Meiji brought a cat down here this morning, on an emergency. She rushed the cat to UPM, had the X-rays taken, but UPM was unable to do the surgery because it is short-handed for two weeks. So, Meiji called and asked if she could bring the cat to our panel vet at Healing Rooms.
I met Meiji at 12noon just now. According to Dr Vijay, the cat has a very serious and critical condition called diphragmatic hernia. This is a condition where the diaphragm is torn, and the intestines have been pushed all the way up into the lung cavity. The lungs of this cat is now compressed so much so that there is almost “no more lungs” (in layperson’s terms). The cat will die if surgery is not performed within a week of the onset on this condition.
This cat was picked up by Kwai Chee in a back alley. We suspect it must be an accident victim.
For such a condition, it is best to wait 3 days after onset for the cat to stabilise and for the vet to assess the condition inside. Dr Vijay suspects it is now one week already. So, surgery cannot be postponed anymore.
The success rate is 50% to 80%. However, complications may arise and these would include: (1) Sudden death on the table (2) Post-surgery complications (3) Pneumothorax (air leaking into the pleural cavity (between the lungs and the lung cavity)).
The surgery is being carried out now. So, if you are reading this posting right now, please send positive healing energy to the cat.
I did not want to disturb the cat unnecessarily, so I could not take a photograph.
Comments
One response to “A cat S.O.S. from Meiji”
Sorry to hear the sad outcome despite the best efforts of Kwai Chee and Dr Vijay. The most important thing is best efforts were made for this cat. The rest is beyond our control.