In 2013, Dr. Theoret and her staff had the pleasure of meeting a little black and white kitten named Ness and his little grey and white sister Goobie. Ness was full of beans and did everything the average kitten does with a terrible habit of eating things off the floor. In May 2014, Ness was brought into the hospital after ingesting a small rubber cat toy. Luckily, with the support and care of Dr. Theoret and her staff, Ness was able to safely pass the toy with the help of Intravenous Fluids and medication.  However, in December 2014, Ness was not so lucky and got himself into some serious trouble. Ness’ owner called Centrepointe Animal Hospital concerned that he was vomiting and not eating.  His owners described Ness as being very tired and just not himself.  Because of his past, it was thought that Ness, once again, had swallowed something.

A preliminary examination at the hospital revealed that Ness was dehydrated and had pain in his abdomen. As a result, a more thorough exam was performed during which Dr. Theoret observed a piece of thread wrapped around the root of his tongue with the remainder continuing down his esophagus. The string was cut and radiographs were taken, blood work was performed and the final decision to do exploratory surgery was made.  String like foreign bodies in a cat’s abdomen can be a life threatening emergency.  It does not take long for the string to adhere to the intestinal wall causing a fatal pulling and deterioration of the intestinal track.

During exploratory surgery, Ness’ abdominal organs were observed and all appeared normal except for the lower intestine and colon. This is where Dr. Theoret found the remainder of the string.  The string, with a few careful incisions into the intestine, was safely removed.

Ness was kept in hospital for 2 days under close observation to ensure a full recovery. Once sent back home with his owner, constant monitoring for any vomiting or discomfort was continued for several days. After a few days of great care from his owners, he was eating well.

Eight days after surgery, Ness’ owners called. His incision was red, irritated and inflamed, and they were worried it may be infected. Once seen by Dr. Theoret, an incisional infection was diagnosed, which is always a risk of any surgery. His incision site was therefore cleaned, lavaged and Ness was prescribed a 2 week course of antibiotics. He was also sent home with a special jacket to be worn to protect and keep the incision clean.

Two weeks later, Ness came back for a final recheck and suture removal. Ness was back to his old self again, eating, drinking and his incision was fully healed and looking well.