Atlantic
Animal Hospital is proud to present Bob Garner as Companion Animal of the Month
for June 2008. Bob is a 10 year old Domestic Short cat with a bob tail. He
is the loyal and outgoing companion animal to Kim Garner, who Bob adopted in
Calhoun, Georgia as a kitten. Kim found Bob in her garden one morning
chasing chipmunks, and assumed that he was a stray kitten. Every day Bob
would visit Kim, so she eventually set up a bed for him on her front porch
where he slept every night. At one time, Bob disappeared for several days.
When he returned, it was apparent he had become very ill with a upper
respiratory infection. Kim took Bob into her house and nursed him back to
health for two weeks. It wasn't until months later that Kim's neighbors
came by looking for Bob, when Kim realized that Bob had a home the entire time.
Later that year on Christmas Eve, Kim's neighbors presented Bob with a green bow
around his neck as a gift and Kim happily
adopted him.
Bob's favorite place to relax and play is outside. He loves to chase lizards around the yard and present them to Kim as gifts. If there is a full moon out Bob loves to race around the backyard in circles, climb a palm trees, and howl at the moon. Some of Bob favorites toys include a fishing pole,a laser light, and crumbled paper. Bob is also known to have a sense of humor, he will wear sunglasses on his back with the nose guard over his bobbed tail!
Bob was first presented to us in August 2007 for possible
constipation. Radiographs, blood-work, stool analysis, and physical exam
findings showed the diagnosis to be constipation leading to obstipation.
Constipation is infrequent, incomplete, or difficult defection with passage of
dry and/or hard feces. Obstipation is intractable constipation caused by
prolonged retention of very hard and dry feces. Defecation becomes
impossible when a patient is obstipated. This was the case for Bob and the
underlying cause for it all was suspected to be Megacolon. This is a
condition of increased bowel diameter with low to absent colonic motility.
Dr. Sukhija and the staff treated Bob by initially performing enemas with warm
water and stool softeners. Bob was then sent home with oral and
suppository stool softeners, an antibiotic to protect the colon, and a
promotility agent called Cisapride. Unfortunately, this drug is no longer
available commercially and Dr. Sukhija had to attain it from a compounding
pharmacy. Megacolon tends to be a chronic problem and it is only possible
to manage the disease versus curing it. The Garner family has been very
good about medicating Bob and adjusting dosages as need. Over the past
nine months, Bob has had a few incidences that required enemas to be performed
in our hospital. Therapies for constipation, such as a high fiber feline
diet (Hills W/D), canned pumkin, and over the counter fiber supplements have
been added to the overall treatment plan. The eventual goal has been to
manage Bob's Megacolon so that there less incidences that warrant enemas.
Bob is very special to his human Mom, she believes that they are kindred sprits. His loyalty became most apparent to Kim when she was very ill in 2001. Bob laid beside her all night long and kept his paw on her arm as if to say he was there for her. The Atlantic Animal Hospital team and Kim have worked together to help Bob through the tough times. Kim's love, support, home medical therapies, along with nursing care at our hospital have allowed Bob to return to his normal playful self.
Back to Atlantic Animal Hospital