Size
(when grown) -
Details
Good with kids,
Good with dogs,
Good with cats,
Shots are up-to-date,
Story
Welcome Benson!
This baby bean was recently brought into Veterinary Emergency Group as a stray. Benson is a lovely little boy who is very affectionate, playful, and vocal!
Benson has been diagnosed with SEVERE Pulmonic Stenosis (PS), which is a congenital heart disease, & he also has moderate enlargement of the right hand side of his heart. PS is when the leaflets of the valve become so thickened, blood is no longer able to pass through normally, and rather ejects out. Imagine putting your finger over a hose…
Additionally, severe PS can progress to Congestive Heart Failure (also known as CHF). CHF is when fluid will develop in the chest.
Benson is roughly 6 months old.?
The question is:
is this “fixable”, what can we do?
Our Vet at Upstate, Dr. Tschosik, explained that the most common procedure for this, would be a balloon valvuloplasty. Which is typically when a jugular vein is utilized to gain access to the heart, and then a balloon catheter is inflated inside the valve. With the hope that this will stretch the valve and make more space for easier blood flow.
This surgery is estimated at $5,000 and is recommended once he is older.
We know this all sounds very scary and intimidating, but Benson is still a normal and happy kitten! Benson is active, he loves to explore and cuddle on your lap, and he does well with other cats and dogs!
Benson is a special boy and he even has a special heart to prove it!
Thankfully for Benson, he was able to find THE BEST Foster Mom early on, who has truly been here for Benson since day one, and is someone you can always count on. She is an exceptionally kind human, who always has the best intentions for Misfits.
We spoke with Dr. Tschosik about getting Benson neutered next, and if it would be safe for him. She recommended that we follow up with our primary Vet (Open Door Veterinary Care), and ultimately, she did not see a problem with him moving forward with his neuter.
All in all, we received some pretty sad news about Benson, but he’s still just as happy as ever! We know this is a lot, and we certainly didn’t expect any of it when we first took Benson in, as there were no obvious “warning signs”.
We will continue to monitor Benson, and continue to love him!
