Monday, April 25, 2011

The Lesson of the Grasshopper

Thanks for all your kind comments.  I really do have a great job, even if it is stinky and messy and exhausting sometimes.

There was another super-cool case last week I have to tell you about.  The Tuesday I was so busy with surgeries, my co-worker saw a cat who was gagging and had a change in her voice.  She was hoarse and vocalizing a lot.  She wasn't eating and was quite dehydrated.  She had a full work-up (bloodwork, Xrays, etc) but nothing was obvious.  Her signs were so non-specific - did she have a gastrointestinal problem?  a tumor in her oropharynx?  a neuro issue?  She was sent on IV fluids to rehydrate at the emergency clinic, then back to me the next morning.

She was doing better, but definitely hoarse.  "MRAHhhh- Owwhh," she rasped at me.  The plan now was to anesthetize her for a complete oropharyngeal exam.  Once morning appointments were over, I gave her an IV sedative, then grabbed a laryngoscope to anesthetize her.

These exams usually reveal nothing, then we have to refer them for endoscopy or CT for a more thorough look.  If we do find something, its usually a tumor - unhappy news.  However, as soon as I peered over her epiglottis, I knew there was SOMETHING!  "She's got a foreign body!" I hollered.  "Quick, someone get me a swab!"  Under a large clot of mucus, there was something crossing horizontally over her larynx, under one laryngeal fold and over the other, like a toothpick skewering an hors-d'oeuvre.  I grabbed it with a hemostat, and revealed........


a Grasshopper leg!  A disarticulated leg, in its full chitinous spiny glory.  It looked a lot like this:










Except it was more yellow.  It was incredible.  We all did some high fives.  I called the owner, and she was relieved to have an answer and that the ordeal was over.  The kitty must've caught the insect while hunting, then go this appendage stuck.  Grasshopper's revenge!

7 comments:

Krispy said...

My old kitty would chow down on cockroaches, which had its pluses and minuses. plus: dead roach gone! minus: the ensuing cough and wheeze as he tried to get bits of that exoskeleton down. THANKFULLY, it never got serious.

Laura said...

Great story. Wish we lived close enough to be one of your clients. It's really hard to find a talented, empathetic vet who also has a nice bed-side manner.

mr man said...

That's always been my second hangup about eating bugs: spiny parts stuck in my throat.

Lisa said...

Poor kitty! It was trying to tell you "Look in my throat! Do you see anything?".

Emily said...

Wow. Fortunately for the kitty, no surgery was needed!

Doll said...

You are amazing !!!
All this great work is increasing your good Karmas for which is commendable.....

get2eric said...

Good job. Lucky for that moggie she saw you.