Success stories
“ Stories that inspire ”
Our days are spent rushing around, always trying to help those who seek us out, and we don't always find the strength to share a little of our daily lives with you. But today we would like to talk about Nikita's case. A slightly suspicious kitten who had already sought us out in the past for episodes of urinary tract inflammation and even urinary obstruction. This time, unfortunately, the situation became even more serious, resulting in a laceration of the urethra, a life-threatening situation that had to be resolved quickly. This is where another challenging situation arises for us. A urethrostomy would be recommended, a delicate and somewhat complex surgery that consists of removing the penis and creating a new opening in the urethra, similar to a female vagina. Although this is not a procedure we perform routinely, his owners trusted our team to do it. Fortunately, the surgery went well and, despite the risks that still exist, healing is progressing well and we hope that he will make a full recovery. We are grateful for their trust.
The Nikita
Today was another day to help our beloved four-legged friends. Taking advantage of the opportunity to have Dr. Francisco Brandão on the island, with whom we have been working for some time, and thanking our colleagues at the Faial Veterinary Clinic for lending us their operating room, we were once again able to avoid sending one of our pets to São Miguel for surgery. This time, it was possible to repair a serious cruciate ligament rupture in the knee. This meant we could keep our operating room available for our always busy schedule, this time to help a 16-year-old lady with heart disease, whose mouth was in very poor condition with severe periodontal disease, which had already caused abscesses on her tooth roots. We had to remove most of them and hope she will feel much better from now on.
16-year-old old lady
Today we tell you another story of resilience, sacrifice, and overcoming adversity. It is the story of Pipocas, a 12-year-old dog. While out walking with her owners, she had an unexpected encounter with a large dog, which attacked her, causing serious injuries. The bites resulted in a severe laceration to her flank with traumatic abdominal hernia and part of her intestine protruding. Her owners quickly took her to our clinic, and we must also praise the dog's owner for promptly taking responsibility for all the necessary care. Pipocas underwent immediate surgery to repair the hernia, but we soon realized that this clinical case could have serious complications. There had been extensive destruction of the abdominal muscles, which were severely lacerated, with damage to many vessels in that area, which could lead to necrosis (death) of those tissues and dehiscence of the sutures. And so it was; after a few days, the skin and muscles began to die, and Pipocas was left with a large portion of exposed tissue, and the hernia even recurred. In addition to all this, the infection resulting from the bite would delay healing. It was expected to be a lengthy process with an uncertain outcome. But Pipocas is a very resilient lady and continued to fight. She underwent several surgeries and a prolonged recovery process, but fortunately, she made a full recovery. Go Pipocas... Keep your eyes peeled! 😊
The pipoca
Skin graft Today we're going to tell you about another interesting case, which fortunately had a happy ending. This stray cat had a large wound on its forearm for many months. Although initial care was provided to try to promote healing, the results were ultimately unsatisfactory; perhaps the impossibility of commitment and vigilance in this case was also a determining factor. They sought our opinion and euthanasia seemed to be under consideration. Talking to ABRIGAR, the association that had already promoted his castration, we came to the conclusion that we could try to help. In the first phase, we tried to promote healing by secondary intention, with the application of dressings that would promote healing and close the defect. However, at a certain point, we realized that it would be difficult to close the defect, as the granulation tissue (from healing) was overlapping the healthy skin. We then tried to apply a skin graft from the animal itself to cover the area. Although the granulation tissue was already quite old, which could determine the failure of the technique, we were hopeful that by promoting some local debridement, we would achieve the necessary vascularization to make the graft viable. Initially, the process seemed to be progressing well, but a little later, we realized that the epidermis was necrotizing (dying), and we feared that our efforts had been in vain. We then removed a portion of skin from his flank and applied it to the defect. Initially, the process seemed to be progressing well, but a little later, we realized that the epidermis was necrotizing (dying) and feared that our efforts had been in vain. Fortunately, something that is also described happened, and in the deeper layers, tissues developed that made complete healing of the defect possible. The little boy is almost healed and ready to live freely again. We thank ABRIGAR for their trust and congratulate Ms. Helena Krug for her commitment during this lengthy process.
