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Emergency vets come to Minnie's rescue on eve of nuptials
A mischievous cat nearly died after she poisoned herself eating her owner’s wedding flowers.
Super-cute Minnie had a nibble at a bouquet of tall white lilies while her owners were busy putting the final touches to their wedding day.
Unbeknown to Minnie, lilies are highly toxic to cats and even the smallest amount of the flower can, if eaten, lead to fatal kidney failure.
Fortunately, Minnie’s quick-thinking owners spotted worrying signs of orange power around her mouth and nose – and realised immediately what had happened.
They called our pet emergency hospital in Manchester for advice and even as they were on the phone poor Minnie began being sick.
She was then sick again in the car as her owners dashed across the city to bring two-year-old Russian Blue Minnie in for treatment.
Emergency and critical care vet David Owen was part of the team who treated Minnie.
Because she was visibly upset and unhappy at being touched, they had to sedate her before carrying out blood tests. They then hooked Minnie up to a drip and began the urgent task of flushing out her kidneys.
And all this just 36 hours before the bride and groom’s big day.
David, who has worked with us since 2016, said: “I’ve dealt with a lot of pet emergencies but never one that was a wedding emergency as well.
“There was a risk of acute kidney injury and Minnie certainly didn’t make it easy for us to treat her.
“But the good news is she pulled through after three nights under close observation and I’m glad to hear the wedding went ahead as planned.”
Minnie was brought into Vets Now around midnight on Thursday and her owners’ wedding was due to be held the following Saturday afternoon.
The lily drama began earlier that day when the bride brought home a load of wedding gifts and cards from her work colleagues, including flowers.
She and her husband-to-be then went to the wedding venue to sort some last-minute issues and that was when Minnie got hold of the lilies.
David added: “Having something like this happen to your pet is just about the worst possible preparation for a wedding, which can be pretty stressful at the best of times.
“So we did everything we could to look after Minnie and keep her owners up to date.
“We texted on the Saturday afternoon to say that she was doing fine and would be ready to come home on the Sunday morning and to say we hoped the wedding was going okay.
“The bride told us later that she burst into tears of relief in front of all the guests as it was a big burden lifted from her shoulders.”
The bride and groom posted an emotional thank you on our Facebook page saying:
“Vets Now have been absolutely amazing when treating our cat Minnie, who had accidentally come in to contact with some lilies two days before our wedding day.
“They were very accommodating in looking after her, keeping us constantly updated and keeping her in until we could pick her up the morning after our wedding. Everything was so quick and we are beyond grateful for what they did!”
Since the wedding, Minnie has made a full recovery and the fur is now growing back where it had to be shaved off to get two fluid lines into her paws.
The bride said: “I can’t thank David and his colleagues enough – they were so kind and thoughtful.
“Knowing that Minnie was in their safe hands meant we could go ahead with the wedding but we were still racked with worry.
“They say your wedding day is the happiest day of your life … well, it certainly felt like that when David’s text came through!
“I could have done without the drama of course – but it’s all ended happily.”
All of Vets Now’s premises always have a vet and vet nurse on site.
We also offer an online video consultation service to make professional veterinary advice more easily available.
While the service is not suitable for life-threatening emergencies, our experienced vets are available to discuss any worries or concerns you might have.
If your pet needs an in-person follow-up appointment at any vet practice, Vets Now will refund the online consultation fee, so you never pay twice.