Kitten fell off balcony

funiecat

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Hi everyone, I'm kinda new here. I think that this is a great site and just this afternoon I was thinking of putting my new kittens' pictures.
Well, thing is, one of my kittens fell off the balcony (3 storeys). I brought her to the vet and she thinks that Torti's got a broken leg above the joint (not an easy fix), possible punctured lungs and other possible unknwon injuries. Due to her age (she's 5 weeks), the vet thinks that it'll be cruel to put her through x-rays, sedation, surgeries (if required), and so on and she pretty much suggested that I should put her down. What should I do? For now, they've kept her overnight at the hospital and she's doing fine.
I think surely there are other options apart from euthanasia? But is it fair to put her through so many things?

Any advice would be appreciated
Val
 

hell603

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You did the right thing but please bring her to another Vet!!! Putting her down is just the easy way out for the VET. He should not be practicing!!!
 

dtolle

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I'm moving this to health and nutrition where you can get some of our resident experts advice on your babies condition.
 

lil_red

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Definitely get another opinion. I have to agree that it sounds as if your vet doesn't want to be bothered with actually treating her and determining the true extent of her injuries.
 

jason

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Got my vote for getting a second opinion too.

Cruel to put her thru x-rays, sedations, surgery, etc.. but NOT cruel to KILL her.
The vet needs to be put down.
 

lotsocats

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I agree that it would be good to get a second opinion. However, I don't think the vet is being cruel or unreasonable. A five week old kitten is very small and delicate and anesthesia and multiple surgeries will be dangerous for her. There is a good chance that putting the baby down will be the right thing to do. But, don't make this decision until you have a second opinion.

If you look in the baby's eyes and you see that there is no joy or "life" in them, you will know that she is ready to go.

My heart goes out to you and your poor baby.
 

purrsita

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i am so sorry about your kitty!!

anesthesia is a tricky thing for people, it is even trickier for animals and that much more so for a tiny kitten.
it is very hard to get the right amount- it is just a very risky thing.

perhaps the vet is trying to spare you the further heart ache as well as expense of interventions that may not have very good odds of a successful out come....vets have seen a lot....


BUT on the other hand, you just never know....i had a cat that the vet thought was a goner a good half dozen times, and she pulled thru.

a second opinion is not a bad idea...
but it may be a good idea to prepare yourself for having to let her go.


i will be praying for your kitty and you
 

hissy

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funiecat,

The anesthsia is difficult at best on a mature cat, but on a kitten especially one so young, it can be really difficult. The little one could succumb to the effects of the anesthsia and just go to sleep forever.
Your vet sounds to me like he knows what he is talking about, and your kitty has a lot of injuries to overcome, not just a broken leg. It is a hard decision to make, but you need to look at all the angles and ask yourself if you really want your kitty to have to deal with all the pain coming down the line? Once she is released from the vet, if you go ahead with her surgery, she will be in a lot of discomfort, and sometimes, that is simply not fair to ask them to go through that, because we can't seem to let them go.

I am not being harsh, I am being realistic. But you have to do what you feel is best. I hope you make the right decision for her, but those "unknown injuries" is what concerns me the most.

You also might want to figure out some way to screen in your balcony so this does not happen to another kitten of yours. Best of luck---
 
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funiecat

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Hi,
thanks so much for all your advice. Well, I brought her to another vet and they did the x-rays and the fracture is on the very distal tibia and did not affect the joints so hopefully they'll be able to fix it. it's still pretty bad because her legs are so small, but i'm hoping for the best. she's still at the hospital, so am awaiting for further updates.
 
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funiecat

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Thanks everyone for the advice. The vet has splint up Torti's leg. Now, I'm worried that she might be constipated because she hasn't passed faeces in 2 days.

Would like to know how to prevent constipation in kitten.

I think I'm a really bad 'mom' because I don't know so many things.
 

lil_red

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Did the second vet find any other injuries besides the broken leg?

As far as the constipation, where she is a young kitten, try wiping her rear end with a warm, moist paper towel. This might stimulate her to go. You can also try a little bit of pumpkin mixed with her food.
 
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funiecat

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She's got some fluid in her lungs-which hopefully will clear up without intervention. I'm going back for a recheck tomorrow. I'm just a bit worried about the x-ray because it looks like there 2 bones broken- the tibia and the fibula- but the vet only mentioned that the tibia was affected. hopefully i'm wrong. other than that, she's all right. her stomach feels bloated though. will update on her condition again tomorrow.

Thanks for your advice :>
 

galensgranny

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Oh funicat, I am so sorry about your kitten. You said the second vet found a broken leg, but what about the possible internal injuries the first vet spoke of? Did x-rays show any?

I agree with everything hissy said. I don't think the first vet was incompetent. Balconies are very dangerous for cats and kittens fare worse from falls. Maybe you can get some stiff plastic chicken "wire" and affix it to the rails so there is no way kittens could crawl to the edge. You could tie it to the rails securely. If you are renting, you can't do anything permanant, but the plastic mesh could then easily be removed when you move.

About the not defecating in two days- if the kitten just went through a trauma, and certainly was in a great deal of pain, I don't imagine he was eating all that much, so likely it is just that there hasn't been anything much in him to form feces. Maybe he is all bruised and swollen inside due to the trauma. Had he been using the litter box on his own, or was he still relying on his mother to lick him to stimulate him to go? Some kittens still need to be stimulated at 5 weeks in order to be able to defecate.

Here are some links about kittens http://www.21cats.org/health/kittengrowth.html
http://personal.my180.net/castlkat/cfjk4-8.htm
http://www.ddfl.org/tips.htm

I hope he recovers well.
 

jeff24girl

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Funiecat...I am so sorry to hear about your poor little fur ball. I am so upset over this, so I can't even begin to imagine how you must be feeling.

I agree with the second opinion and I am glad you did that. I don't feel that the first vet was "cruel or inhuman" to suggest euthanasia, I think he/she was just trying to spare the kitty and you the pain and suffering of all the surgeries, only to have to put the baby down in the end anyway (which may have been a possibility).

Hopefully everything will work out OK for the little baby.

I am keeping you in my thoughts and prayers. And Jedi sends infinite XOXOXOXOXOXO's as well!
 
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funiecat

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thanks everybody for the concern.
i think that Torti's going to make it. the vet said that there's no head injuries and no other apparent injuries too.
i'm bringing her back tomorrow to have another x-ray to ensure that the bone is in the proper place.
i know kittens heal really fast i'm just worried that the leg might not heal well.
i've put plastic around the balcony -which i should have done long ago and prevent this.
 

purrsita

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Oh funiecat,

that is WONDERFUL news! i am so happy for you and Torti.
well, they say owners know their pets best, and you knew not to give up on her,
that is just great!

i am so glad it worked out so well.


 

hissy

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Was so glad to just read this. I hope your kitten heals quickly and is not affected by such trauma. Thank you for putting up something for the safety of the rest of your litter.
 
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funiecat

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thanks so much everyone!

torti is running around and kept jumping around. i wonder whether i should put her in a box but she looked so unhappy.
 
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