Surgery to remove bowel obstruction (eating, vomiting, blood, stomach)
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Does anyone have experience with surgery to remove bowel obstruction in their cat?
One of our cats (we have 3) - Keegan (23 months old) - went to the ER yesterday (12/28) morning after throwing up multiple times the previous night. He ate some used aquarium filter floss on the 24th, and seemed fine for a few days, and then ate some aluminum foil on the evening of the 27th - we found bits of it (one piece was 1" by 3/4" long and had tape on it) in his vomit the next morning, and he was looking very tired and lethargic. I took him to the ER in the morning of the 28th , xrays were done, blood labs, etc. and the vet said he is probably just recovering although the filter material (made of polyester and looks just like the stuffing in a stuffed animal) could possibly still be in him and that because of its transparent characteristics wouldn't show up on the xray, and that he thought it would be passed. He was given a shot of Cerenia for nausea and sent us home.
He wouldn't eat or drink anything for the rest of the day, and continued to lay around very lethargic and inactive, with tired looking eyes, very unlike him. We decided that if he didn't improve by this morning we'd take him back. This morning, the 29th, at 7:30 we found him looking just the same, still refusing all food (we tried heated tuna and milk and catnip...he has never eaten anything but cat food, so he doesn't really have a 'favorite food') and water.
My wife called the vet while I cleared snow off of the car. He said that he should be hospitalized and directed us to another clinic location, said he'd fax records from yesterday. We got there, another physical exam, and another set of xrays. This vet showed the x-ray to us, and pointed to what she said looked like could be a foreign object in his intestine. She said it was only about halfway through his system, his urinary tract was empty, and no food was in his stomach, but there was stool, even though he hadn't eaten for at least 36 hours (but no more than 40, since I saw him eat that afternoon, and he had been eating and using the litter box since the 24th).
She said that animals swallow things relatively often, and it is the most common surgery done at the clinic, although of course there could be complications, she figured that if the ghostly image in the x-ray was the filter material, then it could be removed successfully and he'd be back to himself following the recovery. So, he is there now, being given IV fluid to rehydrate him, and awaiting surgery.
I'm scared firstly that there will be problems and he won't make it. I sort of hope that there is an obstruction, so that there will be a clear solution to the problem, rather than cutting him open for no reason and have him still be ill. But on the other hand I don't know what the effects of that problem and the surgery will mean for him. Will he really be like himself afterward? He has always been very active and very playful, maybe even a little reckless with his leaping, and always very affectionate. I don't want his personality or physical functioning to change. What should we expect?
Just heard from the vet. She said he is doing well post-operatively, and theobject was removed. Turns out that it was a drawstring from a sweatshirt that he gnawed off about 9 months ago! About 6 inches, plus the knot on the end...we saw the drawstring was missing when we came home from work but couldn't find what where it went and as the days and weeks went by with no change in his behavior figured everything was fine and eventually forgot about it.
Apparently the aquarium floss that he swallowed knocked the drawstring out of its settling place in the intestine and it became obstructive. BTW, The filter floss, according to the vet, was in his colon and was easily removed by massaging it and it came out his butt. She said that his intestines were inflamed but no permanent damage. What a relief. It's amazing that he was carrying that drawstring around for so long. It's lesson to us too, that we can't leave things lying around (and probably need to provide better stimulation).
I hope he continues to recover with no complications. As for long-term behavioral changes like I posed earlier...I hope he stays himself, but if he slows down or anything like that I don't really mind, just as long as he is healthy and happy.
Just heard from the vet. She said he is doing well post-operatively, and theobject was removed. Turns out that it was a drawstring from a sweatshirt that he gnawed off about 9 months ago! About 6 inches, plus the knot on the end...we saw the drawstring was missing when we came home from work but couldn't find what where it went and as the days and weeks went by with no change in his behavior figured everything was fine and eventually forgot about it.
Apparently the aquarium floss that he swallowed knocked the drawstring out of its settling place in the intestine and it became obstructive. BTW, The filter floss, according to the vet, was in his colon and was easily removed by massaging it and it came out his butt. She said that his intestines were inflamed but no permanent damage. What a relief. It's amazing that he was carrying that drawstring around for so long. It's lesson to us too, that we can't leave things lying around (and probably need to provide better stimulation).
I hope he continues to recover with no complications. As for long-term behavioral changes like I posed earlier...I hope he stays himself, but if he slows down or anything like that I don't really mind, just as long as he is healthy and happy.
Oh, you are such loving pet parents!
