01/06/2026
Miley was rushed to his primary care vet as an emergency, as he was vomiting blood and passing dark faeces - both signs of internal bleeding, following ingestion of a cooked lamb bone. Miley was anaemic, which prompted a referral to our Emergency and Critical Care team at The Ralph.
When he arrived, Miley was quiet but responsive, with pale gums - a sign he had lost blood. Several tests confirmed he was anaemic from blood loss, but without signs of a clotting disorder. To help stabilise him, Miley received a packed red blood cell transfusion to treat the anaemia.
Miley had a CT (Computed Tomography) scan, which revealed inflammation and thinning in parts of his small intestine and stomach, suggesting possible injury. Our Internal Medicine team performed an endoscopy, using a camera to look inside his digestive tract. A large blood clot was found in the stomach, blocking the view of the lining and therefore leaving us unable to rule out a bleeding ulcer, which was our main concern. Given this, Miley underwent surgery for a direct examination. A large blood clot was removed, but no tear, ulcer, or foreign object was found.
Miley needed ongoing care in our ICU as his condition fluctuated. He started improving, but subsequently deteriorated again, requiring more blood and medications to address further bleeding
Unfortunately, a few days later, Miley developed septic peritonitis (a serious abdominal infection from an infected wound) and deteriorated rapidly. He needed a second surgery to remove infected material, clean the abdomen, and have drains placed.
With ongoing care, Miley gradually improved. He stopped vomiting, tolerated tube feeding, and eventually began eating on his own. After 11 days in the hospital, Miley went home strong, stable, and back to his usual playful self. We are so pleased to see Miley back home now with his family 💙
