Amputated Leg and Broken Leg

[CharliesMom]

Two weeks ago today my cat Charlie was attacked by a stray dog that we took into our home. He suffered two broken front legs and puncture wounds on this face and chest. Luckily there wasn't any organ damage. The dog would not let go of Charlie, she finally released him when I choked her. It was a horrible and traumatic situation that has been very difficult to deal with (I suffered a dog bite in the process and was hospitalized for infection) My husband and I carry a lot of guilt because we took the stray into our home and put our Charlie-boy in harms way. Charlie had surgery and metal plates put in both front legs. Four days after surgery we realized the plate on his right leg was not holding. The bone was so severely damaged, the vet told us there was a pea-sized part of bone actually missing where the dog had bitten through the bone, so we decided to amputate hoping that his left leg would heal. He had the amputation done on Tuesday. Today I took him in because his left leg just didn't look right, it looked somewhat crooked. The vet X-rayed his leg and found that this one is also not holding and it looks like part of the bone is dying. She has recommended putting a splint on it which we have done and rechecking it in two weeks with an X-ray to see if there is more degeneration of the bone. He is absolutely miserable with the splint. I don't know if anyone out there has experienced this and if so, what are/were the results. Charlie-boy is 10 years old.
thanks for any help, advice or support!

Karen

[CarolC]

It seems like the only thing you could do, that you haven't done already, is have him checked by a specialist? I guess you'd have to consider the availability of a specialist, what it would cost, whether the vet wants to refer him (does she think it would do any good), and whether it would make you feel better knowing you had tried everything you could. Do you have a regional referral hospital or veterinary college in your area? It sounded like the vet wasn't sure the leg would mend properly. He's going to be uncomfortable for a while, but for that there is medication and rest and TLC. He may have to spend several weeks in the cone...but 3-legged cats can lead perfectly good lives. I'd probably be checking his foot frequently to be sure he's getting good circulation, and be sure sand from the litter box isn't getting in the splint.



Very best wishes for Charlie, and his family.

[CharliesMom]

Thank you very much. He actually has been seeing a specialist and has been going to our referral vet/emergency hospital. I'm not sure how to check his splint. The vet said it should be changed every two weeks.

[critters]

Bipods have a harder go, but they tend to do very well too. A splint needs GREAT care to make sure the limb is alright underneath; make sure to check the circulation at least daily, smell it often, etc.

[CharliesMom]

Thank you. Can you tell me how I check the circulation?

[critters]

To check circulation, you really need to be able to see a bit of skin. You can check the skin's color and a touch will tell you whether it's too cool. Capillary refill would be good too, where you touch the skin firmly then time how long it takes for the color to pink back up.

[CharliesMom]

Thank you, again. The splint goes all the way up to his shoulder area so it's difficult to tell

[critters]

I figured that the splint would be closed like that. Poor fella--I guess all you can do is to check the top of it and give it a good sniff. You can also watch his general demeanor for signs of pain, sickness, etc.