Meet Peyton, our March 2018 Pet of the Month! She is a very sweet, 14 year old cat who was an outdoor kitty. One morning, her family found her unable to stand and she could not use her front limbs at all. Peyton was taken to her regular veterinarian for treatment and was hospitalized in mid-December. When she came to see us in January, Peyton’s family had seen just a few, small improvements.
At the time of her initial exam, Peyton had varying degrees of neurologic deficits involving all four limbs. Her right hind limb was her strongest limb, but she couldn’t do much with it alone. The limbs on her left side were much worse and her left front leg was the weakest of them all. If she was carried with her feet grazing the floor, she would paddle some of her legs slightly. She was unable to sit in a natural kitty sit and she only wanted to lay on her side. Based on her clinical signs, the most likely causes of her problems were Fibrocartilaginous Embolism (FCE) or Disc Disease in her neck.
With rehabilitation therapy, including therapeutic exercises, laser, and acupuncture, Peyton has made great improvements. While she still has neurologic signs on her left front limb, she is now able to get up and walk independently. Even though the left front leg is weaker than the others, she is actively using it and she is doing exercises at home and getting stronger every time we see her!
Peyton is now an indoor kitty, who has discovered that she loves catnip! We look forward to seeing how Peyton progresses going forward!!
Check out Peyton's progress video on our YouTube Channel: Click here