Lilian is a 17 week old British Blue kitten belonging to the Feng family of Rosanna. We first me Lilian for her 12 week vaccination at our Rosanna Clinic.
She was examined, vaccinated and sent home with preventatives for fleas and worms. We then saw her again at Rosanna for her 16 week vaccination. At this time it was noted how energetic she was for a kitten. She was now fully vaccinated, microchipped and her next visit should be for desexing, in about a month’s time.
It was 9 days later that Lilian was presented at Greensborough on a Sunday. She had been vomiting, off her food and had not passed any faeces. The Feng family had observed Lilian swallowing a latex, disposable glove on the Saturday afternoon at 3pm. Conscientious owners make diagnosing these conditions much easier. This meant that, as we were aware that she had swallowed a foreign body there was no delay and we would X/Ray her to see if there was anything present, rather than treating her symptoms and waiting. Upon X/Ray, the Feng family were correct, Lilian did have a foreign body causing a blockage. There was a build-up of faeces present, but we wouldn’t know exactly what was the cause until it was investigated. Monday morning Lilian returned to us and we re-X/Rayed her abdomen. There had been no movement of the faeces or foreign body so Lilian required an exploratory laparotomy to find the culprit and have hopefully have it successfully removed.
Bingo! There were pieces of the glove present, you could make out 2 fingers of the glove and some of the rolled cuff. This would never have passed through and eventually would have been fatal for Lilian. With all the foreign body removed, Lilian remained on fluids post-surgery and the following day was offered sloppy solids to make sure they food transported through her system successfully. Another happy patient returned to their family due to the diligence of the Feng’s. Now the task is to keep Lilian away from anything else that may interest her to swallow.
