Vanilla Ice (aka Little Boy), Cranberries and Cream have been very busy since the holidays. All three had neurological rechecks at MedVet Cleveland with Dr. Jurkochek one last time before she moved to Columbus. We had considered doing an MRI on Cream who was the one that had the most facial twitching, but by the time they had their appointment all three had minimal to no twitching. This was amazing! On top of that they all seemed to be presenting in different ways, so best practices would be to do an MRI on all three to get answers for each. We were also told to be prepared that we may not even get answers. We have already ruled out infectious disease, seizures and CH (Cerebellar Hypoplasia). We can't rule out congenital, but with the steady progress of healing and lack of symptoms intensifying, we believe they will continue to improve and potentially live long, normal lives! Well, neurologically anyway.
Valley College agreed to let our Dunkin' babies come to radiology class. They took images of many different views, did another blood panel on each of them, and did thorough exams. We hear they were well behaved in class. We are so grateful for these diagnostics, and are happy the babies got to help the techs learn. The rads showed that Cranberries has no hip sockets which also likely contributes to her extreme patella . These diagnostics helped us prepare for up and coming appointments.
It was recommended to utilize monies raised to help us cover the MRI to help them see other specialists. The neurologist felt that these diagnostic were more pressing and more likely to yield answers. They went to the see Dr. McBrien, an orthopedic surgeon at MedVet Cleveland, on February 12th. Vanilla and Cream have patella laxation, but should not need future surgeries to correct that. He was unsure why Vanilla's stature was 'odd', but it didn't seem to cause any concerns as far as mobility issues. He may always sway when he walks and not stand up as a normal cat would. Meanwhile, Cream was fairly normal all around on her exam!
The ortho team discussed with us that Cranberries has Coxofemoral Disease Pathogenesis, associated hip anatomy and the mechanics of Femoral Head Ostectomy (FHO) surgery. Femoral Head Ostectomy is regarded as a "salvage" procedure for treatment of a variety of hip joint diseases/ injuries. This procedure removes the head of the femur so that it does not grind on the pelvic bone. After an FHO, the gluteal muscle group becomes responsible for transferring the weight bearing forces of the limb to the pelvis. This is often referred to as a 'false joint'. While effective at relieving discomfort, an FHO is not meant to recreate the mechanics of a normal coxofemoral joint. For this reason, in the larger patient more mechanical limb dysfunction can be expected. This will be manifested as a varying degree of permanent lameness and gait change. By contrast, smaller patients are much less affected by this issue and thus are considered the most ideal candidates for an FHO. This is why this procedure was recommended for Cranberries. They want to start with the left side, but will likely be needed on the right as well. Aggressive postoperative rehabilitation is strongly recommended following this surgery and should be considered critical for achieving the best possible outcome. Peak recovery following an FHO may take 4-6 months to be observed.
To do the surgery from a board certified surgeon it would cost $5,000. We were able to take this information to Dr. Carter at Humble Creatures in Canton, OH and schedule for her to do the FHO with multiple days in hospital following for under $1,000. Dr. Carter has done a few special surgeries for us and has completed FHO surgeries on both cats and dogs successfully. We are over-the-moon! We are so excited to be able to give Cranberries the help she needs. We will also follow up with Dr. Huppe, a physical therapist at MedVet Akron, for rehab. This is the same therapist that Jalapeño uses. Cranberries has her first surgery on March 4th.
Vanilla Ice went to see Dr. Stoner, a cardiologist at Metropolitan, right after his ortho appointment to investigate his heart murmur that the neurologist was hearing. Although she did identify "false tendons" in his left ventricle, all functions were normal. She said that his murmur could be an innocent physiological murmur that was heard. She did not hear a murmur at his appointment. Vanilla does not have to have any follow up care needed. His heart is just purrfect!
Vanilla and Cream will be able to find their forever families soon. Let us know if you may be interested in having these kiddos join your family. Cranberries will need to stay with us for awhile longer so she can receive these life changing surgeries. We are accepting donations to cover her surgeries and rehab appointments. Thank you in advance for helping her and her siblings! #TogetherWeCan
If sending a check please notate that it is going to the neuro litter.
PO Box 25601, Cleveland OH 44125