Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 22

Thread: Need to vent. I Apologize in Advance.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Massachusetts
    Posts
    365

    Need to vent. I Apologize in Advance.

    This past weekend, out of nowhere, our cat Maximus started limping really heavily on his hind legs. He hadn't been near the dogs, so I knew one of them didn't hurt him accidentally. He had been hanging out in the office with our new kitten and god knows all 3/4 of a pound of her didn't hurt him either.

    So off to the vet we go with him. I kept saying to the vet "t looks like he's walking like something is out of place". Well it turns out I was right. Both of his back kneecaps were dislocated. Apparently the right one is way worse than the left, and the vet couldn't get it to STAY in place. Every time she popped it back in, it popped right back out. She showed us how to do it ourselves - but again, every time we do it, it pops right back out of place, we can't get it to stay

    The vet said that they could start him on joint supplements, or do surgery. I am just beside myself, and I don't know what to do. It has me in tears, watching him limp around like this. He isn't crying like he's in pain or anything, but it obviously can't be comfortable.

    Has anyone dealt with this before? Any suggestions? I'm sure surgery would cost a small fortune, and with what we've spent on vet bills lately I'm not sure we can afford it right now. I guess maybe we'll start him on joint supplements and see if it improves?

    Sorry to vent - I am just so frustrated. It seems like one of my animals always has something wrong medically, and we try to take great care of them and keep them healthy and happy - I feel like we're failing miserably.

    In other news, Linea's cold/upper respiratory infection seems to be going away. Her eyes are not goopy anymore and she's no longer sneezing.

    Our puppy Molly's mange is going away too - she had her first negative skin scraping at the same vet appointment that Max got diagnosed with the knee thing.

    While Max was on the table and the vet was screwing with his leg, he was yowling - I'm sure it didn't feel great. Molly got SO upset. She kept trying to jump up on the table to get to him, and was barking up a storm. When the vet finally put him down, Molly sniffed him and licked him all over making sure he was ok - I was so proud of her for being so protective of her little feline friend.

    Anyways, I guess that's the end of my rant. If anyone has dealt with this issue or a similar issue, please feel free to send any advice my way.

    Thanks,
    Liz


    Thank you Kay for the awesome siggy!!!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    SE USA
    Posts
    18,443
    I have no experience with anything like that but my thoughs are with you and your babies that all get well and stay well.... and give your nerves a break!

    Special Needs Pets just leave bigger imprints on your heart!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Westchester Cty, NY
    Posts
    8,738
    Can't he splint it?
    I've been finally defrosted by cassiesmom!
    "Not my circus, not my monkeys!"-Polish proverb

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Massachusetts
    Posts
    365
    I asked that, and the vet said no. They said that the knee joint moves so much that there is really no way to splint it without securing it to the BACK of the cat, which is kind of strange.


    Thank you Kay for the awesome siggy!!!

  5. #5
    Has he tried popping it back into place then pushing it up? Just a suggestion...


  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Massachusetts
    Posts
    365
    It looked like the vet tried pretty much everything - I will try that with him today though, and see if it helps. The poor little guy It seems like he's still jumping ok and stuff....but he definitely isn't running around like he usually does, and his limp is very prominent


    Thank you Kay for the awesome siggy!!!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    TEXAS
    Posts
    4,971
    Dear dear Liz!!!
    First, thou shalt NOT beat up thy self!!! None of this is YOUR fault!!! You are NOT " failing miserably! " Things happpen and that is that. Sometimes they can be prevented, other times not. We love our cats and do all we can do for them. Sometimes you can miss a symptom, but in your case, you were right on top of things with Maximus. You took him to the vet right away, and YOU were right, there was something wrong! Perhaps, trying the supplements might be the best way to go for now, Maximus is still so young. It is not easy when these creatures we love so get sick, but we try our best, and you are doing just that!!! Be gentle to yourself!! Sandra
    Nine is Fine!!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Alberta, Canada
    Posts
    22,005
    I hope he outgrows this....I wish I had some ideas...maybe a homeopathic vet, or are there cat chiropractors/physio people that actually know about this condition and how to treat it?

    If you ARE thinking of possible surgery (would it work well???), why not see if iMOM would cover it? Better to know ahead of time just in case...

    www.imom.org

    They cover non-routine surgeries.

    PY Prayers for Maximus!
    "Do or do not. There is no try." -- Yoda

  9. #9
    FWIW, I don't think you'll be able to get away without surgery or a cart (wheelchair). It wouldn't hurt to start finding out what surgery involves, getting estimates, looking for funding, etc. Some financial ideas are at http://www.handicappedpets.net/viewtopic.php?t=8162 ; obviously, you'll have to pick and choose based on species, etc.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Posts
    40,169
    Poor Maximus. I Know How Much You Love Him And How His Pain Is Your Pain. I Can Only Add To The List Of Pet Talkers Who Wish Maximus The Best And Pray That The White Coats Can Help Him.
    THE RAINBOW BRIDGE FOUND HOTEL ANGELS HAVE A NEW FRIEND IN CORINNA.


