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Dr. Coates is a veterinarian based in the other “Sunshine State” – that's Colorado to the rest of you – where she lives and plays with a varied range of animals. She shares her professional and personal experiences, Monday through Friday, here on petMD's blog, the Fully Vetted. Log in for your daily dose of her insight and wisdom.

 

Kitten Troubles: More Surgery?

July 24, 2006 / (0) comments


July 24th, 2006

Monday. The kitten’s leg is not improving in spite of lots of physical therapy. His owners want me to keep trying but…

The surgeon came over today to check out his leg. He is not optimistic, to say the least. If the physical therapy has not yielded measurable changes each day he’s been here his chances are nearly nil of ever bending that leg again without…surgery, of course.

He’s recommending a surgical procedure that will strip the muscle from the healed bone it’s now attached to. Without physical therapy at home, the muscles simply attached to the fibrous bands of new, healing bone. If I don’t detach this muscle the leg will continue to grow inappropriately.

And here’s where I make fun of surgeons: When you’ve got a hammer everything starts to look like a nail. In other words, surgeons just like to cut.

Yet, considering my non-surgical progress, or lack thereof, this kitten’s leg is starting to look an awful lot like a nail.

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About fully vetted

Patty Khuly, VMD, MBA

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Dr. Khuly is a former petMD blogger and small animal veterinarian in Miami, Florida, where she practices medicine at Sunset Animal Clinic and serves on the board of the South Florida Veterinary Medical Association. She is a graduate of Wellesley College, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, and The Wharton School of Business.

As a significant sideline, she writes...a lot. She authors pet health columns for USA Today, The Miami Herald and Vetstreet. She also writes a popular monthly column for Veterinary Practice News and serves as regular contributor to Veterinary Economics, The Bark, and the Veterinary News Network.

Dr. Khuly lives in South Miami with her brood of hens, goats, dogs, cats...and humans.

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