Karen thats good news. I have been looking at web sites for any info that may help and it seems in UK most cats are pts with rear spinal nerve damage because of the way our cats live ie most outsiders but in USA where alot of Cats are indoor , they have ways to give a rear disabled cat a good life which is not very common over here. Do we know if the spainal damage to her cord is damaged or severed? Heres bits i got of the net and i have no clue if they can help at all.
DiagnosisA history of recent injury is important in diagnosing spinal trauma. In addition, your veterinarian will perform a thorough examination to determine the extent of the injury and to determine if there are other injuries present.
Your veterinarian will take X-rays of the spinal column to detect fractures or luxations.
A myelogram may be performed to determine if significant spinal cord swelling has occurred. A myelogram is a specialized test that involves injecting dye into the spinal canal and taking X-rays. Animals are often sedated for this test.
A CT scan or MRI may also be performed to determine the severity of spinal cord injury.
TreatmentAnimals with suspected spinal trauma should be immobilized immediately. The animal should be taped to a board while lying on his side to prevent further injury. Tranquilizers, sedatives and painkillers are not given until the animal can be evaluated since giving these drugs will make it nearly impossible to determine the severity of the injury and will make decisions regarding appropriate treatment difficult.
Treatment for spinal trauma depends on the severity of the injury and should begin as soon as possible. Some injuries can be treated medically and others require surgery. For some injuries, particularly severe fractures or dislocations of the spine, there is no treatment available and euthanasia should be considered.
The goal of treatment is to alleviate swelling, control hemorrhage, alleviate compression on the cord and to stabilize the vertebral column if a fracture or luxation is present. Treatment for spinal trauma can be medical, surgical or a combination of both.
Medical therapy often involves the administration of corticosteroids, primarily methylprednisolone sodium succinate. It should be administered within eight hours of the injury to be effective. If given later, it can worsen the spinal injury.
Surgical therapy should be considered in animals with unstable fractures or luxations or animals with worsening neurologic signs despite medical therapy. Surgery should be performed by an experienced neurosurgeon.
Depending on the nature of the injury, paralysis may be temporary or permanent and may involve loss of sensation in bowel and bladder as well. Where the injury has caused the blood supply to be cut off, the vet may opt to amputate the tail and/or lower parts of the hind legs due to the risk of gangrene. Other conditions causing lack or loss of hind-limb function are pelvic deformities and spina bifida. In some extreme cases, kittens have been born without proper pelvic bones.
If the bladder and bowel are affected this will result in incontinence (uncontrolled dribbling of urine, uncontrolled defecation) or an inability to urinate/defecate unaided. In either case, the owner can manually express the bowel and bladder. The vet will show you how to do this. A build up of urine in the bladder can lead to infection which can track up the ureters to the cat's kidneys. If the cat is incontinent inbetween sessions, nappies (US: diapers) may be possible. There are nappies ("Stud-Pants" "Piddle-Pants") designed for incontinent dogs and cats, sometimes used by owners of stud cats which spray indoors. Washable bedding will also be needed and must be washed daily. Caring for a long-term incontinent cat requires effort and commitment.
Many cats have pursued several more years of mobility and good quality of life using a "wheelchair" or mobility cart. Initially developed for dogs, but now available for cats as well, these support the cat's hind quarters and tail so that they don't drag along the ground. The cat can walk, run, lie down and defecate while in the cart. They are also suited to hind-limb amputees. The carts are generally made to measure and if used for a young cat or kitten, will have to be replaced as the cat grows. Whether or not your cat is suited to a mobility cart depends on its personality and ability to adapt to a more dependent lifestyle. Fiercely independent, tree-climbing kitties may not be able to make the adjustment to a more limited lifestyle.
Although designed to cope with a variety of terrains, pet mobility carts are rare in the UK due to the prevailing unsupervised indoor-outdoor lifestyle of most British cats. In the USA, where an indoor lifestyle is more normal - meaning more even terrain - and a cat's outside forays are likely to be supervised, they are more common. They have been imported into the UK and some skilled cat owners have made similar carts (as a temporary measure) using the children's construction toy Meccano or plastic plumbing tubes. Home made carts are often in the form of four wheeled frames with the body supported by a sling. Although useful as a stop-gap measure while a specialist cart is being made to measure or while a kitten is growing fast, many home-made carts are too bulky, heavy and cumbersome for long term use.
One thing cats in mobility carts cannot do is jump. To reach a favourite chair, the cat requires a ramp wide enough to accommodate the cart. Although not impossible, it is probably inadvisable for the cat to jump down from the chair. Because pressure sores can develop at the points where the cat's body is supported (particularly on lifeless limbs where the cat cannot shift its position) lap-times, nap-times and bed-times are times to come out of the cart. Many cats are happy to remain in one place during these times, while others prefer to drag their hind ends around the floor. Owners need to watch out for pressure sores and also for abrasions caused by dragging the lifeless limbs on the ground.
British behaviourists have expressed concerns that a partially paralysed cat's body language might put it at a disadvantage. For example, its lifeless tail might be interepreted by other cats as a "tail between legs" fear posture, but there is no evidence that affected cats are at any more disadvantage than naturally tailless or bobtailed breeds.
In Britain there is generally more resistance to artificial aids such as pet wheelchairs. However, in the early 1990s a British Cat Shelter had a paraplegic puss who adapted well to a mobility cart for several years. Hector was a semi-longhaired black-and-white tuxedo cat whose hind legs were paralysed by injury when he was six years old. Hector lived at the Ingleside Cat Shelter who reported that his easy-going and co-operative personality meant he adapted well to a life in a mobility cart and his greater dependence on humans. He was possibly one of the first British cats to use a mobility cart. Hector eventually died of cancer, a condition unrelated to his partial paralysis.
I'm caring for a rescued kitty who was found last August with no hind end function (legs, tail, bladder, bowel). She has very slowly but steadily regained some function. I doubt she will walk, but who knows. She can now move her tail (not hold it in the air but twitch it and move it out of the way when her bladder is expressed) and "walks" on her knees - even tries to pull her hind legs under her to stand. We've been doing the same massage & range of motion therapy and supporting her while having her stand & bear a little weight on her hind legs (to provide some muscle tone). Although people cringe & sigh when I tell them about Jenny, they shouldn't - this cat is not handicapped in spirit and shows no sign of being troubled by her lack of normal hind end function. She's inspirational and a delight to have around.
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_care_of_the_paralyzed_animal.htmlMy prayers are with you hun.
Sending lots of love to you both and her babies
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