I am sure that most readers of this article will have, at one time or another, stubbed their toe! You will no doubt remember then the excruciating pain that ensued and the tears that welled up into your eyes.

Consider then poor Tom, a young cat less than a year old who no doubt partly due to his inexperience found himself being VERY closely chased by a dog! Just as he was making his escape, as he darted under the fence at a speed that only cats can reach his assailant managed to grip the very tip of his tail in it's mouth.

Now imagine stubbing your toe and repeating the process over and over again and you might just reach the level of discomfort that Tom might have been experiencing when every last piece of his skin was stripped from his tail leaving a long, raw, inflamed and bleeding appendage hanging behind him.

This was the scene that greeted me when Tom was presented at the Fairfield Veterinary Centre two weeks ago in the middle of evening consultations. The treatment option was straightforward, we had to amputate.

Whilst there is a remote possibility that over a period of time the skin might regrow, the pain and complications that would need to be overcome to achieve this were never in Tom's best interests. Consequently, Tom was admitted immediately and the surgery was performed that evening.

"Tom" and I would both like to extend our appreciation to those who ended up waiting longer than usual without complaint. There is no doubt that "Tom's" need was greater than most.

Two days after surgery and Tom was jumping up onto cupboards looking for his dinner! At least that tail won't ever slow him down again!

Terry Dunne BVMS, Cert SAO, MRCVS

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