Topic: Dillon's knee saga continues..... (Read 6496 times)

Amanda (mad4moggies) · « **Reply #23 on:** March 21, 2007, 21:32:45 PM »

Yes thats right Susanne. Your usual vet needs to do a referral letter outlining the relevant history but the owner can choose which referal centre they go to if they have one in mind already.

Susanne (urbantigers) · « **Reply #22 on:** March 21, 2007, 21:01:27 PM »

Presumably Dillon would still need to be referred there by his usual vet though, Amanda? My vets is a specialist, referral centre (does a small amt general practice too) and they only accept referrals from vets. I assume that's how all specialists operate?

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #21 on:** March 21, 2007, 20:53:57 PM »

Fingers crossed for him Liz

Amanda (mad4moggies) · « **Reply #20 on:** March 21, 2007, 20:49:23 PM »

Liz, i would recommend Davies Specialists in Hitchin, Herts. Here is the website http://www.vetspecialists.co.uk/

My own cat had to have cruciate surgery as he had had two badly broken legs at 6 months old before i took him on and the surgery he had done previously needed some adjustment as he was having real troubles with one of his legs. I went to see one of the orthopaedic specialists at Davies and they really were fantastic with him. I also have quite a lot of dealings with them because a lot of the clients at work are referred to Davies for various things.

I really can`t praise them enough. Also, they really are into making cats comfortable in the hospital environment. They have a questionnaire you fill out if your pet is going to stay in that asks what there favourite treats are and their favourite toys and types of bedding.

CurlyCatz · « **Reply #19 on:** March 21, 2007, 11:59:19 AM »

yes your vet will definately be able to put you on the right track to find one, or contact your nearest vet university and ask them. also i dont know much about this but you seeing as you are in a big city area then what about animal acupuncture (some vets are trained in it) and/or physiotherapy ?????

also if he is now to get some excercise that will actually help start to build up the muscle, cage rest is a double edged sword, very necessary sometimes but the limbs being immobile doesnt help and you get muscle wastage.

good luck but if the vet says it is stable then i think there will be improvements as he builds muscle, you could ask your vet about "anabolic steriods" ie nandoral this would help build muscle.

also just for interest and i dont know if it applies to felines but i watched a vets hospital thingy on tv a few months back and there was a horse with leg soft tissue injury, they if i remember correctly took bone marrow samples, sent it to a lab who separated out the stem cells, the stem cells were injected into the point of tissue damage and in a few weeks they obviously started growing as the tendon tissue (coz stem cells grow as the tissue they are surrounded by ie if in bone it will turn into bone cells, if in muscle will turn into muscle cells) thus healing faster and better than it would have so the horse could compete again

probably useless info for you but i think it was very interesting and your dillon might have been a canditate (aswell as the ops he needed) when they start doing that type of thing in cats and dogs.

Christine (Blip) · « **Reply #18 on:** March 21, 2007, 11:39:35 AM »

I'd reckon that being able to get out of his cage should lift Dillon's spirits and speed his recovery - I hope so.

Susanne (urbantigers) · « **Reply #17 on:** March 21, 2007, 11:33:52 AM »

That sounds promising if the 2nd op has been successful, and good that Dillon doesn't need to be in his cage all the time.

Quote from: lizfraser on March 21, 2007, 11:12:51 AM

I'm going to look into finding a Feline Orthopaedic specialist, so if anybody has a recomendation for one in Hertfordshire (or London & Home counties) it would be much appreciated. I'd feel happier than just searching on the Internet.

Can your vet not refer you to one?

lizfraser · « **Reply #16 on:** March 21, 2007, 11:12:51 AM »

Well, back from vet with mixed feelings really. X-ray showed that shin and thigh are more or less in alignment so the second surgery has held firm. Vet has said he'd like to hold off for 3-4 months and let nature build up the muscles around leg to see if that stabalises the twisting. I've also got to increase the metacam to 2 drops every other day. Apparently Dillon's original damage to knee was worse than vet had every seen. At least I have not had to make a major decision today, but I'm going to look into finding a Feline Orthopaedic specialist, so if anybody has a recomendation for one in Hertfordshire (or London & Home counties) it would be much appreciated. I'd feel happier than just searching on the Internet.

Hopefully Dillon will not be needing 100% cage rest from now on, which should improve his happiness, and I guess it's only with a little exercise that the muscles have any chance of building up again.

Will keep you all posted.

Christine (Blip) · « **Reply #15 on:** March 21, 2007, 10:17:58 AM »

Good luck today - let us know how Dillon gets on.

xC

CurlyCatz · « **Reply #14 on:** March 20, 2007, 22:38:03 PM »

yes the orthopod specialist are fab and even if you were not keen you could ask if your normal vet might forward xrays etc and seek advice first (you'd have to pay for him to look at the xrays but its not too much)
good luck.

Amanda (mad4moggies) · « **Reply #13 on:** March 20, 2007, 22:35:12 PM »

I really hope his vet visit goes well tomorrow. If you aren`t too concerned about the costs of the treatment as he isn`t insured then it really might be worth asking to be referred to an orthopaedic specialist to get their opinion on the situation. Usually consultations like this are around £150-£200 but that is just a guide. They are dealing with things like this all the time and may either suggest something that can be done or say that amputation is the only answer. At the end of the day you don`t need to go with whatever treatment they offer but it might open up a few more options to you.

