Walter the Miracle Poodle

By Heather Hobbs, Instructor, Veterinary Technology Program

When people hear about the Veterinary Technology program offered at Trident Technical College, what often comes to mind is “How fun – puppies and kittens!"

Walter, after treatment

But in reality, it's not just about playing with baby animals. More often, we pick up animals from the local shelter who are less likely to be adopted because of medical and surgical needs. The students work them up (physical exams, bloodwork, radiographs), then treat them according to a veterinarian’s instructions (assist in surgery, dental cleaning, hospitalization and behavior modification). Once these patients are well, they return to the shelter ready to be placed in their forever homes.

One recent case that took all of our students’ skills and dedication is Walter, a 10-month-old, standard poodle weighing 21 pounds (he should be 40 pounds). The day he entered the shelter he was so emaciated and weak, the shelter staff had to transport him to their intake area in a wheelbarrow. When he arrived at TTC he was too weak to hold his head up or open his mouth to chew. He was in hypovolemic shock, anemic, blind and experiencing severe fluid loss in the form of diarrhea.

Over the next two days, and over the entire weekend while performing kennel duty, our students worked to save Walter. They used the countless skills they had learned to provide him with the care he needed. They hand-fed him, bathed him, sling walked him (he was too weak to walk on his own), monitored 24-hour IV fluids therapy to prevent further dehydration, gave him IV antibiotics twice daily via a syringe pump, and treated him with injections of medications for diarrhea and nausea. He needed radiographs to determine if the malnourishment he suffered caused permanent damage to his bone growth and he was neutered.

Walter, before treatment

Using skills from radiology, parasitology, pharmacology, animal nursing, nutrition, behavior, anatomy, anesthesia, calculations, disease and zoonosis, surgical nursing and emergency medicine classes, the students brought Walter back to health. A couple of weeks later he is recovering well and his vision has returned.

So it is true we often get to play with puppies, it is only after weeks of intensive care. We call Walter our miracle patient, and now that he is starting to act like a puppy, we are happy to provide him with all of the affection and play that he deserves.

For more information about TTC's vet tech program, click here.