Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hello everyone,
I would need some advice regarding our 14 years old cat who underwent a forelimb amputation five days ago.
Juliette was operated on Monday and I must say that we were very happy at first. She started drinking and eating as soon as she got home, she went to her litter box without issues, she was purring and stretching almost as if nothing had happened, etc.
The next day, we had to bring her back to the vet for some intravenous feeding. Unfortunately, she started to have some kidney issues just a few days before the operation... The vet told us it was probably because of all the medicine she had to take before the operation (meloxicam, anesthesia, contrast agent during CT scanning, etc.)
In the evening of the same day, we had to start with gabapentin and that's when things started going wrong, just a few hours after the second gabapentin dose.
I found her on the sofa, in a strange position, moving strangely, not interacting much . I thought that it was probably because of the gabapentin.
Today it's Friday and she is still eating and drinking. But for the first time, she couldn't reach her litter box and she wet herself.
Is that kind of setback normal 5 days after the operation? Should I stop with gabapentin?
Waiting and hoping for some advice.
Many thanks,
Gabriel
Welcome, Gabriel. Your future posts will not require approval.
I'm sorry to hear Juliette is having a tough time. It's fairly common for animals to have a set back a few days after surgery when the strong hospital drugs wear off and soreness from the new gait kicks in. What you describe sounds different from the scenario I described. I would encourage you to call your vet if you are concerned. Hopefully our resident vet expert can chime in with her thoughts.
Hi Mischief,
Many thanks for your reply!
Well, I must say that I have spoken with our veterinary every day since the operation.
He also checked on her and put her on IV on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, to maximize her recovery chances…
He still seemed to be optimistic yesterday, as he told that the fact that she was eating and drinking was a good sign.
I will call him tomorrow!
Fingers crossed,
Gabriel
Hi Gabriel, I hope she's doing better now. Usually it's a matter of fine-tuning the pain medication to strike that balance between comfort and lucidity. Many times a pet is overly-sensitive to medication, and that's kinda what this sounds like. It could also be kidney related but I'm just guessing.
I would absolutely call your vet as suggested. Jot down all the symptoms and even take a video of her behavior, it's always good for the vet team to see a patient at home, where their behavior is often much different than in the clinic.
It's a really good sign that she is eating and drinking!
Keep us posted OK?
Hi Jerry,
Many thanks for your reply!
Regarding the kidneys, it is a real pity:
I brought Juliette to the vet one month ago for a broken leg and we discovered with the X-rays that it was probably something more serious...
As our vet had to a put her under some anesthesia to perform X-rays, he took some blood samples. All the blood test results were perfect and her kidneys were working just fine.
But Juliette had then to go under other tests (CT scan, bone sample, etc). All the CT scan results were good - except for a probable humerus osteosarcoma - and the bone histology we received a few days after confirmed osteosarcoma.
So we decided to go with amputation and scheduled the operation for the next Monday. The problem is that only a few days before the operation, she started eating a little less and drinking much more.
We decided to go forward with the operation just the same and run other blood tests. As we thought, the blood test results confirmed that she had now also some kidney issues.
As the values were not that high, our vet told us that it was probably because of all the medicine she had to take (pain killers, anestesia, contrast agent, etc.) and that with the right cure, her kidneys could even come back to normal...
Anyway, from what I have read on the Triwpads forum, everything in the end seems to go as planned. She eats, she drinks, she doesn't move a lot, she were able to use her litter box once more during the night, etc.
But one of my worries is that gabapentin makes her kidneys problems worse...
Cheers,
Gabriel
Gabriel thanks for the information, this is so much for you guys to take in all at once, I'm sorry you are going through it.
Sounds like Juliette is having a pretty good recovery. She joins the ranks of other Tripawd cats with osteosarcoma, not the most common condition in cats but we do see our fair share of it here. I'm glad she's getting her mobility and quality of life back.
Gabapentin does get eliminated through the kidneys, but as far as we know now, it is one of the least harsh pain control medications out there at this time. As for cats with renal disease, it does sound like Juliette may or may not have it at this point, so I wouldn't panic. This article explains some thinking about how Gabapentin may work in cats with chronic kidney disease. But keep in mind there's still a lot of unknowns.
To learn how it works, see:
Hi!
Just an update about Juliette's progress...
Juliette started sneezing two days ago and seemed to have some difficulty to swallow.
I brought her back to the vet (she can't stand the cat carrier anymore) and she has a little fever.
So, as if it weren't enough, she now has the flu... But she is still eating, urinating, drinking, etc.
She is the strongest!
Gabriel
Oh gosh! Get well soon Juliette!
Gabriel she is a super strong kitty, she can beat this! Keep us posted.
Just catching up on sweet Juliette and all the hurdles she has faced. No matter what the outcome, it is clear how much you love Juliette and are doing everything possible for her.
((((((((((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!
Hi benny55,
thanks for caring for our little Juliette!
I must say that things are going well, considering all she had to go through (osteosarcoma, broken bone, kidney issues, amputation, flu, etc.)
The only thing I am not sure yet is about her kidneys. The first time I brought her to the vet one month ago, the creatinine level was perfect and so were her kidneys.
But I had to gave her some Meloxicam for her broken bone, she had to go under three anestesia within less than a month, she went through a scan, she started drinking a less, etc.
And unfortunately, her kidneys started showing signs of insufficiency. The creatinine went from 1 mg/dL to 4,3 mg/dL... We gave her some treatment with IV almost everyday and she improved a lot since.
She is now eating, drinking, going in her litter box, playing, grooming, relaxing, etc. So everything seems to be going fine.
I just hope that her next blood test results are going to be nearer to normal.
I was wondering if other cats suffered from AKF during treatment.
Cheers,
Gabriel
So glad to hear ahe is doing better! The way she is acting outwardly has to indicate that things are fetting better "inwardly" too. Without a doubt, the fluid infusion helped.
Good job of staying on top of things 👏👏
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!
Thanks for the Juliette update! She sounds really strong and getting healthier by the day, so it would make sense that her kidneys will follow. Did the vets diagnose her with AKF (I'm assuming you mean Advanced Kidney Failure?).
Hi,
Yes, that's what I meant.
We have just received the last Juliette's blood analysis test results.
Her kidneys are back to normal! Everything is perfect!
Her AFK was probably linked to treatment.
Cheers!
Gabriel
WOOHOO! 
I'm so happy you came back to let us know she's doing great!
This type of cancer in cats is such a rare condition, we learn from everyone's experience with it; I added her story to this ongoing post about cats with osteosarcoma.
I'm sorry you guys have to deal with that mean cancer but as you know it's not as aggressive in cats. Hopefully she can get on with life and being her old happy self for good. Please keep us posted!
Hello Erevyone,
As Christmas time is coming and one year has passed, I just wanted to give you some news about Juliette.
She had to be amputated for an osteosarcoma to a forelimb, and even if things went well at first, there was a time after the operation in which we thought we were losing her.
She had started to have big issues with her kidneys, she was so weak that she started wetting herself, on top of that she got the flu with some fever, she didn't want to feed anymore, etc.
Now, it is her second Christmas after the operation, more than a year has passed, and she is like she was before.
She runs, she jumps, she eats, she asks to go outside, never complains, etc. So if people have doubts, don't!
The operation for a cat is really worth it!
Merry Christmas!
Gabriel (& Juliette)
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