Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: Desley (booktigger) on March 06, 2007, 22:24:37 PM
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Not like me at all!! Tiger keeps having an occasional day of limping on her back left leg - she went to the vets about it in Dec (I was up anyway), and the vet found nothing wrong, so the next couple of times i have just monitored it, and it goes after a day. She has started limping again tonight, I am going to have to have a word with the vet about it, but it is the same leg we had probs with on Pebbles, and she had issues for over a year before the major issues that resulted in the amputation, as we knew she had an injury so put it down to that, so while part of me thinks that as Tiger will be 14 this year, it will just be something simple like arthritis, part of me wants to ring the vets and have her x-rayed etc in case it ends up similar to Pebbles. Can someone please talk some sense into me?
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It's highly likely to be something that simple in a cat of 14. I'm sure it's nothing other than the natural aging process of Tigers body. Obviously, if you're still worried tomorrow, you could consider a check up. When was the last time Tiger had one?
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Whatever you do, don't be superstitious. That's my 'talking sense into you' bit.
Discuss with vet (as of course you will) though.
:hug:
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I know it is prob just something simple, I could just ask the vet if she thinks it is worth worrying about - I am up on Thurs with Lucy. She went up on the 28th Dec cos of limping, and the vet couldnt' feel anything, and had full geriatric bloods done last month, they did show she was fine.
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Well, it's likely she is then! Ahhh, Desley. :) It's good to worry about them it means you care - just don't drive yourself bonkers in the process! ;D
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I know, I am not normally paranoid, will leave it to Mrs Vet to see if she thinks it needs something like that. Ooh, I must be doing well - you haven't noticed I already am bonkers!!! Maybe it is just cos I dont normally have a pair of healthy oldies, and when I do it doesnt' last!! mind you, I have also never had a pair of females, always had a male/female combo (or male/female/female!!), so maybe that is the reason?
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You may find that tigger has a touch of arthritius and has jumped , run, slipped or landed badly and the joint is a bit painful. Kocka used to have this occcasionally and I have seen sasa limping once.
Joints if strained a bit even take a while to get better, I am sure she is fine especially having been checked so recently ;D
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Maybe you could start her on a glucosamine based joint supplement.
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Desley, I am a worrier too, so I feel for you ;D
I'm sure she's fine, but discuss it with the vet if you feel it would reassure you
Déborah xx
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Desley, Max has this too and he's 13. He gets it after rushing around, jumping down or after having had a looooong sleep. I used to rush off and get him a cortisone injection, but now I wait a day or two and it usually wears off. I also massage the joint (which he enjoys). There's some arthritis pills from New Zealand that are apparently good, but can't remember the name. Sorry!
You can't possibly be as paranoid and neurotic as this Cat Mum anyhow. If the vet gets upset with your questions, tough. At least it shows you care!
Hope the limping stops soon.
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Massaging joints are out of the question - stroke Tiger for too long or in the wrong place and she will go for you - but as her owner said he couldt'n stroke her in the 13 years he had her, I am quite pleased that she will tolerate small amounts on a regular basis, and that I can read her well enough to stop before she lashes out. IT also makes tableting an issue too.
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You aren't paranoid just a concerned parent!
Sweetie at 15 years young limps on her front right leg and then preceeds to bop aone two on some unsuspecting brother and then limps back on the left!
Gracie meanwhile at 17 and on the rather large maiden aunt side can go as quick as you like and doesn't sem to ail for anything.
On the lighter side our new neighbours said they saw a limping small tabby and were concerned for him - its my 3 legged wonder so we all notice something.
If it puts your mind at rest go to the vet and talk to them perhaps a couple of drops of metacam may help at least she can eat that without shredding you!
Good luck with what ever you decide and afterall you know your furkids better than anyone and she may be on a wind up as you have another lady lodger and eants more of your attention for shredding sorry stroking!
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I have a little joke with my oldies about this: I tell them they've got "achesies and painses" when they look a bit stiff and rheumaticky. Like old people, they will have benign aches and stiff joints which come and go. Nothing to worry about.
