Worried.

[kickaha]

Tonight I treated myself to some KFC (yeah, yeah, but for up here that *is* good fried chicken). While I was eating it, Bob would *not* leave me alone, going so far as to try and paw at my food while it was *in transit to my mouth*. This is out of character for her, but she reeeeeeeeally wanted some chicken, I guess.

So I fed her a couple small bits, which she scarfed down.

Then I went stupid. I gave her a large chicken bone with a bunch of meat and gristle on it. Large enough that there was *no way* she was going to choke on it accidentally by getting it stuck cross-ways, like a dog would.

Instead she swallowed the whole thing. Intact. Somewhere between 2.5" and 3" long. I looked up just in time to see the second end disappear down her gullet.

After a couple of frantic phone calls to vet emergency lines here, I finally got an answer that wasn't just "Well, hope for the best." (ginkgo even called the NSCU Vet Hospital, who were sympathetic, but couldn't offer much in the way of practical advice since *their* take would have been to do an immediate X-ray and endoscopic removal through the mouth... the vets up here all dismissed that idea. Unfortunately, I trust NCSU more.)

"Feed her, even if she's not thrilled about it. Give the bone some cushioning around it, and some mass to shove it through. With some luck, it'll come out in 12-24 hours. Keep her fed, keep her hydrated, and watch for vomiting, bloody stool, and obvious signs of discomfort. Expect diarrhea, and check her stool to make sure the bone comes out. Don't give her something like Laxatone, you want it to stay in the stomach long enough to soak up whatever bile it can, to help soften it. It it doesn't pass, whole, or in pieces, by Monday, take her to your normal vet and have them do an X-ray for pieces that will need to be surgically removed."

Ever tried feeding a cat that doesn't want to be? 2oz of canned food, via children's medicine syringe. Most of it even got in the cat. Then a couple hours later, 2oz of whipped tuna that ginkgo prepped. I'm going to give her another oz or so in a bit.

I'm taking night shift, ginkgo will be taking morning shift, and hopefully the cat passes the bone in the morning. Only one way to be sure, of course. "Expect diarrhea." Great. :/

You know, if either the cat or I had been just a *little* bit smarter... I mean what the hell? That'd be like me swallowing a drumstick. Not the turkey kind, the rock star kind. I never would have thought that a) it'd fit, or b) that she'd *try*... jeez.

So I guess the cat is likely to go in for GI surgery next week. Keep your fingers crossed.

(Dammit, where's Mike Rowe when you need him?)

Comments

[lirrin.livejournal.com]

I'll keep my fingers crossed. I try to remember that wild cats and animals eat other small animals all the time, and somehow manage to digest and survive. (Mine managed to thread itself on some dental floss once. THAT was fun.)

[kickaha.livejournal.com]

*nod* The issue seems to be that cooking makes the bones brittle, and they splinter. Splintering leads to internal lacerations. :/ Raw bones just crunch and break up appropriately.

Re: dental floss: did you grab the two ends and go *wheeeeee* spinning the cat around the center section? :D

[eridan.livejournal.com]

....damn, boy, you ain't EVEN right.

[kimokeane.livejournal.com]

Crap. I'm really, really hoping things go okay!
Hang in there - the waiting's gonna suck. But you're doing all you can.

[kickaha.livejournal.com]

Thanks - yeah, been up all night with her. She doesn't seem to be in any discomfort, still curls up tight to nap. I got her to eat around an ounce 4 more times before morning, so she's full of fish product. (Mmmm, mmmm, the fecal investigation on this one is gonna be *fun*! :P) Used the litter box less than an hour ago, no bone or bits, dammit. Ate another oz+ of food afterwards.

Considering she normally eats ~5oz per day, and has had around *7* since 9:30 last night, mostly canned tuna, she probably thinks she's in heaven.

Until that bone exits...

[cthulhim.livejournal.com]

Oh, ugh. Hope all goes well.

[kickaha.livejournal.com]

Yes, we're hoping it all comes out in the end. *rimshot*

[cthulhim.livejournal.com]

Well, if you're going to be like that:

Relax, this too shall pass.

[kickaha.livejournal.com]

Scat!

[treebyleaf.livejournal.com]

Aieee... keeping fingers crossed for you...

[kickaha.livejournal.com]

Danke.

[ashears.livejournal.com]

Ugh! Oh, I'm keeping all appendages crossed. Cats *should* be smarter sometimes, but I guess every once in a while they have to have a flaky day. So.

If you're still trying to coax her to over-eat, try baby food - any of the strictly protein varieties, chicken or turkey goes over the best in my experience. It smells like old rotting ass, almost no cat can resist it.

[kickaha.livejournal.com]

LOL I'll remember that, thanks - she's eating on her own today, but if she doesn't get another couple ozs down her, it's going to be back to the syringe and whipped tuna.

(This place smells like a cannery - I'm not sure old rotting ass would be perceived...)

[ashears.livejournal.com]

mmMMmmmmm. Caaaaaneryyyyy.

The baby food is a tip I got from the Radcats center after Buck's radioactive iodine therapy, many vets confirm it's the best way to get a cat eating again. I recently reverted to the technique last month when Buckaroo celebrated New Years by not eating for a a few days. Once they're back to normal, it takes a few meals to get them eating their usual stuff again, but it's worth it when getting some food down 'em really counts.

Good luck.

[keridwen.livejournal.com]

I'll keep my fingers crossed. Sick kitty is no fun. Poor Bob.

[jinasphinx.livejournal.com]

Oh no. :( I am keeping fingers and toes crossed for Bob.