1234. Anaesthetic risks for the young rabbit and the old cat

Jan 8, 2013

Recently Dr Daniel and I had 2 cases of high anaesthetic risks - the very young and the very old patient. Every vet will inform the owner of the high risks. Invariably, the owner would not want the operation. So, the disease progresses as in the following cases:

Case 1. Rabbit, F, 3.5 months
The lady bought 2 siblings at 1 month old at Farm Mart which is in Chua Chu Kang. This patient had a twisted leg but the appetite was "good." Over the next 2.5 months, her sibling doubled in size while this rabbit started to hide in a corner.

"She refused to move as she grows older," the lady had phoned me for the fees for amputation. "The two vets in the same practice wanted to charge $1,000 to cut off the leg. I have already spent over $1,000 treating this rabbit!"
"I have to examine the rabbit in order to quote you," I said. "If the surgery is short, the fees are lower."
The lady came while I was out. Dr Daniel advised amputation. "She wanted to try TCM (traditional chinese medicine)," Dr Daniel said when I asked why he had bandaged the leg.

I spoke to the owner as she was paying the bills after consultation with Dr Daniel and not accepting amputation as the medical advice. The rabbit's leg had swollen at least 3 times and multiple yellow abscesses flowered inside the leg. "Do you know that this rabbit's life is endangered as his leg will become gangrenous and septic, spreading bacteria to her whole body and killing her? I have already given you a below cost fee to amputate her twisted leg. Yet you want to try TCM."

"I tried TCM in the sibling which was similarly lame and he recovered," she said.
"The sibling did not have the same condition of fractured lowered leg that became twisted and infected," I had not seen the sibling but it is highly improbable that both siblings suffered fractured legs. The sibling was probably weak in his hind limbs but the fact is that he is a thriving rabbit, double the size now.