Vet trips and injured leg - hand hold

[Canwegetanothercat]

Very stressed and worried at the moment. Back in December 2021 my cat broke his leg and was on cage rest. It was a very very stressful time but thankfully has been completely fine over the last couple of years and not had any issues with it. He has a metal plate in there and the vet did say that one day the plate may move and he would need another surgery to remove it.

yeaterday morning before I left for work he did not want to come inside (probably because of the nice weather), so I left him out for the day and then let him back in when I got home. I noticed he was limping so I thought maybe he has done too much running around or jumped off something and landed funny and has just sprained something as that leg is now more fragile than the other. However, when I checked on him, he was holding his paw up. He was walking on the leg, but limping badly. I took him to the emergency vet which was so distressing to him. I hate seeing how worked up he gets when he is examined. I was worried that the plate had moved but the vet didn’t seem to think so as she thinks he would be even more lame. She took his temp which was high and has prescribed antibiotics and meloxicam.

She said if he is not better by Thursday evening when I get home from work, he will need to be re-examined, but she said he should be a bit better today and almost completely fine Thursday. However, today he is still limping just as much as yesterday. I am worrying so much because I just have a feeling I’m going to have to take him back on Friday. I was relieved when she said it’s not the plate, and she thinks it’s a separate issue further up the leg as that’s where it was swollen and he was flinching and jumping whenever she touched that area. However I’m not convinced! I feel like I’m going to have to take him back for X-rays etc and the thought of putting him through it all again has me feeling sick. I just wanted to post on here for a hand hold and to speak to some people for reassurance

Hey. I don’t have any words of wisdom but I do hope your boy is ok and sending a hand hold x

Well the good news is it's not the plate.

I so understand your worry however. I wonder if it is something relatively minor but he is super sensitive to any pain in that leg because of what happened before, plus the ( unavoidable) upset of the vet visit.

Can you keep him in and spoil him rotten? The tenser he is the more it will hurt I imagine.

Of course take him back if not improved in the timescale set by vet.

Handhold extended

Yes I am relieved it’s not the plate but I’m kind of not convinced. Just because the vet said he should feel a lot better today and then he basically back to normal Thursday, but he’s not. He’s not himself either, he hasn’t moved all day apart from to walk to his food bowl which he does very slowly with a bad limp. He is eating which is good and he’s had a groom. But other than that he has just been sleeping in the same spot all day which just isn’t like him. I’m so worried 😢

thank you 💗

Yeah that doesn’t sound right. Poor guy, it must hurt whatever it is

If he is eating and grooming that's really great.

My boy came in with a huge issue, howling, leg up, hiding, the works. Was terrified. It was a torn claw.

Fixed with injection at vet and meta cam .

Yeah when he broke his leg a few years ago he was just walking on 3 legs he wouldn’t put his leg down at all. His pupils were massive and he took himself off to hide. He isn’t like that now, but definitely not fully himself. It’s hard work trying to get antibiotics down him as well!

Awww I’m so glad that it was only a torn claw for your cat! Must have been really painful for him, but bet it was a relief that it could be treated easily.

How is he today?

Not good. I called the vets this morning to say he has not improved so I took him in at 9am. They said he will need an X-ray and to bring him back tomorrow at 8am. I’m really disappointed that he couldn’t have the X-ray today because it’s just another stressful vet trip for him 😢

I am worrying about him so much, I just want him to be ok and back to his usual self

Ah baby. Do let us know how it goes

Oh dear- poor him and poor you. Let us know how he goes. I hope they gave him some stronger pain relief?

Hope you get some answers tomorrow , poor boy

No they just told me to keep giving him what I’ve got. But they said I won’t get the results from the X-ray back until next week because they will need to send it off to the specialist and wait for their report. So I’m going to ask them for stronger pain relief because I can’t leave him as he is until we get the results next week. What if he needs another surgery and we have to wait… im hoping they will agree to prescribe something stronger

here he is just the day before, enjoying the sun. My fluffy boy 💗

Oh what a gorgeous floofy handsome boy! My own two black cats send him their strongest healing vibes 🐈‍⬛ 🐈‍⬛

It's awful when they are in pain and you're not getting any answers.

With antibiotics either liquid or tablet, I add it to tuna. That always does the trick with my furries.

You can grind up a tablet either with the back of a spoon on a hard surface, or a pestle and mortar if you have one.*

Forgive me if you know this! I can feel your worry through the screen and just want to help.

If his pain is further up the leg, what do they think is causing it I wonder if not the plate?

