Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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These pictures are so cute!!! Catrick and Nancy Drew....
You have the best names for your cats! I'm so happy to read this great update. It really looks like Nancy is turning the corner in recovery. Can't wait to see some video. As your Bet said, she's adjusting and her mobility will get more "normal" check out the tri kitty cat exercises Jerry mentioned.
Happy Cone Removal Day Nancy Drew!!!!
Hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Happy Cone Removal Day Nancy Drew!!!!
WHOO HOO, Nancy, you are FREE to be a cat again. Yes, im confident you will see improvements minus the cone.
It does take watching and tweaking for our tripawds, so excellent job figuring out the litter box and what is working for Nancy. That makes complete sense to me because she has support on the sides to lean into and hopefully not fall out. I would have freaked out, too. I'm sorry for you both. You will need to do the same throughout the house, watch for troublesome areas, and hear me when I say do not underestimate Nancy on three legs. She will still do & try all things on three. Our job is to make the doing as safe as possible. Think about steps and traction in areas if you don't have carpet. Rug runners and yoga mats work.
LOL, your description of Nancy and the boys:) I love Catrick adores her, and glad she does tolerate him Good boy Catrick! he says I am going to help you heal Nancy!! Adorable pics💝
Those are teeny miralax doses, and I suggested that since she had the poops before, a typical dose is 1/4 tsp twice daily. It is rare for Purrkins to get bound up, but he has on meds. Thats what I gave him: 1/8 tsp twice daily. Purrkins brother received 1/4 twice a day, sometimes 1/2 tsp. Yep, it's great to have tools within reach. Wide range of dosages 1/16 th tsp & up to 1 tsp miralax. It is dose-dependent, so if you get the poops, you know to do less. It is safe, odorless, tasteless, and reliable. Having CKD, you need tools. If you have yet to see this website, it is gold with lots of information, and sometimes it is too much, depending on the person .TANYA'S COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO FELINE CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE One to bookmark. Plus, there is a support group.
Thanks for the update and for sharing the furmily with us. You are now heading into your new normal.
Give them all a chin scratch from us
((Hugs)))
Holly, Purrkins & Saxton in the sky 💫
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Awwww life is great! Congrats on no more cone! I love those photos, she and Cattrick are adorable 
Sure, when you get a chance, that video will be great, and especially for the vet. Seeing her at home will give a clearer picture just in case she is experiencing any pain.
Oh and let's hope there are no more backflips out of the litterbox! Yikes! 
A few updates on sweet Nancy today.
Her incision must be itching because she’s been licking like crazy this afternoon. So much so that one spot is especially irritated and the vet thinks we should wear the cone a while longer 🙄
OSU called with the report from the surgical biopsy and it was not great. They found that to tumor was indeed consistent with injection site sarcoma (her initial biopsy showed osteosarcoma, but they did not see any findings to indicate that in this report). The margins are negligible. She could be a candidate for radiation to try to hold off recurrence, but the closest facility is 2 hours away. And the repeated anesthesia could cause her kidney problems to worsen.
Nancy stretched her legs around the house a bit today and had a little face time with the boys (David and Catrick). They were curious and she kept her annoyed growls to a minimum.
Here’s a short clip of her getting around.
GO NANCY! She's pretty dang mobile and totally defies her age! 
I'm sorry she has to wear the cone longer. UGH! I remember having a surgery incision that itched like mad, so I totally get it. Did the vet recommend anything you can put on it? I'm always curious.
So it sounds like based on the path report that it's going to be palliative care for her? Totally fine of course, just curious. I'd probably do the same thing based on all those factors. Cancer sucks all around and when you're dealing with a senior cat or dog, quality of life is even more important. You are doing SO GOOD with her! Love that recovery ward too. Nice setup!
I think palliative care is probably the path we’ll follow. I might get the radiation evaluation just to see what they would recommend, but it seems like a lot to put her through.
The oncologists did feel like this was the most likely outcome, and even the amputation was palliative in their eyes. I’m still hopeful, though.
They did not advise to put anything on the incision, but it seems like there’s got to be something to help.
I have used this before, Veterinary Formula Clinical Care Hot Spot & Itch Relief Medicated Spray, 8oz – ( google the name to find) Chewys has it and several other places. It took care of terribly itchy - Purrkins had a reaction to his medicine once and was tearing his face apart. This made all the difference. I sprayed it on a gauze pad and then applied it to the skin to not scare Purrkins. It saved us both lots of frustration, and his face healed up. Ask the vet if it would be ok since the stitches are out.
