Meet Royston - RTA

Warning:

This article contains some graphic images that some might find disturbing.

Royston is a 6-year-old domestic short haired cat that presented to Rosemary Lodge after being involved in a road traffic accident. He presented with traumatic brain injury and was intensively treated for the first 48 hours. 

He was then referred to our medic Federica for advanced imaging which showed multiple fractures in the mandibular region, maxilla and other fractures were present over the nasal sinuses. He became very anaemic due to the trauma. He received a blood transfusion in ordered to stabilise prior the surgical repair of the jaw fracture. The day of the surgery he was still anaemic and a decision to perform a xenotransfusion (the transfusion of blood from another species in this case dog blood) was made while he was having the surgery with our surgeon Jon Shippam. His recovery went well. An oesophagostomy tube was placed to allow nutrition. He came recently for a check and he is doing very well. Due to the severe trauma, he cannot close his mouth perfectly, but he is still awesome.   

A recently published article reviewed 49 cases of cats given emergency canine blood transfusions. The study concluded that xenotransfusion of canine blood to cats is a potentially life-saving procedure in emergencies when feline blood products are not available. 

If you have a case that you would like to refer to us, please visit the ‘Refer a case’ section of our website.