Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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About a month ago, my girl Pandora (who turns 14 on April 2nd and has been my baby since 2008) got into an altercation with a new addition to the household - a doggo named Aspen whom we adopted and were trying to get adapted to living with a cat. She swiped at him from under a door (they were in separate rooms) and he bit her front right arm, likely tried to pull her under the door. She has nerve damage that doesn’t appear to be getting better and I’m fairly certain at this point she’s going to need an amputation.
I guess one thing is that I’ve been hearing a lot about different types of amputations - as in different locations on the arm. Does anyone have suggestions or perspective on this and what it means for a cat?
I’m wondering if anyone’s cat had to have an amputation at an older age. It’s one of the things that has me most worried.
Generally, I just wanted to say hi and introduce myself. I feel awful about the situation and any good thoughts for my girl are really appreciated. I’ve been reading through the forum and I cannot overstate how much I appreciate everyone’s input. I have you all and your fur babies in my thoughts.
arynzmuse said
I just wanted to say hi and introduce myself...
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Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hello and welcome. I wish you well with your kitty's leg. I'm sorry you had to find us but I'm glad you're here.
Ouch, first and foremost, aside from the horrible injury. This might not be a good match? Some dogs just need a cat-less home. I worry about her future. Sounds like Pandora has been your girl for a long time. I don't know anything except for your story here but I have seen bad endings happen, not trying to be a downer.
We have had older amputees here that have done wonderful. The surgery and recovery can be a little tough but after the healing kitties do wonderful in general. Huckleberry was only a couple years old, but his amputation was due to a traumatic injury also, and he has kicked butt! If she is in good general health I would do the general wellness bloodwork, x-rays, and if the results are positive get it done asap to get rid of her pain. My oldest cat lived to be 23. He was indoors only. I know he was not the norm, but I gotta throw it out there because yours is injury induced also and you just never know how long you have with them.
I wish you luck in your journey. I'm so sorry this has happened to you and yours. If I can be of any help just post, I'll be looking for your progress.
Jackie and Huckleberry ❤️
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry 
Hi Tracy, I'm glad you found your way here and posted!
Tracy and I chatted on the Helpline today so I can add a little to the story Jackie- they are working at placing the newly adopted pup- she is pretty sure they have a new home. It is hard because the new pup bonded with their two dogs and their kids so that has added to the stress of the last few weeks.
You should hear from some of our other cat members soon with great input.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Welcome to you and Pandora,
I am sorry you find yourself here but glad you found us!
I’m sorry to hear about the accident, and that is what this is an accident we can’t change that & you had no idea this would or could happen. We move forward the best we can.
We have had members of all ages have amps. Our oldest member was 16 years old that I am aware of. Maybe someone else can say if we have had older ones. We have had 11,12,13,14,15,16. All of our older kitties (that I am aware of? ) were from disease, not an accident.
What is Pandora’s overall health? Have the Vets said she is a good candidate for surgery?
If she is and you proceed recovery in older kitties, might take longer to recover but they may not too! They seem to sleep more thru recovery, and that is best anyway. pain management is the biggest concern and the reason we see things get bumpy in any age kitty. A good conversation about pain management before surgery can prevent that.
What do you mean exactly where on different locations of the arm? Purrkins amputation was his front left leg he had cancer on his wrist at age 6 he is going to be 8 they took the entire front leg and scapula. Most surgeons not all take the leg and scapula, we were told that Purrkins would be more comfortable without the scapula and we didn't have a choice. That was the way our surgeon did these. They don't usually leave parts of the leg unless you are going to do a prosthetic.
If I were in your shoes and I was years ago with a 16-year-old cat Garfield from an accident who suffered a compound fracture.
I would see if Pandora is a candidate for surgery healthwise and go from there. Sadly for us, it was not a choice our Garfield was not a candidate for surgery, and we had to let him go.
If Pandora is in good health and a candidate, I would proceed. Cats do amazing on three. Purrkins can do all kitty things on 3 legs and does. I have made modifications to the house added steps, rugs etc.
What is her personality like you know her best do you feel she will hop on and handle it? I was sure Purrkins was not ready to end his life and we will never regret our decision. He does better then I could have hoped for.
Here are some older kitty posts I could locate hopefully this will also help you see it is doable. Lots of links - my point being age is not always the deciding factor. All of these are because of disease. With an accident, you get rid of the painful limb and recover and live a new normal life. Hope this helps some.
Midnight: 13 y.o. cat rear leg amputation, vaccine fibrosarcoma
12 year old cat - too old for amputation?
