Update on Ida B!
Ida underwent major surgery on Tuesday, having a sizable piece of her jaw removed, multiple badly damaged teeth extracted, and had her open facial wound covered with a flap of extra skin.
Needless to say, she is in rough shape, as you can see from her photo. In order for her jaw to remain stabilized, and to heal properly, the dental surgeon fused her canine teeth together, basically wiring her mouth shut. There’s a small space between her top and bottom teeth, so she can drink and eat if she desires, but currently her mouth is so sore, all she does is drool out of this space. She shows a great deal of interest in eating, but when she actually takes a lick, she recoils in pain, which is perhaps the most heartbreaking thing in all of this.
Because she can’t eat normally, Ida B. has what’s called a PEG tube - a feeding tube leading directly into her stomach. She has to be syringe-fed nutrient-dense soft food through her tube four times daily, over the course of a half-hour each feeding so that she doesn’t get nauseous and vomit. Ida is also receiving antibiotics twice daily through her tube to fight off infection. The little “sweater” you see on her in the photo helps the tube stay safely against her body and prevents her from interfering with it.
Ida receives two doses of Buprinex daily to help with her mouth pain. Unfortunately, this medication has to be given orally, which in itself is quite painful for her. If only we could explain that all this hassle is an effort to help her in the long run.
Despite all this, Ida B. is still as sweet as she can be. She happily sits on my lap, purring, as I feed her through her tube. She is so good-natured and such a fighter that the veterinarian gives her a good prognosis at recovery and a normal life. Eventually.
Please share this post with as many people as you can. Ida B’s surgery cost Tenth Life over $1,000, and her continuing care will add at least another $500 to the expense of saving her life. Any amount, no matter how small, can help.
