Vet’s diary: sick kitty
Peterborough vet Laura Frost reflects on what it’s like when a vet’s pet is ill...
After six years of training and seven years as a qualified veterinary surgeon, I have recently learnt what it is like to be a worried owner of a poorly pet. I am slightly ashamed to say that I turned from a calm, unflappable professional into a mildly hysterical ‘cat mummy’.
Unfortunately for my colleagues, they couldn’t stop me breathing down their necks while Thor, my one-year-old and 7kg Maine coon went under anaesthetic. Hopefully the silver lining from this experience is that it will give me a new perspective to deal with the concerns people have about their pet’s illness. Bottom line? I’ve been there.
When Thor was about eight months old I noticed that his gums where quite red. At first, I put it down to teething, gave him some pain killers in his food and monitored him. All seemed to settle down until one evening we were playing with a white dressing gown cord (much to my husband’s disapproval) and after lots of pouncing and biting, he (Thor, not my husband) suddenly ran and hid under the dining table. All along the end of the dressing gown belt were bloody little teeth marks. Through panicked, teary eyes I dragged him out from his hiding place. There was a thick red line around all of his teeth and the gum over his canines (or fangs as some people call them) was bleeding.
Rather than calmly thinking that I had some pain relief in the house that I could give him and making a sensible plan for a diagnostic test, I phoned my best friend (also a vet) in a panic and demanded that she came round to have a look. NOW! We agreed that his mouth was inflamed and that he was likely to be suffering from a condition called Gingivitis-Stomatitis complex. This condition is a multi-factorial disease with an underlying sensitivity to tartar. In a nut-shell, they are allergic to their own teeth (or the bacteria that inevitably lives on them). Some cats have a virus called Calici virus that can act as a trigger for symptoms; this virus is part of cat flu and is usually picked up early in life (see left for details of vaccination).
So, the next day I took a cheek swab and sent it to the virology department of Glasgow University. Each day, I impatiently checked the fax tray for results, thinking how hard it must be for other owners when they wait for me to ring. At least I would know the second the result came through. Unfortunately, it was positive, so after reading every article on the subject, I started him on a three-month course of treatment called interferon, an antiviral that is diluted in saline and dripped over his gums daily.
I am proud to say (with some help from my family) we didn’t miss a single dose. At the beginning of the course he had an anaesthetic for a deep clean of his teeth. This was to remove any invisible plaque and to clean below the gum line ready for regular tooth brushing. I decided that I didn’t want to do the operation myself. I felt too emotional about it and chose a trusted colleague to do it for me.
The 45 minutes it took seemed to drag. I tried to busy myself with all the little tasks I could find, while drinking two strong coffees and eating a month’s worth of chocolate. Eventually, I was called in to see him while he was recovering. I turned round to the nurse who was looking after him and said ‘I am proud of myself for not crying’. Not five seconds later, he awoke and made a heart wrenching mewling sound while covering his face with his paws. I spoke too soon. So if you cry when you leave your pet for an operation, do not be embarrassed. We know that it means you love them. I am pleased to report that Thor now has a completely comfortable mouth; his virus has disappeared and he knows that when the kettle boils on a morning, it is time so have his teeth brushed. Good job that he is a gentle giant.
Laura Frost MRCVS MA VetMB is a vet at local veterinary practice Pengelly and Mizen.
Pengelly and Mizen Veterinary Surgeons 89-93 Park Road, Peterborough PE1 2TR T: 01733 554953 Emergencies only: 01733 896000 www.pengellyandmizen.co.uk