    ALMOND ROCCA BATON AND ELLIE ANGELS ARE GUARDIANS TO ETERNAL KITTENS ROCC-EL AND T TEEN ANGEL, ALMOND ROCA , VLAD , PAWLEE , SPRITE. LITTLE HEX, OSIRIS AND ANNIE ANGELS.
    EBONY BEAU TUBSTER AND PEACHES BW SPIKE & SMOKEY


    NOW PRECIOUS AND SAM ARE TOGETHER WITH ETERNAL KITTENS SAMMY ,PRESLEY, SYLVESTER AND SCRATCHY JR , MIGHTY MARINA, COSMIC CARMEN, SAMSON ,UNDER KITTY AND SUNKIST AUTUMN & PUMPKIN.
    MIA AND ORANGE BLOSSOM ANGELS HAVE ADOPTED TUXIE , TROOPER , SONGBIRD AND LITTLE BITTY KITTIES MIA-MI BLOSSOMER, TUXEDO AND DASH AS THIER ETERNAL KITTENS.
    PRINCESS JOSEPH AND MICHAEL ARE CELEBRATING 19 YEARS AS LUCKY FOUND CATS

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
    Posts
    20,164
    Prayers and good wishes for little Maximus from us all.

    Pat, Peony, Sydney, Poppy, Elmer, and Priscilla Angel
    I meant," said Ipslore bitterly, "what is there in this world that truly makes living worthwhile?"
    Death thought about it.
    CATS, he said eventually. CATS ARE NICE.

    -- Terry Pratchett (1948—2015), Sourcery

  12. #12
    Awe... that poor little guy! Did the vet say that it may be a genetic thing? It sounds as though it may be something like that, and not just an injury.

    Can you talk to a specialty vet hospital in your area and see if they can give a more precise diagnosis? We have Univ. of Penn here in eastern PA. Not sure what is in your area. They are sooooo good with the animals when they have these out of the ordinary kind of problems.

    I wish you luck, and hope that Max will be ok. Give him some hugs and kisses from me.

  13. #13
    Oh Poor Maximus, please don't think that you're failing, this is just a bad time for you and your pets. You are obviously great owners and love your animals greatly. It seems that in life we go through stages like this, one thing after another that just gets on top of you.
    I am sending my best wishes that Maximus gets better and that everything works out, just be strong, keep on going and you and the animals will all come through it. Good luck

    Kate, Jack & Sunny

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Massachusetts
    Posts
    365
    kb2yjx - Thanks for your nice post. I know that this isn't "our fault" but I just feel like as hard as I try and as much as we do, our pets just keep having random things wrong with them, and it sucks! I'm sorry to sound like such a whiner - I'm just so bummed out for him.

    Catty1, I may look in to IMOM if we do have to go the surgery route. Or we'll try to borrow money from family or something, we'll do whatever we have to do to make sure he gets it done if he needs it.

    Critters, he's getting around just fine right now, jumping up onto things and everything, but he's walking very awkward, and his right kneecap simply will not stay in place no matter what we try. It doesn't seem like it HURTS him too much to walk, but I'm sure it's not exactly pleasant for him. I hope that as he grows, his muscles and tendons get stronger and he outgrows this condition - in the meantime we're going to try joint supplements. I don't think that we could have the surgery done until he's a little bigger anyways, since his bones are still growing and stuff - at least, I would assume not - but we will be looking more into that.

    Catmandu - thank you for your kind post. Maximus sends head bumpies your way.
    Phesina, same to you - thank you for your response. ((hugs))

    Jenn_librarian, she didn't get in to what had caused this, but did say that it didn't seem to be an injury or anything. I don't know what suddenly caused him to start limping, it's strange. We have Angell Memorial animal hospital here, which is a great one - we brought Molly, our puppy there when she almost died, and they were able to save her. granted it cost a boatload of money, but that's besides the point - they're good at what they do, and if it comes down to having surgery done, we'll definitely be going to a specialist to make sure it is done right. I should have mentioned in my initial post - our regular vet who Max has seen at his previous appointments was on her honeymoon and we saw someone different this time. I'm going to bring her in when our regular vet is back and try to get some answers about what we can do to help him, and maybe get some exercise recommendations that we can do at home with him to strengthen the muscles in that area. Kitty physical therapy maybe??

    CultureJunky, thank you. I like to think that we're good pet owners and that we're responsible and take great care of them...it can just get so frustrating sometimes, when these things keep popping up

    Thanks for all the kind words and advice folks. As usual, PT makes me feel better. (((Hugs)))


    Thank you Kay for the awesome siggy!!!

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Alberta, Canada
    Posts
    22,005
    I wonder - a splint, but like the stretchy ones for human knee support and stuff?

    I Googled Orthotics for Pets/Cats - Knee braces for Cats....anyway, here is a link, though it is for dogs, which might give you some info. They may work with cats too!

    http://www.orthopets.com/photo/index.html

    AND a cat back leg brace....don't see no connections to the back of that cat here.

    http://orthovet.com/catalog.php?cate...line%20Splints

    Edit for 3rd time - prices better here!

    http://www.handicappedpets.com/splints/index.htm

    Maybe print these off and show them to your vet?

    HUGS!
    "Do or do not. There is no try." -- Yoda

Similar Threads

  1. He's here! Advice is requested! Thanks in advance!
    By Reachoutrescue in forum Cat General
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 09-01-2006, 05:40 PM
  2. Replies: 39
    Last Post: 05-13-2006, 12:34 AM
  3. I would like to apologize!!!!
    By kimlovescats in forum General
    Replies: 34
    Last Post: 06-25-2004, 11:12 PM
  4. Apologize And Am Very Sorry
    By jackiesdaisy1935 in forum General
    Replies: 73
    Last Post: 03-21-2002, 12:32 PM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

Copyright © 2001-2013 Pet of the Day.com