03/06/2025
Case Spotlight:
Summer, a 9-year-old Shih Tzu came to us a few weeks after her pyometra surgery. She had been vomiting on and off, wasn’t eating well, and was noticeably losing weight. On physical exam, we felt a firm mass in her right abdomen, something that shouldn’t normally be there.
An abdominal ultrasound revealed a multiple parallel linear echoes, a classic clue for a condition called intussusception where one part of the intestine slides into another, like a telescope folding into itself. In her case, it was a colo-colonic intussusception, meaning it involved her large intestine.
She underwent intestinal resection and anastomosis, a surgery where the affected part of the bowel is removed and the healthy ends are stitched back together.
We’re happy to share that she recovered well and is now back to her usual self — eating, wagging, and happy again!
Always trust your gut when something feels off. Chronic vomiting and weight loss shouldn’t be ignored.