Broken Hip

Here's the latest JJ update. I let him out today while I cleaned his room up and took a few pictures before I put him back in his room. I am attaching the pics.. He seems to be doing ok, but his leg will never be the same. He will more than likely always be an inside kitty from now on. We have the new yard laid out. The last week I have been driving T-posts. We are putting 4x4's in all the corners to make it secure. The dog yard is huge. The kitty enclosure is 20 x 10. Should have it completed in a week or so.









Don't get the wrong idea. JJ rests all the time in his room except for a few minutes a day when I hold him. This is the first time I have let him on the floor in approx a week .......

I hope he keep getting better. He doesn't appear to be in pain at all.

Jenn

p.s. The vet did not xray his toes. I have thought that maybe they are broken? I woder if I put a popcycle stick and taped it in might help it to heal straight if it is broken. Any thoughts on this. All that might happen is JJ would take it off........What do yall think?

I used to watch Emergency Vets on Animal Planet and several times both dogs and cats would hold their toes like that and it is a sign of nerve damage. Since the Vet said that the pelvic break looked like a recent break this may still resolve itself.

I sure hope so.............. And there is some nerve damage. Before I put him back in his room, I sqeezed his toes slightly and he reacted and did not like it and I did not pitch them hard. Just handled them basically. When I first took him to the vet and when the vet squeezed them, there was NO reaction.

So hopefully time will heal it........

Jenn

I just found this thread & all I can say is--what an amazing little man JJ is! And you are an angel.
We once had a kitten that had apparently been tossed from a car; he had a break at the hip bone/pelvis area. He was put in an aluminum splint (that was bigger than he was) for 6 weeks. The fracture healed well, and Winston had no problem with running, jumping, etc. However, as he got older it became increasingly harder for him to even walk; the vet said the original break had damaged the soft tissue between the joints, which had worn away over time, and resulted in a bone-on-bone situation.
I didn't read this whole thread, so don't know if your vet has mentioned splinting JJ. I'm sure it depends on the exact nature of the break.
I do think you're right about making him an indoor only cat; the poor little guy has been thru enough!
Best of luck with him (and with all your fur-babies). Hope he continues to improve daily.

Thanks for sharing JJ's latest pictures Jenn.
I would not splint his toes on my own.
It might be useful to take him in early, for a vet re-check, to be sure everything is healing as it should.
Lots of healing vibes coming JJ's way.

He goes back to the vet in a couple weeks. The exact date eludes me right now. My paper on it is in my car but I'll wait on the splint for now.

And also I am going to ask the vet why he couldn't splint his leg to hold it immobile and in the correct healing position. That seems so logical but he might have his reasons for not doing it.

After he is healed we will get him fixed and get him his shots. And believe it or not, he has not sprayed the house once. Whew.....

Jenn

I think that you have some valid questions for your vet.
Whew is right....no spraying.
JJ is such a good boy.

My 15 yr. old male cat, Buzz, was hit by a car Tues. right before I was to take him for his regular vet visit for annual shots. He broke "cracked" is how the vet termed it, his pelvis. HE told me to keep him in a small area by himself. Well, he is in our master bad, which is small. But I am worried because he isn't eating anything and I am giving him water with my kid's medicine syringe. I have gone to check on him and he will be laying in the litter box. He can get in to go but can't get back out. Do you have any advise. I have been on this computer tonight trying to find more specific information to help Buzz or ease any discomfort he has. I am so happy I came across this site. I am very happy your kitty is doing well.

Thank you,
wildroar

Oh, poor Buzz.
How much do you trust your vet? I can't believe he didn't send any pain med. home with you. You know Buzz has to be hurting. I would definitely call him again and, if he doesn't say anything besides "keep him in a small area " I'd be calling another vet.

If you have doubts about how Buzz is doing wildroar...call your vet right away.
If you are not comfortable with the answers, get a second opinion.

It might help to get more responses to your questions if you start a new thread in this forum similar to JJ's.

I am so glad that you found TCS.
This is the best site on the web for caring, knowledgeable support, but when in doubt about Buzzes care...
always consult a vet.
I will be watching for your thread & updates about how Buzz is progressing.

JJ

WILDROAR.

What the vet told me is to keep JJ confined to a small area with NO JUMPING OR CLIMBING at all. Make sure he doesn't jump off your bed. He could re-injure himself. He actually suggested me wiring two of my WIRE crates together and letting that be his area. The reason I have him in our spare bathroom is because the floor area is only about 4' x 3'. It is very tiny with a commode. No tub. There are no shelves for him to get on. He has nothing to jump up on.

Jumping or climbing is totally off limits to JJ. His pelvis is not merely cracked. I looked at the xray and his pelvis is actually in two pieces.

As far as your kitty, is he actually tinkling? Or just laying there in his litter box. If he is unable to urinate, his bladder will swell and with no relief could actually explode without relief. This is usually due to nerve damage or possibly with his advanced age, he is just very sore. But only your vet know for sure.

It's good you are giving him water but make sure he is passing it or he will have problems real soon. If he is your only cat, I would get some clumping litter so I could watch and make sure he is passing the water you are giving him. His belly with also feel very tight.

But personally, I would take him back to vet promply.

BUT, if he is passing urine, I would confine him to an area smaller than a king sized bed since he could jump off the bed. He needs to probably be crated or in a very small room with no climbing areas.

It is hard I know, but the reason the vet wanted Buzz is a small area is to limit his walking, climbing and jumping. It is so he can heal properly. You can do it........

Good luck with Buzz and let us know how he fairs. I hope all goes well with him.

