Southern Counties Veterinary Specialists 01425 485615

Rosie's TECA

Rosie's Total Ear Canal Ablation

Meet Rosie, 11-year-old West Highland white terrier who is her owner’s little hero. 

Brenda Coombs had been through a lot between 2004-2013 having been made redundant, losing her boyfriend to cancer and also her dog Thomas. 

She was diagnosed with depression and it was Rosie by her side who helped her through these hard moments. They would go out on lovely walks along the sea wall and with Rosie’s support Brenda began feeling better. 

But disaster hit just before Christmas when Rosie took a turn for the worst. She was born with craniomandibular osteopathy and Brenda just knew she couldn’t give up on her. 

The condition meant she has more bone on her lower jaw and head than normal so her mouth could not open properly.

Rosie was referred to SCVS for the investigation of facial swelling. Her local vets had confirmed it to be an abscess but it was unclear if it was coming from her teeth or her ear.

Our Surgery Specialist Rob Quinn noticed dramatic changes in her CT scan. Due to the increased bone in Rosie’s skull the bone surrounding the middle of the ear was over 1cm thick when it is usually a millimetre or two. 

Rosie underwent surgery to remove all the infected material from her external and middle ear, known as total ear canal ablation. The advanced imaging from the CT scan meant Rosie’s unusual anatomy during the surgery was no surprise and they could remove everything. 

Rob is happy with the surgery and Brenda is looking forward to having more adventure with Rosie. She is certainly well enough to scare the neighbourhood cats!