Aa
What to expect?
Our Kitten is at the dr. Last night she was stepped on as she lie on her side. She was on a sofa, so I hope that helped deflect some of the injury. The Dr. was unpersonable and borderline rude when he told me he needed to keep her and xray her. He said she might have a broken back (without emotion, his lack of empathy is appalling.) I and my son are very concerned for her, she is more than a pet to us. What will the quality of her life be if her back is broken? Will we have to put her down? I need to try to prepare myself and my son for this. A response is greatly appreciated.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
There is no excuse for rude or lack of kindness! I am ashamed of vets like that.
Sadly, in the worse case scenario, if your kitten has a completely broken back near her head or chest (high up on the spinal cord) there is very little that can be done, unfortunately. She will probably be paralysed and not able to move or use her front or rear legs. She would be urinary and fecal incontinent and may require expression of her bladder so that it will not burst. If the spine is broken at or near the rear end than your cat should be able to use her front legs to get around, but depending on where the lesion has occurred she may be fecal or urinary incontinent or both. They do have kitty carts and kitty diapers though, and cats can have very good quality of life if only their hind legs are paralysed.
In the best case scenario, your kitten will only have some mild injuries, such as bruising or soft tissue injuries and complete recover will occur over time.
If the scenario is somewhere in between, the possibilities are really endless. Very young kittens have soft bones and the chance of permanent injuries are decreased; there could still be a chance for complete recovery.
If there is no injury to the spine, there could still be internal injuries which can be minor to serious but can be repaired, usually.
If there is injury to the spine, but it is not broken, feeling and function can return over time, but since nerves regenerate very slowly, please be patient since it takes a long time, and requires lots of nursing care and medication.
Sadly, in the worse case scenario, if your kitten has a completely broken back near her head or chest (high up on the spinal cord) there is very little that can be done, unfortunately. She will probably be paralysed and not able to move or use her front or rear legs. She would be urinary and fecal incontinent and may require expression of her bladder so that it will not burst. If the spine is broken at or near the rear end than your cat should be able to use her front legs to get around, but depending on where the lesion has occurred she may be fecal or urinary incontinent or both. They do have kitty carts and kitty diapers though, and cats can have very good quality of life if only their hind legs are paralysed.
In the best case scenario, your kitten will only have some mild injuries, such as bruising or soft tissue injuries and complete recover will occur over time.
If the scenario is somewhere in between, the possibilities are really endless. Very young kittens have soft bones and the chance of permanent injuries are decreased; there could still be a chance for complete recovery.
If there is no injury to the spine, there could still be internal injuries which can be minor to serious but can be repaired, usually.
If there is injury to the spine, but it is not broken, feeling and function can return over time, but since nerves regenerate very slowly, please be patient since it takes a long time, and requires lots of nursing care and medication.
awe so sorry i dont know anything about it but i pray shes ok plz lets us know
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