Indie, Pet of the month Feb 2017 - in memory of Indie

Indie who was our February pet of the month has sadly lost his battle with cancer. He was such a brave and happy boy and his story serves as a tribute to him.

Little Indie has been a regular visitor to our Ruislip hospital over the last couple of years. Back in July 2015, his owners were concerned to hear Indie wheezing as he was breathing so brought him in to see us. He required some tests to investigate his symptoms and he was diagnosed with feline asthma. He was given some treatment and to assess his progress, Indie needed to have some further chest x-rays taken. He was such a good patient throughout these visits. He responded well to the treatment that he continues to take daily. Then in Feb 2016, Indie was brought in for an urgent appointment as he was listless and howling as if uncomfortable. His owners had noticed that he’d been in and out of his litter tray a few times in the night. Indie was diagnosed with a blocked urethra (the tube that drains urine from the bladder out of the penis) resulting in him being unable to pass urine. This is a life threatening condition as the bladder becomes very full. Indie needed emergency treatment that involved blood tests to check for kidney function and other systemic imbalances, intravenous fluid therapy and placement of a urinary catheter to flush the urethra and remove the obstruction (inflammatory material/ crystals). We needed to sew the urinary catheter in place for a few days to allow Indie to pass urine whilst the inflammation in the urethra settled down. After we removed the catheter we were pleased to see that Indie was able to go to the toilet by himself and he was allowed home. Indie was again a super patient.  About a month ago, Indie came in for his routine check up but his owner mentioned that he seemed to be sleeping more than usual and they were concerned that he might be getting a cataract in his left eye. Vet Louise examined him and identified that Indie’s eye had an abnormal appearance. An ophthalmic examination identified a tumour to be the cause. Indie required surgery to have his eye removed, a procedure called enucleation. Before Indie was prepared   for surgery,  Louise carried out an ultrasound scan of his abdomen and x-rays of his chest to see if the tumour had spread to other organs. With the diagnostic imaging complete, Louise could see no definite signs of spread and Indie's owners elected to proceed with the operation. 
Indie's operation went well and he was soon up and about looking for cuddles (right). He recently came in to have his stitches removed and we are pleased to see that he is a happy boy. Sadly the results from the laboratory have told us that the type of tumour that Indie had removed is likely to spread. Louise is speaking to an oncologist to see if there are any other treatment options, but keeping Indie happy and enjoying life is most important.

Indie, a brave and affectionate, loving boy.  💙