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Sunday Chat: 9 PM ET Pet Loss Support
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Sunday Chat: 9 PM ET Pet Loss Support
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Posted by Wiscats on November 04, 2002 at 22:58:39:
Little Emma, a small 1 to 1 1/2 year old female muted tortoiseshell, was brought to our shelter by the Humane Officer. Her people called him to come get her (or they would "throw her out"). They couldn't even bring her to the shelter themselves. They no longer liked her because she was lame and wasn't fun to play with any more. And why was she lame? Because she had broken her leg and they never took her to the vet, so consequently the leg healed wrong, causing the kitty constant pain.
The shelter folk took Emma to the vet. After x-raying her leg, he said that to re-break and set the leg with pins and plates might work, or might not, and the cost would be prohibitive for the shelter. He recommended amputating the leg--the right rear one. The shelter raised the money with special appeals, and Emma went in for her surgery. However, the preliminary blood tests showed her to be slightly anemic, so she was sent home with me to foster for a week after which she would go back for another blood test.
The 2nd blood count was still low. The vet decided to do a bone marrow aspiration. The results came back without any real diagnosis, or as he said, "we're finding out everything that is not wrong with this cat." He decided to go ahead with the surgery anyway.
While she was under, he also opened her belly to see the spleen, thinking it might have something to do with her blood problems. The spleen was engorged with blood; he removed it. (She had already been spayed!) He sent the spleen and a "suspicious looking" lymph node from the leg to pathology.
Emma came home the day after all that surgery--33 stitches worth! The spleen and lymph node came back negative--whew!
Emma rested a lot here in the computer room with me that first week home, getting her strength back. I was chatting with some friends here in CatHobbyist when one, a lady I know, began to ask about Emma: could she go up and down stairs? how soon could she travel? :))
This dear friend, who lives 11 hours from me (!) drove over last weekend to adopt Emma, sight-unseen. It was love at first sight for them both. Emma is now in a wonderful forever home, and is fast making friends with her new kitty brothers and sister!
Wiscat Mom