Daily Vet Dog-on-Cat Trauma: Like Getting Hit by a Bus With Teeth

June 13th 2006

Tuesday. Kitty went home this morning. She still needs some work after her brush with death but she’s past the worst of it.

After convalescence of a week or so at home we can start to deal with the dental issues (she lost some teeth in her battle with the dogs). We need to take some dental X-rays to make sure the roots aren’t still present. If so, they’ll be removed so they won’t become a source of pain and infection.

Now Kitty will go home to convalesce with her family. Since cats don’t exactly act normally when in hospital (who does?) her family will be in a much better position to uncover some of the miscellaneous complications of this kind of trauma: a newly uncomfortable hip, a very slight head tilt, the one wound that won’t stop oozing even while all the others look great, etc. etc.

Dog-on-cat trauma is akin to being hit by a bus with teeth. It’s considered a marvel if these cats survive and a miracle if they go home with no foreseeable complications. Although Kitty looks great, I expect to see her again with in a week or two.