"Brother Love", an indoor/outdoor, unneutered, male cat did not come home one night. In fact he was gone for more than 2 weeks. But as good fortune would have it, he was found by a neighbor six miles distant, in the crawl space under their home. He was in rough shape. With no food he had lost 40% of his body weight. His left foreleg was shattered, rotting and hanging by a thread thanks to a gunshot wound. He was in shock and delirious from malnutrition and starvation induced liver damage. During his rescue, a normally loving, gentle soul instinctively lashed out and viciously bit his owner, Lori, several times before being caught and placed into a carrier. While Lori was in the emergency room having her wounds tended to, "Brother Love" was rushed to the Eastern Maine Emergency Veterinary Clinic to begin his long, arduous road to recovery.

Brother Love's open wound starts to heal.

Subsequent to a left forelimb amputation on Labor Day weekend "Love" developed a severe, highly antibiotic resistant bacterial infection under his incision! After weeks of conservative management at home and here at Veazie Veterinary Clinic it became apparent Brother Love needed additional, fairly aggressive surgery to resolve this nasty infection The owners were forced to make a very difficult decision as this seemed like a gigantic step backward. But he had been through so much already they wanted to give him a chance. An area of skin the size of a DVD as well as much dead and dying underlying tissue had to be removed to afford him any chance of beating this microscopic opportunist. The once closed incision now had to heal as an enormous open wound.

Healing and feeling better!

The first week was real rough and painful for him. But nature's amazing healing powers and a potentially kidney toxic, injectable antibiotic shrunk the wound dramatically. In fact, as I write this story, the wound is the size of a dime!!! The infection has resolved. He is no longer on antibiotics. He is no longer wearing a bandage. He has regained all of his weight and is adjusting to life with three legs nicely. He is once again the sweetest, most relaxed well adjusted cat on the planet. Hopefully now that he is neutered and an indoor only cat his one remaining life (having used up the other eight during this saga!!) will be a long and healthy one full of sunsets and paper umbrella adorned fruity rum drinks!!!

All bandaged up!

We can do a lot as Veterinarians. But without loving, dedicated human companions and caregivers "Brother Love" would not be with us today.

By the way, Brother Love belongs to my brother Dan and his wife Lori and I'm now affectionately known as "Doctor Love".

Ecstatic, Michael C McCaw DVM