Hi Ellen!
My fiancé Steve and I are fostering a kitten for the Abbotsford,
BC SPCA and would love if you could feature a video of him swimming on your
show. Yes, a swimming kitten! His name is Cornelius and he is going swimming for
rehabilitation at a place called K9 H20. You can see his latest swimming video
here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbSjVFdGCSc
Here is his story:
In November 2012 Cornelius was found on the side of the road,
badly broken and underfed – He was only 2 1/2 months old. He was brought into
the Abbotsford SPCA. They suspected he was hit by a car. At his first vet visit,
it was found that his right leg was badly broken and would need to be amputated.
As volunteers at the Abbotsford SPCA, we were asked if we could foster him for a
few weeks until he was big enough for the amputation surgery. Well weeks turned
into a month and he started walking, then running. I showed a video of his
progress to Jodi, the manager at the SPCA, and she got him in to see Dr. Taylor
at Abbotsford Veterinary Hospital for a follow up. X-rays were taken, and the
prognosis was worse than we had thought. He would not need an amputation, but
both of his hips had been dislocated and his pelvis was crushed. He needed
surgery on both hips, so we started fundraising.
On February 7, 2013 Cornelius had his surgery, a double hip
excision. On his right hip the head of the femur was crushed so the joint needed
to be cleaned up, on the left hip the head of the femur was removed. He came
back home to us 2 days after surgery, and we started his rehabilitation. He was
kept in a crate for the first week, brought out for quick walks and
physiotherapy to mobilize his joints. At two weeks post-op he had his stitches
out and was ready for the next step in his rehab – Swimming!
Kendall DeMenech at K9 H2O had heard of Cornelius through
Abbotsford Veterinary Hospital. She bravely and generously donated her pool and
time to help rehabilitate Cornelius. While most cats don’t enjoy the water,
swimming is an excellent therapy for building up the muscle necessary to walk
normally again. On February 26 Cornelius went for his first swim. We helped
strap him into a tiny life jacket and Kendall calmly floated him around the pool
on a mat. Slowly, she eased him into the water, and what do you know, he swam!
The first swim ended with a few scratches and some frustration on Cornelius’
part. By the end of the second swim he
was making the jump into the water by himself and was free of the life jacket.
The third swim saw him entering the water more smoothly. Now with 8 swims under
his belt he has swam with 4 different trainers and is calm and graceful in the
water. Although he doesn’t love it, he tolerates it, and is reaping the
benefits.
At his 1 month post-op follow up, Dr. Taylor was impressed with
his recovery and muscle tone. Cornelius is running around our house as fast as
ever, and he can jump now, which he was never able to before. He will continue to go swimming a few more
times, to help him be as strong as he can before going to his forever home.
Please consider sharing Cornelius’ story.
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