For more exciting details about Shmi's surgery and expected recovery go to
http://victoria.wagoner.googlepages.com/home. She is coming up on 3 weeks post surgery and she is doing great! Just this week she began using her repaired leg to scratch that hard to reach spot just behind her ear. Shmi is very playful and loving -- but she wants out of the crate. She wants to let everyone know that she appreciates all of the love and support you have given to her.
Staples Removed
Tuesday (1/22) the staples were finally removed from Shmi's leg. She fretted endlessly over these metal parasites that had clung to her body for approximately 10 days and only took less than 30 seconds to remove. Did I mention during this period she decided to "help out" Dr Kirch by removing 4 of them herself? Luckily, her sutures continue to heal nicely. Out with the staples and off with the dreaded blue recovery collar. Shame, it really brought her eyes. One day she even decided to wear it as a skirt. Now, I am sorry I didn't get a picture of that episode. Alas, Shmi looks great and is as loving as ever. Shhhh, don't tell her that she still has several more weeks of solitary confinement in her crate. She gets a few moments everyday in the "yard" (what she calls the area outside her crate). Shmi will walk about, stretch that one leg out and just melt your heart. However, this is my opportunity to check for contraband while cleaning the crate.
Triangle Pet Rescue
Triangle Pet Rescue is a local non-profit run almost entirely by the fabulous Gray Tuggle. The mission of the rescue is to help people looking to adopt animals or looking for help with rescued strays, owner surrenders, etc and to this end the website (see side bar) has a great compilation of local rescues and shelters. The rescue will sometimes aid in efforts to help injured animals found by good Samaritans - and we are lucky to have their help in helping Shmi. In fact, the majority of the donations we have received so far have been through Triangle Pet Rescue - thanks, Gray! Be sure to look out for their sponsored ad for Shmi in the Independent Weekly coming out this Wednesday (1/23/08)!
Shmi vs. The Staples
Shmi is an intelligent cat - she knows there are these little cold metallic pieces 'stapling' her suture site together. Her intelligence, however, doesn't go so far as to know that they are good for her and supposed to stay in! So the battle begins - with Shmi the clear crowd favorite. Her foster dad, Keith, came home from work one day at lunch to find her attached to some of the bedding inside her crate. One of the staples was half out and had hooked the blanket it below her - quite the pitiful site. So off she goes to the vet! When she arrived, it was clear that this staple was not the first victim - she had already remov
ed two others! (Score: Shmi 2, Staples 0)
Luckily for her, the suture site was still healing nicely, with no visible infection (although she is on antibiotics just to be safe!). So Dr. Kirch removed the loose staple and another one that was loosening up (rack up two more points for Shmi). The foster parent assured us that neither he nor Victoria had ever seen her trying to groom them or remove them. So we waited, and we waited, and then TA-DA - we caught Shmi in action! She gave us a defiant look as she grabbed one side of a stable and tugged away at it. Sneaky, sneaky little girl!
With no other alternative, we decided that she would have to wear - insert drum roll - the dreaded blue flower, otherwise known as the soft e-collar. Cats do tend to like them much better than the harder, clear, plastic variety - but all in all, they would probably prefer to sleep with a screaming 2-yr old child than wear either. *sigh* I believe that makes the staples the winner!
ed two others! (Score: Shmi 2, Staples 0)Luckily for her, the suture site was still healing nicely, with no visible infection (although she is on antibiotics just to be safe!). So Dr. Kirch removed the loose staple and another one that was loosening up (rack up two more points for Shmi). The foster parent assured us that neither he nor Victoria had ever seen her trying to groom them or remove them. So we waited, and we waited, and then TA-DA - we caught Shmi in action! She gave us a defiant look as she grabbed one side of a stable and tugged away at it. Sneaky, sneaky little girl!
With no other alternative, we decided that she would have to wear - insert drum roll - the dreaded blue flower, otherwise known as the soft e-collar. Cats do tend to like them much better than the harder, clear, plastic variety - but all in all, they would probably prefer to sleep with a screaming 2-yr old child than wear either. *sigh* I believe that makes the staples the winner!
And so recovery begins….
Shmi returned to her Foster parents Saturday (1/12) to begin recuperating from her lengthy surgery. Much to her dismay, Shmi must remain in here crate for the next several weeks. Six or more to be exact, but don't tell her I said that. Her appetite is growing which is a good sign. She didn't like her liquid meds, but really who does? Now, the pill pockets she loves. As long as she thinks they are treats, it's all good. She seems to enjoy her luxury suite, but often cries out because she wants out " ATTICA, ATTICA." When she gets out of her crate, she walks about, struts her stuff, and shows her love. She is very mobile and seems to be very appreciative of help she has received. She does sport a soft recovery collar to prevent her from pulling out her staples.
