jerry said
Hi Veronica and Truls (great name...where is it from?),

Sorry to make this quick but I wanted to get your post approved and will respond in detail shortly.

See this post for some inspawration:

Amputation on a Very Old Cat

Back in a bit!

  

Hi Jerry,

Alrighty, thanks for approving my post. 🙂 

Truls and I are in Sweden. It's a relatively common name here for pets and people.

jerry said
You've done a lot of homework, that is terrific

Truls is also underweight, not so much that the vet is worried. 

That's good! You want a Tripawd to be thinner than usual. This makes it easier for them to get around after limb loss.

 I first went to a local smaller clinic, there they said amputation might cause him pain and discomfort. 

Oftentimes, smaller clinics don't do a lot of amputations, and they only have so much information to go on. They haven't seen the same number of cases that larger clinics have, so that's why the bigger clinic gave you a better indication of how he might do. Stick with that one, especially because of the other issues Truls has going on.

I'm worried, like what if amputation removes the cancer but he still has some other issue. 

That may happen, but it sounds like this clinic is ready to handle anything that comes up. Remember, his body is taking a beating from the tumor, there is likely inflammation from the tumor too, so that may be one reason why his labs aren't where you'd like them to be. Once that bad leg is gone there is also a good chance that his body will recover from the other issues.

do cats need rehab or I don't know therapy?

It's very helpful! Especially for older animals. The Tripawds Foundation can pay for your first rehab visit too! Here are some examples of cats who had therapy:

Yes, Three-Legged Cat Rehab Therapy is a Thing!

  

Well I don't wanna to encounter some situation and be like ??? clueless what to do. So yes done a fair bit of research hehe, ya know google. xD

I never saw him as being underweight as a good thing. I suppose yes it will mean less weight for his healthy hind leg. The smaller clinic told me the cancer is stealing nutrients, which is one reason he is losing weight. The larger hospital is unsure, it could be due to that or something else. I was asked if anyone had ever discussed Truls metabolism or any hormone imbalance, nope. So they were gonna check that. I kinda hope that's it. Truls has some hormone imbalance, we give him some "magic" pill and ta da, he gains weight again. Heh wishful thinking.

The smaller clinic, it's not bad, but worried me. One of my last visits there before going to the larger hospital the vet went all "prepare to say goodbye" like "o.o....??" yah not something you wanna hear. The larger hospital sure seems more capable, can actually do something.
But yes all this Truls has, can be because of the tumor. He definitely has an infection and yes possibly inflammation as well. Part of this tumor is necrotic as well ish. Personally I thought one could remove at least the necrotic area and that could make things a bit better, but guess not.

It's likely that removing it with his leg, will fix everything. Well that's the hope. It's on his heel, in soft tissue. Thankfully not in his bone. But very likely in his tendon, which is one reason they probably can't leave his leg. Of course I don't want Truls to have surgery. I don't want him to have a limb removed. But at this point, his leg or his life.

Alright so therapy and/or rehab is useful, it can help. Is it something I can do at home myself? I'm also thinking from an economical standpoint, can't be cheap. So if I can do some home version that's just as effective, that would be good.

mommatux said
Hi Veronica and Truls,

Nice too meet you, but I certainly wish it had been under better circumstances.  While I have luckily had no dealings with cancer in any pet, I do have a senior rear amputee cat, so thought I would chime in for a bit with my experiences, hoping maybe it would help ease your mind some.

 

Tuxedo was attacked by a dog almost 6 years ago.  Due to that he had to have his rear leg and partial pelvis removed as there was no way to salvage it.  He was almost 10 at that time.  Tuxedo is approaching 16 years old.  He had a very long healing time as his wound got infected.  It took almost 2 months for things to get back to "normal".  Of course it was a new normal, but not nearly as different as I expected from the old normal.  

 

Since then he is pretty much the same I will do whatever I want to do no matter what you want me to do cat.  He had no follow on therapy.  I basically let him do whatever he wanted within reason.  He climbs (got on the roof a couple times - no clue how), runs, jumps (though not quite as high as he has aged, used to be able to jump 6' up to the top of my fridge - can only do about 4' now), and most importantly loves and cuddles constantly.  I have zero regrets in giving him a chance to live a full life on three legs. 

 

As others have said, far better than me, there are no guarantees on anything and no two cats will recover the same way, etc.  All those worries about some other underlying condition will be there no matter what you chose to do.  If you chose amputation to try and get rid of the cancer, you are chosing to get rid of one worry.  If possible, try to put yourself in Truls situation.  What would you choose?

