Vet said not to splint broken toe?

Greetings,

I have a buddy/cat named Molly who is an indoor/outdoor cat. She is about six years old and not very friendly to anyone but me. I think she only wants to associate with people who really love her and that would be me. Her "other" mom - a wild little thing - left her just after birth. She was bottle fed and has done very well but, well what can I say, I think she still has issues. This information only serves to let you know she can be aggressive.

I came home last week and saw Molly limping. She actually was not using her left back foot, it was swollen and her toes looked seperated (almost like she was making a "peace" sign with two toes on one side and two on the other). I took her to the vet and he took an x-ray which revealed that she had broken her toe at the joint (her second toe from the outside). He recommended I leave her over night and said he would sedate and splint her in the morning.

I had a call on my answering machine the next morning that went something like this "wow, Molly is a really aggressive cat. We can't get near her to sedate or splint her. Please call me so we can discuss other options." He said it would be best not to splint her because she would probably just chew it off anyway. I agreed but have been having guilt trauma ever since feeling like I am neglecting my baby. I am keeping her indoors, however I just listened to his message again and it sounds like he decided not to splint her leg more out of fear then out of thinking it was an acceptable alternitive (or thinking she would chew it off). I looked at a post from January and saw the pictures of Kittys in splints and now feel even worse. Should I see another vet?

Thanks,
Deb

If he's just worried about her chewing it off, you can get her an elizabethan collar for the duration. If he's worried about her being aggressive, can he not just sedate her to do it? When Miss Hoppy broke her leg, she was sedated for each cast change, as she feels that all veterinarians need to be bitten - vet assistants, too!

If you decide on another vet, you may want to ask if they have experience with ferals because that means they are used to sedating very fearful and/or aggresive cats. Actually, any vet techs should be able to deal with an aggresive cat; I know the ones at my vet's would be ashamed of themselves for not sedating a cat just because it's aggresive - and they've got the scars to prove it! If you post what area you are in, you may get suggestions from others on PT.

Sometimes breaks will heal well without a splint, so he may have been considerating both options when her aggression made him favor no splint. How is she doing? Is the paw still swollen? Is she still not using the leg? They make softer Elizabethan collars now so that cats find it easier to eat. Actually, it's the fact that he didn't even suggest this option to stop her chewing off the bandage that would make me want to find another vet. He sounds a bit pathetic.

Greetings,

Thank you for your replies. Molly is doing better. She is very angry at being kept inside but I am trying to play with her as much as possible to keep her entertained. She is actually now trying to trip us by crossing in front of our legs as we walk - especially when we are heading downstairs - but I think she is trying to frustrate us so we will just give up and put her out. She is a smart girl and she does love being outside. I've issued a warning for everyone to hold the railing when headed downstairs. We get used to carrying armloads of stuff or even just a coffee cup/the phone and don't think about our childhold stairway safety training. Molly counting on this waits on the stairs, switching her tail with this sinister gleam in her eye. And she has a whole batch of new toys!

Moving beyond her mental state, her paw is less swollen now and she is using it a little bit but still does not seem to be putting her full weight on it. She is only 7.6 pounds so it's not alot of weight. She doesn't seem to be in pain, but then she never did.

I live in Chino Hills, California. I am just outside of Orange and LA county in the Inland Empire (read: where those of us who can't afford beach property live ;) ). If anyone knows of a great vet in this area, please let me know. I will probably take her to another vet tonight.

Thank you,
Debbie

Little 6-pound Pepper broke her toe. The vet sedated her and splinted. Pepper hated the splint and chewed on it constantly. The next week, we took her back to the vet. They sedated her again and put on a new splint. A day or two later, Pepper managed to chew off her splint in the middle of the night and was happily running around the house (very proud of herself, I might add). Her poor leg was raw and bloody in spots where the splint had been rubbing. The sores were very painful and took quite a while to heal. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't have bothered with the splint. Her fracture must not have been very bad. Her paw never got swollen or anything.

They don't really do anything for people who break their toes. I hope Molly's toe heals quickly.

Once again thank you. When I consider Molly's personality, it is probably better not to splint. She would never wear a collar and actually pulled at the one she previously wore constantly. She would get her paw stuck in it. I finally took it off when she pulled on it until it expanded and she proceeded to get it stuck in her mouth - she was trying to chew it off - and she pinned her lower jaw against her chest. I tossed the thing and told her "roam free little lion."

This is how it stands today. I do fear her chewing it off and damaging her own little leg in the process. She is determined almost to the point of being obsessive.

Deb

I wouldn't splint it. She'll favor the other feet until it's okay.

Hi - My cat broke her toes (3) and the vet said she would require a splint for 8 weeks - and 3 splint changes during that time.

Is that really necessary? My cat was doing fine with her first splint - and we just took her to the vet for a splint change after 2 weeks and now she is limping more than she was before.

I'm thinking just one more splint change (at the most) before it comes off.

Maybe she would've healed fine with no splint - ??