We sedated the little kitten, and upon cleansing the wound removed hundreds of fly larvae and pupae that were eating away at his flesh. The arm had been snagged by something, perhaps a larger animal or the teeth of an animal trap, and severed it at the level of mid humerus. This kitten's luck is tremendously good. He could have been consumed by the creature that caused this injury or hemorrhaged to death as a result of it. Yet here he sat, with an horrific injury, but one that was being treated.
Surgical removal would have to take place at the shoulder joint, removing the remainder of the humerus and with it remove much of the infected bone and flesh. A line of stitches remained, holding together paper thin skin that looked healthy and pink.
He recovered from the anesthesia slowly due to his size and his malnourished state. Once awake, he came home with me and began eating right away. He would lay down next to his dish, and nibble the hard kibble which he seemed to enjoy more than the canned food, although adding kitten milk to the canned food made it just fine for him. My 8 year old daughter chose one of her ragdolls, and placed it in the cage so he would not be lonely throughout the night. We called his kennel his new apartment, and the staff named him Tres (pronounced Trace), Spanish for Three.
He slowly adjusted to getting around with three legs. His personality was timid at first, but soon a kitten emerged, playful and friendly.
Little did he know he was about to get a new roommate...
Then the phone rang at the clinic...
TO BE CONTINUED....
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