Vets discovered stones had been inflicting extreme blockages in each of the cat’s kidneys.
Jason Nitsch ‘14/Texas A&M University Division of Marketing and Communications
“James Dean,” a dapper orange tabby cat, lives a star-studded life. He fills his days taking part in mischievously together with his sister, “Audrey Hepburn,” and his brother, “Elvis,” whereas his nights are spent snuggled up together with his house owners, Kaci and Melvin Thomas, who stay in Austin.
After a sudden onset of a persistent sickness created a life-or-death scenario for the tabby, the Texas A&M Small Animal Teaching Hospital’s (SATH) cutting-edge Interventional Radiology Service was capable of step in and save the cat’s life with a surgical procedure not generally supplied at different veterinary hospitals.
Rebel With Four Paws
Aggies had been certain to ship James Dean home to Austin in a twelfth Man jersey.
Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Like many SATH sufferers, James got here to Texas A&M in nice needn’t solely of superior veterinary care but additionally of hope.
He had battled urinary tract-related well being challenges and was identified with persistent kidney illness within the spring of 2022. Kaci labored with a veterinarian in Austin to handle his illness with a specialised food plan, and for some time, the brand new food plan was profitable.
But after a 12 months, the Thomsases seen James’ urge for food was disappearing and he was shortly shedding weight. So, they took him again to the vet for full diagnostic testing from the clinic’s lab.
“The labs came back on a Saturday, and James’ veterinarian called me immediately,” Kaci recalled. “She said that his kidney function looked really bad and that we should take him to the local veterinary hospital. The hospital kept him comfortable and stable over the weekend. Then, on Monday, the specialist and surgeons evaluated him with an ultrasound.”
James’ ultrasound revealed stones that had been inflicting extreme blockages in each kidneys.
“The specialist and surgeon mentioned a few options in terms of care, but they kept coming back to, ‘His kidneys are so bad. We think that euthanasia would be appropriate,’” Kaci shared. “I didn’t like those options, so I called his veterinarian in Austin. She referred us to Texas A&M. We picked him up from the hospital and drove to Bryan-College Station the next day.”
East Of Austin
At the SATH, James was placed beneath the care of Dr. Genna Atiee, a medical assistant professor within the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences and specialist within the SATH’s Interventional Radiology Service.
Atiee defined that kidney illness limits the kidneys’ capacity to filter blood, inflicting extra fluid and waste from the physique to build up and create further well being issues extra time.
“Once you lose kidney cells, recovery is less likely, because the kidney doesn’t have very much regenerative capacity,” Atiee defined. “We don’t have a way to reliably remove or dissolve kidney stones in cats without some type of major intervention, so when James Dean came to us pretty sick, we recommended subcutaneous bypass devices be placed in his abdomen that allow urine to go from his kidney to his bladder and bypass the obstruction.”
Atiee and her colleague Dr. Audrey Cook, one other specialist within the SATH’s Interventional Radiology Service, are two of the one veterinarians in Texas educated to surgically apply the subcutaneous bypass gadgets.
“We get referrals for this surgery regularly from the metro areas like Dallas, San Antonio and Austin because even though this surgery is highly effective, it’s not something every veterinarian or even every surgeon is trained to do right now,” Atiee stated.
With Kaci’s approval, Atiee placed a tool on one in all James’ kidneys, and a few weeks later, on the opposite kidney.
“These devices require some maintenance in terms of flushing the tubes to ensure patency, and we’re happy to do that here or to work with a local specialist,” Atiee stated. “The most important aspect of success post-surgery is for the family to work with us or their primary veterinarian to maintain the kidney disease.”
Kaci introduced James again to Texas A&M for the early upkeep of his gadgets, however she now works with their native veterinarian to take care of his food plan, fluid consumption, and gadgets.
“Dr. Atiee was amazing. She called multiple times to explain the procedure, which was especially helpful because I was a little nervous in the beginning,” Kaci stated. “We grew really close to James’ veterinary team at the SATH. Dr. Atiee and the students inher service were excellent to work with.”
An Award-Worthy Veterinary Performance
Today, James is doing exceptionally nicely; he’s again to a wholesome weight and taking part in with Audrey and Elvis once more.
“Here we are many months later and he’s still kicking, doing very well, and is still happy and loving,” Kaci stated. “I really like that the SATH’s veterinarians provide the most advanced care possible. Everyone’s up to date on all the newest and best evidence-based care. I’d recommend them to anyone and would encourage others to work with the Texas A&M veterinarians.”
Atiee echoed Kaci’s encouragement to pet house owners.
“There are things that we are doing that are not available in a lot of places and a lot of people may not be aware of these options, particularly in the urinary tract,” Atiee stated. “We also do virtual consultations, so even if you live far away, we’re happy to schedule an online appointment and discuss options. We want to help these animals. We will do everything we can to get a patient in who we can help.”
