Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Hi Everyone!
So if you haven't been following my cat Harley's blog, here's the quick low-down and then the post-op concerns...
Harley is 10, and we found out in November that she had a small lump starting on her right hind leg. Fast forward to December, and the vet determined it was Fibrosarcoma after it grew very rapidly in size. We opted for the amputation, and she has been a tripawd for just over a week now.
Here are the concerns:
When she first came home, she hopped right out of the carrier, used her litter box and then proceeded to cry at the door to the room we've been keeping her in. She hated taking her meds, but she has been eating well... drinking well... going in the litter box and sleeping soundly no problem
We received enough pain medication to make it four days post-op, and once that wore off and out of her system we noticed some changes, compounded by the fact that she also had to receive an enema on Tuesday for constipation...
Harley is still eating and drinking regularly... so that's not a concern.
We noticed that she started showing some symptoms of pain once the meds were flushed out (that third eyelid coming out, peeing on the mattress that we moved to the floor for her, resisting moving, etc.). We called the vet to see if we could get a low-dose follow-up to take the edge off, however these meds taste more strongly than the first and she has picked up that we are trying to hide it in some lickable treat stuff that she used to like... She's also become more wobbly on her remaining hind leg, due to (we think) lack of use as she tries to avoid moving due to the pain. She has peed on the mattress twice, in between using her litter box like normal. Apart from some diarrhea streaks today, she also has not had a BM since the enema... She hasn't eaten much at all in the way of dry food (mostly wet), but I'm still concerned.
Has anyone seen symptoms like this in their cats post-op? She's still sociable and looking for scratches and cuddles, and she will move out of her hiding place at night for food with her typical appetite and to use the litter box... but I don't know what's normal and what's not! I'm starting to feel really deflated because she had looked so amazing the first few days after surgery... :-/ Any insight or suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Hopefully other tri-kitty members will chime in with feedback soon.
You might consider finding a rehab vet/tech near you that works with cats to identify any possible orthopedic issues . The Tripawds Foundation will even reimburse you for your first visit!
Best wishes! Please keep us posted.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
As you know I posted my reply on your blog. I wanted to let you know there is probably no pet who easily sailed through amputation recovery. Its major surgery and our pets can't tell us how they feel. Ithink dogs are more expressive and whine and cats suffer silently and hide. You are very attentive to Harley and are trying to read the signs but it's not easy.
You mentioned that Harley might have been peeing outside of the litter box before surgery at your mom's. Sometimes cats use inappropriate peeing to tell us something is wrong. Your can't had cancer which you didn't know about until the lump popped up. Perhaps Harley knew something was wrong before you saw the sign. That's not your fault, its how cancer, discomfort and cat's respond.
You are doing a great job being aware of Harley's litter box issues. My cat Mona was quite crazy from the meds and went everywhere but the litter box. I finally went and got her old, used litter from the garbage and she happily used the box again. But this did not happen until she finished the crazy-making pain meds.
Please know Harley won't be the same as he was pre-amp but he will be just as wonderful, just in different ways.
What kind of pain meds is Harley on and what are the known side effects? Do you think these pain meds are helping the pain?
Kerren and Tripawd Kitty Mona
p.s. you can read about other cat experiences at their blogs.
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