Pectus Excavatum Part II
Today we set off bright and early in the morning to take Miss. Petra to the veterinarian surgeons at Blue Pearl in Edin Prairie Minnesota. It’s just under a two-and-a-half-hour drive for us. Because of the long trip we brought Mickey (Petra’s mom) and the rest of the litter with us. Due to the young age of the kittens we didn’t want separate everyone for that long. We brought their bed and a litter box and we headed out….
Today we set off bright and early in the morning to take Miss. Petra to the veterinarian surgeons at Blue Pearl in Edin Prairie Minnesota. It’s just under a two-and-a-half-hour drive for us. Because of the long trip we brought Mickey (Petra’s mom) and the rest of the litter with us. Due to the young age of the kittens we didn’t want separate everyone for that long. We brought their bed and a litter box and we headed out!
The drive was smooth sailing Mickey, Petra and the kittens did great! They slept most of the way down, but also played a bit too. It sure was fun having a vehicle full of cats! We got checked into out appointment and waited to see one of the surgeons for the consultation. While we were waiting a few people were quite interested in little Petra. She was making adorable little meows in my arms. I even let a few people hold her because I’m always willing to share kitten snuggles!
When we were called back to the room, the vet assistant took our information. She then brought little Petra back for the exam with the surgeon. I could hear her tiny meows as the brought her down the hall. It was sad to hear, but I knew she was in good hands. A short time later the assistant brought Petra back to me and said the surgeon would be in shortly to discuss her findings. I was happy to wait because I had sweet little Petra to hold and keep me company!
When the surgeon came in, she discussed Petra’s condition in more detail. She explained what makes her chest different and how they can correct it. In the case of Pectus Excavatum the rib cage points inward rather than making a more oval-like normal rib cage. (This is a condition that also affects humas, dogs and other mammals as well.)The potential problem lays in how severe the deformity is. If the inward point of the ribs is severe then it can place too much pressure on the lungs, heart and stomach causing problems with breathing, heart function, and eating. In severe cases they can intervene with a special chest corset that gets sown into the chest to help pull the ribcage into the correct position.
Fortunately, in Petra’s case she only has a mild form of Pectus Excavatum and at this time they are not recommending surgery. Since she is eating and breathing just fine the risk of surgery on a four week old kitten isn’t in Petra’s best interest. They would like to see her back when she is 8 weeks old for a re-evaluation. It is possible that she may never need surgery and her chest may grow into a more normal shape as she gets bigger. The possibility that she may need surgery is if she develops problems with eating and or breathing. I’m really holding on to hope that she won’t end up needing surgery and her chest will get better as she gets older!
The surgeon also said there is no reason why she couldn’t be sold. She said just make sure new owners are aware of her condition. To which I replied most definitely. I would absolutely not sell my sweet Petra unless someone knew of her condition so they would be prepared to deal with any interventions that may arise in the future. If no one wants to own a cat with this condition than I will happily keep her! She has already won my heart with her beautiful big eyes and sweet, playful personality. I’ve always had a special place in my heart for the “underdog.” In this case it’s the under cat. <3
As we said goodbye, they thanked us for coming in. They all enjoyed seeing Petra. She won their hearts too with her adorable looks and tiny meow cries.
Stay tuned for more updates! I’ll be sharing more about Petra after her follow up appointment.
For more information on this condition check out the pictures and links below:
Pectus Excavatum
Last week we noticed one of our sweet little Bengal kitten’s chests felt different from the other kittens. I consulted with a breeder friend about it. She said it’s possible Flat Chest Syndrome in kittens. Of course, I had to Google it to learn more. Unfortunately, the prognosis isn’t great for this condition without treatment. Kittens affected with this can also have a more difficult time breathing and eating because of the mis-shapened chest putting pressure on the lungs and stomach.
Last week we noticed one of our sweet little Bengal kitten’s chests felt different from the other kittens. I consulted with a breeder friend about it. She said it’s possible Flat Chest Syndrome in kittens. Of course, I had to Google it to learn more. Unfortunately, the prognosis isn’t great for this condition without treatment. Kittens affected with this can also have a more difficult time breathing and eating because of the mis-shapened chest putting pressure on the lungs and stomach. Feeling super alarmed and worried for this sweet little girl (I ended up naming her Petra) I scheduled an appointment with our Vet. I was worried about Petra developing a failure to thrive since she is also smaller than the other kittens. I grabbed Coco (our male Bengal and father of the kittens) and we went out to PetSmart to buy some supplemental food for his daughter. Coco enjoys going shopping with us and it’s fun to have his company! We found a supplemental high calorie gel to try. We also bought Petra some purred chicken and tuna fish to try.
Once we got home, I tried out the tuna fish with Petra first. She did good with it. I would put a dab of it on my finger and the gently open her mouth and swipe it in. Then I’d put her with Mickey (her mom) to nurse it down. After a few days of this she is doing well and keeping up with her siblings! I’m so happy that she’s been hanging in there!
Over the weekend Coco developed goopy eyes. Unfortunately, he spread it to Mickey. Just one eye was affected for Mickey, but it looked really bad. We spent the weekend giving eye drops to Coco and Mickey hoping to help what was bothering them. Coco’s eyes did start to get better, but by today Mickey’s one eye still looked terrible. Side note: Always clip your cat’s nails before giving eye drops! You live and you learn! Yikes!
This afternoon we took Mickey and all her kittens into the Vet. I brought them all because the kittens are too young to be apart from their mom for that long. When we got to the clinic, they weighed Petra and the biggest kitten in the litter. Little Petra weighed 13 ounces Her brother weighed 1lb 3 ounces. The doctor looked her over and then took her to do an X-Ray. While we waited for that to devolop her looked at Mickey’s eyes. No sign of a scratch or injury so likely just Conjunctivitis (pink eye). That means more eye drops! Ugh! It’s worth it though to get her better!
Once the X-Ray films were ready our Vet looked them over. He diagnosed little Petra with having Pectus Excavatum (also know as funnel chest). That means not only is her chest flat, but it also sinks in. The only way to correct that is through surgery. Basically they sew a device onto the chest to help pull it out. Because Petra is still young and devolving she has a high chance of sucess with this procedure. Our vet feels that she will likely be able to live a happy normal life once the procedure is done! Because he doesn’t have much experience in this area he is referring us to a specialist. It will be a bit of a drive for us, but I appreciate his honesty and wiliness to have some else with more experience help us out if he’s not completely comfortable. I always just want what is in the best interest of our animals!
Now we are waiting to hear from the specialist to get scheduled. Until then I will be continuing to give little Petra extra feedings and care!
Stay tuned as Petra’s saga continues….