Franklin’s Story: Franklin presented to VESCONE for severe bleeding from the neck. Franklin is an 8 year old domestic longhair cat. He enjoys spending time outdoors, but this particular morning had come inside acting strangely and his owner saw blood on his fur. During the exam by his primary care veterinarian it became apparent that a neck wound was bleeding heavily. Franklin’s neck was bandaged and he was transferred to VESCONE.

On presentation Franklin was too weak to stand and poorly responsive. His gums were very pale. His heart rate and body temperature were low, which are signs of severe shock in cats. An IV catheter was placed. Franklin’s blood pressure was low. He was given an injection of Hetastarch, a special fluid that can help increase blood pressure. Special heating bottles and pads were used to increase his body temperature. When we moved the bandage to examine the wound a spray of bright red blood landed on the exam table. The bandage was secured. The blood tests done for him showed anemia, a drop in the red blood cell count. Franklin was also blood typed and is a type A.

Franklin’s owners were notified that he would need emergency surgery and blood transfusions to treat life-threatening shock from blood loss First he was given Oxyglobin, a synthetic hemoglobin product. The decision was made to pursue surgery as soon as possible, because even with pressure applied to the wound Franklin continued to bleed heavily into the bandage.

The safest anesthesia possible was chosen including special drugs that are less likely to decrease blood pressure. As soon as Franklin was asleep, the bandage was removed and the wound examined. Normally we would like to completely shave and clean the skin before surgery is started, but in Frankie’s case the first goal was to find the source of bleeding and stop it. An artery was seen protruding from the wound in Franklin’s skin.  The skin was opened further to get a better look at the tissues underneath. The artery was quickly clamped and tied off at both ends. Then we could clean and flush and eventually close the wound. We also found tears in the skin along the underside of Franklin’s chest. These were also cleaned and closed.

After surgery Franklin was dangerously anemic so he was given one unit of Type A feline blood from our in house blood bank. He was also given pain medications, fluids intravenously, and antibiotics. Within hours, his blood pressure and temperature came up to normal levels. A patch was applied to the skin that would continue to give him pain medications for the next several days.

Franklin ate the following morning and looked great.  He was sent home with instructions to stay indoors until his sutures could be removed.

About two weeks later Franklin came back in for suture removal. His hair was already starting to grow back and his owner says he is doing very well. Only Franklin knows what exactly caused these strange and life-threatening wounds, and he’s not telling.

At VESCONE, we have a winning combination of highly skilled doctors, nurses and facilities such as our canine and feline blood bank available 24/7 so we can be ready for patients like Frankie. Our blood products are available to our clients and their referring veterinarians around the clock.