Pebble's Trip to the Vet: Dental Extractions, Abdominal X-Rays and an Unusual Amount of Sublumbar Muscles

It's been a busy week in cat care terms. 

Pebble had to see the vet for dental extractions (five teeth). Though she is a healthy, almost ten-year-old cat, her teeth appear to be a weak point. Following her first trip to the dentist back in 2019, this was the second dental she has had in as many years. She appears to be recovering well from the procedure and will hopefully feel the benefit of the extractions going forward.

During the course of Pebble's dental intervention, we decided to take advantage of the anaesthetic and had a small lump removed from her thigh, which thankfully turned out to be a lipoma and not a dreaded mast cell tumor. (Following Pickle's death from colorectal adenocarcinoma I was preparing myself for the worst.) 

We also had abdominal x-rays taken to see whether these would provide a clue as to why  Pebble appears to be constipated at times and has a tendency to scoot across the carpet after visiting the toilet for a number 2. 

After ruling out the obvious culprits, including parasites and anal gland issues, x-rays were the next logical step.

Abdominal X-Rays and Pebble's Sublumbar Muscles

I am now pleased to present the two most expensive images taken this year so far: 

Image no 1 of Pebble's abdominal x-rays:

Abdominal X-Ray Pebble (Feline) 

Image no 2 of Pebble's abdominal x-rays:

Abdominal X-Ray Pebble (Feline) 

The vet's verdict on these images was after all inconclusive. He wasn't able to see anything obviously wrong, but commented that he had thus far never seen a cat with as much sublumbar muscle; and it is this muscle mass that sadly obscures the view. 

The option exists to get these images further evaluated, but for now I think we stick to adding fibre to her diet and upping the water intake to keep her moving regularly.

When comparing Pebble's x-rays to the abdominal x-rays of Pickle, who sadly passed away at the onset of 2019, there is a stark difference and even a layperson can see that the images of Pebble's abdomen are a lot more obscured and lack clarity.

Just judging by how Pebble feels when being cuddled, it is also true that, given Pebble's overall size, she is a very muscly cat with the ability to jump effortlessly. 

I obviously didn't realise until now that the amount of muscle makes her somewhat of an exception in anatomical terms, whilst I have secretly always been of the opinion that the local wildlife benefits from her being kept as an indoor only cat. (She would be a ferocious hunter and bird killer, given her overall agility.)

For comparison here are images no 1 and 2 of Pickle's abdominal x-rays: 

Abdominal X-Ray Pickle (Feline) 

Abdominal X-Ray Pickle (Feline)