24/07/2026
Meet this handsome chap, Drake (shared with his owner’s permission), who came to see us after suddenly developing repeated episodes of vomiting, with a few small specks of blood.
On his first examination, there wasn’t anything that immediately pointed to a serious underlying problem. His clinical examination was reassuring, so our initial thoughts were that this could be severe gastritis, perhaps caused by something he had eaten. We started symptomatic treatment with anti-sickness medication and a stomach protectant and, encouragingly, he began to improve.
Unfortunately, a few days later things changed.
He returned after developing further vomiting and foul-smelling diarrhoea, and despite additional treatment he wasn’t recovering as we would have expected.
At that point, our thinking had to change.
When a patient doesn’t respond as expected, it’s important to reassess rather than simply continue the same treatment. Our main concerns became conditions such as pancreatitis or a foreign body, so we admitted him for intravenous fluids, blood tests and close monitoring.
His blood tests helped make pancreatitis much less likely, but he still wasn’t quite himself, so we took the next step with X-rays and an abdominal ultrasound. At one stage, we were even concerned about the possibility of an intussusception (where part of the intestine slides into itself), which can require emergency surgery.
Thankfully, after careful monitoring and supportive treatment, he began to turn the corner. Surgery wasn’t needed, and he made a full recovery.
Our final diagnosis was severe gastroenteritis, and with fluid therapy, pain relief, antibiotics and supportive care, he’s now back to his happy, mischievous self.
💙 What can we learn from this case?
One of the biggest misconceptions is that every illness has an immediate answer. In reality, good veterinary medicine is often about continually reassessing a patient as new information becomes available.
When we recommend blood tests, imaging or even hospitalisation, it’s not because we’re trying to “do more tests”—it’s because we’re carefully ruling out the conditions that could be life-threatening while giving your pet the best chance of recovery.
Sometimes the diagnosis is straightforward.
Sometimes the journey to the diagnosis is just as important.