11 y/o kitty diagnosed w/fibrosarcoma (injection site)
Resources for deciding? 16 year old cat
Bone Cancer Diagnosis for our Beloved Cat
15 yo cat - amputate or put to sleep
Our Jimmi, 14 year old cat with Osteosarcoma and pulmonary MTS
17 yr old bullied by younger cats
9 months post amputation update - Tripawd Cat Jerry
Please let us know if we can help with any other concerns you have.
I will be out today but will check back in later to see if we can answer some of your questions.
We are sending good thoughts to Pandora and you!
Hugs,
Holly & Purrkins
So sorry, just an awful thing to go through. Even worse when children and other family members are involved.
Nobody would have seen that coming. How many times new furbabies come in and get to know the rest of the family by sniffing and playing from underneath a door. Countless times.
Holly gave you a wealth of links and great information.
Please let us know how you progress and we'll help any way that we can.
Jackie and Huckleberry ❤️
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
hi
So sorry to read about your Pandora..I know it must terribly worrying for you trying to decide what to do. Look if Pandora is in good health then I would definitely amputate if the vets think it will be a less painful life for her. Actually, my cat was 14 when she had her second amputation and she was not in great health. She still thrived and was pain-free so don't let her age be an impediment alone. As far as the amputation site goes. I am not a big fan of partials on cats. They tend to use the remaining part as a crutch which can lead to sores that never heal. I speak from experience on this matter and I still wish to this day I had insisted on the full amputation the first time around ( actually I do recall insisting but that is another story) because I ended up having to put my angel through a second operation to give her a full amputation in the end. But if your vet has a plan and you trust your vet, please do talk with them too. All of our experiences while the same in many ways are unique as well.
Please don't worry about your girl. She will do beautifully I am sure of it. You will be amazed what our feline friends can do.
sending you much love
Joanna
Ohhhh my gosh I'm sorry for the terrible incident, my heart goes out to all of you! But she survived, it show's she's a fighter and would probably recover really well from amputation surgery.
To answer your question:
I guess one thing is that I’ve been hearing a lot about different types of amputations - as in different locations on the arm. Does anyone have suggestions or perspective on this and what it means for a cat?
Sounds like you've done your reading, so yay you! Well, generally the partial amps are useful if an animal is going to use a prosthetic. But otherwise what we see here is that partials can lead to healing issues, especially if the vet doesn't leave enough tissue at the end of the remaining limb or instruct the pet parent about the proper ways to care for the wound. If a prosthetic isn't in her future, it would probably be a safer bet to go with a full amputation. Discuss it with your vet, of course. Also, see:
Partial vs. Full Leg Amputation for Pets, What’s Better?
One more thought....we were told by rehab therapists that any time a nerve injury happens, and it appears the limb can't be used again, you want to give it at least 3 months and regular ongoing rehab therapy before going the amputation route.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Okay, first of all, you guys are awesome. Thank you so much for your understanding and helpful responses, the links, everything. I'm overwhelmed by it and cannot thank you enough. On top of it, I have to mention that the pet photos I'm seeing of your guys are RIDICULOUSLY adorable. I'm having trouble posting a photo of my girl right now, but I will as soon as I can. It makes me feel a lot better that there are other cats in Pandora's position and they're happy and doing their feline thing.
Karen is right (hi Karen, and thank you!) - I didn't get into it in the post, but we are rehoming the dog. As much as we all (Pandora excepting) love him, he's never going to be safe around her and it's not fair for anyone (doggo included) for us to keep him. We're keeping him in our household (with extra safety precautions) until we get him into another home for his sake and the sake of the shelter whose helping us find a home for him - we've found what seems to be an awesome family who really adores him, and it appears that he'll be joining their family within the next week. Our Labrador is never, ever going to forgive us when he goes.
I'm really lucky in the sense that the overall health report I'm getting on Pandora is good. They did some blood work on her after the injury and they didn't see anything overly concerning - nothing at all beyond what they would expect for a cat that's been through trauma. She had a checkup last fall and also got a good report at that time with no concerns. She does chill and sleep a bit more now that she's older, but generally and thank goodness, she's in pretty good shape. My husband and I were encouraging her to bounce a bit around the house (just a bit and under supervision (obviously, no doggos involved) last night. I have no idea what's normal, but she is getting around on her three working legs fairly well so I'm optimistic on that level that once the amputation happens (assuming it does), she'll be able to get around even better without the nonfunctional leg in her way. I'm also lucky that it doesn't seem to be bothering her - she's not shoing any inclination to self-harm, which I was told by the vet was a big concern.
