01/22/2024
Meet Paisley, the Persian cat who etched her name in history at Animal Medical Center by becoming the first feline to undergo back surgery at our clinic! 🐱
Paisley Curvin is a 7-year-old, spayed female Persian cat that came to Animal Medical Center on November 10, 2023, due to loss of function in her rear legs. Her condition worsened progressively since it began earlier that week. During her examination, Dr. Belcher initially suspected that Paisley may have suffered from a "saddle thrombus" caused by heart disease. This is a common condition in cats where a clot lodges at the bifurcation of the aorta and causes paralysis in the pelvic limbs. However, upon examination, Dr. Belcher noted that Paisley had bilateral proprioceptive deficits, knuckling in her rear paws, and a weak but present deep pain response upon toe pinch. Additionally, she had palpable femoral pulses, and her limbs were warm to the touch. This led Dr. Belcher to consider the possibility of a disk herniation in her spinal cord, a condition more prevalent in canines. Dr. Belcher recommended a CT scan and myelogram to evaluate Paisley's spine fully.
The CT results showed a compressive disk lesion at the level of L3-L4 on the right side. Dr. Belcher then suggested a Laminectomy surgery for Paisley, a procedure that would decompress the spinal cord and remove the herniated disk material. Paisley underwent the surgery, and Dr. Belcher successfully removed a significant amount of herniated disk material. Paisley recovered from the surgery without any complications.
However, her road to recovery was far from over, as she needed rest and significant physical therapy to increase her chances of regaining the function of her rear legs. Over the next few days, Paisley's condition began to improve steadily. During her stay at Animal Medical Center, we provided her with routine bladder expression and physical therapy with our certified canine rehab practitioner, Erica Davis. Eventually, Paisley started regaining the function of her legs and started walking!
Dr. Belcher described Paisley's case as one that he would never forget as it is a rare occurrence. "This condition is common in dogs, especially dachshunds, but not in cats. Some of my colleagues have been practicing veterinary medicine far longer than I have and have never seen this, so working with Paisley was a unique and special experience. I would like to thank everyone at AMC for their help in Paisley's recovery, especially Erica- her contribution was instrumental in Paisley's successful outcome."
Paisley's mom shared her experience, "I was terrified when I had to bring Paisley in, but I left the clinic feeling confident that Paisley was well taken care of. I didn't think that Paisley would ever walk again because she was completely paralyzed, but after the surgery, we got home, and she was going in and out of the litter box on her own. I am so grateful to Dr. Belcher and Erica, who treated Paisley like family."
Paisley is a special cat at Animal Medical Center, and we are delighted that she can continue living a normal life with her mom, who loves her so dearly! ❤
