Fievel & His Fixators
Fievel came to RAL with bilateral forelimb and right hind limb deformities. He was found about three weeks before coming to RAL with his other littermates and was taken to a different rescue. He spent a week there before being transferred to RAL. We first tried putting splinted bandages on both forelimbs and the right hind limb to correct the deformities. Fievel tolerated the splints well and was still a playful, active kitten. However, we saw no noticeable improvement from the splints, but if the splints were left off, he started to bow over on his wrist more.
Fievel’s Boppers (splints)
After consulting with a specialist, we decided to try external skeletal fixators. With the fixators, Fievel’s foster (a member of RAL’s medical staff) would need to tighten the bands periodically to tighten the joints.
He did so well with the fixators on his front legs that when he had them taken out, the specialist decided to try them on his twisted back leg. The back leg in question was rotating below his ankle until he was basically walking on the side of his paw. Unfortunately, he hated having his back leg messed with and was less tolerant. Within the first two weeks of having the pins in, he snapped one in half! The back leg was not as straightforward as the front legs, so the pins had to remain in for a few more weeks. He just got them out on Monday and is feeling GREAT!
Long-term -the affected joints are not "normal," but they are at least more functional than they were and are not expected to get worse. The surgeons suspect that he may be at a higher risk of developing arthritis sooner, but with kittens, we never really know.
Fievel being a typical kitten helping us mop the floor.
Overall, Fievel is a typical kitten who can have a normal everyday life. He loves people and other cats. He has never been around a dog, but his foster thinks he is confident enough that he would do well. He has zero sense of personal space. Everything is a cat toy, so you will get hours of entertainment out of him with minimal effort on your part. He will make a great addition to the family who takes him home.
We are so lucky to have the excellent medical team that we do here at RAL and to have relationships with area specialist vets who will step in and do what we can’t to set up our RAL pets for success in their new homes.