Yes, Truls will need a couple of weeks to recover from the surgery if you go that route.  It is major surgery and obviously that will cause some pain.  As to how that compares to his current pain, no one can say.  With good pain management , he will get past the surgical pain, but the cancer pain escalate to the point no meds will help at some point.  If you do choose to amputate,  in addition to the healing process, you may need to do some minor changes to your household (scatter rugs, pet stairs, lower entrance litterbox, block off underbed area, smelly good tasting cat food/treats etc) to make it easier to adapt afterward.  

 

Since things are going so wonderfully with Tuxedo, I rarely check in here.  But if you have questions or concerns I can help with, please drop me a private message as I might miss them on the forum.

Hugs and best wishes no matter what you decide.

-Dawna, Tuxedo, Lilly, and Angel Dazzle

  

Hi mommatux. Nice to meet you as well, I also wish it had been under better circumstances.

It may not be the same cause, but I've found hind leg amputation info a bit scarce. Like it seems more common for cats to have a front leg removed.

Oh my that's terrible, must have been a heck of an attack ish. I'm glad Tuxedo recovered! It sounds like he recovered quite fast, two months for such a large injury. You got a tough little kitty, glad he made it and has had almost 10 years since. 🙂 

So it sounds like the accident didn't change him at all. He was still doing whatever he used to do, like climbing on the roof lols. xD 

What would Truls do. Well, I'm quite certain Truls would choose life. He's still himself, purrs like a little engine and sits in front of the drawer where he knows all his candy is hehe. If I had a tumor on my foot and it was making me sick, well I sure wouldn't like it but I'd have it removed.
One thing the vet at the smaller clinic said is that it might be kinder to say goodbye to Truls now. Because after amputation we don't know for sure how he will recover. He might be right as rain, all good and have years to live. Or residual pain and other bad things. It may give him years to live, or a short painful couple of weeks or months.

One thing I often keep in mind. My dog who passed last year, he had no options, surgery was not an option for him I couldn't do anything for him. But Truls has an option, surgery is an option for him. Which is why I'm like, yah let's do it. At least it's a chance of him getting well again. Which is more than my dog had. I don't see how I can not opt for surgery. I mean it's not right for Truls to go on with that tumor on his leg, can't just medicate him forever. It's only gonna get worse.

Well I'm going back to the vet next week. For a pre surgery checkup, kinda. One more blood test to check his values and just check his overall condition. Depending on how that goes, schedule a day for surgery. In a week he may be under the knife.

Curios, did Tuxedo wear some sweater thing. To cover the stitches and such? Did you go back for removal of the stitches or they went on their own?

Thanks for sharing your experience. It has eased my nerves at least a bit. 🙂 I hope Truls has a similar story, a surgery with a good result and years more to live a happy life. One concern I had was if Truls would still be able to live a happy life, jump up and look out a window, climb his tower etc. But sure seems like he will still be able to do all that. 🙂 

mommatux said
Hi Veronica and Truls,

Tuxedo never wore any sort of special gear while recovering.   He also was some sort of a houdini when it came to getting out of the cone.  I tried 2 types of soft cone and a donut, finally resorting to tying a hard cone to his collar.  That was very likely part of why his wound got infected. 

 

He did not have dissolving stitches.  When I took him in 2 weeks after surgery and instead of just removing stitches the whole wound opened up was when I found out he had an infection as he gave no outwards signs.  So my number one piece of advice would be to keep Truls in a cone all the time if possible.  My second thing would be to block off underbed area completely.  Nothing like trying to coax a cat out after he holes up under it for medications.

 

Tuxedo's long recovery and subsequent infection is not typical of what I have read on here about others.  So most likely the extra six weeks of cone life is not in your future.  Tuxedo has always been that sort of cat, stubborn and into everything.

 

As far as Truls looking out windows or scaling his cat tree, he might need some sort of stairs or middle height perch, but I am sure if he got enjoyment from doing that on four legs, you can find a way for him to do it on three.  As a rear amputee, his jumping ability will be most impacted, followed by endurance since every movement takes more energy. 

 

One thing I had to contend with following surgery that really caught me off guard was Tuxedo doing front handstands everytime he jumped down from somewhere.  I do not think I've seen anyone else mention that.  Looking back now, it makes perfect sense why that was happening.  He knew he had to jump much harder with his remaining rear leg to go up.  He did not realize for a while that was not necessary going down.  Everytime I was around when that happened, I would grab his tail because I was afraid he would over balance and topple.  

