Post Pet Hospital - Pet of the Month

 

    We first met "Boo" on May 9th for a groom requiring sedation. Boo is a Maine Coon cat weighing in at 21 lbs.  He loves his owner but is not very fond of our veterinary staff, no matter how he’s feeling.  We had to put Boo under anesthesia to groom him but once he dried from his bath and woke up we were unable to brush him out.  Due to the stress of Boo’s grooming his owner was willing to brush him out at home. 
       Shortly after Boo's groom he moved to a new home with his owner and started having difficulty urinating. We saw Book again on May 16th and had to put him under anesthesia to take radiographs of his bladder and place urinary and intravenous catheters. Boo spent the night at the hospital but did not eat and became more difficult to handle.  We thought it would be in Boo’s best interest to send him home where he was more comfortable.  The next day he was back in the hospital.  He was straining in his litterbox and moaning.  His bladder was empty upon examination and we sent him home on anti-inflammatories and pain medication. 
      The very next day Boo was back.  He was still only urinating small amounts and crying out when in the litterbox.  His owner was very concerned.  We kept Boo overnight to monitor his urine production.  He only urinated a small amount overnight so he was placed on anesthesia again and another urinary catheter was passed and his bladder flushed.  He was then started on medication for urethral spasms.  He seemed to improve after this.  His owner stated he was using his litterbox with fewer accidents outside the box.  However this was short lived and two days later Boo was back at Post Pet Hospital.  At this point Dr. Grosser recommended a surgery called a perineal urethrostomy. Perineal urethrostomy is the procedure that is done to make a new opening in the urethra in the perineal area (the area between the scrotum and the anus). The procedure is most commonly done in male cats that suffer from Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) and to bypass an obstruction of the urethra in the penis. It is also indicated if there is trauma to the penis or lower urethra.
            Boo’s surgery was successful and he is back at home after a weekend stay with us.  He is urinating without pain but still has accidents outside of the litterbox.  His antibiotics were adjusted post-operatively and we will be seeing him back the second week of June for his suture removal.  Boo’s owner has been compliant with medications, prescription foods and recommended treatments and we hope that Boo will make a full recovery given the right amount of time and patience!