Im sorry on the pathology. And yes, get the information on radiation so you have it and then decide. Having the information is gold in making decisions. It is a lot of visits & sedation unless you have access to stereotactic radiation or things have changed; this is what we were quoted in 2016 when we explored all our options.Our options were surgery to remove as much of the cancer as possible (Purrkins was on his wrist carpus ), Followed by radiation 16-20 treatments that would be every day, Monday through Friday, weekends off. Purrkins would have been sedated all those visits. The cost of surgery was $1400 to remove the masses. Radiation was between $7,000 – $9,000. If cancer returned then amputate $2,000-2,500 . Obviously; we chose to amputate for the best chance of eradicating it.
I do better (we are all different) knowing all options to make the best-informed decision possible, always putting our furmily members and qol first. Making those choices is and can be exhausting. Follow your gut instincts & yes HOPE!!! That will always be the right decision!! Nancy is happy to be here and has the absolute bliss of NOT knowing all the details. Don't tell her either:) Also, consider seeing or consulting with an integrative vet. They will help support the immune system, etc., with whatever path you do choose.
Whoo hoo, Nancy, you go, girl. DITTO Jerry. She defies her age, which alone gives you HOPE !!! Excellent job on the traction
and raised food bowl!!
Thanks for the update & keep us posted please!!!
Give the kids a chin scratch from us and an extra smooch to Nancy.
(((Hugs)))
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Just a quick check-in from Nancy Drew - we are still doing ok though this past week was a bit of a drag for both of us. Nancy finally reached her limit on the collar and was getting pretty antsy to take it off, but every time I removed it within minutes she was trying to aggressively lick her incision causing irritation and some bleeding. The vet did not want us to use the spray, but I picked it up anyway (thanks for that tip, Holly). I ended up letting her go cone-free on Sunday with close supervision and she eased up on the licking. Today the incision looked much better, even without the spray. I'll keep a close eye on it, but hopefully we're finally done with the cone (especially because I accidentally broke it while cleaning over the weekend 🤦♀️).
Going cone-free has the added benefit of giving her more stability in the litter box, but she's still trying to find her footing when pooping. The last couple of times she's given the litter box a shot, but ended up laying outside to do her business. Hopefully that will resolve as well as she gets stronger.
Thank you also, Holly, for the tip about the integrative vet. I hadn't considered that but reading up on some of the treatments available it seems like a great option for us. The only downside is that there aren't very many in my area and getting in to see one is proving difficult. I'm strongly considering finding a new primary vet altogether, but the whole process of finding someone new is a bit overwhelming. But ours cut her hours and is difficult to get ahold of with questions, and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get past how long it took to get to the bottom of Nancy Drew's limp.
Oh no, Nancy was back in the dang cone. 😞 I'm sorry for you both; I'm glad you asked the vet about the spray. I was hopeful since the stitches were out. She was doing a number on it, more than itchy. Im afraid she as having some break thru pain going after the incision like that. Did the vet mention that? I bet Nancy was happy to see the cone break;) I'm sorry I had a little giggle and glad for Nancy. I'm sure it was a OH poop moment, but I SO HOPE the cone days are over.
If you're looking for a new vet, I HIGHLY recommend a Feline Practice. See if you have one in your area. https://catfrie.....fessional/. You can always try it once before making the switch. If you find one like ours, you will wish you had done it sooner.
We drive an hour plus to get to our Integrative Vet. Thankfully, Purrkins does well in the car, so it's not a big deal. Try these links if you have not already. https://www.ahv.....ap/ord=lnm. or https://vetloca.....native.php. maybe something else will pop up. 🤞🏻
I can see why Nancy would have a hard time pooping and figuring out her balance. She found a way that worked the dear girl. She will have her new body and balance figured out in a couple of weeks, being cone-free. The cone added another challenge for her; now it's gone and its all new again. Her poop looks ok ? It's not dry and hard balls? Asking just in case it is taking longer to come out because she is getting constipated. Or if it's her learning that balance to poop.
Thanks for the update. Give Nancy and the kitties an extra smooch from us, please.
You will have to add a new pic of Nancy officially cone free 😽whoo hoo now leave that incision alone Nancy.
Hugs
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Well we had a little bit of a setback this week, and Nancy was issued a new cone 🤦♀️.
