Dialysis saves 8-year-old Labrador with uterine infection
Times of India | 24 May 2025
Kolkata: An 8-year-old female Labrador, Coco, underwent successful dialysis at a city pathology lab on Friday night after experiencing acute kidney distress with elevated creatinine levels.
This marks the first such facility at a private clinic in eastern India, following cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Delhi.
The sole dialysis unit at Bengal Veterinary College and Hospital in Belgachhia has remained non-operational since Oct 2024.
Prince Tripathi (29), Coco's owner from Howrah, who endured anxious nights and visited numerous pet clinics and the Belgachhia hospital, stated, "Coco was lethargic, had lost her appetite and her condition was rapidly deteriorating since mid-May. I was fearing for the worst.
""Her creatinine level was critically high at 18 mg/dL indicating acute kidney distress and her haemoglobin was dangerously low at 4 g/dL," said veterinary specialist Kaustav Basu. He identified Coco's condition as advanced pyometra, a severe uterine infection characterised by pus accumulation due to bacterial infection, necessitating immediate surgery.
"I already spent around a lakh for Coco's treatment and had even decided to travel to New Delhi for her dialysis and accordingly reserved a train coupe," said Tripathi. The initial dialysis and transfusion session cost approximately Rs 12,000.
Laboratory technician Shaibal Das said, "We were able to complete the process which lasted around 1 hour 18 minutes, including a successful blood transfusion, and all the parameters are now stable.
" They plan to conduct another dialysis session on Monday.
Protip Chakraborty, founder of Animal Health Pathology Lab (AHPL), said, "The state-of-the-art digital haemodialysis machine is an open facility and can be accessed by all pet clinics across the city.
" In Feb, AHPL conducted Kolkata's first canine blood transfusion, where a golden retriever donated blood to an unwell Dobermann at their Deshapriya Park facility.