Lipton was Cornell University Veterinary Specialists' first emergency case on January 14th, 2011. She was referred to us by a local veteranarian because she was lethargic and had collapsed on more than one occasion.

Upon examination, our criticalist Dr. Sergi Serrano, LV, DVM, DACVECC, suspected a possible hemoabdomen (blood in the abdominal cavity). Our team began stabilizing Lipton and performing diagnostic tests, which included bloodwork, abdominal ultrasound, thoracic radiographs and echocardiography. These tests confirmed the hemoabdomen and Lipton was rushed into surgery with Dr. Alon Kramer, DVM, DACVS.

Exploratory surgery revealed multiple splenic masses, one of which had ruptured and was actively bleeding. Dr. Kramer performed a splenectomy (removal of the spleen) and Lipton was then admitted to ICU for recovery and monitoring. Lipton stayed in our ICU for three days, during which she received a blood transfusion to treat her anemia. Attentive pain management and lots of love from our staff made Lipton's extended stay at CUVS as comfortable as possible.