ARCHIE'S INCREDIBLE JOURNEY AT SOUTHFIELDS
6 years ago 
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It’s a shaggy dog story that tells the tale of brave Archie’s incredible journey along the road to recovery thanks to a leading referral vet centre in Essex.
Expert staff in eight different departments at Southfields Veterinary Specialists, based in Laindon, used all of their skills and facilities to help tend 10-year-old Archie, a lovable golden retriever-poodle cross breed.
Archie was referred to Southfields after he had become worryingly weak, lethargic and unsteady on his legs and it quickly became apparent he was very ill with some extremely serious problems.
Chris Scudder, Head of Internal Medicine at Southfields, revealed Archie needed extensive care with his complicated case highlighting the incredible benefits of having so many specialist services working together.
Chris explained: “Archie had been struggling for six weeks when he was referred to us but in just six days, he’d been examined by a series of specialists, his conditions diagnosed, treated and medicated.
“Our neurology and internal medicine teams were the first to discuss the case and to examine him.
“Tests showed Archie’s blood glucose and blood potassium levels were both low and this can cause weakness.
“Further examinations revealed he was suffering from insulinoma, which is when the body releases excessive insulin at inappropriate times, which can push blood glucose levels very low. This can be very serious if it’s left untreated.
“Archie was also sent for a CT scan with the results reviewed by one of our specialists in the imaging department.
“The pancreas looked irregular and further investigations revealed he was suffering from cancer of the pancreas.
“That wasn’t the end of it. Domingo Casamian-Sorrosal, who heads up our Cardiology Department, detected an abnormally fast heart rhythm, so Archie had an ECG and an ultrasound examination which confirmed he was suffering from Supraventricular Tachycardia.
“He was immediately put on medication to deal with that before being transferred to our Oncology clinic, where soft tissue surgeon Esteban Gonzalez Gasch, supported by our specialists in anaesthesia, removed a nodule from the pancreas.
“The operation went very well and Archie recovered well. He was eating the night after his surgery and went home the next day, already much stronger on his legs.
“It’s hoped the surgery and medication will now see his blood glucose and salt levels improve as well as eradicate his irregular heart rhythm.
“He certainly went home a lot better, a lot stronger and a lot happier which I was thrilled to see because Archie’s such a cool dog – he’s a real dude!”
Archie’s owner Bonita Bullen admitted she was shocked to learn the extent of his problems but praised the staff at Southfields for the way they handled the case.
She said: “He’s always been a lovely, lively dog and his happy nature has clearly disguised the fact that he was very ill.
“I was so shocked when all the various results came back revealing all his problems but the staff at Southfields were excellent, they kept us fully informed throughout and were incredibly thorough and caring.”
Southfields offers industry-leading specialist care for Anaesthesia and Analgesia, Cardiology, Diagnostic Imaging, Feline Medicine, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Oncology, Orthopaedics and Soft Tissue Surgery. For more information, go to www.southfields.co.uk.
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