Anaesthesia’s Case of the Month: Suzie’s Story

Some patients stay with you—and this month, Suzie’s story is a beautiful example of multidisciplinary teamwork, skills, and truly patient-centred care at Eastcott referrals

Meet Suzie, a brave 2-year-old miniature schnauzer who faced a very painful and complex condition: pancreatitis with secondary ileus. These conditions don’t just make pets unwell—they can cause ongoing, deep discomfort that’s difficult to control.

From the very beginning, Suzie’s care became a true team effort.
Our Internal Medicine specialists guided her diagnosis and treatment, while our ICU vets and nurses stayed by her side day and night, monitoring, and caring for her in every moment that mattered.

But despite all of this… one of the greatest challenges in Suzie’s case was pain control.

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Despite routine intravenous medications, Suzie remained uncomfortable. That’s when our specialist Anaesthesia team stepped in to design an advanced individualised pain management plan for Suzie. Pain is a subjective experience, and this is why our cats and dogs receive an individualised pain plan whilst hospitalised with surgical and non-surgical conditions.

As Suzie was not responding to medical, an epidural catheter was placed—a very fine, soft tube positioned near the spinal cord, allowing continuous delivery of pain relief exactly where it’s needed most.

For Suzie, this meant:

• Targeted pain relief when she needed it most
  Fewer side effects from other medications
  A calmer, more comfortable and speedier path to recovery

Epidural catheters are challenging to place, they required Suzie being sedated with constant and close monitoring by one of our anaesthesia nurses. The placement itself was carried out by two of our European Specialists in Anaesthesia and Analgesia, Ana Gonzalez and Mar Diaz, that have undergone years of theoretical and practical training, allowing them to perform advanced pain management procedures like this one. Placement also required involvement of our imaging team that confirmed that the catheter was placed at the perfect vertebral space.

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Suzie’s case highlights the importance of our anaesthesia team looking after our patients. Their role goes far beyond the operating theatre; they are dedicated to protecting comfort, reducing suffering, and supporting recovery in even the most complex cases.

Suzie is a reminder that the best outcomes come from true collaboration and expertise, in her case our medicine, imaging, critical care and anaesthesia departments worked closely to provide the best level of care to Suzie and ensure she could go home safely.

Suzie is now comfortable at home with her family—and her comfort was never left to chance

If your pet is facing surgery, serious illness, or complex pain, our Anaesthesia team at Eastcott is here to help.

Because relieving pain isn’t just part of what we do—it’s our purpose.

#Anaesthesia #PainManagement #VeterinaryCare #Teamwork #PatientSafety #Epidural #CaseOfTheMonth

Because comfort isn’t optional—it’s essential.

#Anaesthesia #Teamwork #PatientSafety #Epidural #CaseOfTheMonth #VeterinarySpecialists