I really need some thoughts and advice asap...long..

This sweetheart is Crosby. Crosby is about 12 wks old. Apprx 2 weeks ago, he was found caught in a hockey net in someone's yard. He was feral. His left paw had been stuck for some time and it was damaged from him pulling and pulling trying to free himself. He also had puncture wounds to his upper leg and shoulder from biting at it to free himself. He was brought to the shelter and seen by a vet. It was xrayed which failed to show any fractures. He was quite ill and had to put on strong antibiotics. He is doing much better, infection is gone and he's eating again. He's even warmed up to people. The vet has recommended his leg be amputated.

Here lies the problem. Some think we can save his leg. He does have normal shoulder movement. He uses the leg to bat at toys as you see above. The leg does appear have been stretched longer from him pulling. There is a noticable hard lump where is wrist is.

If you look at the top photo, the way he is holding his foot. This is how he walks...on his toes. If he crouches to eat the "wrist" turns and rotates to the outside with pressure. Sometimes, if he's running the lower leg drags behind.  He has been cage bound up til yesterday. I have brought him home to foster. My big worry is that if he tries to use his leg in a normal way like to jump down from a window to the floor and his wrist rotates, there is a chance that his wrist would take the brunt of the weight and I'm scared he'll break it.

We live in a small town. We do not get government funding and we do not have thousands of dollars to spend on a specialist.

The amputation/neuter was going to be $500 and I have managed to raise close to $800 in the past week to cover this cost.

I watched him tonight playing with my Phoenix and he was running, jumping, batting toys and having a ball. He does limp and walk on his toes. I feel so torn. I'm afraid if we "wait and see" or try to fix it..he'll eventually be looking at amputation anyway. I think it would be easier for him to adapt when he is this age and not full grown.

Any thoughts? Experiences?  ;(

I wonder if the paw was abnormal before he got caught?  Does he have normal feeling in it?

My guess is that he was born with his paw like that. I had a cat growing up with a similar problem.  Does he drag it?  He probably has some sensation but it is pretty much useless to him.  If he drags it too much, it will become raw and infected constantly which can cause him actual pain.  I would go ahead and have it amputated.  He's young and he'll rebound quickly.  My guess is he is used to being a 3 legged kitty as he doesn't put wait on the paw anyway.

That had crossed some minds too... I think he has normal feeling. The circulation is good...

I am really surprised that they didn't see even an old break. One of the staff wanted me to do

physio on it by gently bending it forward in the natural position. He tends to fold it under.

But when I tried that, the bump feels like fused bone.It felt like if I put too much pressure,

I would break it...

P3 and The King said:

My guess is that he was born with his paw like that. I had a cat growing up with a similar problem.  Does he drag it?  He probably has some sensation but it is pretty much useless to him.  If he drags it too much, it will become raw and infected constantly which can cause him actual pain.  I would go ahead and have it amputated.  He's young and he'll rebound quickly.  My guess is he is used to being a 3 legged kitty as he doesn't put wait on the paw anyway.

Click to expand...

I really doubt he was born like that. He was found with his leg entwined in a hockey net and was unable to get away. I've only seen him drag it once when he went to run. I think by letting him have more room to run and play, it will strengthen it and he has a chance to attempt to use it. He hasn't been able to do anything in a small cage.

I am worried about another infection as well. It was infected once...prob because he bit his own leg and opened it up to bacteria. He does use it...just not well. It is clearly a hindrance albeit not a huge one. As I said, I am worried that he will break or re injure which could lead to more infection and medical care.

I agree, I don't think having three legs will keep him down for long. He's a little spit fire!

Thank you for your input

Well maybe it is an injury but being like that (swollen and bent the wrong way too much and the kitty not being able to correct it) isn't explained by the hockey net.  This has been going on for awhile.  The cat I had, her paw was like that when I got her and it was infected because she had dragged it for so long (at least a couple of weeks).  My vet told my parents that it was a tendon that was stretched too much and that past a certain point, there wasn't much they could do to correct it. (However, that was like 15 yrs ago so they have made many advances since then so who knows?)  It would always be somewhat useless to her. (She would use hers, too, not well and not for it's intended purpose. And she had learned to hold it up so it didn't drag and get yucky anymore.)  So they amputated.  They had to clear up the infection though.  And we know it hurt her because she would cry whenever we would have to change her bandages and medicate it and it would throb. 

It's a long term "injury" or whatever.  It's not recent.  Or they'd be able to see the break or whatever.  My vet told my parents it was most likely a birth defect or birth injury though the people we got her from said it was not so. 

I know it looks swollen but it's not. The "bump" is firm. Like it was broke and then fused on it's own. I would love a second opinion personally but in the end...I'm

not sure the outcome would be that different.

Exactly... It broke someplace (either after birth or even before.  If he's only 12 weeks old, this is a long time injury.  And calciumification can take years.  So it could be a tumor a benign tumor...) and healed and calciumfied in the wrong way and the tendons started just stretching and holding it like that.  So it's not easily fixable if at all.  But, like I said my cats similar or same injury was 15+ years ago and a lot has changed in veterinary medicine.  However, if you decide to amputate, he would be fine... He probably is used to not walking and using that leg as he should anyway.  Whatever you decide to do I know will be in the best interest of the kitty.... He's a cutie!