Expert: Jana Connell RVT, CVT - 8/27/2011

Question
Hi Jana, I asked the question below about the kitten with swollen stomach.  Took back to vet monday. My regular vet was there. THe vet that saw the kitten told my vet the symptoms, no blood in urine or stool and not throwing up and she said it was a hernia without looking at her. Did xrays and hernia surgery and spaid her while she was under. Came out of surgery tuesday. Wednesday she started breathing harder. Did chest xray. She has a collapsed lung. Vet said could have gotten air in chest while she was in surgery. She tried getting out of with straw but no luck. Kitten was getting restless so they stopped.

She said the kitten needs to recover from this surgery before doing anything else. Surgery was tuesday i brought her home today. She has been breathing hard off an on.  I gave her a small quarter of a pain pill they told me to give her. She has an apt tuesday to stay and may do more xrays. Vet said it is very unlikely to have a hernia in the chest too. When she did the xray she said the stomach and intestines are where they are suppose to be. She is in tomorrow so IM gonna drop her off on the way to work. I dont like the deep breathing and she hasnt slept yet and you can see her breathing in her throat some.

What can i do for her to help the breathing. She is laying on her side. It doesnt seem to be any way she is laying that she is breathing better. She has eaten and used the bathroom since she got home 6 hours ago.  I just want to help her breathe better and dont know what to do. Any other suggestions  to make her more comfortable.  She is laying in my chair right now so i can  watch her close. Thanks Susan

Answer
Well if she had a diaphragmatic hernia she might have a hard time breathing for a bit afterward, however, the surgery should have repaired that.

What kind of surgery was it? If she did have the above, and her lung collapsed, it does take a few days for the lung to fully recover.
If she is laying on her side that is actually a good sign as animals will lay sternal if they cannot breathe well. That means on what we would consider her chest in the front. They lie like that if they are stressing over breathing.

Lying sternally allows more lung expansion.
There isn't a lot you can do right now Susan except keep an eye on her.
I am a bit confused about the vet saying that she wouldn't have a hernia in the chest, since that is what a diaphragmatic hernia is.

It is when the muscle that we use to expand our lungs develops a tear in it allowing the contents of the abdomen to push up against the lungs.

Air in the chest wall will do two things: It will resolve on its own, but it's better to get it out (easy to do with a large needle) and it will make it hard for the kitten to breathe because it causes pressure against the lungs.

As long as her color is pink in her gums and tongue and she is eating, drinking etc, she is probably on the road to recovery.

Keep an eye on her color and watch her off and on. It sounds to me that she is doing okay although I realize her hard breathing is painful to watch.

But as I said, her color is more important. If the hernia is fixed, then she should be fine in a few days.

Please keep me posted on how she is doing.