Good luck with him, it sounds like he`s had a rough time lately.

CurlyCatz · « **Reply #12 on:** March 20, 2007, 22:13:13 PM »

MMm bad luck, ruptured cruciates arent common in cats and normally do well in animals under 10-15 kgs, but does sound like he had caught his foot and twisted right round snapping everything and leaving a total mess.

at a guess i'd say the only thing they could do would be to try and fuse the joint but to be honest thats me spouting coz i dont know exactly how they'd do it and the complications that could cause (ie pain etc) so it does sound like the leg cant be fixed and is a burden to him.

how badly injured is the front leg ? im sure the vet wouldnt think of amputation if it was too badly affected ?

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #11 on:** March 20, 2007, 21:40:26 PM »

Good luck, and I do hope the vet has some positive news.

Susanne (urbantigers) · « **Reply #10 on:** March 20, 2007, 20:41:03 PM »

Poor Dillon - he's had a rough few months

Hope it goes well at the vets tomorrow.

lizfraser · « **Reply #9 on:** March 20, 2007, 20:00:02 PM »

Thanks all for your advice and support.

Lynn - Dillon is 9 and has always been a very active outdoor cat. Not sure how his accident happened - vet reckoned he'd tried to jump a fence, his ankle had got caught, he'd gone over and his ankle hadn't (ouch). Basically the shin and thigh bone were totally ripped apart, both cruciate ligaments torn to shreds, the fluid sac around knee burst and the tissue so badly damaged that it died off following first lot of surgery so stitches had nothing to hold onto. Second repair surgery seemed to work for a short while. Third op. was because he refused to wee at the vets and got a bladder infection and had to be cathiterised.

One worrying issue if he does have to have an amputation is that it's his back left leg affected, and he's not 100% on his front left leg following getting shot with an air rifle by some b****** last November. He's certainly been through the wars recently. He's not insured, but I'd find any money necessary to give him a better quality of life.

Dillon has perked up a bit today, probably because I've had two days off sick myself so he's had more cuddles than usual, or maybe to make me feel bad about not feeding him tonight as he's nil by mouth prior to GA tomorrow!

Anyhow, will give an update once vet has seen him tomorrow.

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #8 on:** March 19, 2007, 19:04:40 PM »

Poor Dillon

I was only thinking about him the other day, I thought as we hadn't heard anything recently he must have recovered well. I'm sure you will make the right decision for him.

Amanda (mad4moggies) · « **Reply #7 on:** March 19, 2007, 16:15:47 PM »

As everyone has said cats do manage very well on 3 legs but it seems strange that whatever they have done hasn`t worked. Is he insured? If he is it would be well worth going to see an orthopaedic specialist in the hope he can keep his leg. Its such a shame he has one through all of that and still isn`t on the road to recovery.

CurlyCatz · « **Reply #6 on:** March 19, 2007, 16:14:29 PM »

yep amputation fine with me in cats i reckon providing of course they are healthy etc otherwise and have a reasonable life expectancy left.

update me on what was wrong with dillon in the first place and his age etc.

forever_missing_my_boys(Lisa) · « **Reply #5 on:** March 19, 2007, 16:13:20 PM »

awwww poor Dillon

i think he would b much happier with his leg being amputated.

Ela · « **Reply #4 on:** March 19, 2007, 15:48:10 PM »

Quote

PErsonally, I Would be pushing for amputation,

I think that amputation should certainly be a topic for discussion on Wednesday, although sad it is not the end of the world and cats do manage remarkably well with 3 legs.

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #3 on:** March 19, 2007, 15:43:39 PM »

PErsonally, I Would be pushing for amputation, and I would be asking the vet to honestly tell you what would be the best thing to do for him, as being depressed and weight loss, plus having to have spent so long in a cage isn't good for him. It really isn't that bad if it does have to be amputated. Good luck for Wed.

Susanne (urbantigers) · « **Reply #2 on:** March 19, 2007, 13:19:04 PM »

Aw, poor Dillon. It must be so frustrating for him (and you) esp if you end up having to have his leg amputated in the end anyway. I hope wednesday's vet trip helps and gives a few answers. Perhaps moving his cage around to give him different views might help. I don't think putting it in the conservatory would tease him with the outdoors as it's not like being outside - just a more interesting view for him.

lizfraser · « **Reply #1 on:** March 19, 2007, 13:03:42 PM »

Hi to everyone who followed Dillon's first thread on here during February. a quick update. Well, he's still not making much progress, and despite 6 weeks in a cage now and the three operations, the vets are still not happy with his knee joint so he's booked in for another GA and x-rays on Wednesday. The knee now seems to be twisting when he puts any weight on it, and I can't help but think he may have been better off with an amputation 6 weeks ago, at least he'd be well on the way to recovery by now. He is really really depressed with being caged and seems to have a "why are you doing this to me" look in his eyes. He has lost nearly a kilo in weight as he's off his food (6.5 down to 5.7) and also due to muscle wasteage, and he just does not seem to be coping with the confinement. Any ideas how I can cheer my little fella up? His cage is in a corner of living room, wondered if putting it in conservatory would give him more to look at, or if that would be like teasing him with the great outdoors.

Author Topic: Dillon's knee saga continues..... (Read 6496 times)