Puppy becomes among first patients to receive new cutting-edge treatment

BOSTON (WWLP) – A young puppy is alive and well Wednesday morning after being one of the first patients to get a cutting-edge new treatment.

Lulu, a two-month-old puppy, was brought to the vet by her family when she wasn’t feeling well. She was diagnosed with a possibly life-threatening bacterial infection called leptospirosis, according to MSPCA.

“Leptospirosis can strike at any time of year, but it’s more likely to infect pets during warmer and more humid weather, which we’ve seen a lot of recently,” explained Dr. Shawn Kearns, small animal internal medicine specialist at Angell Animal Medical Center . “It’s hot outside, so people naturally take their dogs to water sources to cool down, which is important to prevent heat stroke, but that’s also often where they get infected.”

Lulu ended up being one of the first patients to be treated with a new dialysis system at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, called CarpediemTM (Cardio-Renal Pediatric Dialysis Emergency Machine). This machine is designed to facilitate hemodialysis for smaller patients and requires less blood to be circulated.

“Lulu was one of the first patients to use the new Carpediem system,” Dr. Kearns explained. “It took a few weeks, but she’s back to acting like a normal, healthy puppy and thriving in her home once again, something that would not have been possible without the hemodialysis she received from the Carpediem.”

Lulu’s owner, Andrew Tollison, agreed. “The team at Angell, especially Drs. Kearns and Picard, saved Lulu’s life. They were amazing at not only treating Lulu for [leptospirosis], but were highly communicative with us throughout her two weeks in the ICU,” he said, and added, “We can’t thank the team at Angell enough.”

This new dialysis ended up saving her life and now her doctors say she is back home and is acting like normal, the same happy puppy she was before. Angell Animal Medical Center is one of the only two specialty veterinary hospitals in New England that have these machines, along with the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University.

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