06/06/2025
This is Elbie, a 9 year old Turkish Van and heโs not so keen on the vet. Elbie has always been a big lad and when his owner's adopted him he was a mighty 9kg. With great dedication his owners' successfully managed to get him to lose 2kg, which meant he was at target weight for his size. Since then, they have watched his weight quite closely. Elbie came in to see us a few weeks ago after his weight loss seemed to be too good to be true. He was still looking great but as his owners regularly weighed him at home, they knew how much he had lost over a period of time and it was not in keeping with his usual rate. He occasionally vomited but was otherwise well in himself. We investigated and found a suspicious mass in Elbieโs abdomen. Following some tests we decided to take him to theatre for an exploratory surgery. We found a mass wrapped around his small intestine. It was not yet causing an obstruction and we could remove it. Out vet, Nicole, performed the surgery and removed a large section of intestine. It was tested and found to be a small cell lymphoma. The tumour did not appear to have spread which was great news. He is now on medication to stop any further spread as a precaution. Had Elbieโs owners not been so on the ball it could have been a completely different story. Elbie has recovered well from his surgery and is now back to his usual spicy self.
