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kickahaTonight 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?)
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?)