Friday, September 10, 2010

ICU emergency and going's on

I will post in a few days about more  pantry stocking but I have had a kitten emergency from a vet and I have been up for about 72 hrs and I really have not had time to do anything.

My little patient is very tiny, she came to me on the brink of death, (and I am not kidding).  It has been several years since I have had a critical  ICU, so I had to get to my battle station, and ready the fight.
My patient was very  malnorished, and was also impacted (constipated)  from bad feeding on the owner's part, and not feeding the right foods for a 5 week old kitten. She was totally dehydrated from no water.   The vet made the owners relinquish the kitten to them, and this is when I get calls to do ICU, when patients need 24/7 care for at least 72 hours to a week or two.

I have good news this morning.  When I woke up at 4:30 am this morning to check on her, (after being up 72 hrs), she was very vocal in saying "I'm hungry", and she ate for me. This will be a very slow process of introducing soft kitten type food, until we get her very tiny gut straighted out and smoothed out from the huge rock she had in her tummy, which was just plain full of poop period, and I had to slowly put a liquid laxative for kittens in her to get things moving, with the fact that we had to be so very careful to get things moving without strangulating the gut and killing her, and doing this on a very tiny body that weighs less the a pound.  She pooped several large brick vat poops yesterday through the afternnoon , and this was the plumbing problem, and when we did this, we got rid of the plumbing problem.  I am sorry that I am probably being a little graphic, but for kittens, let alone adult cats and dogs, this is very serious, and this also happens in people, and if it is not handled with kid gloves, you can literally" blow out"  the gut from straining.

So, as of this morning, she is showing signs we are on the mend, we are still critical, as we have to be so very careful of this very tiny gut, and keeping it straight and with soft foods, and then introduce strength building foods, and yogurt and other immune building things.  I used my chicken broth that I make, and she has really loved this, as it has salts, and minerals to help with the healing of the tummy, so I am so far please with her fight and progression. I will try to get a photo of her, and with much better news on her healing.

Well, I'd better get going and check on my little patient, and get my adult cats and dog fed, and start the day,  I have tons of housework now, as I got behind, so, I can't sit too long, I think though, that I will have a nap this afternoon, if this is possible, and then I will be ok.  It is so well worth it.

Bye...

4 comments:

  1. Wow, you are a great nursemaid for this little one. Glad to hear things are progressing right along.

    May she soon be healthy and enjoying her little life.

    May you get your housework accomplished, and the nap you deserve.

    Have a great weekend ~ FlowerLady

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  2. That is so wonderful that the helpless have you to care for them! Get some rest and take care of yourself.

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  3. Poor little mite. I hope that the little wee scrap survives - it sounds like things are going in the right direction (so to speak!) I look forward to seeing a photo - you must be VERY tired by now though.

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  4. Good luck with the little one. It sounds like things are going well.

    Hope you can get some rest.

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