Pug Emergency Splenectomy

A pug came into the hospital today in respiratory distress (she was having difficulty breathing).  It was immediately clear that there was not enough oxygen circulating through her body to saturate the hemoglobin in her blood (her gums were visibly whitened).

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We put the dog on oxygen while we placed a catheter, took blood, and ran a series of blood tests.  Her PCV was 27.  An ultrasound was performed and while we found some insignificant kidney stones, we found a large splenic mass (about the size of a baseball), which we believed to be the root of the pug's insufficient oxygen supply.  The mass was pushing on several organs, squishing them together and making it difficult to perform their responsibilities.  It was believed that if we removed the tumor, the organs could have the room to return to their duties. 

An emergency surgeon was called in.  He scrubbed up and the pug was anesthetized and sent off to surgery within an hour.  I was lucky enough to scrub in and observe the surgery.  It was fascinating! The doctor made a long incision down her abdomen.  He found the spleen and pulled it out.  He saw that the mass was beginning to detach itself from the spleen, because it had begun to clot on the side facing the spleen.  To make sure that no splenic masses would ever come up again, the doctor removed the spleen as well.  The doctor was in and out in a matter of about 40 minutes.  Lastly, he sutured her up.

Recovery for the pug was rough.  X-rays were taken of her abdomen and it was concluded that she had chronic bronchitis (a common finding in pugs and other squished-face breeds).  She remained hooked up to an IV line that was slowing dripping pain medication.  We also gave her a transfusion of about 80 mLs of plasma, which helped to replace a lot of the blood she lost during the surgery.  Her hematocrit was checked every two hours to see her progress but even after 12 hours, her PCV was idling at around 22.

Although the splenic mass did appear to be extremely problematic, something else was causing this pug to dwindle away.  She passed away the next morning due to an insufficient amount of oxygen getting circulating through her body.