Do you have a local Humane Society? I bet you do. They are everywhere, and the work they do is so important. No only do they save the lives of countless animals, but they are the first ones to assess a stray animal's health to determine if they need medical care. At my Animal Hospital in the Midwest we did a lot of work with our local humane society. Everything from free exams to reduced cost surgeries, and a lot of consultation work in between.
Today we meet Francis (name changed for privacy) in our cool case Friday. She was a new stray animal that had been brought into the local Humane Society. During their initial assessment, they noticed that she just was not walking correctly with her right front leg. So, they called my Animal Hospital to schedule an appointment.
She was a sweet kitty. A little ragged from a life outside, but nothing a little brushing and TLC couldn’t fix. During her physical exam we noted that she did not want to put much if any pressure on her right front leg when she walked. Most of the time she held it just off the ground. As I felt her leg from the shoulder down to the toes, I noted a swelling at her elbow. She was also unable to flex or extend her elbow the full range of motion. When I asked the shelter if I could take an x-ray, they did not hesitate.
I’ll put two x-rays in this post. The first is NOT her leg, but meant to show you what the normal bone structure of the right foreleg in an x-ray of a cat should look like. Look how straight the bones are below the elbow joint. The Ulna is the bone that extends past the elbow, making our “funny bone.”
Now, let’s look at Francis’ x-ray for comparison. Do you see her old injury near the elbow? Her Ulna has been fractured, and is now curved up behind the bottom of the humerus (bone coming down from the shoulder). OUCH! But, do you also see the bright white specs further down the ulna? Any idea what that might be from? That is some “birdshot.” Yes, this kitty had been shot, and that is what broke her arm. Horrible, isn’t it? Who could do such a thing to a cat?
Unfortunately, she was not the only case of this I saw. Watch for other future cases that I will post. I even had the police show up at the Animal Hospital one day asking to see x-rays on a different case that was going to court. I was asked to be a Veterinary Expert Witness for that case, but I never did end up going to court for it.
Back to Francis. What do we do now? Unfortunately for Francis, this injury was too old to fix.
I offered the Humane Society referral to a specialist, but told them that I would also be able to perform the limb amputation. They immediately agreed, and we set up the surgery for that same week. Forelimb amputations are a pretty big deal. We not only remove the long bones (humerus, radius, ulna), but also remove the whole shoulder blade as well.
Her surgery went very well, and as you may have read about in my post regarding the young puppy whose hind leg had to be amputated after a crushing bite wound, 3 legged animals do fantastic after a brief adjustment period. Francis was no different. She had numerous people interested in adopting her, and she went to her new home not long after her surgery. She healed well and in no time was racing around her new home.
Has your local Humane Society run a fundraising campaign for a special animal in need? If so, consider donating. You may just be helping a wonderful animal like Francis get the surgery she needs to live a long and pain-free life!
Today we meet Francis (name changed for privacy) in our cool case Friday. She was a new stray animal that had been brought into the local Humane Society. During their initial assessment, they noticed that she just was not walking correctly with her right front leg. So, they called my Animal Hospital to schedule an appointment.
She was a sweet kitty. A little ragged from a life outside, but nothing a little brushing and TLC couldn’t fix. During her physical exam we noted that she did not want to put much if any pressure on her right front leg when she walked. Most of the time she held it just off the ground. As I felt her leg from the shoulder down to the toes, I noted a swelling at her elbow. She was also unable to flex or extend her elbow the full range of motion. When I asked the shelter if I could take an x-ray, they did not hesitate.
I’ll put two x-rays in this post. The first is NOT her leg, but meant to show you what the normal bone structure of the right foreleg in an x-ray of a cat should look like. Look how straight the bones are below the elbow joint. The Ulna is the bone that extends past the elbow, making our “funny bone.”
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| Courtesy: Clinician's Brief |
Now, let’s look at Francis’ x-ray for comparison. Do you see her old injury near the elbow? Her Ulna has been fractured, and is now curved up behind the bottom of the humerus (bone coming down from the shoulder). OUCH! But, do you also see the bright white specs further down the ulna? Any idea what that might be from? That is some “birdshot.” Yes, this kitty had been shot, and that is what broke her arm. Horrible, isn’t it? Who could do such a thing to a cat?
Unfortunately, she was not the only case of this I saw. Watch for other future cases that I will post. I even had the police show up at the Animal Hospital one day asking to see x-rays on a different case that was going to court. I was asked to be a Veterinary Expert Witness for that case, but I never did end up going to court for it.
Back to Francis. What do we do now? Unfortunately for Francis, this injury was too old to fix.
Her surgery went very well, and as you may have read about in my post regarding the young puppy whose hind leg had to be amputated after a crushing bite wound, 3 legged animals do fantastic after a brief adjustment period. Francis was no different. She had numerous people interested in adopting her, and she went to her new home not long after her surgery. She healed well and in no time was racing around her new home.
Has your local Humane Society run a fundraising campaign for a special animal in need? If so, consider donating. You may just be helping a wonderful animal like Francis get the surgery she needs to live a long and pain-free life!
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