Sam Can't Walk

[weebeasties]

Sam had his vet visit today and to quote his vet, "That's weird".
Sam was very cooperative by displaying both back legs collapsing under him several times. She agrees that he is having quite a bit of pain and sent us home with Buprinex.
She wants us to give it a couple of days to see if there is some soft tissue injury that improves. She has an orthopedic surgeon in mind if we need to go that route.
She also gave him some lactose because it has now been almost 60 hours since he last pooped.
She checked to make sure that he had good blood flow to both legs. I had her go ahead and do a wellness blood panel since we were there. I'll get those results Monday.
All in all, not a very informative visit, bit she did spend over an hour with him and she eased my mind a bit. I've been so worried that there was some hidden issue that was life threatening.
So for the next few days we are to encourage him to try to walk so his muscles dont atrophy.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

You said the er vet had manually luxated his knee(s), and also that the er's xray showed the knees having issues. Did this vet today try manually luxating Sam's knees?

It's great that you got a blood chem panel... things like low potassium can cause back leg weakness.

Sending good vibes that the cause can be found very soon! I hope it is not any cardiovascular issue!

 

[tinydestroyer]

I'm so glad that Sam got his vet visit! And that he got a non-Metacam option for his pain. I sure hope that the blood panel, and the next few days, bring some info to you and your family. Thanks for updating us! I've been thinking about Sam all weekend, and I'm sending good vibes your way!

 

[dustydiamond1]

I just read about poor Sam just now and Gypsy and I are sending our best wishes.

 

[dustydiamond1]

Thank you tabbytom ,
Isabelle was such a huge part of our life and SO LOVED. She was so young and her death was completely unexpected. We got her and Sam from the shelter the same day and they were inseparable ever since. They had never been apart before we took her into the vet Tuesday and on Wednesday she was gone. Before his injury, Sam had spent all Wednesday evening walking around the house trilling for her. He must be so confused! His best buddy is gone and he's in pain and he doesn't know why.

 

[tabbytom]

Sending Sam lots of

 

[weebeasties]

I was going to call off work today so I could have Sam at the vet's office as soon as they opened because he still was constipated.
Then HE POOPED!!!!

Literal tears of joy were streaming down my cheeks as I scooped the litterbox! Never has there been so much happiness over cat crap.
Now at work waiting for vet to call with blood results.

 

[tabbytom]

Thank goodness!

 

[dustydiamond1]

I was going to call off work today so I could have Sam at the vet's office as soon as they opened because he still was constipated.
Then HE POOPED!!!!

Literal tears of joy were streaming down my cheeks as I scooped the litterbox! Never has there been so much happiness over cat crap.
Now at work waiting for vet to call with blood results.

 

[weebeasties]

The vet called and said Sam's bloodwork came back normal except for one that had something to do with his muscles, but she felt that was because of his injury. She asked how he was doing and I told her he seemed in much better spirits and we got him to do quite a bit of walking yesterday, but didn't like it when I mentioned that he has these "episodes" of back leg collapses about every 8 or 10 minutes. She said she was going to discuss this with some other doctors and call back later today.
After I got home from work I saw that Sam is not doing so well today. He doesn't want to stand at all and when he tries his legs seem very weak, like they don't want to move. I'm getting worried that they are missing something. I am going to get a third opinion from a vet that also does orthopedic surgery so maybe he can look at this from two different angles (if that makes sense).

 

[weebeasties]

You said the er vet had manually luxated his knee(s), and also that the er's xray showed the knees having issues. Did this vet today try manually luxating Sam's knees?

Sorry, I missed your question earlier. She did manipulate one knee and said it was popping in and out. She didn't do the other because she felt he was in enough pain and didn't want to cause more.
I asked if she needed to do more xrays to show more of Sam's spine. (The er xray only showed his pelvis and legs) She felt that a good idea would be to sedate him and lay him out for a good view but said an orthopedic vet would probably want to do their own set and didn't want us to be double charged for the same procedure.
She does think there is another issue in addition to the luxating patella, she is just having trouble trying to figure out what it is.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

weebeasties , I am so sorry Sam is still having problems! I am worried. I had a chance to check out some of your recent threads, too, and I saw that you have really been going through some very, very tough things lately.


Sending a lot of good thoughts your way . . . . . .

 

[weebeasties]

I may have the answer as to how Sam got injured. The cats' favorite perch is at our dining room window. Yesterday I heard a hiss and looked up in time to see a stray cat sitting outside on the window sill. Keith went crazy and smacked Sunshine, who was beside him, and then slammed himself against the widow screeching. So redirected aggression perhaps? This cat, who coincidentally looks a LOT like Sam, could have jumped up on the widow sill and freaked Keith out and he took it out on Sam. It is pure speculation, but it is a possible explanation for how Sam got injured. Keith weighs about 22 pounds so he could easily do some damage.

 

[1 bruce 1]

PushPurrCatPaws
Thank you so much for the information. I watched Milly's videos (boy, was it hard - Milly looks quite a bit like Isabelle).
The very first video looks a bit like how Sam is walking now (when he does walk). I never saw him walk oddly before Thursday morning though. I have noticed that he was never much of a jumper. I think I even posted about it on here when he was still a kitten. I had mentioned it to the vet at his last visit about 6 months ago, but he didn't see anything to be concerned about.
Sam will be 2 years old in April. I've had him since he was about 8 weeks. Never seen him limp. Then I woke up early Thursday to hear screaming, hissing, growling. (In all the time I've had him, never heard a growl from him before) Found Sam under the couch. I finally convinced him to come out and he was walking up the cat steps and his legs gave out and he fell. Screaming, hissing again. I think he's in a lot of pain and not being a "drama queen" as the ER vet suggested.

