Can someone please give me advice.....injured kitten!

reply to post by ezekielken


It's ok. I forgive you.

I believe you can give the kitten children's ibuprofen (Motrin or alike) for the pain until you can get it to a vet. Do not give Aspirin though.

Use small amounts for a limited time. I think long effects of any of it is bad but for now infant doses should help.

Here's a picture of my baby...



The leg that's broken is the back leg right beside her tail. See how swollen the foot is!

I signed up because I saw your post - I'm a vet.

If the kitten is otherwise acting normally, it would not be wrong to wait until tomorrow. However, without knowing the severity of the accident, I would not rule out any heart/lung contusions or ruptured diaphragms/bladders at this point. The former can't be fixed, regardless - it's just something to be aware of. Changes in breathing can be seen with diaphragmatic hernias, but not necessarily. If your little one can still urinate, then I wouldn't be too worried about the bladder. Checking the gums to see if they are pink and if the color returns after pressing on them will let you know if hydration's normal. If drinking's been normal this also rules out any major internal bleeding.

As far as the leg goes, for tiny guys, I tend to just splint based on where the fracture is and confine them to strict cage rest for 6-8 weeks (depends on the fracture) and they tend to do really well. Obviously, you can't do this for major fractures. I usually give a few basic pain/anti-inflammatory pills as I can't imagine it feels too great. Other than that, some time and quality TLC can do a lot of good.

At the end of the day, I always encourage people to have their pets seen. Sometimes that couple of seconds with our eyes and hands on the patient is all it takes to know whether something is up or not. Though, I completely understand wanting to put your money toward treatment and not just up front fees.

I can't attest to the payment plans of the clinics around you. We get stiffed fairly often, and we even offer a few different means of setting up plans, so I do understand why some places won't do it. However, you should definitely ask around - a lot of us tend to be softies.

P.S. Don't give any at-home pain meds. Please. They are not meant for our pets and can really complicate treatment plans.

reply to post by beezzer


Ok so I called one of the emergency vets again....xrays alone are gonna cost $150. Office visit $100. Then depending on what is wrong, the treatment and medicines. Ugh! And they won't take the post dated check even with $100 being paid upfront.

I guess I will wait until tomorrow morning and call my vet. But I thank you so much for the offer. Hopefully she will be ok until tomorrow. She's just sleeping a lot for now.

reply to post by SkyWatcher13
Sorry I couldn't do more. Hope your kitten is okay.

Please keep us informed.

beez

reply to post by Miz0guchi


Thank you so much for your response. I feel honored that you joined ATS just for me.

She has used the bathroom and I didn't see any signs of blood in her urine or feces. So this is a good sign, correct?

One thing I'm worried about is that her leg may be broken at the hip. It is swollen in her hip area and she tends to hold her leg up even when laying down. But she does seem to be straightening it out some while laying down. If you saw the picture I posted of her above, the injured leg is down where before she would have it raised with the leg laying more on her side/stomach. I hope that makes sense. So seeing that she has it somewhat straightened out now may be a good thing. Possibly the pain isn't as bad as it was last night.

reply to post by beezzer


Oh no please don't apologize! You have no idea how much it means to me that you even offered to help. You are my new friend!

Just wanted to mention a thing called care credit, if you haven't already heard of it. Of course, by now you've probably already decided to wait for your regular vet. But for future reference, here is a link to learn more about it.

care credit

reply to post by MojaveBurning


Yes one of the vets I called also recommended it. I applied for $1000 and was turned down. My credit isn't so great, I'm working on repairing it, but in the meantime I can't approved for shiz. They said I could try again but maybe only apply for $300 but I'm afraid I'd still be turned down and it would just lower my credit score more by applying again.

But thank you.

Not a fan of Care Credit. I've seen way too many people get buried by them.

I think you're absolutely in the right to sit tight for this evening. Just keep an eye on things. Don't try to make any splints or anything like that (I can't tell you how many crazy contraptions I've seen cooked up). Animals tend to be fairly stoic (because you get snacked on by something if you aren't) and if she is resting fairly comfortably, then take a deep breath and have her seen in the morning.

It's hard to say where the fracture is. Based on that swelling, I'd guess further down the leg. If she's carrying it held up, then that's probably the case as she has enough strength/support above the injury to do so. Usually, when it comes to a hip fracture, provided it isn't part of the joint itself, we just leave it to heal on its own and anything we see on a radiograph is just for academic purposes, really.

reply to post by Miz0guchi


Thank you. I was afraid I was being inhumane by waiting, but getting advice from you honestly makes me feel better about it. I really hated to take her anywhere besides my regular vet anyway, despite the money situation. I trust him and he has always been great with any animal I've taken to him. Not to say another vet wouldn't be just as good, but when you've formed a trust for someone it's hard to switch to someone else.

Again thank you. I bet you are a great vet!

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who responded. All of you have made a huge difference in my mental state. I'm really glad I decided to create a thread asking for advice now.

I will definitely let you all know tomorrow what the vet says and what treatment she receives. And if she gets a splint, I'll post another photo of her. Poor baby. And don't worry, she is getting plenty of love and kisses. She is laying pretty much at my feet and has been all day so every few minutes I reach down and pet her. I've even laid in the floor under my desk with her a few times.

reply to post by caitlinfae


I meant to say this to you sooner....thank you so much for offering to help financially & for suggesting it to other members. It means so much to me to see how big the hearts of some ATS members are. It really makes me feel like I belong, because I am also a big softy.

Unfortunately, I am just going to wait until tomorrow and take her to her regular vet because based on the phone calls I've made to the local emergency vets the bill must be paid at time of service and it looks like it may end up being around $400, maybe more. My regular vet will allow me to make payments.

But I did want you to know how much I appreciate your offer. You are a very kind person.

I just came in to say that I am thinking of and praying for your little kitty. I don't have any money to offer, but lots of love.

Many vets will take your financial situation into account and help you with a plan because they want to see the pet get proper care

Barring that, sell something. This is your family member. You've accepted responsibility for this animal. You can replace material things, you can't replace your cat. Don't live with a heart that has made the decision to let a loved one suffer.

I had a cat that looked exactly like that, she even had a crooked right rear leg from being broken before I got her. She lived to an old age and had a happy life, the leg caused her no difficulty later in life. I still miss her.

Beautiful cat please keep us updated.

reply to post by SkyWatcher13

thanks sky, I hope your kitty is doing well. I often say things to get a visceral reaction, mostly for humors sake, and I understand all to well that someone or thing is the object of the joke. take care and it was nice to see all the ats'ers coming together to help you out, Toxoplasmosis or not!