What happened, briefly, was this. On Monday March 3 she went to the vet for dental work. But Dr. Holveck was out of town and had a friend filling in for him. I picked her up at 1:00 or so, brought her home and noticed she was twice her usual size. Bad substitute vet misdiagnosed and said it was a vaccine reaction. Took her to another vet and they said it was subcutaneous emphysema, caused by a torn trachea, from the tube they put down the throat during anasthesia. Evidently the air leaks into the chest cavity and then finds it's way under the skin. A very strange condition that feels crackly when you touch it. The danger is that the air would press in on the heart, which makes it somewhat of an emergency. They referred us to Northwest Veterinary Specialists in Clackamas, where we promptly took her. They are the best of the best, I think. Amazing attention and care.So she spent 4 nights there, and had surgery on Thursday, March 6. The tear in her trachea was 2.5 cm, and the incision in her throat, which you can sort of see in these photos, was 10 cm. And Holveck, when I went back to discuss it with him and ask him to pay, insisted that the surgery had not been necessary and she would have healed on her own. Pretty weird reaction from him! Not what I expected! Fortunately, his insurance company is more reasonable.
So, puddy tat is healing nicely now, and seems to be back to her normal self. Her fur is growing back and all the air seems to have cleared out. It is amazing what a presence this little kitty has in our home - for 4 days and nights this house felt very empty and quiet. In this house, one is always aware of her presence, even when she is sleeping under a sleeping bag on one of the upstairs beds! We are so happy she is recovered!
