Cat Front Leg Injury (Nerve Damage)

Orthopedic/Arthritis: Problems associated with joints, bone, and connective tissue, and CH (cerebellar hypoplasia), or brain damage.
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Mochi
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Cat Front Leg Injury (Nerve Damage)

Post by Mochi »

Hi everyone, I’m new to this forum and I am truly very thankful that such a supportive community exists.

I was out of the house for about 3 hours today and came to find my 2 year old cat limping. He has been comparatively weaker than my other two cats but is still relatively healthy. I brought him to the closest vet (his usual vet was closed early for thanksgiving) and they took an X-ray for him. On top of running a fever, they found that he had a hairline fracture where his shoulder is. He’s usually a pretty vocal cat but showed no reaction when the vet touched his injured leg. His paw was also cold to the touch. The vet thinks it’s a nerve injury and that there might be a high chance we need to amputate his leg. He was prescribed amoxicillin and prednisone for the next couple of days and I was told to continue massaging his paws to stimulate blood flow.

I brought him home and he seemed really tired and upset but he was still relatively mobile (without using the injured leg). This is my first time dealing with an injured pet and I would like to do my very best to help him avoid amputation if possible. I have a couple questions and wanted to see if anyone here can kindly help me:

1) Should I bandage his leg or secure it with a splint? The vet sent him home without anything but I’m definitely willing to help him in anyway I can.

2) should I confine him in an area to prevent him from further injuring himself?

3) the vet told me to massage ONLY his paws, but I was wondering if there’s anything else I can do to better stimulate blood flow?

4) he has been trying to hide in secluded areas since we got home. I think he’s mainly upset and frustrated but he also has been breathing pretty hard. As I type this right now, he’s lying inside his litter box. Is this a cause for concern?

I’m so sorry for all the questions but it’s my first time taking care of an injured pet and I am so unsure of what to do. I just wish I’m not doing anything that will harm him in anyway. While I understand that he might still lead a happy life with the amputation (and I will always love him the same, if not more), I would still like to try my best in helping him. Thank you in advance for all the help and Happy Thanksgiving!
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critters
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Re: Cat Front Leg Injury (Nerve Damage)

Post by critters »

Mochi wrote:Hi everyone, I’m new to this forum and I am truly very thankful that such a supportive community exists.

I was out of the house for about 3 hours today and came to find my 2 year old cat limping. He has been comparatively weaker than my other two cats but is still relatively healthy. I brought him to the closest vet (his usual vet was closed early for thanksgiving) and they took an X-ray for him. On top of running a fever, they found that he had a hairline fracture where his shoulder is. He’s usually a pretty vocal cat but showed no reaction when the vet touched his injured leg. His paw was also cold to the touch. The vet thinks it’s a nerve injury and that there might be a high chance we need to amputate his leg. He was prescribed amoxicillin and prednisone for the next couple of days and I was told to continue massaging his paws to stimulate blood flow.

I brought him home and he seemed really tired and upset but he was still relatively mobile (without using the injured leg). This is my first time dealing with an injured pet and I would like to do my very best to help him avoid amputation if possible. I have a couple questions and wanted to see if anyone here can kindly help me:

1) Should I bandage his leg or secure it with a splint? I would. I really like the splints here at HP. I'll post the link below.The vet sent him home without anything but I’m definitely willing to help him in anyway I can.

2) should I confine him in an area to prevent him from further injuring himself? You can try, but cats don't necessarily play ball with that. LOL

3) the vet told me to massage ONLY his paws, but I was wondering if there’s anything else I can do to better stimulate blood flow? Hmm. How about a little bit of heat? You have to watch that you don't burn him, though.

4) he has been trying to hide in secluded areas since we got home. I think he’s mainly upset and frustrated but he also has been breathing pretty hard. Could be pain, stress, or some respiratory damage. I'd keep a good watch on the breathing.As I type this right now, he’s lying inside his litter box. Is this a cause for concern? Cats tend to do that with stress or pain.

I’m so sorry for all the questions but it’s my first time taking care of an injured pet and I am so unsure of what to do. I just wish I’m not doing anything that will harm him in anyway. While I understand that he might still lead a happy life with the amputationYes. I consider tripods disfigured rather than disabled. (and I will always love him the same, if not more), I would still like to try my best in helping him. Thank you in advance for all the help and Happy Thanksgiving!
:whale: Nerve damage can heal VERY slowly. He probably feels pretty lousy right now, so he'll probably be naturally less active. If you could, you might crate him until he's feeling better. Is he taking any meds?
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critters
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Re: Cat Front Leg Injury (Nerve Damage)

Post by critters »

You might need to let the fracture heal some first, but here are the splints. https://www.handicappedpets.com/walkin-front-splint/
Mochi
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Re: Cat Front Leg Injury (Nerve Damage)

Post by Mochi »

Thank you for your reply Critters! It feels so much more reassuring talking to someone with experience.

