Meet Pumpernick

Monday (8/16) afternoon, I recieved a text from a co-worker. A friend of his found a kitten in his backyard. Well, to be honest, the dogs found him first. I was told he was tiny, and had a broken leg. I arranged to take him in.

Once I got him, I could see he was about 8-10 weeks old, but really underweight. His leg looked pretty bad, it was partially degloved (meaning quite a bit of skin was missing- he has skin and fur on the end of his paw, and his upper arm, but the rest is exposed). Those dogs did a number on him.

I took him to Adam's Animal Hospital in West Covina right away. They took X-rays, and determined that the tarsal bones were broken. I was told that the leg might heal over time, just to bring him in every few days to have the bandage changed, but amputation might be an option if it doesn't heal well. He was given an injection for antibiotics, as well as clavamox to take home, and prescribed special food to help him put on some weight.

I brought him back in on tuesday (8/17) for a bandage change, and scheduled another appointment for friday.

This morning (thursday- 8/19) I noticed his paw was swollen. By the time we got to the vet, there was a bit of pus seeping out from the bandage. His leg was infected. I was told the infection had reached the bone, and the leg would need to be amputated as soon as possible. The regular vet wasn't in today, so I was told to bring him back tomorrow morning to see the regular vet. Hopefully he'll be able to do the surgery, but its possible we'll have to see a specialist.

So far, his vet bills have totaled $215.71, for the first office visit, x-rays, antibiotic injection, clavamox, prescription food, and bandage changes.