I am so happy that Milly's surgeries were successful.
I hate the thought of Sam being operated on, but I will do anything to get him out of pain.

The ER vet needs someone to whack him or her across the kneecaps with a baseball bat and then tell them to stop being a drama queen.
What a ridiculous thing for a vet to say to the owner of a cat that's screaming in pain and falling over.

 

[dustydiamond1]

How is he doing today? It certainly sounds like as good an explainiation as any. Is there anything you could put outside to keep that cat away from the window?

 

[1 bruce 1]

A thought, way out there.
I got home one night to one of my normally active cats tip toeing around, puffed up, acting weird. The only thing I noticed was a lot of books were knocked off the book case but I didn't think much of it.
The next day this cat refused to walk, and any attempt to pick her up or touch her was met with growling (she's NOT a growler at all). She's not the best built cat in the world to begin with, but she had pulled a muscle in her back and it was giving her muscle spasms every few moments. She'd lay around and shake. She was given something for the pain to get her through the next few days and after that, when she was well enough to travel a bit, a wonderful chiropractor worked on her a few times and got her back to normal.
I know he's got knee problems, but it seems like when legs don't work as they should, it throws the whole body out of whack. A slight shift in weight while walking can over time create a bit of a mess, which is why people who experience foot problems might experience hip, back, or knee problems in the future.
Whatever it is and however it's helped, I hope he's back to normal ASAP.

 

[weebeasties]

How is he doing today? It certainly sounds like as good an explainiation as any. Is there anything you could put outside to keep that cat away from the window?

I have the blinds in the window closed so our cats can't see out. I did see that cat on our back patio this morning and I clapped my hands and hissed to chase it away. I felt like such a jerk. It's not this poor cat's fault. I would have no problem letting it hang out here, but I can't have Keith beating up our other cats because of it.
I honestly would never have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Keith has always been such a friendly goofball. He loves every person, cat, and dog he's ever met. There must be something about this one that he doesn't like.

 

[1 bruce 1]

I have the blinds in the window closed so our cats can't see out. I did see that cat on our back patio this morning and I clapped my hands and hissed to chase it away. I felt like such a jerk. It's not this poor cat's fault. I would have no problem letting it hang out here, but I can't have Keith beating up our other cats because of it.
I honestly would never have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. Keith has always been such a friendly goofball. He loves every person, cat, and dog he's ever met. There must be something about this one that he doesn't like.

I agree, it's not this cats fault but you have to keep peace abounding! Sometimes I think they look in to say hi, and other times I think they come along and look in to get a rise out of the cats inside.
I have a girl so territorial that the very sound of an angry cat (one of our own wailing in disgust in a carrier awaiting a vet visit) sends her into a pissed off fit, and she'll walk up to the nearest innocent cat and slap them and scream in their face. It's crazy.

 

[weebeasties]

A thought, way out there.
I got home one night to one of my normally active cats tip toeing around, puffed up, acting weird. The only thing I noticed was a lot of books were knocked off the book case but I didn't think much of it.
The next day this cat refused to walk, and any attempt to pick her up or touch her was met with growling (she's NOT a growler at all). She's not the best built cat in the world to begin with, but she had pulled a muscle in her back and it was giving her muscle spasms every few moments. She'd lay around and shake. She was given something for the pain to get her through the next few days and after that, when she was well enough to travel a bit, a wonderful chiropractor worked on her a few times and got her back to normal.
I know he's got knee problems, but it seems like when legs don't work as they should, it throws the whole body out of whack. A slight shift in weight while walking can over time create a bit of a mess, which is why people who experience foot problems might experience hip, back, or knee problems in the future.
Whatever it is and however it's helped, I hope he's back to normal ASAP.

Thank you so much for that. I have been wondering about pinched nerves or pulled muscles....I am taking Sam to an orthopedic on Monday so maybe a new set of eyes and a new set of xrays will shed some light on the problem.
Right now I am trying to figure out why he is constipated. He pooped Thursday, then again on Monday, but then not again until today (Wednesday). I have been giving him Miralax, tuna water, and adding extra water to his wet food. Sometimes he will dig in the litterbox for a long time, squat for 2 seconds and then get out without doing anything. I'm really worried about this. I don't know if it has to do with his injury, or is a separate issue.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Thank you so much for that. I have been wondering about pinched nerves or pulled muscles....I am taking Sam to an orthopedic on Monday so maybe a new set of eyes and a new set of xrays will shed some light on the problem.
Right now I am trying to figure out why he is constipated. He pooped Thursday, then again on Monday, but then not again until today (Wednesday). I have been giving him Miralax, tuna water, and adding extra water to his wet food. Sometimes he will dig in the litterbox for a long time, squat for 2 seconds and then get out without doing anything. I'm really worried about this. I don't know if it has to do with his injury, or is a separate issue.

Of course I don't know about Sam, but our girl went 24+ hours without peeing and 3 days without pooping at all. The pulled muscle was, surprisingly, in her back, not her leg, and I think any time she attempted to "Assume the position" was unbearable. If he squats for 2 seconds after miralax and digging around, I do have to wonder if there's something that's hurting when he attempts to squat.
I hope the orthopedic can help!! For now, I'd just keep his box available as I know you do. I have a cat that has had constipation problems from IBD/digestive stuff and he rarely squatted for 2 seconds, he usually would squat for a good minute or more at a time, you could see his muscles straining. He'd give up, hop out, and then re visit.