Emergency treatment means plucky Stanley Black is purr-fect again
A family feared their cat was on the brink of death when blood started pouring from his mouth – only to discover that it was being caused by a wire that had been there for years.
Sue Ainsley, and her mum Vera, assumed little Stanley Black’s bleeding was the result of a ruptured tumour so were shocked when one of our vets looked into his mouth and found the wire.
It’s believed the former stray’s jaw had been wired together after being involved in a road accident before Sue and Vera adopted him.
“We didn’t know anything about Stanley’s history or where he came from and mum always wondered why his teeth were crooked,” Sue explained.
After moving into Sue and Vera’s home in Hemel Hempstead around seven years ago, Stanley settled in well and appeared to enjoy his new surroundings.
But, recently, his health took a turn for the worse and he began suffering breathing problems, lack of appetite, and discomfort that often saw him stand up on his back legs “like a meerkat”.
Sue took Stanley to her local daytime vets who suggested that a foreign body or polyps might be causing his problems. But within a few days of that appointment, Stanley’s health began to deteriorate rapidly.
Sue said: “He started bleeding from the mouth and it was just awful. I thought he was dying with some kind of horrible tumour burst in his mouth, He must be about 12-years-old and we were so worried for him.
“We rang Vets Now, the emergency vet in Hemel Hempstead, and when we got him there the vet looked in his mouth and knew straight away what was happening.
“Stanley’s jaw had been wired and the wire was sticking out and lacerating his tongue. I was so surprised as we didn’t realise he had wiring in his jaw. Every time he had been trying to eat it must have been cutting him ”
The wire was removed without the need for anaesthetic and Stanley Black, named by Sue’s father after the jazz composer, was soon able to eat again and put on some of the weight he had lost.
Sue and Vera are delighted to have Stanley back to full health.
“It was amazing how quickly the vet knew what the problem was. Stanley seems to appreciate what has happened and is sitting on my lap a lot more since the ordeal,” she said.
Senior vet Michelle Dawson, who treated Stanley when he came into the Vets Now pet emergency clinic in Hemel Hempstead, said while his case was unusual it was relatively easy to fix.
Michelle added: “Stanley was in a lot of pain when he was admitted and was constantly pawing at his mouth. Once we’d removed the blood clots around his mouth we could see the wire was the cause of his problems.
“His condition improved as soon as we gave him pain relief and removed the wire.
“It seems like Stanley has been in the wars over the years and has clearly used up some of his nine lives, so we’re all glad to hear he’s now back to his old self and enjoying being pampered by Sue and Vera.”
The pet emergency clinic in Hemel Hempstead – where Stanley received treatment – is one of a nationwide network of Vets Now clinics and hospitals that are open through the night, seven-days-a-week, and day and night on weekends and bank holidays, to treat any pet emergencies that may occur.
All of Vets Now’s out-of-hours clinics and 24/7 hospitals have a vet and vet nurse on site at all times.