And also, if he is passing urine, you might try giving him a little food. Tuna or something special. But laying in the litter bothers me a little. He might know he needs to go but be unable to.

Vet is best if he is not passing urine. He might need a catheter until well.

One more thing on a confined area. It need only be big enough for a pillow, a litter box and a bowl of food and a bowl of water. JJ had no walking area unless he moves around and goes behind the commode. He is limited and I can see he is healing. He will never be the same but he is young. A year or two probably at most. At 15, it's just hard to say. But if he is urinating that is an excellent thing. If he can urinate, he can probably poop. But give him soft stuff to start him off especially if he is not eating yet. It will be easier for him to pass. And if you have a cover litter box, get something smaller with short sides. 3" tall. There might be litter on the floor but it will make it easier for him.

But if not urinating, give him nothing and rush him to the vet.

Poor little buzz......... I pray he gets ok. Sound like he has been your baby for a long time.

Jenn

just looking in to see how he is doing.
Anne

He is doing a little better.......... Not in pain or at least I don't think so.

Right now he is resting in the living room napping.... I took this just now.



His hair coat is finally looking much better. Still not totally healthy but he is adapting to being in the house now as well. He doesn't purr much when I hold him but he is content to be held and loved on.

It's kinda sad in a way how his life has changed. He is now a house cat which is good for his safety but it is sad that he had to have a broken pelvis and be cripped to get the love all kitties deserve.

He is so beautiful too...

Jenn

JJ looks so sweet.

He's looking great, Jenn - thanks to all your love and care!

I am still hoping for a full recovery. It's not likely but not impossible either.

Jenn

Well, JJ has had a setback of sorts...

Remember me talking about him turning his toes turned under? Without going back through all this thread, it was mentioned that he probalby had nerve damage. Well, that is correct.

He has not been to the vet yet. But he will have to go. He foot is very irritated from rubbing the carpet as he walks. He IS using the hip which moves the leg but the toes curl under and there is nothing to be done about it.

That's fine in itself BUT the friction has caused his foot to be red and very irritated looking. It is slightly swollen and today when I bathed him a scab came out of the top of his foot and there is a gaping hole in the top of it. Or at least what I consider gaping. It is probably 1/4 inch deep.

I dried his feet and packed the hole with antibiotic ointment and we put my husbands finger splint on JJ's lower foot so that he can't rub it as he walks. Since the foot is numb, he does not try to remove it.

My husband and I both feel he will probably end up having to have the foot removed. It just hasn't been confirmed by a vet as yet.

Here is a picture of our split we are using to keep him off the top of his foot. And also the antibiotic ointment remains intact this way. We used 4 bandaids and some this flexible medical tape to pad it. And the finger brace is very lightweight.

Poor little guy.. But he is walking all over the house with it. He "clicks" as he walks. And it works perfect to keep him from rubbing it. There was nothing we could do at this late hour but but find a temp fix.



If anyone has any experience with a cat that had to have partial foot removal I would love to hear from you. There is probaby no other solution but that since there is nerve damage. What that would solve is keeping his foot from getting infected constantly. Otherwise he would have to live his life in a brace.

My husband made the brace slightly larger using the table edge and we bent it over our thumbs to make sure it wasn't too tight on his leg since he can't tell us. We put a piece of the tape over the top of it as well so it won't rub his leg...

I have also finished clearing and de-rocking the cat enclosure area. All I need to do now is haul a little nice dirt in and sod the ground so they can have great grass. The tub in the background is what I am going to use for their "minnow entertainment center"...... I am going to partially bury it in the ground and put landscape rocks around it for them to sit on. I have to make the rest of the ground soft for JJ because it will be his outdoor adventure area and I want him to enjoy it..



He will be ok but just not ever be quite the same. But he will still have a good life. I just feel so sorry for him.

Jenn

I have an idea.

The main problem with his dragging toes is sores from friction.

I found this site selling boots for dogs with the same type of nerve damage. I am sure someone makes them for cats.

This is a wonderful solution. It would keep his toes straight. And possible I could make one myself. It could fasten high on his leg with velcro but it would need a pocket to put some sort of flat stick/brace or something. And it would need to be ulta padded.

I think this would work. Or at least it's worth a try before something drastic like surgery.

Here is the dog link to what I have in mind for JJ.
http://www.dogbootsactive.com/dogpag/dogboots.htm

Jenn

Poor JJ...
You have both been through such a rough time.

How long has it been since JJ was examined by his vet?

Its been right at a month...

He is well as far as his hip. His hip healed beautifully and he uses the leg. He lifts it and he has learned to compensate when he wants to climb. He goes ahead and makes the jump to stuff but he hold this leg UP and it never touches anything. When he get to where he wants to be, he puts it back down. It's just the nerve damage that is causing the sore when he is walking that is causing the problem. He drags his toes and does NOT walk on his pads at all. It is terrible. But not painful since he has no feeling in his foot. That is what is scary. It could potentially get extremely sore but he wouldn't feel it. I have to get his foot in the correct position to avoid the sores associated with HOW he HAS to walk.

I found this site and it is here in the USA.

http://www.handicappedpets.com/splints/index.htm

44.00 for a split that will hold his leg in the correct position. That's real good. And it is much better than what he has on his leg tonight.

I am talking him back to the vet in a few days. I want him reevaluated before I use this type of product.

I can't afford extensive corrective surgery on him. I just can't. I have to find another solution. This might work since he is never going to be allowed to roam free again. He will have to use his kitty enclosure.

He has a handicap now.

Jenn