Right now, I'm fairly certain a prosthetic isn't going to happen for her. I guess I'm wondering (and I apologize for not making this clearer in my original post) is if anyone has any insight on what it would mean for Pandora if they did or did not take her shoulder bone? I'm told that either is an option and I won't get to speak with the surgery team to ask what their recommendation is for another week and a half or so. I've been reading about and have gotten some heads up about pain management after surgery - I'm pretty flummoxed that animals would be sent home after a surgery like this without it, but I really appreciate the heads up and will make sure that I'm on it with her. I have to admit - the more time goes on post incident and the better she feels, the harder time she's giving me about taking her medications. One of my biggest worries is having to get into battles about it with her. 🙁
Again, you guys are amazing.
OMC is that her avatar?!? She is BEAUTIFUL!!! I am so glad that physically she is looking like she is in good shape. That will be helpful either way. I cannot answer about the front amp, plenty here can and will though. Holly has tons of experience with that. Huck is a rear leg amp and they actually only took the bottom half of his femur and down.. right where it was broken into 2. The bone had already started healing and was smooth with no sharp edges at all so they left well enough alone. He does not have much of a stump, and so for him it does not hinder him. I was concerned at first but it is short enough that it doesn't cause him any issues.
Have you tried wrapping her in a towel like a burrito to medicate her? If you can drape a towel over her and gently wrap her so that only her head is sticking out it may make it easier to medicate her. You'll have to be careful of the arm, and it may not work because of the arm, you will know better than I if it might be do-able. Is she taking pills or liquid? You may also be able to syringe medicate her. They also make a kitty "pill-er" which works very well. I smeared a little butter on Huck's pill, loaded the pill gun, and shot it in the side of his mouth, lol. You gotta be quick with a feral kitty 
Hope some of this helps you. I am sorry you have to rehome your pup, it stinks I know. Looking forward to seeing more pictures, she really is adorable! Adding Photos <--- when you have some time this may help you with adding pictures, if not give a yell and our techies will give you a hand.
Hugs,
Jackie and Huckleberry
Hugs,
Jackie, Bo, Andy, Oscar, Phoebe, and the coolest feral tripawd kitty Huckleberry
arynzmuse said
Right now, I'm fairly certain a prosthetic isn't going to happen for her. I guess I'm wondering (and I apologize for not making this clearer in my original post) is if anyone has any insight on what it would mean for Pandora if they did or did not take her shoulder bone? I'm told that either is an option and I won't get to speak with the surgery team to ask what their recommendation is for another week and a half or so.
Glad we could be of help.
Usually it's not a remaining scapula that's the problem, it's a remaining leg bone. If the surgeon leaves Pandora's intact, it shouldn't be a problem. But ....
Many Tripawds do have a scapula but in many surgeon's eyes, removing it is "cleaner" visually. I agree with that. Flip through our photo gallery of TriKitties and you'll see the different ways a Tripawd's body can look with and without. I think the vast majority of front-leg amputee cats don't have a scapula, so finding a photo of one that does may be difficult.
Removing the scapula is a slightly more involved surgery but if your surgeon has lots of experience with amputating limbs including the scapula, it's a no-brainer.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Sorry you find yiurself here, but, as you can see, this is the best place to be for support and information!!
I know the decision to rehome your adoptee is sooooo hard. Clearly you have big hearts or you wouldn't have adopted this sweet pup in the first place. But trying to "rehome" a fourteen yr young cat whose been with you all those years and who needs an amputation and lots of tender loving care...nope....not an option!
STAY CONNECTED and know that we are cheering for Pandora. As you can see from some of the posts, age is just a number around here!
Joanna's post is not only about her 14 yr young AMAZING kitty, but Three Paw handled being on TWO PAWS lived life to the fullest like a CHAMPION!!! Tha ks for posting Joanna! Three Paw is still inspiring others!
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!
PS...THANKS FOR BEING THERE FOR HER KAREN!
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!
arynzmuse said
Okay, first of all, you guys are awesome. Thank you so much for your understanding and helpful responses, the links, everything. I'm overwhelmed by it and cannot thank you enough. On top of it, I have to mention that the pet photos I'm seeing of your guys are RIDICULOUSLY adorable. I'm having trouble posting a photo of my girl right now, but I will as soon as I can. It makes me feel a lot better that there are other cats in Pandora's position and they're happy and doing their feline thing.
I cant tell you enough how cats get about on three please take a look at Purrkins youtube videos! We documented his journey so others can see and hopefully that will take away some of your fears away! As I mentioned, we made modifications to the house, steps, rugs, and we cut his litter box out to help Purrkins get in and out. We all do things a little differently, and our cats are all different. We need to remember we take a spare or spares and want to protect the 3 or 2 remaining limbs the best we can.
