Vet thinks I should put Zorro down.

I am glad that I went to see his regular vet, I just wish he would have been there the week that this all started, then Zorro would have recovered much quicker and better. I love his vet. He has to be one of the best ones out there.
He loves Zorro to death(even though Zorro hates him, lol) and you could tell that he was VERY upset when he had to tell me that Zorro might have to be put down.
He's followed Zor since he was just a tiny kitten and has gone through everything with him as well.
Oh, and Zorro says hi to everyone. I'll have to get some pics of the little guy for everyone.

I am so glad for you that it is not as bad as it could have been, and htat there is a chance that little Zorro will enjoy a reasonable quality and legth of life. Good vibes to both of you.

I'm so glad to hear the news isn't as bad as it could have been! Poor Zorro; at least now he's getting care from a vet who seems to know what's going on.
As someone who's had back problems most of her life, I feel as if I should ask this: have you considered taking Zorro to a specialist, or finding someone who can manipulate his spine? ( I guess I mean a kitty-chiropractor, if there is such a thing.) I also agree with whiskerynature about the steroids injected directly into Zorro's disc. Have you talked to the vet about alternatives?

I plan on taking him out alot and walking around with him. I might even take him for a walk(me holding him of course) outside for a bit. He loves it when I do that.

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I think if I was going to walk Zorro, I'd get a kitty harness for him and let him explore. My Aunt & Uncle have 2 cats that they've trained to walk on a harness, and my Uncle takes them for daily walks around the neighborhood.
Just a thought.

I hope there's something more than can be done for Zorro. He sounds like a special little guy; can't wait to see a pic of him. Sending loads of (((healing vibes))) to your baby boy.

Oh, he has a kitty harness that I take him outside in sometimes, but since he's not supposed to walk around, I'll have to carry him for the next week or so.
I never thought about the chiropractor idea. I go to the chiropractor once a month and love it. I'll have to look into that, and the steroid injection.
There is a vet around here that does alternative therapy. Maybe I'll give her a call.

I am so sorry to hear this and I pray Zorro will pull thru, lots of good vibes coming for Zorro.

Healing vibes for Zorro

Prayers for Zorro - so glad he's doing better than expected.

Zorro's gait hasn't improved at all, but you can tell he's in much less pain then he was before. He still can only limp around, but I've noticed that since yesterday, he'll actually sit like a real cat every once in a while
(you know, not sitting on his hips) He has never done that since he was a little kitten. I'm assuming thats something good. I'm getting kind of worried that he's not showing any signs of regaining some movement to his legs though. We still have a few days left though before we know how sure, so you never know.
I did some research on feline chiropractic, and the websites say that you can use it to treat forms of "disk disease" and that felines respond very well to chiropractic. They say that sometimes you can reverse the damage done to the legs and that they can regain almost full use of the legs, then you put them on preventative manipulations and the problem will be less likely to re-occur.
I was going to call about it yesterday, but they closed too early. I plan on giving them a call today just to talk to them and get some more info and some prices.

I feel so bad for Zorro; I hope you can find something or someone to help him thru this. Good luck with the kitty-chiropractor, and gentle head-skritches to your boy.

I've noticed a slight improvement in his walking. His right leg doesn't stick out awkwardly to the side anymore. I look him for a nice, slow walk down the hallway a few times, and he seemed to do very well with that. I think he knows that he's not supposed to walk around to much because he followed right beside me and kept looking up at me to make sure he was doing it right, lol.
I called the kitty chiropractor, and she said that she doesn't usually do chiropractic on cats, but that acupuncture works very well. I'm not too sure about how he'll be with acupuncture though, since they look kind of like needles, and Zorro has an AMAZING phobia for needles. He can't look at them.
She told me that I should bring him in for a consult and she'd go from there.
I don't really have the money for that right now, so I think I'm going to wait and see how he does on the medication first, then go from there. At least its another option.

This is going to sound bizzar, but...

Have you considered chiropractic treatment for Zorro? The reason I ask is because my brother had a Cocker Spaniel and they are prone to a degenerative hip. At one time Max had a hard time walking and needed to be carried up and down the stairs and outside etc.

The only option they were given was either euthenasia or a very expensive surgery in another Province. My brother was loved Max and planned on spending whatever he needed to in order to help his dog, so he was going to go for the surgery.

However, my brother's girl friend goes to a chiropractor who also treats animals. And they decided to give that a try before the surgery to see if that worked. So she started to take Max in for treatments a few times per week, and after a few visits Max was able to walk again, and could even get up and down the stairs.

He improved for 3 or 4 years, but he had to be put down last year. He was quite old (15 I think), and the hip dysplasia started to return and his quality of life was declining.

A Chiropractor may be something you might want to consider. But also keep in mind it's not the quantity of life that matters, it's the quality of life that is important. So do what you think is best for your baby, but try to keep in mind that we tend to try and hang onto those we love out of purely selfish reasons, even if their quality of life is bad. I know you love your baby, but do what is best for him, not what is best for you

Originally Posted by gothicangel69

Well its been a long and stressful day. I just got back from the vets. The results are not very good, but they're better than I thought they would be.
The vet did ex-rays and a dopler pulse check in his rear legs. He said that the pulse and blood pressure in his hind legs are fine, but the ex-rays are the problem.
It turns out that Zorro has degenerative disk disease. Something thats not treatable, but the vet said that he could live with it for a few years longer until he'll need to be put down. The ex-rays showed that he has a collapsed disk in his back thats pinched and damaged the nerves. He's on Prednisone for the next month and has to be in a wire crate for the next week. He's not allowed to do any running or playing for the next 6 weeks, and he's not aloud to jump ever again.
The vet was really mad and upset with the other vet. He said that if that vet had ordered ex-rays immediately, then Zorro would have recovered 100%. He said that there's a good chance that he'll still be able to walk, but he'll probably have a limp for the rest of his life. We'll know in the next 3-4 days whether or not the medication will work.
Thank you all for the good wishes. I think they worked. At least now I know whats going on with him, even if its not the best of news. 'm just glad I didn't have to put him down today.

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I did consider chiropractic, but when I talked to her, she said that she usually doesn't do chiropractic on cats. I'm going to see how he does on the medication, then try the chiropractic if I'm not satisfied with the results.
I understand completely about quality of life and hanging onto the animal even though its sometimes not the best thing for them.

I do hope you look into the acupuncture for Zorro. The needles that are used are so fine he might not recognize them as needles at all.
It sounds as if he's doing much better; I'm so glad. I hope his recovery continues. Sending loads of (((healing vibes))) for your sweet boy.