Paws Worthy News - June Edition ANIMAL HOSPITAL OF STATESVILLE

Michael is the 2nd of our new VPCs. He is originally from Illinois, but moved all over due to his parents' military careers. For 9 years, Michael worked as a firefighter with Leland Fire and Rescue. He retired as a Captain, due to injury. Michael studied Film Production at UNC Wilmington. He is married to Tamara and they have 4 furry children - all dogs. Michael is a self-professed "techie", loves photography, Disney and Star Wars. His future plans include becoming an RVT and possibly going on to Veterinary School. Michael must be a brave soul, joining an all-female crew of RVTs and VPCs, but he's holding his own. So far!

Our 3rd of 3 new VPCs is Ella! She is also from Statesville. Ella first came to AHS as a shadow student, went to college and earned her B.S. degree in Pre-Veterinary medicine at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk. This inspired her to become an RVT, so she's planning to work on that while she works as a VPC. We're so glad she wanted to come back to AHS!

Ella is engaged to Luke. She has 3 pets - a Lab, a Gecko and a Guinea Pig! She and Luke have plans to build their first home in a few years. A hiker, Lees-McRae was a great place to get an education AND hike! She's an avid reader and coffee lover and loves to go on coffee dates with friends!

For our charitable organization for June are still focusing on Meals for Paws, with the Iredell Council on Aging! We'll be collecting the following items in our lobby until the end of June!

Leashes, bowls, pet beds, blankets and collars for dogs and cats!

Dog and cat food, both canned and dry (all life stages) are acceptable

Grooming tools like pet shampoo, brushes, nail trimmers

Safe, durable toys for dogs and cats

Drago is a 2-year-old 175-pound Great Dane who belongs to a wonderful family of very responsible Great Dane breeders.

Drago is pictured here for size perspective with Ashley, our PR/Social Media/Art Gallery Coordinator

He came in on a Wednesday afternoon for a swollen, red, inflamed scrotum that had just started that morning. He was eating and drinking and didn't seem bothered by the swelling, despite the dramatic appearance. When he walked into AHS, his poor scrotum was the size of a grapefruit, swollen, and edematous (abnormally swollen with fluid). Both of his testicles palpated normally, but the scrotal skin was very thickened and inflamed. We screened him for Brucellosis, an infectious agent that can cause reproductive issues, infertility , and late-term abortion in dogs. Fortunately, he was negative, since this bacterium can also be spread to people and cause similar signs in humans. A scrotal ultrasound showed normal testicles with very angry scrotal skin and cellulitis (a bacterial skin infection affecting the deeper layers of the skin and underlying tissue, often causing localized redness, swelling, warmth and pain.. We started treating Drago for cellulitis with anti-inflammatories and antibiotics.

The next day, his mom brought him back for worsening scrotal inflammation. His scrotum was much larger with pitting edema (a swelling where an indentation or "pit" remains in the skin after applying pressure, indicating fluid buildup in the tissues). We repeated the ultrasound and found our answer. Within 2.5 cm of thickened edematous scrotal wall (normal is a few millimeters), we found a scrotal abscess. An abscess is a pocket of bacteria and pus that forms under the skin. We think this poor guy sat on something (e.g. mulch, blade of grass, etc.) that introduced bacteria into the scrotum that led to the abscess. Ouch! We sampled the abscess material to evaluate under the microscope and to send for culture. We also applied a topical solution to help decrease the edema. Drago needed strict rest and scrotal support for the next two weeks. The more inflamed the scrotum became, the ore gravity caused stretch and strain on the tissue, worsening the issue. His family put him in a surgery suit to provide support as he worked through this issue.

Picture shows the worsened scrotal edema and inflammation the next day.

Representative ultrasound image of scrotum. First ultrasound image.

Ultrasound of scrotal abscess, 2nd ultrasound.

Pictured: Drago, wearing his protective "outfit", aka a "surgery suit" to help prevent gravity from further causing scrotal strain.

Two weeks later, Drago came back for a recheck. His exam and ultrasound were back to normal, and his abscess had resolved without the need for more aggressive surgical procedures. We expect him to have a full return to function. Because the spermatic life cycle is approximately 60 days, we expect a temporary dip in sperm quality two months from the time of diagnosis with a return to his baseline (normal) 2 to 3 months after that.

Drago is an absolute sweetheart, and we are happy we could find answers and treat appropriately for his comfort, health and genetic preservation.