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Burgess · 07-26-2009, 09:36 PM

A collective hello to the forum!

Fretting....

Our little rag doll George has just had two surgeries, we are a little concerned about his recovery. I will start at the beginning to give the full picture.

Poor little George kept throwing up last week so we took him to the vet. They gave him some anti nausea tablets and sent him home, however this didn't cure the problem. Another visit to the vets ended with the vet saying he needed further tests and might have IBS, hmmmm.

Our beloved George has his favorite toy, a little plastic mouse that has white hair on it (just like him!). He loves to rip them to bits. I remember that the other other day I found the remains of said plastic mouse sans head. I got on to the vet straight away and yes, you guessed it, he had in fact swallowed the head of this plastic mouse. Wether he actually swallowed the head intentionally for 'inhaled' it in his excitement will never be known but the net result was surgery to remove it.

Surgery seemed to go ok and, although a bit groggy and slow, George seemed to be making a good recovery. However a few days later his temp would not go down (39 degrees) and appetite was not returning. Vet said lets keep an eye on him. After a few more days it seemed obvious that he was getting worse and and vet then conceded that there was an infection so more surgery required. Very traumatic for George and us. Surgery revealed that the the infection was a lot worse than expected and that thankfully it was limited to his fatty stomach tissue. Quite a bit was cut out and he was stitched up, again!

This time recovery has been a lot slower he has done very little over the last three days since surgery except sleep (i think he is very very sore). He has eaten and drunk the bear minimum so we have syringed some recovery food into him at regular intervals. His temp is dropping and his eyes are clear so fingers crossed.

are post operative infections common in cats? we haven't been exactly thrilled with the level of care considering how much money we have paid (over $3000).
Whilst in care he ripped an IV line out and was not checked for more than 20 hours because it was the weekend.
And
Should the vet have spotted the infection sooner given that his temp was not dropping? We are not vets but we found a lump in his tummy, the wound was "angry" and it was smelling a bit.

Paulagene · 07-26-2009, 09:42 PM

Oh my...know my prayers will be with him. I have heard of this happening swallowing things so I try to make sure nothing small enough he will eat or swallow but I know it happens. What can I do to be of help to you during this time?

Coral · 07-26-2009, 09:42 PM

Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry you and George have been through such a stressful and painful ordeal.

I'm not a vet either, but I think it's unacceptable George wasn't checked for more than 20 hours after surgery, weekend or not. Sad

Are there other vets in your area? I would definitely be looking for someone else to look after George.

Fingers crossed for George's speedy recovery.

TeresaK · 07-26-2009, 09:43 PM

Welcome to the forum and I'm so sorry that you have had such a traumatic episode with George! I'm not familiar with the recovery for something like he has had, but you say his temp is dropping and his eyes are clear so that's a good sign and the fact that you are syringe feeding him to help him get the nutrients he needs to heal.

I'm appalled that he went 20 hours after surgery without being checked because it was the weekend!! I can understand why you would be disappointed with the level of care that he has received.

Here's my thoughts.....if you aren't happy with the vet you currently have - find another one - now! If you don't think that he's recovering then be his advocate and keep hounding the vet you have or find a new one until he gets the care and follow up that he deserves.

I do hope that you will stay on the forum and keep us informed on his recovery. We'd love to get to see pics of him too.

eeyoredag · 07-26-2009, 11:29 PM

Hello and welcome to the forum. I'm too am sorry. I agree with everyone find a new vet in a hurry. Poor George and I can imagine how you are feeling I would be insane with worry!!

FluffyHuffy · 07-27-2009, 12:02 PM

Hi, welcome to the forum. It sounds like you have had an horrendous time with George recently but if his temperature is now falling and his eyes are clear then hopefully he has turned a corner and will be getting better, albeit slowly. I would think two major surgeries so close together would take some getting over. While you are syringe feeding him and checking on him you are doing all that you can to aid his recovery.

Like the others, I think you should look at getting a new vet. With the lack of treatment over the weekend and the slow diagnosis of the infection I would think that you will have lost all confidence in your current vet and you need to find a vet you can trust.

Please let us know how George is doing and we would love you to stick around and share some photos of the little guy.

Burgess · 07-27-2009, 04:31 PM

Thank you all for your kind words.

Yesterday George had his dressings changed and temp checked. His temp is dropping and he seems to be turning the first significant corner.
He still has some "taps" in the wound to help draining but in general he has been a lot more alert and generally better.
Still, he hasn't moved to much but seems to be very happy with the company of the heater while sitting on his favorite piece my clothing (my pyjama top!) with a hot water bottle underneath. He even had a spirited purr last night which is probably the most reassuring thing we can ask for.

I will endeavor to post some pics as soon as possible.

Burgess · 07-27-2009, 05:47 PM

not very happy about his bandage/vest
[Image: media1.jpg]

sleep therapy
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a few moths ago
[Image: IMG_1584.jpg]

Elicia · 07-27-2009, 06:32 PM

Aww what a pretty litty!! What happened to him is horrible! I think I would have made quite a scene at the vet if something like that had happened to one of my boys!
I hope he will get better real soon Smile

MGHN · 07-27-2009, 06:36 PM

He sure is a gorgeous little guy. Even when wearing that bandage vest Tongue

I'm sorry to hear about his painful experience. I would also look around for another vet if you are not happy with the treatment that George recieved. I am appalled that he wasnt checked for 20 hours! Meanwhile he couldve been home with you for a night and would have recieved more love and care than in the vet surgery - and you wouldnt have to pay for him being there!

I hope George will recover quickly. Keep us posted on his progress. Hopefully he will return to being that beautiful, happy, bouncy kitten in the last photo.