Sooki

By the time Sophie arrived at Lort Smith, Sooki’s x-rays had been emailed through and she didn’t have to wait long before Sooki was whisked away to be treated.

Lort Smith Animal Hospital has a large surgical department consisting of four operating theatres.

We are well-appointed with orthopaedic equipment and have numerous highly skilled and experienced vets who perform almost all types of orthopaedic surgery.

Our experienced team of surgeons provide high-quality care to thousands of animals each year.

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Sophie adopted Sooki, an eight-year-old medium-haired tuxedo cat, from the RSPCA just last September. Little did she know Sooki was going to get herself into serious mischief less than a year later.

While on the phone, Sophie saw Sooki chewing on something. To her shock, she realised it was a piece of cotton thread, with the needle still attached! Sophie admits her own catlike reflexes simply weren't fast enough, and Sooki swallowed both the needle and thread before she could grab it.

Cotton thread, like dental floss, ribbon, fishing line and the like, is more dangerous than the needle itself. When cats or kittens swallow thread-like items, they can lead to a life-threatening condition called gastrointestinal obstruction, where the string-like object gets stuck somewhere along the intestinal tract.

They got the needle and thread out quickly and called me right away with an update.

Sophie

Quick action

Sophie rushed Sooki to her local vet, who took X-rays and referred her straight to Lort Smith for possible surgery. By the time Sophie arrived at Lort Smith, Sooki's X-rays had been emailed through, and she didn't have to wait long before Sooki was whisked away to be treated.

Sooki was sedated and had an endoscope procedure. An endoscope is a long, flexible tube with a lens at one end and a video camera at the other. With it, the vet was able to find the needle and thread, and slowly remove them using crocodile forceps. Watch the endoscope procedure.

Sophie was incredibly relieved Sooki didn't need major surgery, as an endoscope is much less invasive.

"Sooki had a hard time waking up so she was kept in overnight for round-the-clock observation," explains Sophie.

While still a little coughy and sneezy, Sooki has made a full recovery. And Sophie is being much more mindful of what mischief Sooki could get up to with things left out.

"I was really happy with my experience at Lort Smith. They got the needle and thread out quickly and called me right away with an update," says Sophie.

Sooki, leave the cross-stitch well alone and find yourself another hobby!

If your pet is injured or becomes unwell, please call us on 03 9328 3021.