She had a spot along her incision that was getting irritated, and I ended up sending a pic to the vets at OSU because it was getting darker and darker (you can see the progression photos here). They were more concerned about the redness and what looked like discharge. They had me get it checked out thinking it could be infection or recurrence - they suggested having it palpated and doin a fine needle aspiration. I got her to the urgent care vet that day and they said there were no signs of discharge, it was flat/not nodular and there was nothing to aspirate. We could have done a biopsy to send off to the lab, but I opted to wait and see. They did find two small nodules (smaller than a pea) they said could be recurrence or could be scar tissue under the skin - so I'll watch those as well.
I know that the cancer will come back, but it was pretty shocking to think it's happening so soon.
I didn't get a clear answer on why that area was getting darker, but I also didn't push that at the time. Neither the vets at OSU or the urgent care vet seemed to think it was a big issue. The urgent care vet did say when she sees skin get pigmented like that it sometimes stays dark.
Nancy's back in the cone when I can't keep an eye on her and is also back on gabapentin in case she's licking due to pain. I've got a follow-up visit with the urgent care vet for a re-check in a week just in case.
Thank you for those references, Holly. I'm still trying to get in to see an integrative/holistic vet and researching more about a primary vet.
Overall, Nancy's still doing well. She's happy to be out and about in the house, is getting around well and adapting to the 3-legged lifestyle.
Oh dangit, sorry about the re-coning! Smart move. How great that she doesn't seem to mind too much and is still herself! YAY!
Try not to get hung up on the vet's theory about what the lump could be. They always have to give worst case scenario, and we always have to hope for the best until tests tell us otherwise. When your vet sees her again they can give you a better idea of whether or not it needs aspirating, just don't wait too long to get their take on it.
We also see skin change pigment colors after amputation, they're right, that wouldn't be unusual.
Would you mind if I put those incision photos in our gallery? They are super helpful!
Thank you for the reassurance. I'm definitely a jump to the worst case scenario type, so this has been a lesson about not worrying too much 😉. It's also been hard without a go-to primary vet, but hopefully we'll get that settled soon.
Please do post the incision photos! I can provide them in a different format if needed, too. The first one in that series is 2 weeks, 3 days post-op (I have a bunch!).
We are sorry to hear Nancy is back in the cone shoot Nancy. ☹️ I was hoping the last one breaking was your sign you were done with the dang thing. I see your progression photos. I do see the concern about redness, 26th and the 1st, but on the 8th, I think it looks like a normal healing incision, similar to what I saw with Purrkins.
The coloring pigment the dark area - our cats have the same pigments on their skin as their fur. It is only apparent once we have major shaving and surgeries. Take the fur away they have the same markings on their skin. Is it not her normal tabby pigment coming through? It looks that way to me. Do you see her hair stubbies coming in on top of the concerning dark skin area? It is black fur. Is no one saying that? Im merely sharing my observations;) You would have to look for a picture of that area before she was shaved to see if it is her normal.
I am glad to see the gaba back in when she is insistent on grooming that area she is showing pain signals , so hopefully, the Gaba soothes her, and Nancy will not feel the need to go after the incision. I'm very hopeful the color pigment is just that, and I'm glad there was nothing of concern to biopsy. Yes keep an eye on it as you are.
It is effortless to jump to the worst-case scenario on this journey and what we ALL do. It is double-sworded, honestly! It's also good to bring anything up of concern like you are and be told it's nothing so we can let it go or we know we need to worry more. I'm just saying it's a fact. Never worry about bringing something of concern to the vets attention.
You are welcome on the resources. I hope something pans out for you so you can feel more confident in this journey.
I am delighted to see this pic. She says, What the fuss all about, hoomans;) She is absolutely adorable. Give her a smooch from us, please!! Thanks for keeping us in the loop!
(((Hugs)))
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No one has mentioned it being the natural pigment, and I think the concern (at least on my end) is that it's getting darker. She has a mix of dark and light fur, and no other dark spots of the skin that I can see, but I hope that you're right! It is interesting that her darker fur is growing in much faster than light.
I can't find a picture of our boy's example quickly, a Google search provides what im trying to describe. Thank you unknown kitty;)
You remove the hair. The same markings are underneath. That's what came to the forefront of my mind. I'm not 100% sure, but it is something to remember. Markings go through and through, and Nancy's may be different now as much was taken and sewn back together.
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