WARNING, SOME OF THE PHOTOS ON THIS PAGE ARE EXTREMELY GRAPHIC, PLEASE CONSIDER THAT BEFORE YOU CONTINUE.
Vincent came to us as a seven month old kitten, in terrible shape. He had been an indoor kitten and in one split second, when the owners weren’t looking, he escaped out the back door. Sadly for this curious kitten, he had no idea what was waiting for him. The family’s other pet was a Labrador retriever that didn’t like cats. When he noticed Vincent outdoors, he took chase, forcing Vincent up an electric pole - where he crossed live wires. He was electrocuted and fell to the ground. Waiting for him on the ground was the labrador retriever. The dog attacked him before his owners could stop him.
Upon arrival at the clinic, Dr. McGuire noted Vincent’s whiskers were singe off, an indication of severe electrical burns. There were two large lacerations/holes on his body and his two front feet were severely damaged. The electrial damage to his feet was so severe the tissue from the wrist down had become hard as a rock! The wonderful thing about Vincent, and what made all of us want to fight for him, is that he just stood there on those little rock hard paws that must have hurt so badly, and purred, asking for love. You could see it in his eyes - he wanted to live!
Dr. McGuire performed more than twenty surgeries in an attempt to save Vincent’s two front feet and close the two gaping holes; one on his front shoulder, the other on his inner thigh. Through it all; hydrotherapy twice daily for weeks, surgery weekly, and cage rest for days or weeks in a row, Vincent never gave up, purring and head-butting everyone! Dr. McGuire and Nicole, his wife, took him to a surgical and soft tissue specialist but they were at a loss as to how to help him.
 After skin grafting and the many, many surgeries, it was necessary to amputate his feet from the wrist down. This was obviously not a decision we took lightly, but was required for his health and life. It is normal for cats and dogs to have a sixth pad higher on their leg, above their paw. A lot of people don’t even notice it. That became important for Vincent, however. If Dr. McGuire had to amputate, perhaps he could save that pad and move it to the bottom of his “new” foot. This would allow him to use it as a “pad” or cushion. On one paw the pad had not been damaged from the electrical burn, the other pad was badly damaged. We were worried about the second pad and if it would survive the amputation and moving process. Sadly, it did not. This left Vincent with one leg that has a pad on the bottom and the other without a pad. We considered a prosthesis for animals but first wanted to see how he would adapt to his new situation.
Dr. McGuire and Nicole took him home on weekends as he healed from the  amputations and adjusted to his new body. They considered keeping him in their own home permanently but devoted clients became so involved with Vincent they visited him at the Clinic. They got to know him and were disappointed when he wasn't there. The "clinic family" decided the best home for him would be where he could get the most attention, and show everyone that you can do anything. It was decided Vincent would live in our second home, Carrollton Animal Hospital.
We are happy to announce that Vincent gets around wonderfully. He manages all of us here at the clinic with his polite demands and has a wonderful life. He gets to go out on supervised  walks in the back yard a couple of times a week where he enjoys looking at the birds and sitting in the sun. Most of the time you can find Vincent in the waiting area sitting under a chair in his personal bed waiting for the next person to give him attention. Vincent is an inspiration to us all. Animals are amazing creatures, and he has the sprit of an angel and has never given up hope or his love through all of his pain.
Vincent’s owners were having financial problems and unfortunately waited four days before they  brought him to us for treatment. Due to their situation, the owners were unable to incur the substantial medical cost required to give Vincent a chance to live. They turned him over to Dr. McGuire and Carrollton Animal Hospital.
In Vincent’s honor we have set up a Vincent fund at the Clinic. Any donations are greatly appreciated. The funds donated are used to rescue other animals that need help and medical attention. Many of the other animals we have helped are listed on other pages on our web site. Most of these animals are without owners and would have been euthanized without this fund.
Vincent is a special story and a special cat. He has inspired us in many ways. We hope his story can do the same for you.
Sincerely,
Nicole McGuire
Vincent’s date of birth is September 23, 2004
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