I am a veterinary surgeon and work for a charity called PDSA, which stands for the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals. We treat pets belonging to people who are on state benefits and cannot afford to pay veterinary fees. We see mainly cats and dogs, but also plenty of rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs.

　　One Saturday I was seeing emergency cases at a Birmingham pets hospital. The day started at 9 in the morning, and my first job was to check the animals that had been kept in overnight. I then called into the consulting room a lady with a white cat, named Smudge, that was having difficulty breathing. The owner thought that the cat had something stuck in its throat.

　　When I looked at Smudge, she was breathing with her mouth wide open, which is usually a serious sign. She was breathing very quickly and was barely able to stand. I checked her throat and could see no obvious obstruction. Having listened to her heart using a stethoscope, I was suspicious that she was in heart failure and decided that Smudge needed some oxygen as her tongue was looking pale. I advised the owner that I thought Smudge’s condition was critical and that I wanted to keep her in hospital to x-ray her chest and give her treatment as necessary. Although the lady was upset, she could understand that we needed to admit Smudge into the hospital so we could check her condition frequently.

　　Smudge improved slightly after having oxygen so we were able to x-ray her chest. The x-ray showed a very enlarged heart and lungs full of fluid. This confirmed the diagnosis I suspected. We gave her some injections to clear the lungs of some of the fluid and Smudge gradually improved over the following hours. She was sent home 2 days later when she was much better although she needed to be given tablets for the rest of her life to prevent fluid leaking into her lungs. The owner was delighted to take her home.

　　I saw many other animals on that day, but Smudge was my most rewarding case. She was a true emergency.