Hi there, this is my first time posting, although I run a rescue and have often found invaluable information on this site. I apologize in advance, as it will be a long post.
My current situation is one I've seen addressed here before, and am looking for some personalized advise on.
I rescued a doll face Persian cat that was one day away from giving birth. We knew when she was dumped so late in the pregnancy as a purebred, that there was likely to be an issue. She gave birth to two kittens, one still born, and the other now 23 days old. At 8 days old, she stopped producing milk, and he became a bottle baby. He currently weighs 380 grams.
Yesterday, I brought him to the vet as he was having intermittent heavy breathing, combined with a decrease in appetite, and restlessness. He has times of happiness, playfulness, etc, and times of seemingly extreme distress. My vet saw him, and he was diagnosed with Pectus Excavatum. That said, my vet wasn't extremely familiar with the condition, and was unsure if that was likely causing his issues. At the time, I didn't know anything about the condition or what questions to ask, and today my vet is not in, so I cannot follow up until Monday.
When I got home, I learned more about this condition online, and believe very wholeheartedly that that is exactly what is causing the problem. When he was born, we noticed he was shaped almost like a pancake. It seems like his condition is worsening, which would make sense since he continues to sleep on his stomach.
I am unsure of the severity of the malformation, as well as the shape of his ribs (if the curve inward or go outward). I've read catwoman707's advise on how to tell the shape, however when I flip him and press on his ribs, I am unable to really see any movement.
My question is this:
I have seen before the suggestion of fastening a vest. This concept makes perfect sense to me, and I would be very comfortable trying it. Is this still a viable option at his age? He has no murmur, no noticeable respiratory issues, etc. Through painstaking efforts, I have gotten him to eat and have continued weight gain.
If the vest is a viable option, I have follow up questions regarding how much tension to put on the vest, how long to use it for, what's the ultimate goal, etc.
Of course I would love opinions on what his chances are, how severe it is, etc, but I understand that getting that advise is not necessarily realistic via the web.
Note:
I am happy to share whatever information I can to help anyone better help me.
I can post videos of his breathing and me doing the test on his ribs. I'm not sure if I can post them here, but I can add them to youtube and then post that link.
I discussed with another vet today getting x-rays, but she but she admitted she would have very little value in reading them or advising me. She said she's never personally dealt with this condition before. I would get the x-rays if I could find someone here with experience in reading them. If it would make more sense to get the x-rays after some days with the vest, that's an option too. Of course, money is tight as a rescue, and trying to spend only when it will actually be effective is my goal.
I seriously appreciate anyone who has taken the time to read this. I desperately hope to save this precious little guy, and give him a good quality of life. Reading online, the likelihood of that seemed dismal. Reading here, I feel much more inspired. It's incredible how valuable the first hand experience of fellow rescuers is.
My current situation is one I've seen addressed here before, and am looking for some personalized advise on.
I rescued a doll face Persian cat that was one day away from giving birth. We knew when she was dumped so late in the pregnancy as a purebred, that there was likely to be an issue. She gave birth to two kittens, one still born, and the other now 23 days old. At 8 days old, she stopped producing milk, and he became a bottle baby. He currently weighs 380 grams.
Yesterday, I brought him to the vet as he was having intermittent heavy breathing, combined with a decrease in appetite, and restlessness. He has times of happiness, playfulness, etc, and times of seemingly extreme distress. My vet saw him, and he was diagnosed with Pectus Excavatum. That said, my vet wasn't extremely familiar with the condition, and was unsure if that was likely causing his issues. At the time, I didn't know anything about the condition or what questions to ask, and today my vet is not in, so I cannot follow up until Monday.
When I got home, I learned more about this condition online, and believe very wholeheartedly that that is exactly what is causing the problem. When he was born, we noticed he was shaped almost like a pancake. It seems like his condition is worsening, which would make sense since he continues to sleep on his stomach.
I am unsure of the severity of the malformation, as well as the shape of his ribs (if the curve inward or go outward). I've read catwoman707's advise on how to tell the shape, however when I flip him and press on his ribs, I am unable to really see any movement.
My question is this:
I have seen before the suggestion of fastening a vest. This concept makes perfect sense to me, and I would be very comfortable trying it. Is this still a viable option at his age? He has no murmur, no noticeable respiratory issues, etc. Through painstaking efforts, I have gotten him to eat and have continued weight gain.
If the vest is a viable option, I have follow up questions regarding how much tension to put on the vest, how long to use it for, what's the ultimate goal, etc.
Of course I would love opinions on what his chances are, how severe it is, etc, but I understand that getting that advise is not necessarily realistic via the web.
Note:
I am happy to share whatever information I can to help anyone better help me.
I can post videos of his breathing and me doing the test on his ribs. I'm not sure if I can post them here, but I can add them to youtube and then post that link.
I discussed with another vet today getting x-rays, but she but she admitted she would have very little value in reading them or advising me. She said she's never personally dealt with this condition before. I would get the x-rays if I could find someone here with experience in reading them. If it would make more sense to get the x-rays after some days with the vest, that's an option too. Of course, money is tight as a rescue, and trying to spend only when it will actually be effective is my goal.
I seriously appreciate anyone who has taken the time to read this. I desperately hope to save this precious little guy, and give him a good quality of life. Reading online, the likelihood of that seemed dismal. Reading here, I feel much more inspired. It's incredible how valuable the first hand experience of fellow rescuers is.