I am so sorry for what happened! I don't have advice, no experience, but my heart goes out to you.
Oh my gosh, your poor little guy. So glad to hear he is doing well after surgery. He sounds like quite the muncher. I didn't realize something could stay in their stomach for 9 months. Well wishes to Keegan for a fast and full recovery!
Clearly though, at 2 years and still doing this, you'll have to change your own behavior as far as having stuff accessible to him. I don't think Amber was ever really a big problem so much with eating things, but chewing definitely. Think electrical cords, audio cords and in a couple cases the edges of books. I had to get various things out of her general reach and cords encased. Even as late as a few years ago (this cat is 16 now so a few years ago I'm talking 13 or so years old) she chewed straight through a brand new video cable for the Wii unit, and I didn't think she was getting anywhere near that stuff by then!
But yeah, I learned early on I had to cat-proof the place. Surfaces were free of clutter. It's almost too bad now that she's more mellow and we can leave junk lying around and she doesn't bother it. Because if she still got into things, maybe the house would be cleaner.
I just hope you didn't have to deal with my least favorite vet place, PVSEC, or if you did you somehow had a better experience than we had.
I agree with Greg...you absolutely MUST cat proof. Go around the house...even get down on your hands and knees for a cat's perspective. Your kitty has proven he's not to be trusted in this regard, so it'll up to you to keep him safe.
Obstructions were one of the most common procedures at my hospital too. Our most famous case was a young dog who ate a few dollar's worth of change. Unfortunately a good deal of it was pennies, which dissolved in her stomach acid and caused acute zinc poisoning. She very nearly died.
One of the vets I worked with had two large labs and one of them was constantly eating (and vomiting) socks. It was very common to hear retching and find a nice slimy sock on the floor. I used to get so angry at him (the vet, not the dog) for not taking precautions...he figured since the dog vomited them up, he would never block. Why in the world would you take that risk?
My own cat once ate several long pieces of fake grass from a display. She started vomiting and we took her to the University of Penn, but she was able to pass the material.
Hopefully you won't need this information, but should this happen again, Cerenia should not be given if an obstruction is suspected.
So glad Keegan is going to be okay. What a scary thing. Yes, when you have a cat who eats things he shouldn't, you've got to be super hyper vigilant at all times.
I doubt very much his personality will change any from the surgery. One of my cats had some intestinal surgery when she was only 5 months old, and had to live in a large dog crate for two weeks, after spending a week in the hospital, and I, like you, worried that her personality would be changed from it all, but she came back to being her same wonderful quirky self when she was all healed up. She also eats things she isn't supposed to. She has a real preference for foam rubber and polyester pillow stuffing.
Keeping things Keegan-proofed will become a way of life for you, he is not likely to outgrow this habit. Keep us posted on your boy.
Thanks everyone. We had a talk about how we need to be more diligent about keeping small things up off the floor and providing more stimulation to him; the other two cats, one of whom is 13 years old, never did that sort of thing. He's just a special cat I guess.
We're banishing the oldest cat to my in-law's for a week or two to allow him to recover in relative peace. They don't get along...even when Keegan was loafing at death's door last night the oldest walked over to him and growled and batted him on the head. Keegs would usually think such an action highly amusing and interpret it as invitation to play and good-naturedly give chase to the grumpy cat - whose butt he could kick all over the house if he ever really wanted to - but all he could do was close his eyes and lower his head. The third cat is his sister, and she is never any problem and always gentle, but we'll have to keep a closer eye on her and maybe segregate for a bit at first.
We took him to MetVet South initially, and then the other location for the surgery and hospitalization (Emergency Care), which is not his regular vet but we went there for the ER service we didn't think was available at the regular vet and it is very close. It is a big chain and was expensive of course, but reasonable enough - nobody there is working for free, and I don't expect them too...it's a high tech hospital for animals. They said they would even provide resuscitation efforts (defibrillation, CPR, etc.) in case he had cardiac or respiratory failure while under general anesthesia. Fortunately he didn't need it. The actual techs and vets, especially the one who did the surgery, were professional and seemed genuinely concerned and explained everything. So far we're very pleased.
Last edited by Clint.; 12-29-2012 at 09:28 PM..
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I sort of hope that there is an obstruction, so that there will be a clear solution to the problem, rather than cutting him open for no reason and have him still be ill. But on the other hand I don't know what the effects of that problem and the surgery will mean for him. Will he really be like himself afterward? He has always been very active and very playful, maybe even a little reckless with his leaping, and always very affectionate. I don't want his personality or physical functioning to change. What should we expect?
