Tiger, a 9-year-old stray is one of the recent residents of Sydney Dogs and Cats Home to benefit from our new South Strathfield facility, our very own vet clinic.

Picked up and brought into the home, it was immediately apparent to the team that Tiger was not in the best of health and would have been in extreme discomfort. Tiger was suffering from severe dental disease and would require surgery for extraction of many of his teeth.

However, even more concerning was the fact that he presented with his right ear full of pus. Tiger was put under general anaesthesia, and his ear flushed. What became apparent was that Tiger had a mass in his ear. A biopsy was taken and sent off to the pathologist for further investigation.

Thankfully the mass was diagnosed as a benign polyp, but surgery was necessary to remove the growth. Although it was benign, the mass located in Tiger’s middle ear if left untreated could become larger and obstruct the normal flow of secretions through the ears, causing constant pain, damaging the nerve structures and causing a secondary infection.

The surgery Tiger required was called a ventral bulla osteotomy. It is the removal of the polyp from the middle ear along with the middle ear lining, to minimise the risk of recurrence.

Fortunately for Tiger and our team, specialist small animal veterinary surgeon Dr Mark Newman of Sydney Veterinary Emergency & Specialists volunteered his time. Dr Newman performed this successful, skilled surgery and taught our new vet, Dr Michelle Smith, how to conduct such a procedure.

Following the surgery, Tiger was placed into a foster care home to recover before conducting a second surgery to treat his dental disease, which resulted in the extraction of a few teeth.

We’re pleased to report that Tiger – a friendly, smoochy older gentleman – was adopted shortly after Christmas and was able to welcome in 2020 in his new home.

South Strathfield Vet Clinic

The South Strathfield Vet Clinic is currently not open to the public. The clinic is being utilised to perform the necessary veterinary treatment and surgeries for our shelter residents in preparedness for their forever homes. Previously Sydney Dogs & Cats Home and our furry residents were dependent upon the availability of a third party veterinary practice to gain access to equipment and operating facilities to perform the required vet surgeries.