Lola’s Hidden Battle: A Grass Seed’s Unlikely Journey
Lola first visited Papamoa Village Vets with unusual symptoms—keeping her head low, a swollen eye, and crying when chewing. Under the careful observation of Melani, her vet at Papamoa, it was clear something wasn’t right. A thorough examination revealed an abscess behind her eye. A minor surgical procedure allowed the team to drain the abscess through her mouth, and Lola’s condition quickly improved.
However, more mystery awaited. Lola’s forehead and eyelids swelled, and multiple wounds started to bleed. The culprit? A small grass seed was found embedded in one of the wounds. It had likely travelled through her mouth, migrated behind her eye, and eventually reached her forehead. Although the initial surgery provided some relief, Lola soon returned with more swelling and bleeding wounds.
This time, Dr. Max from Te Puna performed a CT scan, which revealed the full path of the remaining grass seed. A second surgery was successfully performed to remove the last piece of the seed. Today, Lola is fully healed and thriving, a testament to the skill and care of the veterinary team.
“I would like to take a few moments to express my gratitude and appreciation to you and your team at Papamoa Village Vets. A few months ago, I had to bring Lola to you with a very swollen face, and I was extremely worried about her not being herself. Lola is an anxious dog, and your team was so kind and patient with her. You all reassured me and listened to my concerns, making me feel so welcome and reassured at this really stressful time.
After many challenging appointments with Lola’s anxiety, you were spot on with your diagnosis. A grass seed had somehow lodged in her head and travelled, causing all the problems. Your care, knowledge and expertise were outstanding. To this day, it still blows my mind how you knew what was wrong! Arranging an urgent CT scan, Surgery, and successfully removing the seed. Lola has now made a full recovery and is back to her happy self. The professionalism, dedication and compassion you and your team showed both me and Lola was outstanding. Thank you so very much. I will never forget how kind and caring you all were.”
