my little boy just had his leg amputated....

[jezmondo69]

as mentioned in a previous thread, our 9 month old tom, "Trio" who we adopted with 3 and a half legs, has just come back from the vets, his "stump" was causing him some bother (he would bump it on things when playing or jumping about)

he was booked in for thursday (tomorrow) to have the operation to remove whats left, but he bumped it and they got him in a day earlier. the operation was done today and i have just got home with him. it looks pretty good really, a nice neat sort of dome.

he seems pretty good considering he has had his leg removed, been castrated and had a micro chip inserted (i wouldnt want all that done to me in one day im sure!)

he is now on the bed, lying very quietly. he has been fidgetting about a little but seems comfortable now. he did look like it was a little uncomfortable but doesnt seem to be in continuous pain or anything.

he was given an injection for pain relief before he left and this will last for 24 hours apparently.

it may seem like a silly question, but im guessing him being a bit off is pretty normal after such an ordeal? he did get up and go for a wee as soon as i got him home so he can move about ok.

sorry if i sound like im a big worrier, but we love him very much and just want him to be ok now.

 

[aegisrose]

We're all big worriers over our little furry babies, you're in good company here

He will be off for a day or so... anethestics (not to mention pain meds) make them dopey and calm.  As long as he is responsive to your touch and voice (lifting his head up, ackowledging you, etlc) and isn't coughing / vomiting / diarrhea he is likely fine.  Just "Resting up" after such an ordeal. 

Keep water close by and try to encourage him to drink a lot (it's tough with cats, but try). Keeping him hydrated will help him feel better.

Hope he recovers quickly!!!

 

[jezmondo69]

he has never been much of a drinker, unless its cat milk!

ill do my best with him, i have cancelled work tomorrow so i can stay home with him,

he is responding to being stroked on his head, fingers crossed!
 

 

[pushylady]

Poor Trio! I'm sure it will be for the best though to get rid of the stump.
He will be "off" for a couple of days. That anesthetic can really disorient a cat/person for a while after they come out of it.

 

[ritz]

And, don't worry if he throws up--it can be a side effect from the anesthetic.

Vibes and hugs for Trio.

 

[aegisrose]

Oh yea~  Ritz is right...  a little puking could be a side effect from the meds.  Just watch for anything excessive.

It sounds like he's doing good so far.   MANY GOOD VIBES TO YOU BOTH
 

 

[michalann65]

We have a little girl who must have similar circumstances.  Apparently sometimes when they come from rescues that don't have much money (and few do) they do these partial amputations like yours must have had and we had one too.  Ours was such that she was thrown into a pond wrapped in fishing twine by a couple of young boys and left to drown.  She managed to get out but her leg literally amputated itself at the site where the twine was the tightest.  The foster mother said the vet just cleaned it up and left it to heal like it was.  The bone was sharp and right at the end of the stump so she bumped it a lot and even jumped from places and hit it once in a while causing her great pain.  We had it taken off and she has gotten along fine.  She did have a few little issues in coming out from under the anesthesia but it soon passed.  Actually the first 12-15 hours made a big difference.  And the pain meds did make her a little strange acting.  She slept a lot though.  Good luck to your baby and you but I think you definitely made the right decision. 

 

[socksy]

As far as worriers go, I think this forum has a disproportionately high number of them (including myself) lol.  I hope your boy recovers quickly.  I'm sure once he's healed up, he'll be much more comfortable and probably adjust really quickly.  Good vibes to you both!  

 

[jezmondo69]

thanks guys, im a real worrier! im staying up with him tonight to make sure he is alright.

Michalann65 its very much as you described, except that when i got him from the original owner, i was told the umbilical cord had beeb wrapped around it and that caused it to die and fall off. i was always suspiscous of this and since then all the vets have agreed that this is probably not true, and he was most likely injured while he was very young.

either way i got him knowing there could be future problems (and vets bills!) but decided that he could be given a good home here as it seemed noone else wanted him. despite everything i dont regret it at all and whatever happens im happy that i have done my very best for him.

thanks again for the vibes and support, its been a stressfull month or so i can tell you, but its good to know there are others out there who care.

 

[StefanZ]

Michalann65 its very much as you described, except that when i got him from the original owner, i was told the umbilical cord had beeb wrapped around it and that caused it to die and fall off. i was always suspiscous of this and since then all the vets have agreed that this is probably not true, and he was most likely injured while he was very young.

either way i got him knowing there could be future problems (and vets bills!) but decided that he could be given a good home here as it seemed noone else wanted him. despite everything i dont regret it at all and whatever happens im happy that i have done my very best for him.

1.  This with umbilical cord wrapped around and severing, does happens, rare but happens. A couple different forumites witnessed in the Pregnant forum. One even about one week ago.

Usually it happens when the mom is delivering alone.  In some cases it even happens several kittens get wrapped together, almost like the so called Mouse King.

If there is a human watching and helping, they can help and unwrap the kittens.

2. Yes, the surgery made surely the stump "more professional", a sort of practical plastic surgery.

The bone ends lying nicely in a muscle pad, no nerves nor blood wessels wrongly placed...

He should be better now.

3.  Tree legged cats usually manage just fine, if they dont have other damages or sickednesses.

They learn to have practically full mobility, including vigorous jumping and hunting.

"he seems pretty good considering he has had his leg removed, been castrated and had a micro chip inserted (i wouldnt want all that done to me in one day im sure!)"

Micro chip inserting is really not so nice, it IS rather painful for the cat. Be happy he had it done while sleeping - one unpleasant moment less.

Good luck!

Good luck also for MichelAnn65!

 

[orientalslave]

I have heard of the cord cutting off the cirulation to a hand or foot in humans, so reckong it can happen with cats.

And I suspect the surgery removed the bones in the stump and of course tidied it all up.

 

[angels mommy]

Aww, poor little guy. What a big day he had!  The others are right, we all love our fur babies, so we all worry.

Your a good daddy to stay home an extra day with him, & keep an eye on him.  I'm sure it will make him feel better. I would be doing the same thing!!

for Trio!!!

 

[jezmondo69]

just a little update really,

trio is doing just great, hes getting around brilliantly now, better than ever before. the actual stitched up seam looks like its healing very well, and he doesnt seem to have any pain in that area as he can lay down on it, and has let me touch the shaved area.

finally managing to relax a little now as he seems to be very happy. he has however pretty much just slept solidly for the last few days, much like my other cat, shelby. the weather is pretty bad here in the uk at the minute, were snowed in, so while its cold were all wrapped up keeping warm and trying to just sit it out!

thanks again for all the vibes and support guys
 

 

[angels mommy]

Aww, that's great news. I'm glad he is doing well!

 

 

[orientalslave]

Good to know he's OK, cats usually heal very well and he will be getting around in no time at all.

My cats are sleeping a lot at present, they don't like going out in this weather!