Tail Pull injury’s are commonly caused by cars running over a Cat’s Tail

Rufus is a 9 month old Choc Point Burmese cat who presented to Animal Accident & Emergency as a referral from his regular vet for ongoing care after being diagnosed with a tail pull injury.

What is a Tail Pull Injury:
It is a common injury caused when a car runs over the cat’s tail pulling apart the sacral-lumbar or coccygeal vertebrae and stretching the nerves that go to the bladder, rectum, and tail.

Signs: Tail hangs loosely – paralysed tail, urinary and/or faecal incontinence to partial loss of sciatic nerve function.

Treatment: Cats will need to be seen by a vet and hospitalised so the bladder can be manually emptied and receive treatment to attempt to heal the nerves controlling the urination and defecation. The tail may need to be amputated.

All spinal cord injuries require immediate veterinary attention. Protect the cat’s spine and use a blanket or towel to lift the cat onto a flat surface like a board before transporting to the vet.

Rufus is currently receiving critical care at our Essendon Pet Emergency Centre, the staff at AAE wish Rufus a speedy recovery.

Pictured above: Rufus enjoying a neck rub from Dr Nicole Trigg after his morning examination.

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We would like to introduce Shelby

Shelby is a 4 yr old Rottweiler who presented to our 24hr Pet Emergency Centre at Essendon.  Shelby was referred from her veterinary clinic, Sunbrury All Creatures.

Shelby is suspected to have a condition termed Immune Mediated Thrombocytopenia (IMT).  IMT is a disease of the immune system, where the immune system destroys normal body cells in the blood.  With IMT, the immune system specifically targets Platelets.  Platelets are small cells that are involved in blood clotting.  If they are removed from you blood or if they are not functioning, then you are at risk of bleeding.

Treatment for Shelby will involve suppressing the immune system with a number of medications.  Often this will occur over a 6 to 12 month period.  In the short term we are monitoring Shelby’s blood count using our in-house lab.  We use a combination of tests to guide us on treatment for Shelby.

Earlier today, it was noted that Shelby’s blood count was dropping to a low level and we are now in the process of giving her a blood transfusion.  Our medicine specialist Dr Linda Abraham will ultrasound Shelby later today, looking for causes of IMT.  Shelby is currently under the care of our Resident Dr Nicole Trigg and Emergency and Critical Care Specialist Dr Trudi McAlees.  Shelby will remain under the care of our ICU team until her blood count is stable.  We wish Shelby a quick recovery.

 

 

Animal Accident & Emergency