Shmi returned to her Foster parents Saturday (1/12) to begin recuperating from her lengthy surgery. Much to her dismay, Shmi must remain in here crate for the next several weeks. Six or more to be exact, but don't tell her I said that. Her appetite is growing which is a good sign. She didn't like her liquid meds, but really who does? Now, the pill pockets she loves. As long as she thinks they are treats, it's all good. She seems to enjoy her luxury suite, but often cries out because she wants out " ATTICA, ATTICA." When she gets out of her crate, she walks about, struts her stuff, and shows her love. She is very mobile and seems to be very appreciative of help she has received. She does sport a soft recovery collar to prevent her from pulling out her staples.
The BIG DAY!
Shmi's much anticipated day was finally here and we kept reassuring her that we were really trying to help her! It's hard to try to convince a scared, stressed animal that you mean them no harm - but as we got her prepped for surgery, we tried to talk calmly and give her massages.
Dr. Clary arrived with his entourage for the surgery just prior to 11am - and Shmi was pretty much sedated the entire time he was there. Finally, with her feeling no pain, he was able to do a thorough exam and his findings were rather grim. He pointed out where it looked like part of her fractured bone was already trying to attach to the wrong place, and was able to show just how much shortened the injured leg was in comparison to her good leg. He explained that the difficulty with this surgery wasn't going to be the break itself, but rather the amount of time since the injury.
For the next THREE and a HALF HOURS, Dr. Clary and his assistant, Margaret, worked tirelessly to piece Shmi's leg back together. Since Shmi is a young cat, in otherwise excellent health, her bones had no problem trying to heal themselves and already started to regenerate new bone. Unfortunately, since the fractured bones weren't anywhere near their proper alignment, the new growth was actually a hindrance and had to be meticulously scraped away. A pin was placed through the length of the bone - but another discovery made the plan a little trickier than expected. Unable to be seen on the x-ray, a segment of Shmi's femur had become completely broken off from
either end of the bone and was not in a usable form. Dr. Clary decided that a plate would be needed and this would be her best chance for a smooth recovery. He inserted a plate along side the re-aligned portions of the femur and screwed in 11 screws. One was not able to be inserted due to the missing bone fragment. Shmi's femur will grow back from either end and reattach over time. The plate, unless any unforeseen complications should arise, will stay in her leg for the rest of her life. She will not be able to go through any metal detectors ;-)
We set up Shmi in a cage for the rest of the day - with warm blankets heated in the dryer, warm lactated ringer bags, and kept a close eye on her until closing. Dr. Kirch, the vet at the Cat Hospital of Durham (where the surgery was performed - thank you!), wanted to be able to dose her with more pain meds later that night, so she kindly took her home (thanks again!).
Dr. Clary arrived with his entourage for the surgery just prior to 11am - and Shmi was pretty much sedated the entire time he was there. Finally, with her feeling no pain, he was able to do a thorough exam and his findings were rather grim. He pointed out where it looked like part of her fractured bone was already trying to attach to the wrong place, and was able to show just how much shortened the injured leg was in comparison to her good leg. He explained that the difficulty with this surgery wasn't going to be the break itself, but rather the amount of time since the injury.
For the next THREE and a HALF HOURS, Dr. Clary and his assistant, Margaret, worked tirelessly to piece Shmi's leg back together. Since Shmi is a young cat, in otherwise excellent health, her bones had no problem trying to heal themselves and already started to regenerate new bone. Unfortunately, since the fractured bones weren't anywhere near their proper alignment, the new growth was actually a hindrance and had to be meticulously scraped away. A pin was placed through the length of the bone - but another discovery made the plan a little trickier than expected. Unable to be seen on the x-ray, a segment of Shmi's femur had become completely broken off from
either end of the bone and was not in a usable form. Dr. Clary decided that a plate would be needed and this would be her best chance for a smooth recovery. He inserted a plate along side the re-aligned portions of the femur and screwed in 11 screws. One was not able to be inserted due to the missing bone fragment. Shmi's femur will grow back from either end and reattach over time. The plate, unless any unforeseen complications should arise, will stay in her leg for the rest of her life. She will not be able to go through any metal detectors ;-)We set up Shmi in a cage for the rest of the day - with warm blankets heated in the dryer, warm lactated ringer bags, and kept a close eye on her until closing. Dr. Kirch, the vet at the Cat Hospital of Durham (where the surgery was performed - thank you!), wanted to be able to dose her with more pain meds later that night, so she kindly took her home (thanks again!).
Twas the Night Before Surgery....
And Shmi had no idea what was ahead of her! Her foster mom dropped her off for pre-op bloodwork and to start the painkiller patch called a fentanyl patch. Most surgeons prefer that this patch be placed at least the night prior to surgery - and it was last at least a couple days past surgery as well. She was obviously worried, but as soon as we settled her into a cage - she calmed down. I wondered whether she thought she was back in a shelter environment and made sure to give her extra loving in between clients. Before the night was over - we got her set up with an IV catheter, warm bedding, sent off her bloodwork, and unfortunately - the dreaded plastic E-collar. We left for the night with Shmi giving us a rather scolding look, yet quietly retaining her dignity - tomorrow was the big day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
