Editor’s Note: There are times when the Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital Emergency and Critical Care must turn away patients because it has reached capacity with critical cases. Levi is an example of a case that required a long-term stay.
Four days after undergoing a routine enterotomy to remove a foreign body, Levi was at the Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital emergency room.
The six-year-old Wirehaired Point Griffon had a septic abdomen.
“Despite an initially successful discharge, Levi came to us exhibiting lethargy, listlessness, and significant abdominal pain,” said Dr. Giulia Toth, emergency and critical care resident. “He had a high heart rate, was dehydrated and had a high temperature.”
A point-of-care ultrasound scan soon discovered Levi’s issue – he had bacteria leaking into his abdomen, most likely because the previous surgical site had opened, causing a septic peritonitis.
An emergency exploratory laparotomy was performed to remove the damaged section of the intestine where the leakage occurred and a nasogastric tube was placed in Levi to provide nutrition and medication.
But Levi wasn’t out of the woods yet as he faced multiple challenges including cardiac complications.
“Levi suffered from hypotension and required a plasma transfusion,” Toth said. “He also developed an abnormal heart rhythm requiring additional medications.”
That wasn’t all. After his surgery, Levi experienced persistent regurgitation and severe diarrhea. Throw in that his infection was resistant to initial antibiotics.
The infection was fought with different medications as were his other post-surgical issues.
It wasn’t until more than a week later that Levi began to stabilize significantly.
“His appetite became ravenous and his gastrointestinal issues began to subside and his lab results began to trend toward improvement,” Toth said.
Two days after that initial improvement, Levi was discharged. Because he had sustained a significant weight loss while at the Hixson-Lied ICU, he was sent home with a robust nutritional plan and significant medications to ensure his continued recovery.
May 2026