We first met Cheeto, the tiny one kilo domestic short hair kitten a few weeks ago when his very new family brought him in for his first check-up. Upon presentation, it became clear that he was suffering from a very nasty wound on his right hind leg. It appeared that Cheeto had somehow received a degloving injury, a severe wound where skin and underlying tissues are torn away from the body, exposing muscles, bones, or other structures. His owners were unsure of how he ascertained this injury, but due to its severity and the level of infection that had already taken place, Cheeto required his wound be debrided and surgically repaired as soon as possible.
The surgery and anaesthetic itself came with its own host of potential risk, including wound break-down and a higher morbidity rate due to Cheeto being a juvenile. His recovery would depend a lot on his family’s compliance for care at home, including medicating, mandatory e-collar use and strict crate rest being adhered to.
Dr. Susi successfully cleaned, debrided (removed dead, damaged, or infected tissue to promote healing and reduce the risk of infection) and repaired Cheeto’s wound, with him making it through his anaesthetic with no complications.
In the past weeks, Cheeto has been a frequent flyer at the clinic (much to the delight of everyone on staff), being an absolute superstar for all his bandage changes and rechecks. Though the way in which he sustained his injury will remain a mystery, he is so very lucky to have landed in the laps of the kindest and most dedicated owners, ensuring that he received the veterinary attention he so needed at a very young age. Thanks for being the best little patient Cheeto, we can’t wait to watch you continue to grow, hopefully with less drama!