I’ll definitely look into what you mentioned (the splint and the heat therapy)! Also, are there any tell tales sign with nerve damage with no chance of recovery? It does appear that his broken leg feels “harder” to the touch?

He does seem to be slightly better spirits today since he was eating his treats and all so hopefully that stays! Thank you once again!
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CarolC
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Re: Cat Front Leg Injury (Nerve Damage)

Post by CarolC »

Hopefully critters will reply, but I would call the vet tomorrow to tell him about the firmness of the leg in case it's important. I have no experience with this, but I looked up causes of swelling and one of them is injury and one is a blood clot. You mentioned his paw felt cold, so this swelling is probably something to tell the vet tomorrow morning. :2cents:
https://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/endocrine/c_ct_peripheral_edema wrote:Localized or single-limb edema may result from injury, such as from a car accident, burns, obstruction in an artery (due to a blood clot), contact with toxic agents, such as a snake bite or bee sting, abnormal tissue growth (known as neoplasia) in the lymphatic tissues of the body, or high pressure in the capillary fluids.
Mochi
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Re: Cat Front Leg Injury (Nerve Damage)

Post by Mochi »

Thank you CarolC! I intend on taking him to the vet I am more familiar with for second opinion tomorrow morning and will definitely let them know. All I have done today is use a warm towel while I was massaging him and Ill continue to try this a couple more times! He does seem quite down and tends to hide in dark corners so he's probably really upset. I also tried caging him but he was so enraged from being caged that he was more active that he ever was. It kinda defeated the purpose of the cage to start with so I took him out for now.

Regardless, thank you all for you help and advices. I will keep this space updated in case this thread becomes useful to anyone else in the future!
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critters
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Re: Cat Front Leg Injury (Nerve Damage)

Post by critters »

CarolC wrote:Hopefully critters will reply, but I would call the vet tomorrow to tell him about the firmness of the leg in case it's important. I have no experience with this, but I looked up causes of swelling and one of them is injury and one is a blood clot. You mentioned his paw felt cold, so this swelling is probably something to tell the vet tomorrow morning. :2cents:
https://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/endocrine/c_ct_peripheral_edema wrote:Localized or single-limb edema may result from injury, such as from a car accident, burns, obstruction in an artery (due to a blood clot), contact with toxic agents, such as a snake bite or bee sting, abnormal tissue growth (known as neoplasia) in the lymphatic tissues of the body, or high pressure in the capillary fluids.
I agree.
Marinis36
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Re: Cat Front Leg Injury (Nerve Damage)

Post by Marinis36 »

Mochi wrote: Thu Nov 22, 2018 1:53 am Hi everyone, I’m new to this forum and I am truly very thankful that such a supportive community exists.

I was out of the house for about 3 hours today and came to find my 2 year old cat limping. He has been comparatively weaker than my other two cats but is still relatively healthy. I brought him to the closest vet (his usual vet was closed early for thanksgiving) and they took an X-ray for him. On top of running a fever, they found that he had a hairline fracture where his shoulder is. He’s usually a pretty vocal cat but showed no reaction when the vet touched his injured leg. His paw was also cold to the touch. The vet thinks it’s a nerve injury and that there might be a high chance we need to amputate his leg. He was prescribed amoxicillin and prednisone for the next couple of days and I was told to continue massaging his paws to stimulate blood flow.

I brought him home and he seemed really tired and upset but he was still relatively mobile (without using the injured leg). This is my first time dealing with an injured pet and I would like to do my very best to help him avoid amputation if possible. I have a couple questions and wanted to see if anyone here can kindly help me:

1) Should I bandage his leg or secure it with a splint? The vet sent him home without anything but I’m definitely willing to help him in anyway I can.

2) should I confine him in an area to prevent him from further injuring himself?

3) the vet told me to massage ONLY his paws, but I was wondering if there’s anything else I can do to better stimulate blood flow?

4) he has been trying to hide in secluded areas since we got home. I think he’s mainly upset and frustrated but he also has been breathing pretty hard. As I type this right now, he’s lying inside his litter box. Is this a cause for concern?
transfers CDG
I’m so sorry for all the questions but it’s my first time taking care of an injured pet and I am so unsure of what to do. I just wish I’m not doing anything that will harm him in anyway. While I understand that he might still lead a happy life with the amputation (and I will always love him the same, if not more), I would still like to try my best in helping him. Thank you in advance for all the help and Happy Thanksgiving!
C'est vraiment dommage, j'espère tout simplement que c'est résolu
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