AHT surgeons perform lifesaving operation

A cat's life has been saved after being referred to Animal Health Trust's (AHT) Small Animal Centre with severe liver dysfunction that led to complicated surgery.

Loui, a 16-month old ragdoll, was admitted to the AHT in September, where surgeons diagnosed him with a blocked bile duct and decided to operate immediately.

The AHT's soft tissue team said they'd hoped it would be quite straightforward to unblock the bile duct in order to restore the cat's liver function, however, Loui's case turned out to be a particularly unusual one.

Daniella Murgia, who leads the team, said: "Unfortunately the main bile duct could not be saved, which meant we had to perform an altogether more highly complex and invasive procedure.
 
“In order to reconstruct the link between the gall bladder and the gut, the gall bladder had to be attached directly to the intestine. During surgery Loui developed severe complications due to low blood pressure, which could have been fatal or left him with damage to his vital organs.”

The recovery rates from this type of surgery are generally quite low but, against the odds, Loui pulled through.

His owner, Cas Anderson-Dixon, had to learn how to syringe-feed food at regular intervals in the same way the nurses had, in order for Loui to return home.

"The staff at the AHT were just incredible, he wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for them," she said. "The AHT is an amazing charity and the level of care and support is second to none. We are extremely grateful.”

Loui will be recuperating at home with his family this Christmas. He is just one of more than 3,000 animals that the AHT has helped so far in 2012.