Skin graft
Today we present two more interesting cases that make us very happy. These are the kind of situations that, in veterinary slang, we often say that when they appear, they always come in pairs (those rare cases that suddenly multiply). Interestingly, these two cases were referred to us by Dr. Cátia Pereira from the island of São Jorge at the end of last September. A male cat and a female cat with a possible history of trauma (possibly being hit by a car), with breathing difficulties and muffled lung and heart sounds. The x-ray confirmed the suspicion of diaphragmatic hernia. This condition, which can also be congenital, occurs most often as a result of trauma that causes the diaphragm (the muscle that separates the thoracic and abdominal cavities) to rupture, allowing the abdominal viscera to occupy space in the chest and thus reduce the animal's respiratory capacity to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the volume occupied. Both animals underwent delicate surgery, which was not without risk and required assisted ventilation. Fortunately, both recovered very well and returned home. In the photos, you can see images of diaphragmatic hernia on the left, in which it is not even possible to identify the cardiac silhouette, and on the right, post-surgery, already in the process of recovery, still with a slight degree of pneumothorax and effusion, which were resolved. Thanks to Dr. Cátia and the owners of these animals. In the photos, you can see images of diaphragmatic hernia on the left, in which it is not even possible to identify the cardiac silhouette, and on the right, post-surgery, already in the process of recovery, still with a slight degree of pneumothorax and effusion, which have been resolved. Thank you to Dr. Cátia and the owners of these boys for their trust.
Diaphragmatic hernia
This was another busy weekend. On Saturday afternoon, Luna arrived with suspected trauma. She was breathing heavily and had abdominal pain. We found that her mucous membranes were pale, she was clearly in shock, and she had slight abdominal distension. An ultrasound revealed free fluid, which was confirmed to be blood; she had internal bleeding. A closer look led us to suspect a ruptured spleen, and we went into emergency surgery. She had already lost a considerable amount of blood, and we decided to collect the blood she had lost in her abdomen for an autotransfusion. Fortunately, everything went well, and she has already gone home to finish her recovery. What a brave girl! In the morning, Quick arrived with a history of uncontrollable vomiting for 24 hours. The X-ray confirmed our suspicion that he had swallowed a foreign object that was lodged in his stomach, and he went into surgery. We identified it as a piece of carpet (which he seems to like to chew on) that was already obstructing his pylorus. Fortunately, everything went well and he is now recovering. In a small place like ours, even so, sometimes some more interesting cases come up. Just recently, we helped some colleagues who asked us for help because they had staff on vacation, to remove some stones from a little dog's bladder and others to perform an emergency amputation due to an open fracture. Shortly before that, we had operated on Zeus. He had severe abdominal discomfort; we knew he was bilaterally cryptorchid (both testicles had not descended into the scrotum, remaining lodged in the abdomen) and his owners had never considered neutering him; now, 10 years later, the testicles were greatly enlarged, occupying a large portion of the abdomen. He underwent surgery, and we found that one of his vessels was twisted, which is why it had increased so much in size. Fortunately, everything went well, and he is now home, fresh and fluffy. This is a situation that, once identified, must be corrected to avoid complications such as these, or even tumors. We always appreciate your trust. It's great to have a capable team that allows us to help in this way. We are very proud!
Luna, Quick, and Zeus
In medicine, we know that unfortunately not everything can be good news. There will always be a moment, sooner or later, when nature shows that it is in charge and everything will come to an end. However, fortunately, there are many moments when, thanks to advances in medicine, we can dodge that fate, even if only for a while, and we can share more moments, good moments, with our companions. This is, for example, the story of Kika, a true fighter, who, together with her owners, has faced several challenges. About a year ago, she had an acute episode of hind limb paresis that was rapidly worsening. Fortunately, we were able to quickly refer the case to Dr. Francisco Brandão (MoveOnVet), who has been helping us for several years. He quickly operated on her spine, resolving a spinal cord injury in time to prevent her from becoming paraplegic, and she has made a full recovery. At the end of last year, there was more bad news. Kika was becoming seriously ill. She was diagnosed with lymphoma, a malignant tumor originating in the lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that is essential to the immune system and can affect various organs. As soon as we confirmed the diagnosis, it was decided to start chemotherapy treatment. In this case, we are grateful to Dr. Joaquim Henriques - Veterinary Oncology, for the advice he gave us. It was a long six months, with some difficult moments, but for the most part it resulted not only in Kika's survival with quality of life, but also in her recovery. In this case, we would like to thank Dr. Joaquim Henriques - Veterinary Oncology, for the tips he gave us. It was a long six months, with some difficult moments, but which mostly resulted not only in Kika's survival with quality of life, but also in many happy days with those who love her most. Today was the day of her last treatment session. For now, the tumor is in remission, but although we know that these tumors are very aggressive and will certainly return sooner or later, we can only conclude that it was worth it. Kika is well and happy. In the photo, even she doesn't seem to believe that she managed to get through this journey with distinction, exceptional bravery, patience, and cuteness. Congratulations, Kika!!
The Kika June 6, 2025