Bega’s Hole in One

Estimated Reading Time: 1 min | Last Updated: October 1st, 2019

Rarer than a hole in one, an Albatross and a Condor in golf, nine-year-old Bega’s story is nothing short of a miracle after what was possibly the biggest Duff of all time. Having swallowed numerous golf balls, this poor pooch was in the ‘ruff’ and feeling well under par. After two days of vomiting, the lethargic Bull Mastiff Cross arrived at our hospital not expected to make it through the night.

Bega 2

Zinc toxicity from the golf balls caused severe kidney failure, severe electrolyte imbalance and hypovolemic shock, an emergency condition in which severe blood or fluid loss makes the heart unable to pump enough blood to the body. This type of shock can cause many organs to stop working. It wasn’t thought Bega’s long list of severe complications could be reversed and on first assessment, his prognosis was looking pretty grim.

To protect his kidneys and reverse the shock, Dr Bek ordered close intensive management and monitoring of his metabolic status overnight. By the early hours of the morning, Bega had already perked up and decided to make friends, following the team around the clinic. Dr Bek had to climb into his cage to try to coax the friendly pup back in to rest. This incredible turn around meant Bega was stable enough to undergo “golf ball removal surgery” the following day with his own vet Dr Henny at VetWest.

Despite a successful removal, Bega returned to us afterward for intensive post-operative care due to the possible complications associated with gastrointestinal surgery, such as kidney injury, shock, and pain. But to everyone’s amazement once again, bodacious Bega bounced back, and was eating and making friends again by midnight. Bega was discharged the following morning with his signature big smile.

Despite losing at golf, Bega remains a true champ and is back to his “A” game since making a full recovery, miraculously with no ongoing damage to his kidneys.

 

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