A pet owner has told of her relief and gratitude after our Specialist-led team saved the life of her seriously injured cat.
Distraught owner Ngairi Mettam, from Keasden, North Yorkshire, feared the worst after her beloved three-year-old Burmese cat, Kito, had been hit by a car.
He was referred to us for urgent surgery, which was then followed by almost five months of dedicated veterinary physiotherapy.
Despite suffering major injuries in the collision, Ngairi said Kito’s made a remarkable recovery thanks to our talented team.
She said: “My local vets said the injuries were too severe for them to deal with. They suggested two options, either put him down or they could refer him to the Specialists at Kentdale. I opted for the latter because I did not want to lose him but I was still extremely concerned. I thought, even if Kito survived, he might lose his eye and his right hindleg, and never be able to walk again.”
Graham Hayes, an RCVS Specialist in Small Animal Surgery here at Kentdale, took charge of Kito’s care, beginning with X-rays and tests which revealed Kito had suffered head injuries, multiple fractures of the pelvis and ligament damage.
Toby Gemmill, Kentdale Managing Director and RCVS and European Small Animal Surgery Specialist, explained: “Graham carried out surgery to repair the damage on the right side of Kito’s pelvis and right hock joint.
“An external fixator was used to immobilise the hock joint and to allow it time to heal, and bone plates and screws were used to stabilise the pelvic fractures.
Surgery went well and good healing of the pelvis was seen at the post-operative check six weeks after surgery.
The fixator was duly removed and Kito was referred to our physiotherapy team to assist with sciatic nerve weakness which had occurred due to his injuries.
Kito had a long course of rehabilitation care from our expert veterinary physiotherapist Emma Woof and was signed off four-and-a-half months after his accident. He’s now able to go outside and complete his normal routine with no discomfort.”
Ngairi is delighted with the outcome, adding: “Kito seems happy in himself. There’s lots of purring and playing with the other two cats in the household and he’s out hunting again!
He has not regained full feeling in his injured leg due to his nerve injury and it is a little thinner than the good leg but it does not stop him from leading a full and active life.
I believe he got the best possible care at Kentdale and the team, including receptionists, physio, vets and nurses, were all very supportive and I would definitely recommend them. I couldn’t fault them at all.”
We are one of the UK’s leading Specialist Orthopaedic, Spinal and Soft Tissue small animal referral centres.