“Kali cannot fully extend her right knee. Keep in mind that her knee was broken in half,” stated Dr. Mark Verdino, Senior Vice President, Chief of Veterinary Staff at Animal League America, who performed the surgery. “She was not tolerating the range of motion exercises so I stopped them. We can try again after the femur fracture is fully healed and less painful.”
Kali may be a candidate for laser therapy to help advance her healing. The veterinary technicians are also making sure that she gets out of her cage to walk around more as this will help increase her knee’s range of motion. Friendly kitty that she is, she follows everyone around her area and rubs against their legs looking for some love.
While Kali has a way to go yet on her journey to recovery, she is resilient and strong. It’s already clear that she can’t wait for the day she goes home to a family of her own. That’s why her doctors have approved her to enter our Foster Care Program. A loving home where she can get more social interaction, and more exercise to aid in her mobility, is just what this brave girl needs. If you’d like to welcome Kali into your home, contact our Foster Care Manager, Jenna Martiello at 516-883-7900, Ext. 352, or [email protected].
Help Young Feline to Heal from Tragic Fall
When Kali survived a terrible fall from a sixth floor window in Brooklyn, she defied the odds and definitely used one of her nine lives. However, she was in dire need of special medical help right away when she arrived at the Animal Care Centers. They reached out to North Shore Animal League America immediately. If Kali was to make a recovery, she needed surgery within 48 hours!
Once Kali was stable, our Rescue Team sped out to Brooklyn to pick her up and she was on our Port Washington, NY campus within a few hours. The veterinarians in our Pet Health Centers examined Kali again and conferred about her condition.
When cats like Kali fall out of windows, veterinarians use the term “high rise syndrome” and they look for injuries like shattered jaws, punctured lungs, and broken pelvises and limbs. The doctors checked Kali out thoroughly and looked at the x-rays showing a fractured right hind femur (thigh bone) and fractures of the long bones in her right hind foot — these connect the toes to the bones of the ankle. Kali was made comfortable and surgery was scheduled for the next morning.
“Surgery was performed on Kali and the paw fractures were fixed with no problem. Her right femur fracture was worse than it appeared on the x-rays,” said Dr. Mark Verdino, Senior Vice President and Chief of Veterinary Staff at our Pet Health Centers. “The lower part of the bone was split down the middle. That needed to be put together with a screw and then fixed to the upper part of the bone with pins. We are still hopeful for healing and good function, but only time will tell.” It’s going to be a long haul for Kali. She’ll be monitored during the six to eight weeks it will take for her bones to heal to make sure that they’re mending properly.
As a member of our Help Me Heal Program, Kali will be able to get the lifesaving care and compassion she needs to heal from her severe injuries, and then one day find a responsible, loving home of her own. Please donate today to this vital program and help animals like Kali become the healthy, happy, and cherished companion animals they were always meant to be.