I came home at lunchtime today to see to the dogs. First time I've had to do that since I went back to work, as it happens. Anyway, Lara, young cat of the parish, was in the utility room but was reluctant to jump up onto the counter to get fed for some reason. She then had a go at it, but it was clear there was something not right with - as I thought - her paw, or leg.
I had a closer look, & I thought she was maybe just a wee bit lame. When she went to walk acrosz the floor however, she was sort of throwing her back left leg a bit, & she didn't seem to be walking very steadily.
She was supposed to be going to the vets tonight anyway for her booster, so I figured I'd just pile her into the car & take her to the 1:30 open surgery.
The vet had a look, & said she had some bite marks on her lower back. Probably dog, or perhaps fox, as they were too big for cat bites. She was obviously concerned, because it was possible that there was some damage to the spinal cord, given the position of the wounds. She said she'd have to sedate Lara to clean out the bites, & would then decide whether an X-ray was required, depending on what she found. So she took the wee cat over to the Coatbridge surgery, & said she'd phone later.
She called back about 4:30. There was a very deep, serious bite on the right side of her spine which had caused significant muscle damage. They'd cleaned it as best they could, & had put a drain in. The bites on the other side (and there were 5 bites overall) weren't quite as bad. She says that it looked as if a dog had got a hold of her & given her a good shaking. They had taken an X-ray, & there was no damage to the spine visible. They wanted to keep her in tonight though, to see how the wounds are in the morning. As she says, the real problem now will be if Lara gets a deep-rooted infection. They want to stitch the wound in the muscle to help it knit, but thay can't close it completely while they're draining it.
As she says, the news is better than it might have been, but it's certainly not going to be plain sailing from here on in.
Anyway, I've to phone tomorrow at half-ten, & all being well, we should be able to go & get the poor wee soul tomorrow night.
I cannot for a moment imagine that she came to grief with Molly or Jorja. Firstly, they don't have a bite between them, and secondly if it had been one of them the cat would hardly have been limping around the kitchen in front of them this afternoon.
Here's hoping it's good news tomorrow.
I had a closer look, & I thought she was maybe just a wee bit lame. When she went to walk acrosz the floor however, she was sort of throwing her back left leg a bit, & she didn't seem to be walking very steadily.
She was supposed to be going to the vets tonight anyway for her booster, so I figured I'd just pile her into the car & take her to the 1:30 open surgery.
The vet had a look, & said she had some bite marks on her lower back. Probably dog, or perhaps fox, as they were too big for cat bites. She was obviously concerned, because it was possible that there was some damage to the spinal cord, given the position of the wounds. She said she'd have to sedate Lara to clean out the bites, & would then decide whether an X-ray was required, depending on what she found. So she took the wee cat over to the Coatbridge surgery, & said she'd phone later.
She called back about 4:30. There was a very deep, serious bite on the right side of her spine which had caused significant muscle damage. They'd cleaned it as best they could, & had put a drain in. The bites on the other side (and there were 5 bites overall) weren't quite as bad. She says that it looked as if a dog had got a hold of her & given her a good shaking. They had taken an X-ray, & there was no damage to the spine visible. They wanted to keep her in tonight though, to see how the wounds are in the morning. As she says, the real problem now will be if Lara gets a deep-rooted infection. They want to stitch the wound in the muscle to help it knit, but thay can't close it completely while they're draining it.
As she says, the news is better than it might have been, but it's certainly not going to be plain sailing from here on in.
Anyway, I've to phone tomorrow at half-ten, & all being well, we should be able to go & get the poor wee soul tomorrow night.
I cannot for a moment imagine that she came to grief with Molly or Jorja. Firstly, they don't have a bite between them, and secondly if it had been one of them the cat would hardly have been limping around the kitchen in front of them this afternoon.
Here's hoping it's good news tomorrow.
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