This is bright, a 2year old male Labrador with basal cell epithelial tumor of the dorsum. His owner complained about how the mass has disfigured the beautiful boy and she was beginning to see signs that the tumor is affecting his health.
Let me brief you all on the major causes of this condition; Basal cell carcinoma is caused by repeated damage and subsequent DNA changes to the basal cells in the outermost layer of the skin. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation and indoor tanning has been confirmed to be the major cause according to skincancer.org
And treatment includes a variety of procedures ranging from topical anti-tumor medication and chemotherapy to electrosurgery and wide local excision.
She brought him into the veterinary teaching Hospital and bright was referred to the surgery unit for excision, after performing all necessary laboratory tests and clinical modalities, the procedure was scheduled for the following week.
Surgery Day: wide local excision.
There were two other cases to handle in the morning so procedure occurred in the afternoon.
Pre-anaesthetic clinical data;
Temperature=39.4degree celcius
Heart rate=140bpm
Respiratory rate =60
Pink mucous membranes.
Hairs around the tumor were clipped and bright was prepared for the procedure.
Xylazine and atropine were used as anaesthetic premedication. This is done to prepare animals for the main anaesthesia.
Ketamine and diazepam were used for induction of anaesthesia, Tramadol was added for maintenance.
Start of surgical procedure: 15:49
End of surgical procedure: 17:33
Surgeon: Dr Eyarefe, O.D DVM, Mvsc. Ph.D,
Anaesthesiologist: Dr Oguntoye, O.A DVM. Mvsc. Ph.D
In the theatre were the surgeon, his assistant, The anaesthesiologist, student doctors( me including), And veterinary nurses.
The procedure was an interesting one because a major blood vessel bled continuously and couldn’t be stopped with the use of heamostat, rather the surgeon eventually used the pressure bandage phenomenon.
Bright woke up 25 minutes after the procedure and was kept in the recovery room. He was placed under some medications to prevent recurrence of the tumor.
The owner felt happy that her companion was back in better shape and even bright himself was glad that the heavy load on him was put away forever.
Long and short, prevent your pets from heavy sun rays and tanning environments. Safety first, remember!
Thank you for reading through.