Hermione came in to see us as she had been coughing for a few weeks.  We took some x-rays and found that she had a mass in her lungs.

Luckily, there was only one mass, it was discrete, and there were no other changes – her chest wasn’t full of fluid and there was no sign of lymph node enlargement.  However, the mass was pushing down on her airways causing her to cough and if left untreated it would continue to grow and spread.  So, after careful consideration of the risks vs the benefits, Hermione went to surgery to have the affected lung lobe removed.

Prior to her surgery, she had a pre-anaesthetic check up and blood testing done to ensure she was well enough to undergo the procedure. Once she was under general anaesthesia she was prepared for surgery, the side of her chest was clipped and cleaned and because we were entering her chest cavity, one of the nurses had to use a breathing bag to breathe for her throughout the entire procedure.  Her vital signs, ECG, oxygenation and blood pressure were monitored very closely throughout the procedure.  The surgery involved careful removal of the affected lung lobe and tying off the blood vessels in the area to prevent bleeding.  She then had a chest drain placed.

Hermione recovered well from her surgery, initially requiring oxygen support and intravenous pain relief.  Overnight, she was transported via the Pet Ambulance to the Animal Referral Hospital for monitoring.  She returned to us at Hall the next day and was then well enough to head home.

The mass was sent off to the lab for testing and found to be a minimally invasive lung tumour called an adenocarcinoma.  Hermione has been bright, active and well since her surgery, and is enjoying her new lease on life!