Kitten-frontal cranial fracture

[zach416]

For a backgound story, i'm a dog person. A few weeks ago, my girlfriend and I piced up a stray kitten. She looked to be about 3-4 weeks old; scared, angry, confused. We tried a local humane society but they deemed her unadoptable after about 12 hrs and were going to put her down if we did not pick her back up. So we did.

After taking her to the vet and recieving all meds she is eligible to take at her age, we grew to love her very quickly. And this tempermental kitten turned love-bug very fast when she realized we were there to help.

We have been very careful in our attempt to integrate her with our two rescue mutts, as they are both 75 lbs. After reaching what we felt was a good point, and careful supervision at all times, we felt good about things. Steele (the kitten) was crawling on our dogs and they did not retaliate and seemed to be more afraid she would swat them than she was of them.

This weekend, she stepped into one of their food bowls when they were eating. Instinctively, the dog snapped at her. Immediately, he was remorseful, but Steele has suffered a frontal cranial fracture and partial sinus fracture.

60 hrs later, and $1500 later, her progress has been minimal. The vet here said merely surviving the first 24 hrs would be unlikely. She has been on meds to reduce brain swelling, pain, and has been recieving extra oxygen to supplement healing. However, as I said, not much has changed. She is resting more peacefully, but when she wakes, she still is very disoriented and seemed to not have great stability. She goes toward a corner to press against her head (guessing to relieve pressure).

I will go in debt to keep her alive and to have a normal live. However, I realize my fate is in God's hands and modern medicine's. So at what point do I accept that she won't come back and will not be normal?? How long do I wait and treat these issues?? Please help

[zach416]

Thanks for the kind words. She has been on mannitol. Her swelling has gone down a lot but she still is not neurologically "there". She is not yet eating on her own. And she almost act blind. One eye is fixed, but we can get some blinks from the other. Today will mark 72 hrs around 9:30am, so it hasn't been that long. However it amazes me how such little time has already been over $2000.

I was approved for additional money thru CareCredit. I just pray it's enough to make it forward without going too far in debt. If anyone has any more feedback on Steele or may know of some type of way to receive additional assistance until she's well enough to come home, it would be much appreciated.

[opus88]

Oh what a sad story, I am so sorry.......such a little kitten is so helpless against such large dogs and should never be nearby during feeding time as you have already found out..

there have been many posters in the last few years with similar stories of head trauma with kittens and you can go back in the archives if you wish to read some of these

I must say DON'T give up.....there have been marvelous turn arounds with these little ones especially when given mannitol medication to reduce the inflammation as I suspect your Vet did give.
It was never quick, but all the posters who kept us informed did say they saw slow gradual changes everyday after the worst has passed. she is very disoriented right now and perhaps even may have lost her sight temporarily, as the inflammation reduces so should most if not all of the results of the injury.

she needs to be kept isolated in a small bed in a quite room, she needs to have a very low litter box very nearby...or may even need assistance getting in and out of one for awhile, at least until she is able to stand and walk about abit on her own.
the same for a food and water dish..she will have to be shown where these all are just in case she is blind, if she can't eat or drink on her own she may need some assist feeding...this all sounds overwhelming but its not nearly as difficult as it sounds and will only be for a few days or a week at most...b/c slowly she should start to regain all her senses and balance...

I say 'should' not always is this a given, but in my experience with all the ones who have posted previously it is very likely she CAN.

my own experience was with a cat of my daughters years ago who got run over....the cat was unconscious and bleeding heavily from the mouth, she took the cat to the Vet to be put down.....a mistake was made at the clinic, she got a call 2 days later wondering when she was coming to pick him up...........needless to say she was very upset. but got there a saw him, he was alert but couldn't walk, he was paralyzed on the one side.
she brought him home to see how he would make out, he learned to walk by dragging the right side of his body....and slowly very slowly he began to try and put weight on that side again, within a few more weeks he was walking normally....and lived for many years with NO problems..

so there is always hope....as long as kitty isn't in pain, if he is than the Vet can even give him something to help control that for the first few days. I strongly recommend BUPRENEX..

if you have read some of the other posts today you will also note the warning abt the injection antibiotic called convenia.....NEVER allow a Vet to give this to any animal EVER.

please keep us posted and all the very best of luck to dear little Steele♥

[zach416]

normal life*