Subject: Kitty Lives!!!
The vet just called and said the kitty is out of surgery and is doing well. He found a growth right where the small intestine attaches to the stomach - easy to remove - challenging and tricky to re-attach. But he says he thinks it will work and the kitty will recover. They will keep him a day or two to watch for developments. He seems confident that the surgery will hold.
He described the growth as about as round as a silver dollar but instead of growing round like typical tumor's it was flat, sort of like a small pancake wrapped around the lowest part of the stomach. He removed about a third to half of the stomach, which then led to the tricky part of re-attaching the intestine which is between a dime and a quarter in diameter - compared to a hole in the stomach two inches accross. But he thinks he was able to pull it off. He said the cat will have no trouble adjusting to the smaller stomach, that cat stomach's are large compared to what they actually need. So not to be concerned about that.
In all likelihood the growth is malignant, so often in cats that they don't send tissue in for pathology.
Dona will drop by and visit him this afternoon - I think they both need the comforting... :-) Dona was very uptight about prospect of losing him.
Complex surgery to involve the stomach.... I just can't imagine... and the surgery cost several hundred dollars.
How much would the same procedure cost for a person? how many tens of thousands? Only thing missing are the attorneys.
Wonderful news!!!
On my lunch break now. Can freep for about an hour.