Broken tendon in an old cat

otello

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I have a cat that started limping. I brought immediately to the vet. The vet said that it is a broken tendon and he wants to operate on Monday.

Unfortunately the cat is 14 year old and I do not want to take any risks. Should I follow the vet's advice or should I leave him as he is? I believe that the cat is too old for an operation. Wouldn't be safer to let the leg healing itself? Please respond urgently since On Monday (in one day) I will need to take the cat to the vet and I will need to decide if to go ahead wth the operation.

Many thanks,
S
 

gizmocat

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If you have been taking this cat to the vet for a while and trust him/her, I'd go with it. A good vet would not operate on an animal if there was a risk of it not surviving. I think that if they want to get to this so quickly there is a real danger that your cat could die from the ripped tendon? You will have to balance the risk against the benefit, but do ask the vet first.
I hope that it all ends happily for both of you.
 

pat

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I think it depends on the cat, not the age. I've had a 14 y.o. undergo surgery, he was in very good health and it gave him a chance to have a longer life.

I would ask your vet if there is a non-surgical treatment, what the chances of success are - comparing surgical to non-surgical (if an option) tx.

But if it were me, and the labs came back good (see below) and my cat was in good overall health, I'd have the surgery.

Be sure to have pre-anesthesia bloodwork done so you can be sure your older fellow has normal kidney function (as well as checking the rest of his values are good - hemaglobin and hematocrit for example are important as you'd want to know if the cat was anemic pre any surgery


Let us know what you decide and how your kitty is doing.
 

booktigger

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I wouldn't have any issues putting a 14yo through an op as long as blood tests had shown there was no health probs - oldest I have had operated on was Ginger, he was about 13, and had a dental and a fatty lump removed - he is overweight, and was later diagnosed with a heart murmur, but he was fine. On another forum I use, someone had their 18 year old operated on for a leg removal, think that might be the oldest I have heard about, but he was fine.
 

cearbhaill

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A torn tendon can heal by itself- in about a year. Until then it is painful and will repeatedly get reinjured if rest is not enforced, which is easy to do with humans but not so much with cats.
And if it heals poorly it can always be tender and prone to getting hurt again- it can become a chronic problem.

The advantage with surgery is that the repair can be done completely in one go and the recovery is so much faster, easier, and a more solid repair than natural healing.

A 14 year old cat is not too ancient these days- I'd have it fixed so you can enjoy more good years.
 

xocats

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I would suggest that if you have any doubts about the surgical skills of your current vet or are wondering if your kitty has options other than surgery...
ask to be referred to a specialist.
Your vet should welcome that idea.
 
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otello

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I decided I will not take Paris to the vet today, he hates travelling. I will go to see the vet again and I will discuss the risks. He is the top vet in two clinics; therefore I have no doubts on his skills. On Friday he was quite negative with my wife and I would like to understand why. We stayed with Paris the whole weekend and we kept him calm in the same room. He doesn’t appear to be in pain. I will let you know what we will decide after we met with the vet.
He is an old Persian Chinchilla and he is my mother in law cat. I have two problems: 1) He is a delicate cat 2) My mother in law is on holiday in Africa and I do not want to contact her otherwise she will become anxious. I do not want to take a so difficult decision, either.

If I can I would prefer to wait two weeks, before operating (or not operating).
 

malena

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Cats doesn't allways show that they are in pain and when they do is it not allways in an obvious way for us.
If I was on holliday and the people guarding my cat didn't contact me when something happend - family or not - I would never trust them with my animals again and i would never forgive them. Now, I am not your mother in law. Just make sure that you don't under-estimate what this cat mean to her.
Often surgery gets more complicated if you wait. What is the vet's opinion?
 

bijou's mom

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Hi! I have been watching this thread for a bit, and I'm not an expert, but I got tendonitis two summers ago. It was VERY painful. I don't want to sound like a sissy, but every time I took a step it was excuciating. It took soooo long to heal too. Every time it felt like it was starting to get better, it would get a whole lot worse. I don't know if a snapped tendon hurts more or less? Just thought I would let you know how it felt to me! Hope you feel better soon!
 

xocats

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Your MIL is fortunate to have you taking care of her kitty.
You understand your responsibility & the possible negative ramifications that could result from any decision that you make regarding her kitty's treatment.

I would discuss this dilemma with the vet.
Possibly kitty's leg can be safely be immobilized, treated with pain meds & anti-inflammatory med until she returns.

I don't envy your position.
I would trust my kitties in your care.
I am sure that your MIL feels the same way.
Keep us undated please. ((((hugs))))
 
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otello

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Thank you for your support.
I went to see the vet in the morning. We discussed pros' and cons'.
I then decided to take Paris at mid day. By three o'clock he was operated. Everything went well. The vet didn't feel there was any need to keep Paris in the clinic any longer. He is now safely at home. He should recover quickly.
Next check will be on Friday
 

xocats

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I am glad that the surgery went well.
I am sure that you MIL will be grateful when she returns.

I'll be sending lots of healing vibes your way.
Be sure to keep us updated about how sweet Paris is doing.
 
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