Santa Cruz, Galapagos
Margarita was rushed into the Darwin Animal Doctors’ clinic after being hit by a car. Upon arrival, the Doctors could see that Margarita was badly injured. She had blood flowing from her eyes, mouth and nose. Her upper jaw seemed to be broken, and she was unable to close her mouth completely.
Margarita was in a lot of pain, and had suffered extensive injuries.
Before being able to deal with the wounds, Dr. Daphne and Dr. Rosa needed to stabilize Margarita. The poor cat was in shock, needing special attention. Margarita was also given pain killers and antibiotics and was monitored through the day. Her face was still too swollen for the Doctors to be able to deal with some of the injuries, and Margarita needed more time to get some strength back.
The next morning, Margarita’s swelling had reduced, and Dr. Rosa was able to take a closer look at the damage that she had sustained. It was clear that Margarita’s upper jaw was broken, and would need to be sutured back in place. A difficult and unusual surgery, this would be no simple task. Thankfully, with Dr. Rosa’s extensive experience, she was able to conduct the surgery without complication.
During the surgery, Dr. Rosa also placed a feeding tube through Margarita’s nose, knowing that the poor cat would not be able to eat for the coming days.
While the surgery was complete, Margarita’s recovery had only just begun.
Over the next week and a half, Dr. Rosa spent many hours paying especially close care and attention to this poor cat. Part of her care involved ensuring that Margarita would be adequately fed as she could not eat for herself. Dr. Rosa sat with Margarita multiple times a day, feeding her at first through the feeding tube, and then progressing to slowly hand feeding her through her mouth. After more than a week of careful feeding, Margarita was finally able to eat by herself.
Thanks to the patience and dedication of Dr. Rosa, Margarita returned to full health, and was able to go home again with her family after almost two weeks in the clinic. Her recovery was an incredible one – Margarita is lucky to be alive.
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