Homer was a 16-year-old labrador crossbreed who was rescued by one of our Registered Veterinary Nurses, Aimee and her partner. You may recognise him as a star model from many of our previous website posts!

In the past 10 years, Homer has also helped train our many student nurses as he has sat patiently whilst they practice bandaging and handling techniques on him, such as holding for a blood sample… of course in exchange for a gravy bone!

In February this year, Homer’s health took a sudden decline and he started to suffer from seizures. His quality of life was suddenly lost and his parents had to make the very hard decision to put him to sleep.

We were in the process of writing this post about him when he passed away and as he meant a lot to everyone here at Hollybank, it felt right to still tell his story and share it with you all.

Homer had been a brave boy all his life and was on a cocktail of medications for several ongoing conditions, including osteoarthritis, allergic skin disease and heart disease.

Back in August 2025, Homer came in for a routine blood test following an episode of ataxia at home (loss of balance and coordination of the limbs). While no underlying cause for the ataxia was identified, Homer’s blood results showed raised liver enzymes. Liver enzymes can be elevated for many different reasons other than primary liver disease, but may indicate liver damage, or reduced liver function.

Symptoms of liver disease can include:

• Lethargy
• Gastrointestinal signs such as vomiting, diarrhoea or weight loss
• Changes in thirst or urination
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes)
• Abdominal swelling due to the build-up of fluid
• Seizures

Homer showed none of these symptoms, but we decided to proceed with an abdominal ultrasound to assess his liver further. During the scan, a mass was identified on Homer’s liver.

As Homer was otherwise bright, happy and still on his never-ending hunt for gravy bones, his owners took a few days to discuss the different treatment options available. They decided to proceed with surgery to remove the liver mass and send it off to the laboratory for analysis.

Around a week later, prior to this scheduled surgery date, Homer became lethargic, off his food and not himself at all. A repeat ultrasound scan revealed fluid within his abdomen. This was sampled and confirmed to be blood, we suspected the liver mass was bleeding and Homer was in a critical condition.

A haemoabdomen occurs when blood accumulates within in the abdominal cavity. This loss of blood from the circulatory system can lead to shock, a lack of oxygen delivery to tissues and a drop in blood pressure.

Homer’s owners decided to proceed with an emergency exploratory laparotomy to open the abdomen and try and find the source of the bleeding.

 A large mass on Homer’s liver was found, extending deeply towards the base of the liver. Our veterinary surgeon, Richard, discussed the severity of the situation and the associated risks with Aimee, including further bleeding from trying to remove the mass and damage to other organs.

Thankfully, Homer’s operation was successful. He recovered on intravenous fluids, pain relief and his usual medications. Overnight, he was already trying to sneak past our nurse to get to the gravy bone cupboard! He was so bright the following morning he was able to go home for cuddles with his family.

A few days later, Homer wasn’t feeling very well and he needed to be hospitalised again. He had become pyrexic (a high temperature) and didn’t want to eat – much to his owners’ concern. He was admitted for supportive fluid therapy and he started antibiotics. Thankfully, within 24 hours his temperature has returned to normal and he had his appetite back.

Homer slowly but surely got back to his usual self, and the histology report confirmed the mass was a benign liver tumour which was good news.

Four months after his surgery, a repeat blood test showed Homer’s liver values were back within normal limits.

Homer was back to his cheeky self and keeping his owners on their toes! They loved exploring new places out on walks together and nice trips to the beach! From seeing photos of Homer out and about, you would never guess he was 16 years old, nor that he underwent such major surgery. The surgery allowed Homer to have a happy and healthy four extra months with his loving family.

Homer is dearly missed by his family and all who knew him at Hollybank. He will always be remembered for his kind and patient nature, and love for gravy bones and the beach!