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6.29.04 Nine lives
A lot of things have been happening around here, and I know everyone
wants to see pictures of the new house, but right now I need to
write about Chloe. If you are at all squeamish about medical
stuff, don't read the rest of this entry. I am posting this
because when I went to Google to search for answers over the past
week, there wasn't much out there to answer my questions. My hope
is that Google will pick this up, and anyone else who experiences
this and is searching for answers will find this.
Last Tuesday, Chloe had a tooth pulled because of a cavity. She
had to be anesthetized because of the procedure, and we were worried
that might be hard on her kidneys, especially since they are already
compromised. For those who don't know her history, almost two
years ago Chloe was having some medical issues, and we found out
that her kidneys aren't functioning as well as they should be.
That is common in cats. To help her kidneys out, we give her subcutaneous
fluids once a week. She's been fine ever since. Because of her
history, though, we took her to the vet the night before so he
could give her lots of fluids before the dental procedure. She
also stayed the whole day after for more fluids. She came through
great. We were very relieved.
Then weird things started to happen.
On Thursday afternoon, Chloe was sitting on my lap and as I was
petting her head, her skin crackled. It felt as if she had cellophane
under her skin. It was all around her head and neck. When I searched
the symptoms online I found out it was subcutaneous emphysema.
Only one entry came up for catsabout a malpractice suit
against a veterinarian. Most everything else was about the condition
in humans, all of which was pretty scary. So I called the vet
on the emergency after-hours phone, and she agreed to see me first
thing the next morning.
We're not exactly sure how it happened. Either the tube they
put down her throat for the procedure made a little tear, or when
they drew blood from her neck before the procedure Chloe squirmed
and the needle punctured her trachea. Either way, when she took
a breath, not all of the air went into her lungs. Some escaped
into surrounding areas and made its way up under the skin. Chloe's
case was not severe. The vet had seen cases before where cats
had air pockets all over their body. It is painful though, so
she gave me some pain medication, and told me to check the skin
on her back and belly often to make sure it didn't spread. Also,
she told me to call if Chloe started to breathe through her mouth
or sounded like she was wheezing. If the tear or puncture was
small, it would heal on its own.
Then, the next scare. Saturday evening Chloe was sitting upright
on the bed (you know how cats do sometimes, like they are little
humans sitting in a chair) and there was a huge, bright read spot
on her side the size of the palm of my hand (the vet later measured
it at 10 cm). I freaked out! I went to get T and he freaked out.
Her fur was gone. We called the emergency after-hours phone again,
and talked to the vet. The vet was very calm. We were packing
for the move; maybe Chloe was stressed and pulling her hair out.
Cats do that when they are stressed. But it was so red! She asked
us if it could be a burn; did she she lay on an exposed wire,
come in contact with any chemicals, lean against something very
hot? No, no, no. Was she ok; breathing, eating, in any pain? Yes,
yes, no. The vet told us that as long as she appears to be fine,
not to worry. Call back in the morning if there is any change.
The next morning we took a closer, less freaked-out look at the
area. It did appear to be a burn. Some of her fur looked as if
it was melted into her skin. There were blisters. We couldn't
find anything in the house that she could have burned herself
on. We called the vet again, and took her in. The vet hadn't seen
anything like it before. The only possibility she thought it could
be was during the dental procedure, Chloe was on a heating pad.
That is standard procedures for animals who go under anesthesia.
It's to prevent their body temperature from falling too low. Since
it had hardened over, sort of like a big bandage, she said it
looked to be healing ok. She gave us an antibiotic to prevent
infection and told us to come back the next day. Well the next
day was moving day, so we agreed on Tuesday morning.
At Tuesday's appointment, we gained some insight. The vet had
talked with the other doctor who performed the dental procedure,
and the tech who monitored Chloe as she woke up. Chloe was very
slow to come back up to her normal temperature. She was still
at 98 degrees when she should have been up to 101. They had put
a warm disc under the heating pad (under a towel) to help conduct
a little more heat. The disc was only under Chloe for five to
ten minutes. The vet thinks that maybe the disc had a hot spot;
an area that maybe conducted more heat than it should have. (They
have since thrown out all of their discs, to make sure this doesn't
happen to any other animal.)
Burns like this aren't noticeable right away. They are like sunburn.
They take a few days to develop. That's why we didn't notice anything
right away. Even as we were feeling around her back and belly
for the emphysema, I had questioned a little dry patch on her
skin, but nothing this big. Confused, and not sure what to think,
I called our vet back in Maryland. He confirmed that both of these
could be side effects of the procedure, and though very rare,
are possible. Chloe just happened to have some really bad luck
to get them both. The only heating pad burns he had ever seen
were during a spay or neuter procedure, when the cat is on its
back, and the backbone puts too much pressure on the heating pad
and skin. He couldn't understand how it could happen on the side,
but the disc explains that.
How is Chloe doing? Great actually. The bubbles under her skin
are only on her head now, and she no longer crackles around her
neck or under her chin. She seems unaffected by the burn, and
handled the move like a champ. She is a little hyperon sensory
overloadchecking out the empty house while we cleaned it
up, and all of the new rooms, smells, and boxes in the new house.
How are we? Tired. Emotionally drained. Confused about our feelings,
actually. We've been so concerned about whether Chloe would be
ok, we didn't stop to think, "Should we be angry? We took
her in for a cavity, and she came out with painful bubbles of
air in her neck and a huge burn on her side. It just doesn't seem
right!" But what can you say to a doctor who knew her condition,
and took special precautions to make sure she'd be ok? There are
always risks with going under anesthesia. These just weren't the
risks we had considered. And they are so rare! The tech who was
monitoring Chloe's temperature did everything right, and under
doctor's supervision. The vet who helped us with all of these
things was not actually the vet who performed the procedure, but
who happened to be on call at the time. She apologized to me today
with tears in her eyes. She also assured me that cats are tough,
resilient animals. I asked her if Chloe used up any of her nine
lives with all of this, and she said absolutely not!
So, when all is said and done, Chloe should be fine, minus one
tooth. And I hope this post serves as some source of information
in an otherwise lacking subject on the internet for anyone having
similar problems with their cat.
Last month's Blog.
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House Update
5.14 - Trim is finished, cabinets are stained, three walls have
been painted. Driveway and walkway have been paved.
5.04 - We have brick and siding. Cabinet bases are in, trimwork
is almost finished.
4.09 - We have drywall. Finishing tile, paint and carpet selections.
4.03 - Have shingles on the roof, a basement floor, plumbing,
electricity and doors.
3.15 - Choosing countertops.
3.4 - We have windows.
2.29 - We have a roof.
2.26 - We have walls.
2.19 - Framing begins.
1.31 - Planning the kitchen.
1.22 - Foundation gets brick.
1.15 - Exteriors are ordered.
1.6 - We're waiting for power.
1.3 - Foundation is poured.
12.28 - Hole digging has begun.
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