How likely is a kitten's full recovery from Pectus Excavatum surgery?

Poor Kitten!! Without examining your kitten and seeing the results of any diagnostic tests, it is hard to determine the prognosis. I am assuming he has a diaphragmatic hernia that needs to be repaired. I have treated cats that have survived that surgery but your vet is probably the best person to give you advice on the prognosis. You could always take the kitten to a board certified veterinary surgeon and get a second opinion. Whoever kicked your kitten should be charged with animal abuse. That is really sad that someone would do that to an innocent kitten.

The problem with hernias is that the internal organs can become twisted and cut off blood supply. That is very painful and will lead to death. This is something that needs to be fixed with surgery. Depending on the severity of the hernia, it may be an easy fix and not a risky surgery. Only the vet treating Flash can tell you if it's risky or not. I hope this helps!

Hello and thank you for another question. The heart scan detected a hole between the ventricles, which is causing the blood from the two ventricles to mix. This is a condition Fuji was born with. Fortunately, there are no signs of heart failure on the scan, which means that the heart is coping well at the moment. Complete cure means closing the defect with surgery. It is possible in human medicine, I doubt it is a viable option for cats, maybe it is available at some universities in USA. In my opinion, the best way to go would be doing another heart scan when Fuji is about 12-14 months old. That will show if the disease is progressing or not and a decision about treatment can be made then. For now, I don't think there is any treatment that would make any significant difference for Fuji.

Unfortunately the chances are very low, especially because usually other abnormalities (cardiac congenital problems especially) are commonly present at the same time. An immediate check up is required to better evaluate all the possible deformities and give you a more reliable prognosis.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Jimmy. While every procedure is different and recovery can vary, most of the time patients are fully recovered by 14 days after surgery. I hope this information helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If he has already lost the ability to use his legs, he is not going to recover without surgery. If he is able to use his legs, there is a very small chance that he could recover with medical therapy but that is based on other physical examination parameters. I recommend that you consider proceeding with surgery if it has been recommended by your veterinarian. Best of luck!

The outlook for treating rickets is good if there are no broken bones or irreversible damage to the bone. The primary treatment is to correct the diet, and there should be no need for lifelong medication. Best of luck.