Mary and I went to the clinic today to see Brownie and discuss her condition with the vet. Based on the X-rays, Brownie has quite a bad fracture. According to the vet, a rather complicated surgery will be required to repair the damage where a pin would have to be inserted to re-join the broken bones.
Here are photographs of the X-rays:
Note the extensive fracture and the bone fragments.
This is Brownie:
She seems to be quite “at peace” with her pain, and was not aggressive when the vet handled her yesterday. She was also very “co-operative” when the X-rays were taken.
According to Mary, the fracture has been there for about a week now, so perhaps she has grown accustomed to the pain.
This surgery is expected to be costly, and we will share the cost with Mary.
According to the vet, the surgery per se is not risky, but post-operative care is of paramount importance because this is where infections might set in. Brownie will have to be covered with antibiotics and would have to be boarded for about 2-3 weeks after which she would still have to be confined for another 5 weeks or so, depending on her rate of healing. Brownie is also an elderly cat (Mary has been feeding her for 8 years now), so healing might take a longer time.
The surgery is scheduled for Monday.
Please send positive healing energy to Brownie and pray for a successful surgery and quick recovery.
Comments
2 responses to “Brownie’s X-Rays”
Would it be better to amputate the hind leg with a clean cut? Because battling infections later on will be a huge, huge task and Brownie will suffer a lot of pain from them.
Thank you for your thoughts. We've considered this option and have asked the vet, but he said he does not recommend amputation. Rather than amputate, he would prefer to just leave the leg as it is and let her cope with the limp. We are here to support Mary's decision since Brownie is Mary's rescue. She has decided to go ahead with the operation. The vet also said cats cope quite well because they are smaller and lighter. Let's hope for the best for Brownie.