Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi All,
My cat Ramona had her amputation surgery Tuesday and came home yesterday afternoon. She's eating, drinking water, and generally I think doing as well as can be expected. She's able to stumble across a room to get places and has been wanting to be alone quite a bit.
However, she has not yet used the litter box. She's now peed on herself 3 or 4 times. I do my best to try to clean her up (which of course is not enjoyable for anyone). I have three litter boxes and took the lids off all of them. One litter box has an extra low dip that I bought to accommodate her recovery. I called the vet and she said she isn't too concerned given that she's 11 and the meds might be hitting her too hard given her size (with the weight loss from cancer, she's coming in at 5.9 pounds). She reduced her buepenorphin doses to hopefully help with that.
Did anyone else experiences this? How long did it take your tripawd to start using the litter box? Any ideas to encourage her? I feel so bad that she keeps sitting around being covered in urine.
The good news is Romona is eati0ng and dri and peeing (even if all over herself). Often kitties , and dogs too, don't drink or eat or pee like they should at first.
Not a tripawd kitty owner, but from what I've observed here from others, it is not unusual to want to hide or be left alone. It's also not too unusual to not deal with the litter box at first. I do know a low lip os what is recommended,
Romona still has a lot of strong hospital m3ds in her that should be out of her system by tomorrow. She probably will have alittle vit better mobility and awareness then and with the reduction of the Buprenorphine. may help her too.
We know this early part is scary and hard to see your kitty like this. Recovery doesn't last furever, just seems like it!! We know it's hard to be patient, but she just had MAJOR surgery and isn't going to be back to "normal" quite yet. Again though, it is good that she's eating, drinking, peeing.
Keep us posted and stay connected. Try and get some rest when you can. It's exhausting mentally and physically for the hoomans getting to this point.
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!
Thank you so much. This is really helpful. It IS really hard. We really are trying to be as Dog (or Cat) as we can through this. I think remembering how major the surgery was and how she just needs some time. I will say - it's now a fun adventure to find out where she stumbled her way to in the morning since three legs are not stopping her from making MOVES. 🙂
I'm glad Ramona is moving and groovin' better today! Yes, Sally is right, pain meds can make many new Tripawds wonky and wobbly. It was a super smart move of you to call your vet and get the medication adjusted, I hope it helps.
Oh and I was going to say, maybe taking the lids off the boxes is too much change for her all at once? Try putting one on and see if she tries to use that box. Sometimes not changing things is for the best even if it makes mobility challenges a little trickier. Also, I'm assuming you didn't change the litter right? That can also throw a cat into a loop and make them not want to use a box.
Let us know how today goes!
Hello Holly and Ramona,
Nice to meet you, though I wish it had been under different circumstances. It has been a long while (6+ years) since Tuxedo had his leg amputated. So my memory might be a little fuzzy. But from what I recall, until around day 5-6, he mostly slept. I believe the hospital surgery meds lasted for three days, but he has some pretty strong pain meds (buprenorphine I think it was) for another seven days. Translating to a bit of a zoned out cat. Just the way I would prefer him to be. Those first few days, aside from trying and succeeding to get out of his "kitty rehab" room, he basically moved to eat, drink, and use the litter box. Tuxedo never had any issues getting in or out of the litter box even on the first day home. But others have reported issues at first, likely due to all the good medications they are on.
So good to hear that Ramona is doing good after surgery. Eating, drinking, walking, peeing are all great things. I know I sure would not be up for doing that just a couple days after major surgery.
Best wishes
-Dawna, Tuxedo, Lilly, and Angel Dazzle
Good call! I will put the lid back on her favorite box to see if that encourages her. Probably on par with her only drinking fresh water out of ONE particular dish and only being willing to eat the cheapest Fancy Feast available haha. Litter is the same. 🙂
Ah! Sounds like she's a girl who knows what she wants out of her slave! 😉
Let us know if that helps. Good luck!
Hey y'all - back with more Ramona concerns.
She is continuing to eat and drink. She's made some gains in walking - traveling to places where we'd rather she didn't go! However, she has still not used a litter box. She appears to have not had a bowel movement since she got home Wed. She continues to pee herself where she sits. This evening, I went to get her situated for pain meds and she just started peeing all over the floor.
I'm sort of at a loss. It's a pain to clean up urine, sure. The things I am more concerned with is her continuation of not using the litter box. We've tried to adjust her medication but it seemed like we had gone too low as she started yowling. We've been dipping her back end in water in a little bowl when we've discovered she's urinated to try to clean her up but....she's getting smelly. I don't know if this is a medication issue or what. My vet cannot call me back until Monday. I just made a little makeshift cardboard box with litter in it wondering if a box with ZERO lip would help encourage her.
Has anyone experienced this? Whether with amputation recovery or with a cat peeing themselves?
Just going to pop in quickly to say that you do want to address with Vet that she hasn't had a bowel movement since Tuesday. From what I understand cats to cut can become impacted very quickly.
Additionally, have the vet checked her for a urinary tract infection or any other type of bacterial infection she may be having.
I'm sorry you're still having to deal with these issues. But there may be something underlying going on causing her too pee so constantly and do not have a bowel movement.
Extra hugs coming your way.
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!
This was my concern also. I called the vet and I did mention that she has not had a bowel movement. However, they chose to defer to the surgical team which won't be in till tomorrow. I'm going to call in again and see what they say. I appreciate your encouragement to make sure this concern is addressed. Thanks for the support and the extra hugs. 🙂
Update this AM: I took her into the vet and they checked her vitals and for signs of constipation. Vitals were normal. She had a small amount of poop in the carrier from the drive. They are not concerned and think that her slower than average recovery time is likely due to age and size. We're back home with many small cardboard boxes from cases of food to make litter boxes for every corner of the apartment.
Super glad you took her to the vet and she checked out ok. I can see their reasoning and it sounds like a wait and see approach is all you can do right now. And the extra litter pans, good idea. Has she tried to use any yet?
Did they say anything about how long you should give it?
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