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

Update for anyone who might be interested:

vet called this evening, the specialist who did the first surgery took a look at the X-rays and compared them to the ones post op. He said the bone density looks weak near the screws. He does think it’s a good option to get the plate out but he would need a CT scan to check that the bone density isn’t so weak that there is the potential for refracture, so they need to check whether it’s actually safe to remove the plate first. The cost of the CT scan alone is £1,400 😵

At the minute the meds are working, he is his usual self and walking on the leg. So the plan is to keep him on the meds just while we save up a little bit for the surgery. His insurance renews in July so that will help. I am going to speak to the specialist and ask for an estimate of the whole total cost of everything so we know how much we need

Makes you wonder if he’s better off as he is on the painkillers and left alone .

Do you think? The problem is, the pain meds are just masking the problem. It’s the plate that is causing the issues and the bone weakness. So if it’s safe to take it out and there’s a chance that he will be pain free again without meds then it seems like the better option than to just leave him and give him pain killers every day for the rest of his life. I will be having a very thorough chat with the specialist vet about this though to make sure and will be asking these questions

Hello again @canwegetanothercat Sorry I've been MIA!

Sounds like you have at least had some advice that makes sense, and have a plan . That's good, but goodness the potential cost! I hope insurance can cover some of the bill! If you çan keep him comfortable in the meantime that's good.

Agree with you that removal of plate seems best plan (to this layperson !) otherwise from what I understand things will just deteriorate over time. I guess he may end up on permanent pain meds in due course for arthritis etc, but keeping the plate in doesn't seem a good long term option. That's just my own non expert take on things.

Many years ago one of mine had a very small plate in her paw in an attempt to correct a deformity and increase mobility. I am pretty sure the vet tried to 'seed' material over the plate but it didn't work, it became infected and had to be removed. Unlike your boy, this was to a large extent an optional procedure and in hindsight I do wish I hadn't put her through it.

Metacam worked wonders for her though ( I can still recall its distinctive smell! )and she recovered rapidly. She is an old lady now but manages to get around surprisingly quickly with a hop and shuffle action.

Do keep us updated and a lovely cheek rub to your boy.