Our doctors and staff love animals as much as you do, and are here to keep your pets healthy and happy!

We pride ourselves on providing healthcare with a personal touch.

Iceman: How Teamwork Saved this Cat's Life

When I saw him he was weak, his gums were pale and his temperature was subnormal. Most importantly, his bladder was huge and firm and could not be emptied. Dr. Wallace quickly made a diagnosis of urethral obstruction and we immediately took steps to try to save him.

We were able to relieve the obstruction relatively easily, but the hard work was yet to come. Bloodwork showed that he was dangerously toxic and his potassium was high enough that it could stop his heart at any moment. Intravenous fluids were started, with medications added to reduce the potassium. Three hours later the potassium was at a safe level.

Iceman continued to improve and went home a few days later. He seemed to do well for a few days, but then came back to us feeling very listless again. This time his bladder was not obstructed but there was a severe infection in his urinary tract. We kept him for observation and fluids and later noticed that his bladder was not filling up as it should have. We became concerned and took a radiograph after injecting some contrast material. The radiograph showed that his bladder had ruptured and surgery would be required.

We rushed him to surgery, expecting to find a small hole in the bladder that could be easily sutured closed. Instead we found that the entire front half of his bladder had died because of the extreme pressure while he was obstructed had cut off the blood supply! Dr. Jerrold Boone had to make a decision: could this cat be saved? We discussed it and decided to try. Dr. Boone removed all the dead tissue and, with difficulty, sutured together what was left of the bladder.

The next day, Iceman was feeling much better and even started eating. He went home two days after surgery, a happy cat with a happy owner.

A few days later we received a picture of the recovered patient with a note saying, "I want to thank you so much for all you did for Iceman. Every day he seems to improve and he is back to his old tricks again. Thanks again for not giving up. We truly love this stubborn cat."

The story of Iceman had a happy ending because of teamwork between our medical and surgical departments and a dedicated owner.