Karen is right (hi Karen, and thank you!) - I didn't get into it in the post, but we are rehoming the dog. As much as we all (Pandora excepting) love him, he's never going to be safe around her and it's not fair for anyone (doggo included) for us to keep him. We're keeping him in our household (with extra safety precautions) until we get him into another home for his sake and the sake of the shelter whose helping us find a home for him - we've found what seems to be an awesome family who really adores him, and it appears that he'll be joining their family within the next week. Our Labrador is never, ever going to forgive us when he goes.
I'm really lucky in the sense that the overall health report I'm getting on Pandora is good. They did some blood work on her after the injury and they didn't see anything overly concerning - nothing at all beyond what they would expect for a cat that's been through trauma. She had a checkup last fall and also got a good report at that time with no concerns. She does chill and sleep a bit more now that she's older, but generally and thank goodness, she's in pretty good shape. My husband and I were encouraging her to bounce a bit around the house (just a bit and under supervision (obviously, no doggos involved) last night. I have no idea what's normal, but she is getting around on her three working legs fairly well so I'm optimistic on that level that once the amputation happens (assuming it does), she'll be able to get around even better without the nonfunctional leg in her way. I'm also lucky that it doesn't seem to be bothering her - she's not shoing any inclination to self-harm, which I was told by the vet was a big concern.
I never made it back last night, and I see you have received a lot of great advice.
Right now, I'm fairly certain a prosthetic isn't going to happen for her. I guess I'm wondering (and I apologize for not making this clearer in my original post) is if anyone has any insight on what it would mean for Pandora if they did or did not take her shoulder bone? I'm told that either is an option and I won't get to speak with the surgery team to ask what their recommendation is for another week and a half or so. I've been reading about and have gotten some heads up about pain management after surgery - I'm pretty flummoxed that animals would be sent home after a surgery like this without it, but I really appreciate the heads up and will make sure that I'm on it with her. I have to admit - the more time goes on post incident and the better she feels, the harder time she's giving me about taking her medications. One of my biggest worries is having to get into battles about it with her. 🙁
Again, you guys are amazing.
We were told Purrkins would be more comfortable without his scapula (shoulder). I didn't ask more because we didn't have a choice in the matter. As Jerry said most do take the scapula (shoulder.)
pain management (lack of) is the biggest reason we see recovery not go smoothly we have to insist upon meds! Three days is not enough medicine after we amputate a limb. I do not know why this continues to happen but it does, and some only come home with a long-lasting pain injection. That is ok if we have a backup or are going back to get another injection. That is an option for you if you have trouble getting her meds in. They can also send Pandora home with a patch.
If the cat is drugged & dopey like they should be it should be easier for you to medicate her. (Should;) liquids are easier for me to get in and I put the cat in between my legs so they cannot back up! A cat will always back up to get away! Stand behind her or tuck her in your legs! If she is a biter then this changes. Ask your surgeon the plan for meds before, during and after and duration and know what the plan is. Once this goes into motion, it is easy to get distracted! Make notes and get what you can answered beforehand!
See if this helps you any on medicating Pandora.
Administering Medications to your Cat
I did not know Three Paw was 14 and Yes she will always be helping others and her Mom! Here is Three Paws forum link. She had two legs and hopped on so know how doable this is, and Pandora will have a quality of life!
Any two paw cat owners out there
I would ask your vet or surgeon about this. Maybe they can get the leg going again?
jerry said
One more thought....we were told by rehab therapists that any time a nerve injury happens, and it appears the limb can't be used again, you want to give it at least 3 months and regular ongoing rehab therapy before going the amputation route.
Hope this answers some of your questions and ask anything more that comes up!! We will do our best get you into a new normal.
Keep us posted, please!
Hugs,
Holly & Purrkins
Oh, you guys continue to be amazing. This last week has been stupid busy, but I wanted to make sure you knew I was still around and that I'm super appreciative of all the good advice and well wishes.
So a quick update - doggo did go home with his new family last Friday. We're all (well, Pandora excepting) pretty sad about it, even though it's the right thing.
Pandora's being her cat-like self, sleeping, bumming around despite her gimpy leg (which doesn't seem to be getting better), and squawking at me for food. ;D She's honestly a ridiculously amazing little cat. It was her birthday yesterday and she's officially 14 years old. We gave her a couple silly toys and lots of ear scratches (which she loves).
She's getting checked out by the neurologist and the surgeon on Thursday for a likely surgery on Friday. I'll keep you guys posted.
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