Tucker had been unwell at home and so his Mum, who is a vet at another local clinic, got to work in trying to find the cause; soon discovering that he had a Pleural Effusion.

This is when fluid (effusion) accumulates in the tissue lining the area between the lungs and the chest (pleura). This can make it difficult for the patient to breathe. Tucker was then referred to our Emergency and Critical Care department for further work up and intensive nursing care.

When our ECC team drained the fluid from Tucker’s chest, it was pus meaning that Tucker had a pyothorax. A CT scan was performed of Tucker’s chest to look for any obvious abnormalities or foreign material. Bilateral chest drains were placed while he was under anaesthetic so that we could regularly drain his chest to keep him comfortable and able to breathe well. This kept Tucker stable over the weekend until Monday when he was internally transferred to our surgery and anaesthesia team for a Median Sternotomy.

A sternotomy is when the chest is opened via the sternum to allow the surgeon to access both sides of the thorax. This allowed our surgeons to fully inspect the chest and thoroughly lavage (flush) it to remove the inflammatory fluid. Post-operatively, Tucker was recovered in our intensive care unit where he received 24/7 care and monitoring.

He made an excellent recovery and, in true Labrador sense, started eating again shortly after his surgery. Once he no longer required intensive 24/7 care, Tucker was able to go home to his very grateful and loving family!