Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
Tripawds is your home to learn how to care for a three legged dog or cat, with answers about dog leg amputation, and cat amputation recovery from many years of member experiences.
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This is exactly what happened with my senior cat after her surgery. She would have a day where she was active and almost seemed back to normal. Then she would have two days of sleeping on the bed under the covers. Even on sunny days, instead of lounging in the sun, which she *loves* to do, she would just want to be under the covers. Although she was alert when she was awake.
I was worried she was in pain, or getting really depressed. Then we would have another good day. And it went on like that for the first month or so. Jelli is making great progress right now! But it is still really early in the process. I think two steps forward, one step back is normal at this stage. Of course, trust you’re instincts though. If you think Jelli has an infection or needs pain meds adjusted, don’t hesitate to send your vet an email or give them a call.
Hope all goes well at the vet and she’s able to get her stitches removed!
As usual, excellent input from our two kitty members. It all makes such good sense to me. And yes, write down your questions for the vet and I'm sure you'll get the reassurances you need or any test will be done if necessary. And mention the sneezing too. Let us know how it goes.
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!
I hope the vet visit goes well! Yes, you are right. A 16 year old cat is on a very different timeline than much younger ones. Recovery is never linear for any age though. If she was acting off the last few days it's likely related to just the ups and downs of recovery. But what great timing for you to get to see the vet today just to check her out. Let us know what they say.
We are sending tons of pawsitivity your way!
Hello everyone! I really want to thank Nini and Leaux for their input. It's helping me keep calm on the quieter days. It's funny, after I posted that update Wednesday night, her activity perked up a bit! But we're back to being sleepy now.
Jelli got her staples removed yesterday! They checked her blood again and said they said it was looking good! They mentioned something about blood platelets but honestly I don't really know what that means but they said they saw what they were looking for. They also checked and she didn't have an upper respiratory infection so the sneezing is likely just a stress response. They also collected a urine sample so we're waiting to here back from that.
Last night we did have a small episode of vomiting 🙁 It was right after eating so I think perhaps she just ate too fast which she does sometimes. But she did successfully use the litterbox! That does currently seem to be a back and forth for her but oh well.
The peeps in this community are definitely the best!
That's pawesome she checked out good at the vet visit. Hope the lab report is good, I'm sure it will be.
Yeah recovery has its ups and downs for sure. Being able to use the litter box again is HUGE! Don't forget to celebrate that victory!
Great news that her staples are out! That was such a big deal for me and Nini. Take a big exhale, and celebrate that you and Jelli have made it past one big milestone in her recovery! Also great that her blood work came back good. Yay!
I’m glad to hear that she perked up a little, even if it didn’t last that long. My Nini is also on steroids (prednisolone) for irritable bowel disease, and she has also struggled with recurrent, persistent UTIs. It can be such a drain on both of you. If Jelli does have a UTI, that could definitely be contributing to her mood and litter box usage. Hopefully you’ll get those results back soon, and that will shed some light on what could be going on.
in the meantime, keep doing what you’re doing. You are doing great! Jelli seems like such a sweet girl, and you two seem very in tune with each other. She’s so lucky to have such a wonderful human friend to be on this journey with. At this point in Nini’s recovery, patience was the key for me. Your sweet Jelli is still there, it’s just going to take a little while for her to come out of the fog. But she knows you’re right there holding her paw, which makes all the difference!
so glad that sharing Nini’s journey was helpful. We’re both rooting for you!
Hi everyone!
Jelli's vet had called Friday to let me know that she had no UTI so that's great! I was mostly concerned because she's ended up sitting in the litterbox after going but it's nice that it was good! It was also great the the vet who oversaw her surgery ended the call by telling me the team was there to support her and to call again if I have any more concerns going forward. The whole vet team has been great to us since I started going there years ago and I never had any doubt but it was nice to hear the from the doctor!
Anyways, most of Friday and Saturday was spent being sleepy. However, last night I awoke to a thud and then her on my bed pawing at my face. I've had a cold going so I've been dead asleep thanks to the Nyquil but I'm hoping this means she's relearning the pet stairs to my bed! She couldn't jump up onto my bed due to the height with four legs so I'm praying it was the stairs she used
Also, the pawing at my face used to be how she would wake me up to feed her so it's funny how quickly she figured out how to manage that again
Today was a little weird though? She was sleeping, woke up and let out a cry and jumped out of her cat bed on the floor. After her little leap out of bed, she seemed head strong to try to quickly wobble around but ended up laying back down with a few more meows. They didn't sound like her pain meows but maybe more like her frustrated ones. I thought she maybe had to go the the litterbox but couldn't figure out how to turn around so I picked her up and set her near the box but nope. A few moments later she got up, tried to make a running start for the pet stairs, couldn't figure out how to get up from the second step to the third/final one so I ended up picking her up again and putting her on my bed where she curled up and went to sleep.
Has anyone else experienced that? The frustration and burst of movement? I'm wondering if it was a pain thing but I'm not sure.
Sounds like Jelli has the Vet team wrapped around her paw.....all three of them😉
Really glad she doesn't have a UTI. Good news!
And more good news that she's back to her old habit of pawing you to get a proper feeding! Even of your're sick with a cold the Princess must have her breakfast when she decides it's time😂.
If a cat or dog suddenly jumps up, yelps or cries, and tries to "-run away from the pain", it's often phantom limb pain. It "only" last for maybe less than a minute, but it can scare them and make them a little unsettled afterwards. Have noooo idea if this is what it is, but just throwing that out there. Gabapentin is prescribed if that's s what it is. Since it has only happened once so far and not several times a day, may have just been that she was sleeping "wrong", or even a leg cramp, etc.
