in size and still full of fluid – blood?
Specialists were consulted and it was
agreed that a CT scan was needed to rule
in or out cancer.
Kirsty accompanied Lola to her CT
scan. The radiologist noted marked
pathological changes in the left kidney
that resembled a rapidly progressing
primary kidney tumour. No sign of cancer
was seen in the lungs or other parts of
the abdomen. It was decided that she
needed a nephrectomy ( removal of the
left kidney) fairly urgently while she still
essentially well. Her right kidney was
functioning normally ( as seen on CT scan
and via the bloods)and without surgery
her prognosis was probably less than 1
month.
So Kirsty and myself put our hands
up to operate on Lola. A nephrectomy
surgery is not to be taken lightly so we
did our research before attempting the
left kidney removal ( text book reading,
U tube videos, consulting with other
surgeons). We had a blood donor dog,
a German shepherd called Pepper, on
standby in case she lost a lot of blood
or we couldn’t control surgical bleeding.
Open 7 days
Cnr Hoon Hay & Coppell place
phone 338 2534, Fax 339 8624
e. mcmasterandheap@yahoo.co.nz
www.mcmasterheap.co.nz
My Lola frequently gave blood but since
she’s had a renal tumour removed and
undergone chemotherapy, she can no
longer have blood drawn. It is important
for a clinic to have access to a healthy,
young, disease free canine patient in
the case a blood transfusion is needed.
Collecting blood is largely straight forward
although the donor dog often needs to
be sedated as the collection needle is
large bore and goes into the jugular vein.
The patient must lay very still while we
are collecting the blood. Pepper did an
amazing job and her blood was sent to
the After hours clinic with Lola in case she
required it.
The surgery was a complete success,
and even though there were a few tense
moments during the 2 hour operation,
Kirsty and I were thrilled with the final
outcome. Her left kidney and ureter were
carefully removed and the bleeding
controlled. Georgie did a superb job of
anaesthetic monitoring – not straight
forward at all. Lola woke up brilliantly and
has really never looked back. Her owners
were very thrilled and grateful for the
work our entire team carried out from
start to finish. And the best news being,
the mass in the kidney wasn’t “cancer”, the
kidney was diseased, non functioning and
had a large blood clot present.
Lola will need ongoing monitoring to
make sure the surviving kidney maintains
good health. This will be done by regular
blood and urine testing with her primary
vet in Ashburton. Just like with my Lola,
we are out of the woods but still need to
keep our eyes open for any small changes.
My Lola did have kidney cancer confirmed
so she gets 6 monthly CT scans at St
Georges and 3 monthly blood and urine
testing. Periodically she is fed Prescription
kidney diets but for now her surviving
kidney is holding up well. Long may it last
– my Lola is now swimming and relaxing
up in the Bay of Islands with the family.
Take home message – consult your
vet immediately if your dog passes
clots of blood in the urine. This isn’t
normal.
McMaster & Heap
Your Local Views
Trump changing politics
Fendalton-
Waimairi-
Harewood
Community
Board deputy
chairman Sam
MacDonald talks
about what Donald
Trump is doing to
politics.
6 Main North Road | Ph 352 7594
(Next to SBS Bank)
www.artworkspictureframing.co.nz
Open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm
Closed weekends
Has Donald Trump
revived politics?
It seems to be the topic
every media outlet across
the globe is reporting – the
Donald Trump presidency.
While we have seen him
already make controversial
moves like remove the
United States from the
Trans-Pacific Partnership
Agreement and adopt
an archaic, protectionist
approach to trade, the
question still stands. Is a
Trump presidency likely
to improve the awareness
of politics and the importance
of voting?
One of the struggles inherent
with local government
elections is the lack
of awareness or engagement
and the resulting low
voter turnout. In the 2016
elections, only 40 per cent
of Christchurch voters cast
a ballot. For an organisation
tasked with spending
millions of dollars
every year on roads, traffic,
waterways, parks and
collecting rubbish, there
isn’t much of everyday life
that isn’t impacted by the
work overseen by elected
representatives.
Now, while I don’t
propose that our elections
are comparable to the US
elections, the challenge
remains: How do we improve
voter participation
and increase the awareness
of what your city council
and community board do
for you?
I’ve taken a different
approach in the Waimairi
Ward. Firstly, by working
with local residents on key
issues, such as challenges
with urban planning and
development, parking
and traffic issues, and the
under utilisation of our
parks and recreational
areas. Secondly, I’ve been
working to raise awareness
of the importance of
Beautiful Teeth
Meet the
Owner
Ryan Carlton
Natural Smile
NOR’WEST NEWS
democratic participation.
As a young representative,
passionate about getting
youth involved in not only
our community, but the
democratic process, more
can be done. I challenge
you to talk to someone
under the age of 30 and
discuss the importance
and impact of their vote.
While rubbish collection
and traffic issues may not
be the most appealing
conversations, the point
remains – will the ongoing
controversy surrounding
the Trump presidency, in
the very least, raise awareness
around the importance
and impact of your
democratic right to vote?
HAVE YOUR SAY:
What is your view on
Sam MacDonald’s
Soap Box? Email
andrew.king@
starmedia.kiwi
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