Ben is a 14 year old Poodle Cross who visited the Reservoir Vet Clinic because of a small laceration on his eyelid. Dr Andrea examined Ben and found that he was in good health other than his eyelid. Ben was lucky in that the rest of his eye was ok, however he needed to be given an anaesthetic so that his eyelid could be sutured.

Ben was admitted to the hospital ward the following day by Dr Wayne Fitzgerald. Prior to admission Ben received another examination to ensure he was able to have a general anaesthetic. Once Ben was admitted he was placed on comfortable fluffy bedding until it was time for his surgery. Ben was placed on an intravenous fluid drip prior to receiving the anaesthetic. Intravenous fluids help maintain normal blood pressure throughout the anaesthetic and allows for rapid administration of drugs should an emergency situation occur. Given that Ben is an older patient the intravenous fluids also assist him in metabolising the anaesthetic drugs faster.

Once Ben was anaesthetised Dr Wayne was able to suture the laceration on his eyelid. His teeth were also cleaned using the ultrasonic scaler. Due to his lower jaw having been removed (see below) Ben's upper teeth did have some tartar and plaque present. Once Dr Wayne had removed the tartar and plaque Ben's owner can prevent it from building up again by brushing Ben's teeth at home.

Ben recovered very well from his anaesthetic and bounced out the door where he was reunited with his owner. He revisited the clinic several times after his surgery to ensure that the laceration was fully healed.

Ben during his MandibulectomyThis was not the first time Ben had required surgery. Four years ago he had a mandibulectomy performed by a veterinary dental specialist. A mandibulectomy is when all of or part of the lower jaw is removed due to an oral tumour. Although Ben does look different he is otherwise a happy healthy dog who lives a relatively normal life.