As far as trying to run up the stairs and not making it, I'm sure that does cause her some frustration. It's still very early on in reco and she's still adjusting to using three. She'll figure out the right pace and balance that works for her.
Now you try and get some rest. Lots of Vitamin C, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
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!
Ah yes, the thump is well known in my house as well. My girl is getting more graceful but we always know when she's made a landing.
Feel you on the pet stairs and new ways of getting up and around. They can take time to get used to. Even under normal circumstances something like a bed or new piece of furniture has to be in their area for a while for some cats to feel comfortable using it.
Jelli also may not use the new furniture the way you expect her to. Mine prefers to jump up onto things but go down stairs, and if she can't see a clear way down from where she is she will go as far as she can either horizontally or up to find one, even if it ends in a more precarious way down. When she was still learning her way around, I had to watch her on the couch because she was more comfortable trying to jump down from the back rather than the much lower seats. If you see a way she wants to get up or down repeatedly, try putting the stairs there, and keep clear sight lines (and traction !) So she can plot a course from one spot to the next. And don't discount bribery when it comes to getting her used to going up or down stairs. Have you tried churus? Lu will go just about anywhere if she knows I have one of those little kitty gogurts waiting on the other side.
Jelli sounds like she's well on her way back to learning to cat in her new body. The possible phantom pain is definitely something I'd bring up with the vet. It sounds like you've got a supportive team there so use em! You've already got the three legged teenage cat, nothing wrong with harnessing your newly strengthened cat lady powers to make sure both of you are getting the care and information you two need.
Rest up! Hoping you beat this cold and are feeling better soon.
Senior trikitty Luanne had a right forepaw removed in May of 2022 and is still going strong! Here's our story.
Jellie's getting her mojo back! I can just picture her pawing you to say "Hey, Mom, get up!" That's awesome. Best medicine for you too!
I agree that if those sudden bursts of frustration continue, that could be phantom pain . Bring it up with your vet and maybe seek out dry needling acupuncture to help resolve it. See:
Yes, Acupuncture for a Tripawd Cat’s Pain Can Help
Hey everyone! Been a few days since my last update but I've had a lot of chaos in my daily life lol.
Jelli has been doing great! I really think she's mastering her pet stairs! Despite pausing between steps, she really is using them with such confidence too! Litter box has been going great as well. I removed the puppy pads surrounding the box and she has been using just the inside of the box. I think today I am going to try going back to her low entry litterbox instead of the cardboard box I've been using. She hasn't ventured outside my room by herself yet but I can definitely see her wanting to chase our other cat whenever she sees him go by! Jelli has also remastered pushing me around in bed so she can get her ideal cuddle position. It her world, I'm just allowed to live it in 😂
Yesterday was a sleepy day but I'm not too worried. She spent a whole week trying to be active, it probably just caught up with her!
Oh Jellie! You crack me up! You are definitely a Tripawd RockStar!
And kudos to your Mom for navigating through recovery like Champ. She''s done such a good job of taking things slow and easy, patience and staying pawsitive and celebrating each "improvement".
We see it a lot when our pets start feeling better, they can tend to overdo. And it doesn't take mich to overdo thi gs thos early in recovery. So glad you are ta,ing a day of rest. Smart kitty👍
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!
I can see sparkle and fire in those eyes! She's like "I'm READY WORLD! BRiNG IT!"
So cool that she is using the pet steps. Jellie is one very smart girl. Let us know how the new litterbox goes. She may be too tired right now to use it but it sounds like she is getting ready to make that next leap in recovery.
And yep, being a little tired is totally normal, it's really hard work learning how to navigate the world in all new ways. She's really doing great though.
Hello everyone, I come with not so great news.
Saturday and Sunday I noticed Jelli struggling to eat- often dropping the food out of her mouth. This is normally when she would have a yearly dental so I called Sunday/yesterday to get her seen for an exam at the vet today. Today, the vet looked and we found an growth/ulcer/lesion on her gums. The vet said that it looks "loose" which apparently good but Wednesday we are going back to surgery to have it removed/drained and sent for biopsy to see if its cancerous. I am honestly devastated. I feel like I can't win anything. Amputation, getting rear ended on the freeway last week, and now this. I'm back to wondering if doing the amputation surgery was even worth it if now cancer might be on the table shortly after.
I'm so sorry to hear that. You two have been through so much and I know how powerless it feels when these things cluster. While you get this sorted, let's focus on some facts:
- Jelli has a growth that's getting in the way of eating.
- You noticed it within hours of it causing her issues
- You took her to a vet that you trust who has seen her recently.
- That vet has access to the most comprehensive medical workup / information that Jelli has likely ever had done.
- The growth could be many things, and the way it is presenting is something your vet described as "good".
- You will not know what it is until the biopsy but it's not so worrying that they admitted her immediately
- She is getting seen quickly and you will have answers soon.
- Her recovery from the amputation has otherwise been progressing normally
In my experience, vets are very up front with worst case scenarios. If something worrying is remotely possible they will always bring it up, because sometimes it is - a lot of times it isn't, but you're going to hear it might be every time.
This is so scary, and one more thing on top of everything else right now, but when you feel lost with all of this, trust that you're doing everything you can to help Jelli and trust your vet to take care of her. You'll know more soon, and are doing everything you can in the meantime.
Senior trikitty Luanne had a right forepaw removed in May of 2022 and is still going strong! Here's our story.
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