Nero is a one-and-a-half year old German Shepherd who participates in United Kennel Club dog sports, such as agility, nose work, dock diving, and rally obedience, and is a member of the All American Dog team through K9 Connections in Charlotte. He was brought to the MSU Veterinary Medical Center on December 28, 2016 for exhibiting signs of abdominal pain, such as panting, whining when jumping on and off the bed, inability to get comfortable enough to sleep, laying down during walks, and vomiting. His owner, Beth, feared he could be suffering from bloat, and she brought Nero to MSU's Emergency and Critical Care Medicine Service after midnight.
At the Hospital, Nero was assessed by Dr. Paul Cunningham. Nero’s physical exam findings prompted Dr. Cunningham to immediately sedate Nero and perform an abdominal radiograph. After evaluating the radiographs, Dr. Cunningham informed Beth that Nero had an enlarged colon, and emergency exploratory surgery would give Nero the best prognosis in case the colon was twisted.
Dr. Magen Shaughnessy performed the surgery and found that while Nero's colon was twisted, there had been no permanent damage. Dr. Shaughnessy untwisted Nero's colon and tacked his stomach to the abdominal wall to prevent his colon from twisting again.
I enjoyed working with MSU because from the very beginning, they were caring and understanding. I was a basket case and worried that Nero would die, but I was reassured that I did the right thing by bringing him in and he was in the best place possible. The staff was very nice to me and kept me updated during the whole process.
—Beth, Nero's owner
