Senior Cat rear/hind leg knee injury

[jhilmil]

My cat is 16 years old, has thyroid problem since 3 years and is on special diet and medicine.

Recently he was feeling lower energy and sounded like congested breathing and he stopped jumping on couch all of a sudden.

We took him to the vet but seems like the vet damaged one of his rear knee while trying to diagnose arthritis. Before going to the vet, he was perfectly normal except for lower energy and not jumping on window or couch, but after coming back from vet he can barely walk.

Wanted to go to another vet to get an opinion as to what may have happened during examination.

Wondering if anyone here has any idea as to what the vet may have done to damage/aggravate the knee. Do they use force to twist knee/joints to check if there is any pain?

Seems like my cat may have had arthritis since quite some time but they hide it and he was always very active running at high speed in the home or jumping 3.5 feet on window or playing chase with us (just 3 days ago). So the assumption is about 3 days ago, his arthritis may have become severe enough that he cannot jump high anymore hence he stopped but since we did not know all this, we thought his health is going down and he may have some upper respiratory infection.

The vet also said that he has a tooth infection and has given him antibiotics. Also his ear was packed with some ointment to treat for bacterial/fungal infection.

But all in all, his leg appears to be the one which has become a major issue and is painful to watch him suffer through minor movements also.

 

[jhilmil]

More information:
Everything was fine with my cat before this vet visit. He was eating fine, bowel movements were fine and urine output was normal (due to thyroid issue we keep an eye on all these).

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I am not saying it isn't possible that the vet injured your cat's leg, but it is more likely that your cat (his name?) did something to aggravate that leg and the vet checking it out just 'added insult to injury'. Sounds like you should probably have x-rays done to see just what is going on in that leg. I am surprised the vet didn't suggest that.

Are you saying he is no longer eating and litter box habits have changed since the vet visit? That could be due to the amount of pain he might be experiencing from whatever is wrong with his leg. But, given his other health issues (congestion, tooth infection, and fungal/bacterial infection in his ear), they all could be impacting how he is feeling. And, antibiotics can also make a cat feel rough.

Cats of that age can go downhill fast, do not delay getting him checked out.

 

[Kieka]

It also could be that you are dealing with multiple issues and it's just too much for him to hide the leg pain right now. My boy has bad arthritis in one leg from breaking that leg twice three years ago. About a year ago he had an abscess and the medications caused a reactive constipation issue that required an enema to clear out. It was a whole nasty mess for two weeks trying to straighten it out. Made more complicated by the fact that under the stress of everything else my boy was showing his leg pain. So the vets originally thought he had broken or dislocated his hip because of his symptoms but it ended up being constipation but he reacted to the leg pain more. Basically, he might be normally able to hide the leg pain or tolerate it but the tooth pain and ear issue on top of it is making him just overall less tolerant of pain.

Cats really do hide pain and discomfort well. It's why a lot of people think their cat is fine until one day they just collapse under a slew of issues that they were hiding. Or, to put it a different way, if you have a cold and your whole body aches it doesnt mean you have skeletal issues, just everything hurts because you feel bad. I wouldn't necessarily think the vet hurt his leg right away. Wait for the ointment to do what it needs to with the ear and get the dental work needed with the tooth. I would then look at arthritis options because he is probably hurting all the time and just has been hiding it. I know after my boys issued were cleared up we figured out an arthritis treatment that doesnt cause bad side effects for my guy and I notice a difference from before the abscess. Made me realize that he really was hiding the pain for a long time and I just didnt notice it.

 

[jhilmil]

Thanks for all the replies, this is very helpful.
Cat name is Jhilmil, he is a male cat.

Good news: he is recovering from his legs issue and looks very cheerful now. He is able to walk, go to bathroom(urinate only) and eat properly now.
But its been 48 hours since he had bowel movement. He did not eat properly for about 36 hours after vet visit. He has been eating ok for past 24 hours though.
I will try to call my other vet to see if he needs medical advice, I am scared to go to my current vet.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Glad to hear Jhilmil's leg is doing better! He will likely have a BM soon, now that he is eating again - but you can also try to give him a drop or two of olive oil in his food if you think he needs a little bit of help to get things moving again.

 

[jhilmil]

Good news... Jhilmil is back in shape as though nothing happened. Due to antibiotics he is still a bit sluggish/lethargic but everything else looks great. He had BM yesterday, everything is normal.

We went to my previous vet, didn't take Jhilmil with me because I am afraid to let anyone touch him without extensive discussion and full knowledge of after effects.

And to everyone's surprise he has started jumping back on the couch.......we still could not believe it that just 3 days back he was barely able to walk 10 steps before taking 30 mins rest.

Now we are planning to buy some carpeted steps for him so that he can take that to get on to couch instead of jumping with the assumption that he has arthritis and he maybe ignoring pain.

Also will start arthritis treatment with supplements (fatty acids, I think Omega 3) and Glucosamine/Chondrotin.

Vet is recommending Adequan injections for Arthritis, will do some research to figure out side effects.

We will also take him to my previous to get the bad tooth examined and maybe removed if it is no good, is this a good idea?

I am not a religious person, but feeling blessed to see Jhilmil bounce back so quickly...thanks everyone for your support.

 

[jhilmil]

Oh well, I am back in the worry zone again. Antibiotics may have made him lose appetite, he has reduced eating dry food significantly due to which no BM since almost 48 hours.

Is it time to panic, shall I take him to vet tomorrow or can I wait another day?

We are giving him 4-5 drops of olive oil in his chicken treat, twice a day, which he is still eating.

 

[FeebysOwner]

How long does he have until the antibiotics are done? They can upset the stomach, just like they do with humans. Are you feeding him food when giving them to him - that helps reduce stomach upset. Can you try some canned tuna or chicken in water, or baby food meats (no seasonings), to see if he will eat those - especially right before/with/or after the antibiotic?

You might want to call the vet and ask about the stomach upset - and the lack of BM - and see if they have any recommendations. You kind of have to weigh the lack of BM with the amount of food he is taking in. The less he is eating, the longer it will take for him to have a bowel movement. The vet can also prescribe an appetite stimulant if he continues to not eat more than those treats.