This is a story about a stray cat. One day, a very sweet lady brought in a very skinny cat. She was allergic to cats, but found this kitty and couldnt stand to just walk away. She and her husband decided to name her Hope, in hope of getting her well and adopted. They brought Hope in to see Dr. Laws and discovered that she was a he, and Hope became Hopper. He only weighed 4.6lbs that day and was practically skin and bones. He was a very affectionate cat and thankfully tested negative for both deadly viruses, feline leukemia, and feline immunodeficiency virus. So, the plan was to deworm him and to give him the nutrition that he had been lacking. Once he had gained some weight we could vaccinate and neuter him. Within a short period of time his new owners brought him back to the clinic because he had a sore on his shoulder, and he seemed to be breathing funny. Our doctor decided that an x-ray was needed and a startling discovery was found. Hopper had a diaphragmatic hernia, a hole in his diaphragm that allows the organs that are supposed to be in his belly to move into his chest. So, Dr. Laws had to break to news to the family that he needed a life saving surgery. This particular surgery can come with significant risk and unfortunately, is very costly. Hopper would need to have a large incision made in his abdomen, and then his abdominal organs, that were inside his chest, would have to be placed back in his abdomen. After moving the organs the hole in the diaphragm would have to be closed and all the air would have to be removed from his chest cavity to prevent a pneumothorax. An assistant would have to bag him to keep him breathing throughout the procedure, and there was a good chance that some of the organs might be stuck together with fibrous tissue. After explaining the procedure, the cost, and the possible outcomes, the owners decided that they would give him the best chance possible and authorized the surgery. Thankfully, we had a critter fund, set up that allowed us to keep the cost down for the sweet couple. Every once in a while we have clients that donate to this fund and we use that money help in situations like this. Once in surgery, Dr. Laws found that Hoppers liver, spleen, small intestines and half of his stomach were inside his chest cavity. The organs were lying on his lungs and heart making it impossible for him to expand his lungs and breath properly. After several hours on the operating table, Hopper was in recovery and doing well. These are pictures of Hopper before the surgery and weeks after the surgery. Hoppers current weight is closer to 14lbs! Thank you Ann and Robert Tennie for bringing Hopper to our clinic and for loving animals so much. Thank you for taking responsibility for him and helping him have a great life. People like you brighten our day and helping cats and dogs, like Hopper, fills our hearts.
Posted on: Fri, 23 May 2014 22:00:01 +0000
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