The Savannah Signal Final Issue 2011
www.savannahcatclub.com
Over the course of approximately one week, I started a website for Neala, opened a blog that I updated multiple times daily, and started a Face- book page as well devoted to Neala and her con- dition. I spoke to one other breeder who had ex- perienced PRAA in one of her kittens (sadly, the kitten did not survive long enough to even at- tempt the surgery) and I spoke with dog owners who had also went through the surgery. Dona- tions started to roll in, but also suggestions- sug- gestions for surgical centers all over the country.
We spoke to surgical centers in California (just as expensive as Nevada) to Arizona to Michigan (we actually considered flying Neala to a vet hospital in Michigan because I believe the price of surgery there was significantly lower then locally). We were then directed to a center in a neighboring state and that was when we found a board certi- fied surgeon, along with a state of the art surgical center, that had performed PRAA surgeries on
dogs, including a Chihuahua puppy, and their price was from $1000-$2000 lower then local. After my vet spoke to the surgeon and ensured they understand exactly what Neala needed, we booked the surgery and planned a trip out to Salt Lake City, Utah.
During this time, Neala was on a strict diet of Science Diet A/D mixed with kitten glop. It was a very liq- uid diet, but she was rarely regurgitating it and she was even gaining a little bit of weight! She was a playful, happy kitten, although she did not have the energy level of her siblings. She would climb up your back and roost on your shoulder while the other kittens played and she seemed to crave attention and warmth even more so then the typical Sphynx kitten.
Our plan was simple- we would drive the six hours out to Salt Lake City early in the week, have Neala‘s surgery the next day and then within the next 24-48 hours, if she survived the surgery, she would be released back to us and we would return home. We booked a hotel using reward points and soon I was on the road with Neala towards Salt Lake City and her surgery to correct her PRAA.
We checked into the hotel that night and settled in to await the morning. Neala was running and playing in the hotel room- climbing the comforter onto the bed and romping on the carpet. She acted just like a normal kitten, albeit a very thin tiny kitten. That night, for the first time ever, she climbed onto my lap and started to purr. It was at that moment that I truly believed that Neala would sur- vive her surgery- I had no doubt in my mind that her strength of spirit would persevere and that she would wake from her cor- rective surgery.
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