I hope you get good news at the vet with the follow on tests and lab work.  Hugs and best wishes,

-Dawna, Tuxedo, Lilly, and Angel Dazzle

  

I've had similar issues. When this all began with Truls it was just a wound on his leg. Keeping the cone on him was a nightmare, he was a genius at getting out of it. But like you I also tried putting the cone on with his collar, that did the trick. Sadly cats don't understand that the "cone of shame " is to help them.

Ahhh really. So there was an infection but no signs of out, from the outside. Think I'm a bit lucky there, Truls doesn't hide from medication. He mostly takes it like a champ and just tolerates it.

Ohh Truls loves looking out windows. Whenever I'm near a window he will often follow, you pull up the blinds and he's like "yay" hehe. 🙂 

So main things to keep in mind. Cone on, definitely so he can't reach the stitches. Assistance with jumping, possibly and making sure I don't have to dig or coax him out of some small narrow place, like under a bed.

Thanks for the info Dawna. 🙂

jerry said

Alright so therapy and/or rehab is useful, it can help. Is it something I can do at home myself? I'm also thinking from an economical standpoint, can't be cheap. So if I can do some home version that's just as effective, that would be good.

Yes, you can do a lot for him on your own. It's good to have a therapist evaluate him at least once, so you can learn how to do the exercises properly, that would be good. That's why the foundation can pay for your first rehab visit , even one visit is helpful. But if you aren't able to do it that's fine. Home therapy is possible. Here is a story you'll find helpful:

Three Games for Tripawd Cat Exercises

 

What would Truls do. Well, I'm quite certain Truls would choose life. He's still himself, purrs like a little engine and sits in front of the drawer where he knows all his candy is hehe. If I had a tumor on my foot and it was making me sick, well I sure wouldn't like it but I'd have it removed.

Yes! You are able to put yourself in his situation, think as he does, and that's such a helpful thing at a time like this. No creature wants a tumor growing in their leg and if they are otherwise healthy and strong like Truls, then why not get rid of the bad leg and move on with life?

One thing the vet at the smaller clinic said is that it might be kinder to say goodbye to Truls now. Because after amputation we don't know for sure how he will recover. 

Sadly this is not uncommon, many people first meet vets who say things like this because of an animal's age. But the thing is, they just don't see enough amputations on older cats or dogs to really see that they can do fine after recovery. I'm so glad you found the larger clinic with more open-minded staff.

One more thing: check out our Tripawds community survey results, you'll find it enlightening:

Amputee Cats Quality of Life Survey Results

 

Oh have you seen our Tripawd Cats book? I highly recommend checking it out.

  

Alrighty so I can help Truls on my own, that's good. But yap I agree seeing a therapist at least once sounds like a good call. 🙂

Well I hope that happens. That he gets the surgery, recovers and moves on with life. That's the hope, I want that for Truls. Would be nice for both of us if he could enjoy a couple more years. Even if it's with one less leg.

Ahh soo the smaller clinic, they were possibly just speaking from inexperience. Many do get hung up on the age yes. Sure he's a senior but he's not a fossil lols. xD The oldest cat in the world ever became 38 years. I doubt Truls will reach that number. But if he gets through this maybe to 15, maybe he will get to 20.

Ohh thanks for sharing those statistics and charts! Very enlightening indeed. :0
But I'm curios, how accurate can one say those number are? Since only 35 people had answered.

jerry said
Aww we are all cheering you and Truls on!

But I'm curios, how accurate can one say those number are? Since only 35 people had answered.

Well, a scientist would argue (and rightly so) that the survey is totally subjective and not scientifically accurate. But the way we see it, this community is such a tiny segment of the overall pet parent universe, that those small numbers collected about the 3-legged cat experience tends to reflect a general consensus about the average quality of life one can expect. Hope that makes sense.

  

Yes I see, it makes sense. Well there doesn't seem to be much data or statistics gathered about this topic in general. But yap these numbers can be considered a general consensus. 🙂 

Frankly I think I'm mainly worried about the surgery itself, if Truls will make it through it. He has had three surgeries in his entire life. Two dental surgeries against FORL and one surgery to remove a large urinary stone when he was younger. He has never had issues with anesthesia, so I'm a bit like, why would he have any issues with it now. But during those other surgeries he was perhaps more healthy.

The time we pet owners spend worrying....drive ourselves crazy hehe. :3

Dawna a question.
How was caring for Tuxedo right away when you got home after the surgery? Do you look back and wish you had done something differently? Is there anything the vet didn't tell you about that you learned on your own?