Holly had been diagnosed with potentially-deadly septic peritonitis, and things didn’t look good.
But, incredibly, 18-month-old Holly beat the odds and made a full recovery.
Peritonitis is an inflammation of the peritoneum — the thin membrane lining the abdominal cavity.
It was more complicated for Holly — it had developed into infected fluid filling the whole cavity, and covering her vital organs.
After three operations and a week in intensive care, Holly made a full recovery, much to the relief of owners Alan and Jude Gray, from Belgrave, Leicester.
“Holly had been off her food and just didn’t seem herself,” said Alan.
“Initially, we thought she might have worms or something, but then her stomach became swollen and we worried it could be more serious.
“We took her to the PDSA who examined her and ran some tests which confirmed that she had a very serious infection.
“They warned us that her chances weren’t good and we had to prepare ourselves for the worst.
“We were absolutely devastated.”
However, following difficult operations which involved draining infected fluid from Holly’s abdomen, and treatment with intravenous antibiotics, she began to rally and showed major improvement over the next few days.
“Holly’s case was one of the worst cases of peritonitis we’ve ever seen at Leicester Pet Hospital,” said PDSA Senior Vet, Elly Hopkins.
“Miraculously, and against the odds, Holly has survived.
“However, sadly many pets don’t survive this condition.
“Holly was lucky that she’s young and healthy, and it’s great that she’s gone on to make a full recovery.”
As you can imagine, Alan and Jude appreciate the efforts of the staff at Leicester Pet Hospital.
“I honestly don’t know what we’d have done without the PDSA, they have been amazing,” said Alan.
“Her treatment would have cost more than £1,000, which we’d never have been able to afford.
“We can’t thank them enough for saving Holly and it really is a miracle.”
Alan and Jude’s son Tim was so moved by what happened, he launched a fundraising challenge to give up alcohol for a month to raise money for the PDSA.
He raised almost £400 and was joined in the challenge by Judy and his sister Victoria, so we’re sure that the PDSA will have appreciated Tim’s efforts.
For more information, please visit www.pdsa.org.uk
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