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. Dash is one case that required a long-term stay.
Hopefully the first few months of Dash’s life isn’t any indication of what is in store for the 4-month-old Rhodesian Ridgeback.
When he was just 9-week-old, part of Dash’s intestines telescoped into itself. His local veterinarian had to remove part of his intestines.
It was his second brush with medical issues that brought Dash to the Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital.
“Just a one month after his first surgery, Dash was presented to our emergency services as another part of his intestines had died off,” said Dr. Floris Droees, a small animal specialty intern in emergency and critical care. “This caused the intestine to leak and bacteria to roam around freely in his abdomen outside of his intestines.”
This condition called septic abdomen, is a serious medical issue that has a guarded prognosis, with only 50% of patients surviving.
“Dash needed a lot of collaborative support from multiple teams and specialists,” Droees said.
Medical teams from anesthesia, emergency and critical care, and soft tissue surgery helped address the cause of his septic abdomen, and were able to maintain Dash’s blood pressure at a normal level, a problem these patients sometimes struggle with during their hospitalization.
“Slowly but surely, Dash grew stronger every day during his stay with us,” Droees said. “He has defied the odds and has made it through the first part of his recovery before being discharged to regain his strength.”
If you and your animal need assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center at 515.294.4900.
October 2025