Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Metal projectile injuries in cats - review of 65 cases
By Vnuk, Drazen et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2016·Clinic of Surgery·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Metal projectile injuries in cats: review of 65 cases (2012-2014).
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 65 cats with injuries from metal projectiles, such as airgun pellets, were treated at a veterinary clinic over a two-year period. Many of these injuries were discovered incidentally during X-rays, with the most common location being the abdomen. The highest number of cases occurred in March, and some cats had injuries in multiple areas of their bodies. The findings suggest that veterinarians should be vigilant in checking for these types of injuries, especially in emergency situations.
People also search for: cat shot with airgun · cat abdominal injury treatment · signs of projectile injury in cats
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to compare the prevalence of different types of injuries caused by various types of projectiles among urban, suburban and rural cats of different ages in order to predict the type of injury sustained. METHODS: For the period 1 January 2012 to 30 April 2014, the medical records of cats with metal projectile injuries (PIs) were searched from the archive of the university's small animal diagnostic imaging centre. Age, sex, owner address, admission during a weekend or on a working day, month of admission, projectile position (head and neck; thoracic region; abdominal region, including lumbosacral spine; forelimbs; and hindlimbs, including tail), number of projectiles, presence of a wound and fracture related to the projectile, and the type of projectile were recorded for each cat. RESULTS: Sixty-five cats with PIs were admitted during the defined period. In 38.5% of cats the projectiles found upon radiography were incidental findings. The frequency of PIs peaked in March. Airgun projectiles were found in 80.0% of the cats. PIs in two or more body regions were found in 29.2% of the cats. Among the cats that had only been shot in one body region, the projectile was most frequently found in the abdominal region, including the lumbosacral spine (41.3%). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: These results might prompt clinicians to evaluate closely and screen for feline PIs in emergency situations.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26071423/