Cat left unable to eat after being savaged by a dog is on the mend

Poor Peaches was bitten on the head during the attack, which caused significant wounds and left her unable to close her mouth.

A dislocated jaw was also suspected, but CT scans at paragon Veterinary Referrals in Wakefield revealed the damage was more severe - a fracture between the left and right side of the lower haw.

Surgeon David Barker decided the only remedy was immediate surgery, a procedure which required him to remove the joint on the left side of Peaches’ jaw and wire the fracture back together between the lower parts of the jaw.

He said: “Peaches had a chronically dislocated jaw which had become permanently stuck out of place. This meant she was unable to close her mouth at all.

“To resolve this, we needed to operate and remove the joint on the left side of her jaw entirely, leaving just the joint on the right side.

“Her jaw immediately relaxed and Peaches could open and close her mouth again.

“Next, I wired together the fracture between the lower two parts of the lower jaw. Both procedures went very well.”

The drama wasn’t over, though, as Peaches recovered slowly after surgery, hampered by the inevitable swelling and discomfort in the jaw which left her unwilling to eat. This meant more treatment was required.

David said: “A few days after the operation we had to place a gastrostomy tube through the skin and into Peaches’ stomach. That way we could give her food without her needing to chew.

“Thankfully, Peaches responded well and quickly began to improve and we allowed her home as soon as she was able to eat a little food herself.

“She’s since made a good recovery and is a very happy cat again – a happy cat and a very hungry cat.”