Is he still eating and grooming ? These are excellent signs if so. The other pain symptoms are so distressing to witness though. I really feel for you both.

*( if it's made out of Italian granite by an ancient time served artisan, with a glaze of unicorn 's tears, so much the better kidding)

Sorry another question. Is the vet you are now seeing the one who first operated on his leg? If not could that vet review him?

@Words thank you, I appreciate your comments and well wishes 💗

I did grind the tablet up this morning after we got back from the vets and put it in his food. He didn’t eat it though while I was there. I am hoping he’s eaten it now but will check when I get home. Need to give him another tonight too.

They didn’t really say what they thought it was. The vet from Tuesday said he has either sprained/pulled it or it’s a bite because he had a temperature. However, today he didn’t have a temperature and the vet said it could’ve been high on Tuesday due to stress. I don’t think it’s a bite. I also just don’t know whether to believe it’s unrelated to the plate and further up his leg because what are the chances? Just seems too much of a coincidence to have happened on the same leg but be unrelated to the pre existing injury.

he is eating and grooming but other than that just stays pretty still. He hasn’t even been crying to go outside and he usually goes out every day.

I haven’t seen the vet who did his op because he was referred to a specialist vet for that because the fracture was very tricky and couldn’t be done at the normal vets

Well I dropped him off this morning for his X-rays. He was so scared, I feel so bad for him. Now to anxiously wait all day 😬

Paws crossed! I hope you get some proper answers today and that they can ease his pain.

One of mine works herself up into a terrible state in the basket. It's so distressing isn't it.

Hopefully you will get some clarity soon.

How did you get on with the X-rays @Canwegetanothercat

@Floralnomad well there’s no fractures or breaks or anything and they confirmed that the problem IS the same joint from the old injury. So the out of hours vet was wrong. They have sent the X-rays off to the same vet who did the surgery to get his opinion and he will send a report back next week.

They don’t really know the exact cause of the limp, whether it is the plate that has caused a bacterial infection or whether it’s the low bone density from the plate because he is relying on the plate which is making his bones weaker. He basically has no mobility in that joint anymore. So the options are to A. Put on medication and monitor him and it could just be that he has to be on medication for the rest of his life. Or B. Take the plate out. She said even if the plate comes out there’s no guarantee that he will improve, but leaving the plate in will only cause worsening of the symptoms because the weakness will eventually affect the whole of his leg.

So the plan is to wait for the specialist report to come back. Then probably we are going to have the plate taken out and go from there. He still may need to be on medication long term because the joint is so stiff and immobile 😔

@Floralnomad forgot to say he is currently on metacam, antibiotics and gabapentin and is clearly feeling better because although he is still limping he is zooming around the house, playing with his toys and crying to go outside. He was climbing the blinds before to get out! I don’t think I should let him outside yet though so I feel very sorry for him. I think he is bored. I’ve been trying to play with him and have put cat TV on for him as well but he just wants to go out. I don’t even know if he should be running around playing and whether it’s better for him to rest. But it’s hard to do that when the pain meds are making him feel better

It doesn’t sound like at this point it will make any difference if he runs about aside from pain control . Cats do very well generally with amputations so I wouldn’t discount that .

That's such good news about him being active. Sounds like his pain is under control.

Did your vet say anything about letting him out?

PP is right re amputation. It's an utterly appalling thought I know but it might be an option to consider if it is put to you.

I have a three legged cat - not an amputee but her injured leg isn't much use. She bounds around like a fiend.

The vet just said to for him to rest it and keep him in for a few days. But seeing as his limp isn’t better I don’t know whether to or not. But I honestly don’t think his limp will get better until the plate is taken out (I know it might not even get better then, but I think it definitely won’t while it’s still in). I might call them tomorrow to ask.

Me and my partner have already spoken about amputation but that would be a last resort, if nothing else works. We aren’t there yet, the vet did say that one day the plate may need to come out because they can start to irritate the soft tissue or cause an infection or become loose etc. the bones also become weak and lazy because the plate acts as like a cast which he relies on, and if left it this will only get worse. So we will take it out and see how he goes. He may still need medication and something for the stiffness of the joint, as he is likely to get early onset arthritis so will be medicated for that

Yes I would ring for advice about letting him out.

My boy had a serious tummy op in his younger days and was advised to keep him in for 10 days. At day 7 he stopped being agitated and just threw himself on the floor and wouldn't move or eat.

Rang vet and she said ' I think he needs to feel the sun on his back' . Wise words.

I guess it's always a balance of risk.