Meg

Occasionally we get a case that reads like a good thriller - with an engaging character to root for, a strong plot with interesting twists, a race-against-time sense of urgency and, of course, a happy ending.

Meg’s visit to us ticked all of these boxes - which is why we’ve chosen her as our Pet of the Month for July.

Meg arrived with a very pale and mysterious demeanour - in this case caused by having half the amount of blood that a fit, healthy farm dog ought to have. In a neat piece of misdirection, she had been recently mated, and despite circumstantial evidence pointing to this as the prime suspect, the cause turned out to be something quite different. 

We had to work rapidly - Meg was continuing to lose blood and her condition was deteriorating - but with no diagnosis, we didn’t have a treatment plan. Being after 5pm, the external labs were shut so we had to figure out an answer quickly - and without their help.

After several tests and some detective work, we discovered the problem, and following a surprised corroboration by her owners, our prime suspect was ruled out as a red herring - and a new culprit was found - rat bait. Meg had been seen trying to sneak off with half a cake of the poison just two days previously. We started treatment immediately but we still needed to find a hero dog willing to donate their blood to step into the breach. Luckily Harley was on standby - a lovely big dog who is happy to trade blood for a bag of tasty dog food. 

We waited anxiously to see whether Meg would accept the new blood - which she did - and we were all relieved to see her gum colour turn from off-white, to a pale pink. 

By the next day, Meg was up and about and eating her breakfast. This is a photo of Meg and nurse Holly taken at Meg's check up appointment a week later - and we are delighted to report that she is well on the way to recovery!