Friday, June 01, 2007, 06:40

Emergency Surgery

Wednesday was a tense day for me here at Rural Route 2.

It all started Tuesday evening.

Well, actually, it all started several months ago when my gray tabby cat, Winifred, who turned 16 on May 15, cut her gum near her right canine tooth in an altercation with another kitty over a favorite spot underneath the rocking chair.

At the time, I took her to the vet, got some antibiotics for her and some pain medication. The cut healed, and I figured that was the end of it. Except it wasn't the end, because as time went on, Winifred never picked up the weight she had lost after she had hurt her mouth.

For a while, I had been thinking that something was not quite right. So Tuesday evening, while Randy held Winifred, I looked in her mouth. Looking in Winifred's mouth requires assistance seeing as she hates the very idea of anyone looking in her mouth.

What I saw filled me with horror. Winifred's right canine tooth was bent upward and inward so that it was resting across the roof of her mouth.

Right away Wednesday morning I called the vet clinic and got an appointment for her at 9:15. By 9:30, I knew that Winifred needed surgery immediately to remove the tooth. The vet also said, however, that because of her age and her thyroid condition, she was not all sure if Winifred would survive the anesthetic. Still, there was nothing else to be done. She had to get the tooth out. If the tooth stayed in, Winifred would slowly starve to death because she would be unable to eat. I asked if she could use a local, but the vet said no, that there is as much canine tooth below the surface as you can see above the surface.

I left Winifred at the vet clinic, and while I was driving home, I realized that I'd never had a chance to say good-bye to her. If Winifred died during surgery, she would leave this world without me having a chance to say good-bye. Winifred has been with me since she was two weeks old after her momma got killed.

I called Randy to tell him what was going on, and then the waiting began. The vet told me to call the clinic at 2 p.m. to find out how Winifred was doing. The time really dragged on, except that I dreaded calling the clinic at 2 p.m.

A few minutes after two o'clock, I made the call.

Winifred, the vet told me, had come through the surgery just fine.

Because of her age and medical condition, the vet had run some blood tests, and she had used the lightest anesthetic she could use. As it turned out, Winifred's liver and kidney functions were good. I could pick up Winifred anytime that afternoon.

When I arrived at the vet clinic, Winifred, I was surprised to see, looked none the worse for the experience. I couldn't say the same for myself, but Winifred looked okay.

For the next two weeks, she will need to be on an antibiotic. Thursday she was moving around pretty well and spent part of the day sleeping in my closet. She is not eating very much yet, but so far, so good.

LeAnn R. Ralph