Pune vets gives relief to Shih Tzu dog living with two urinary bladder tumours with timely surgery

Blood in the urine in an elderly dog can easily be mistaken for a urinary infection or another routine urinary problem In Angelrsquos case the symptom persisted for nearly six months and has finally found relief after doctors in Pune came to its rescueThe 15yearold female Shih Tzu weighing just 56 kg was eventually found to have two tumours each measuring 2 cm in her urinary bladder which were later diagnosed as transitional cell carcinoma TCCA team led by Dr Narendra Pardeshi veterinary minimally invasive laparoscopic surgeon along with Dr Oojas Pardeshi veterinary assistant Surgeon Dr Radheshyam Chaudhari urosurgeon Humans Uro surgeon Reena Haribhat veterinary assistant Ankita Dwivedi Tanuja Mungale and budding veterinarian Anwesha Bhat at The Small Animal Clinic in Pune performed a minimally invasive Transurethral Resection of Urinary Bladder Tumour TURBT reported as the first such procedure performed in India The approach enabled the team to remove the tumours through the natural urinary passage avoiding conventional open bladder surgery and reducing surgical trauma and blood lossAngelrsquos prolonged health struggle began with a symptom that could easily have been mistaken for a routine urinary problem For nearly six months the 15yearold Shih Tzu continued to pass blood in her urine even though her appetite remained normal Concerned by the persistent bleeding her pet parent Miss Arora sought further medical evaluation at The Small Animal Clinic Pune on September 11 A urine examination detected cancerous cells prompting the veterinary team to investigate further A CT scan subsequently revealed two aggressive tumours each measuring 2 cm in Angelrsquos urinary bladder which were later diagnosed as transitional cell carcinoma TCC Considering Angelrsquos age and small size the operating team explored a minimally invasive option that could remove the tumours while reducing surgical traumaDr Pardeshi said ldquoAngelrsquos case required careful consideration because she is 15 years old and weighs only 56 kg While her appetite was normal the fact that she had been passing blood in her urine for several months could not be ignored Our investigations confirmed that this was not simply a urinary infection or stone but two bladder tumours which were later identified as transitional cell carcinoma Considering her age small size and the location of the tumours we wanted to avoid putting her through a major abdominal surgery if a safer alternative was possible This led us to choose Transurethral Resection of Urinary Bladder Tumour TURBT a minimally invasive approach that allowed us to reach the bladder through the natural urinary passage using a resectoscoperdquoThe procedure carried out on September 11 is reported by the team to be the first TURBT performed in India offering a minimally invasive approach to bladder tumour removal in dogsHe further explained ldquoThe minimally invasive procedure involved passing a camera through the female genital and urinary tract into the bladder followed by the insertion of a small resectoscope Using a monopolar system we carefully removed the tumours The procedure lasted around 25 to 3 hours with blood loss of less than 5 mL In a dog weighing just 5ndash6 kg conventional open surgery could involve higher blood loss making the minimally invasive approach particularly valuable for an elderly and smallsized patient The procedure was performed under anaesthesia with advanced ventilatory support and Angel was able to walk within around 15 minutes after the operation She was discharged the same day Her blood in the urine started returning to normal over the next two to three days and she has not had further bleeding since then It has now been around three weeks and she is active alert and doing well This approach which is routinely used in human medicine allowed us to apply minimally invasive technology to a veterinary bladder tumour and avoid the trauma associated with conventional open surgeryrdquoThe tumour tissue has been sent for histopathological evaluation while staging is currently underway Depending on the final staging and pathology findings the team may consider administering anticancer medication directly into the bladder rather than using systemic chemotherapy if clinically appropriateDr Pardeshi added ldquoBladder cancer is seen in dogs but it is not always diagnosed early because blood in the urine can initially be attributed to infection stones or other urinary problems Angelrsquos case shows why persistent blood in the urine should not be ignored particularly in an older dog The important aspect of this case is not only the diagnosis but also the minimally invasive way in which the tumours could be treated We hope that such techniques will open new possibilities for veterinary patients who may otherwise have to undergo more invasive surgeryrdquoldquoAngel has been part of our family for so long Seeing blood in her urine for months was worrying but we are relieved that Dr Narendra Pardeshi and his team identified the problem and treated her We are grateful for the care Angel receivedrdquo concluded Ankita Arora Angelrsquos pet parent