The Patient:
Luxtria, at the time of this appointment, was a spayed 16 week old female Siamese mix, weighing just over 5 pounds. This kitty’s attentive Mom brought Luxtria in to us as she noticed her anus was quite swollen. Luxtria also urinated outside of the litterbox, which owner states was out of character. We also learned that she has been known to eat toys, so mom was right to act swiftly. Good job, mom!
The Case:
As stated above, Luxtria has a bad habit of ingesting toys, so with her symptoms, we were automatically concerned about a possible obstruction of some sort. Even though Luxtria had an appetite and normal bowel movements, a partial obstruction was still possible and/or likely. Upon exam, little Luxtria’s vitals were good, she seemed stable, and she was not showing too many signs of pain. But, we were still suspicious. This sweet kitten’s mom thankfully approved radiographs, and we found just what we were expecting. A foreign body! More specifically...a paperclip!
The Treatment Plan:
The clear answer to Luxtria’s paperclip problem was to do an emergency abdominal surgery/gastromy to remove the object. The patient has AMAZING parents who elected to have the surgery done the same day to get their baby feeling good again! We immediately headed to the surgery suite to start the procedure, and it went as smooth as we were hoping for. We sent our adorable patient home with some medications to make her comfortable and relaxed, and we asked her parents to bring her back the following morning for a post-surgery check-up. Luxtria’s vitals were fantastic and the incision was already healing. The surgery was a huge success, and Luxtria was in fantastic spirits once again! We now see Luxtria as a regular patient and we enjoy our visits with her each and every time.