Andre's journey
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Andre is one of the most loving and sweet cats you ever want to meet. He was obviously a pet that was discarded and left to survive on his own. We will never know what happened to Andre but the injuries he sustained pointed to abuse. Andre was found with a severely dislocated jaw, a fractured chin and bone chip in his cheek. The injuries were more than 2 weeks old and were healing wrong. He was starving and emaciated because he could not open his mouth. All he could do is stick out his tongue to try and lick up whatever food he could. He was filthy and covered in fleas that were eating him alive and making him anemic. He wandered into a yard seeking help. A kind person, Emily, was trying to feed him and help him, but Andre needed immediate medical care. Emily contacted BDRF through one of our volunteers. I picked up Andre and I was shocked at the severity of his condition. His jaw was dislocated so far out of place that the left bottom canine tooth was on the right side of his face. He weighed just 6 pounds. I took him to my vet who did blood work but immediately knew he needed special care.
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My vet put me in touch with Pieper Memorial Veterinary in Middletown. I was able to get Andre in right away. He had a complete work up and a CT scan. The CT scan revealed that he had more fractures along with the bone chip in his face. In order to realign his jaw, the surgeon had to remove part of the joint and they had to wire his fractured chin together. They also removed the bone chip. This was an extensive surgery and an expensive one. Following the surgery, he became severely anemic and was in immediate need of a blood transfusion or he was going to die. Andre made it through and now he needed time to heal and all the love we could give him. Today Andre is 12 pounds, a normal healthy weight. Although his jaw is not completely aligned, he can open his mouth about 75% and he can eat wet and dry food. He can also groom himself and yawn!! He shows his appreciation by licking us!
Recently, Andre developed an infection at the surgery site. We will be bringing him back to Pieper for an exam. He may be needing another surgery to solve the problem. Although this is a bit of a set back, we know he will get past this and continue having a great life! Throughout his ordeal, Andre has remained sweet and loving and very deserving of all his care! Any help we can get towards his enormous vet bill and future care is very much appreciated!
Recently, Andre developed an infection at the surgery site. We will be bringing him back to Pieper for an exam. He may be needing another surgery to solve the problem. Although this is a bit of a set back, we know he will get past this and continue having a great life! Throughout his ordeal, Andre has remained sweet and loving and very deserving of all his care! Any help we can get towards his enormous vet bill and future care is very much appreciated!
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