Saturday, September 20, 2008

It's Melody's Turn!

Melody had her turn at a veterinary work-up recently too. As I was brushing her teeth, I discovered a good-sized mass, about the size of a marble, along her gumline. Most lumps that grow in the mouth are bad news, so we acted quickly. She was into the office with me just a day later.

We sedated her and biopsied the lump, as its base was too large to just lop off and expect it not to bleed much. It was a quick procedure, most of the time was spent with direct pressure on the site to stop the bleeding.

Melody was pampered with canned food for a few days, the down side was ~ no nylabones with such a fresh wound in her mouth! The results are great ~ the lump is epulus,a benign overgrowth of gum tissue. A good explanation of oral cancer and benign lumps can be found here. In her case, it's probably because she spends so much time chewing on rope toys and nylabones. Lucky girl, she never really realized how worried we were!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Good News For Liberty!

Liberty had a recheck two weeks ago with Dr. Steele at the Eye Clinic for Animals, and we're happy to report that the abscess behind her eye has healed! She has some damage to the optic nerve in that same eye resulting in tunnel vision, but she gets to keep her eye.

Today she had a recheck with Dr. Slusser our internist where once again she was anesthetized. This time, she had skull radiographs done, just to make sure that she didn't have a tumor or bone infection as the primary cause of her inability to open her mouth normally. Great news here too ~ everything looks normal and her tempromandibular joints are intact. So, the cause of her inability to open her mouth normally stems from scar tissue that built up over time because of the abscess.

How frustrating ~ this all could have been prevented with some simple routine maintenance ~ foxtail checks or toothbrushing would have unveiled this situation early on, before it became a problem. We worked to break down the scar tissue a little today, but she won't be undergoing ongoing procedures since she can eat and drink just fine.

She's a very happy girl, who has really taken a liking to Maverick!

Saturday, September 13, 2008

A Feline's Touch

Not to be outdone by the dog nursing crew, MeiLi decided to join in the recovery of our newest Golden guy. She left people laps and climbed upon his leg, sitting there for probably 10 minutes or so. I believe all of the animals here understand the healing that happens here, and once they are healed mentally and physically, the 'job' I give them is to care for each other.

Whether she was sending healing energy to him or merely admiring his scar, I'll never know for sure. Either way, he didn't seem to mind spending part of his evening with a kitty!

Friday, September 12, 2008

Home From Surgery

Tonight he's home and very sore but doing well. The new guy (still needs a new name) had surgery today at Acacia Animal Hospital in Escondido, and thanks to the generosity of Dr. Carmen Bausone, DVM, one of the practice owners, and Dr. Dennis Aron, DVM, DACVS, this surgery was generously discounted.

We only take in those critters who we know we can support in all ways, including financial support. The sanctuary runs on a shoe-string budget covering the costs of food, litter, and veterinary diagnostics and treatment. This kid's surgery estimate far exceeded the budget, so Steve & I paid for his fracture repair; we pick up where the sanctuary donations leave off.

The four-legged nursing staff has taken over, as you can see above, here's hoping for a speedy recovery!

Monday, September 08, 2008

The Decision...

After thinking it over, talking with our wonderful veterinarians and consulting with a veterinary orthopedic surgeon, we've decided that the "Big Guy" (he still needs a new name) will go to surgery. His surgery is scheduled for this Friday, please keep your fingers crossed!!

Saturday, September 06, 2008

Nap Time


Scooter has enjoyed this crate since he was just a little tyke. When he grew up and could move in with the grown up kitties, we put the crate outside on their patio so he could still use it. He rediscovered it today, and invited MeiLi to nap with him!

Friday, September 05, 2008

A Shocking Twist of Events...

Brings our newest Golden guy back home tonight with his broken leg. His x-rays prior to surgery showed that he has hip dysplasia, and his classification is considered "severe", which is as bad as it gets. It turns out his better hip is the one with the broken leg.

Our new options ~ amputate and plan on his remaining hip going bad quickly, euthanize him and say 'well we tried' or fix the fractured femur.

This is never an easy decision to make, but we have made a commitment to him for the best life he can have as long as he can have it. We will be doing a lot of soul-searching this weekend, as well as consulting with other veterinary orthopedic surgeons. We will let you know what the decision is!

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

A New Guy With A Big Problem

This sweet big guy joined us today. You wouldn't know by looking at him, but he has a fractured femur - ouch! He was set to be euthanized due to this problem because his family couldn't afford to fix him. Fractured femurs are difficult and time-consuming to repair, which all adds up to more money to fix it.

He has a couple of options at this point ~ fix the fracture, or amputate the affected leg. He will be seeing Dr. Porte at TriCity Veterinary Clinic on Friday for amputation surgery. He remains on pain medication and antibiotics until then. He has also started medication for hypothyroidism ~ hopefully he'll drop a little weight, making getting around on 3 legs much easier!