A 3.6 pound hypothermic cat with chiggers, neurologic signs, crusty eyes, skin sores, and jaundice was rescued by one of our very compassionate clients from certain death in the outdoors. Finally ill enough to catch, this young stray cat was brought to us with a temperature that didn't even register on our digital thermometer. We were certain that tests would show some sort of major health problem, but blood work and x-rays only showed mild anemia and mild jaundice.
We set to work warming, hydrating and syringe feeding her. At first she seemed to respond well, but her weakness just wouldn't improve. We rechecked her blood work, concerned that the hydration had diluted her blood and found that her potassium was very low. This was treatable, but unfortunately her red cells and protein level were lower. Worse, a recheck 2 days later showed a critically low protein level.
She was eating better with some assistance however, and a vocal personality was starting to emerge, so we sent her home for continued TLC . She started eating without assistance and regained her strength. Still, I was afraid I'd have bad news when we rechecked her blood work today. To my surprise, her red cells and protein were improved and she was noticably stronger and more alert. She still has a long way to go, but seeing her sit contentedly in her new mom's lap was so sweet! And now she has a name: Chance.
I hope to follow up with more pictures documenting her recovery, but 6 days out, here she is:
No comments:
Post a Comment