Polly sometimes plays "poorly paw" when she wants attention. She lifts one paw into the air and sits staring pitifully at me. A few moments later she'll be chasing Samantha..... ;D
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Have you tried using the bean bags that you warm in the microwave (you see them in health food stores sometimes with lavender but often non smelly ones). Obviously you need to let them cool down a bit, but they do mould themselves to the limb in question and of course there are nice cat smelly things that they love. My old cat had an achy hip joint we think from an old car accident before we had her and she absolutely adored hers.
:)
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Liz, it will be nothing to do with wanting more attention due to a new foster - they haven't met yet, and Tiger isn't the kind of cat who wants attention.
Deni - I have only ever seen the lavender ones, which is a shame as I could benefit from one but hate the smell of lavender!!
Molly does like to sit with her paw in the air at times, but the vet couldn't find anything wrong with her - I am just paranoid with Tiger as it was similar to Pebbles, we ignored hers cos we knew she had an old injury and she ended up losing that leg.
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I would imagine that they could be quite easy to make, perhaps filling them with baking beans, dried peas something like that :-:.
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The lavendar ones are made of wheat I think, but as they go in microwave you need be careful what goes inside them. The lavendar smell wears off.
I am sure I have seen some that are not lavendar now.
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The vet said to try her on Metacam, and assured me that the chances of getting another cat with the same prob that Pebbles had with her leg is quite slim!! So, I am going to give her MEtacam only when she is limping, and see what happens.
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If she's a cat who goes outdoors have you or the vet checked her paws for thorns, splinters etc? Do her claws need a trim? The problem with giving her painkillers is that you may mask the symptoms which should alert you.
Is she well in herself? Eating, playing etc? If so, it's probably very minor: old age aches.
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I didn't check her back legs when I clipped her claws last weekend - she was getting very irate by the time I did her front ones, and she is the kind of cat who will attack you, so I have to watch how much I do in one go - will check them tonight though. Yeah, there is that prob with the painkillers, which is why if I do use them (haven't done so far), it will just be for the days she is limping rather than for a full week like the vet suggested, as I wont know if it is worse then.
YEah, she is eating well, doesn't play a lot though, but she hasn't done since coming her (her owner didn't really do much with her - he apparently couldn't even stroke her, so she does have issues, and at 13, I am not going to get her to change her ways too much!!)
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There's some arthritis pills from New Zealand that are apparently good, but can't remember the name. Sorry!
Do you mean green lipped muscle? Recommended by our vet but Tom didn't fancy them. Our Tom is now on 1 Metacam drop every other day for his arthritis probs/recent limping prob and it's doing the trick. Hope Tigger's limping doesn't get anymore frequent.
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Pills are tricky with Tiger - she was limping again earlier, have checked her claws, and she doesn't seem to have any issues with them, and her claws are fine on both paws - not something I can do too often though, I did nearly get bit for it today, and have to deflea her in a while when she has forgiven me!! If it gets more frequent, I might just ask the vet to x-ray her anyway
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Sorry to be dim but does an xray have to mean a general anaesthetic?
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Most cats have at least a sedation, as trying to get a cat to lie in one postion long enough to take an x-ray would be an issue. Plus, depending on what they are x-raying, there could be some manipulation - there was with Pebble's leg. I would be happy having it done on Tiger though, as her recent blood tests showed her organs to be fine.
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Thanks Desley. I was half wondering about an xray for Tom but he's fair bit older than Tiger so will skip that. Yes I can see the sense in an xray for Tiger if limping becomes more of an issue. If it ever comes to that might be an idea to get her claws done and flea treatment and anything else that's needed at the time ;D
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WEll, I have been giving her one drop of Metacam a day this week, it hasn't made much difference and she has been limping every day, rather than just the occasional limp she had before, so will put her up to 2, and if that makes no difference, she will have to see the vet next week.
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Hi Desley That don't sound too good to me.
Our Tom has 1 drop of Metacam every 2 or 3 days depending on how much discomfort he shows and the difference in his movement after about 4 or 5 hours from time he has the drop is really marked. He had a drop this morning and is making the typing of this post very difficult as he wants some grub and he wants it NOW. He just jumped up on my lap and would have stood no chance of doing that this am.
If Tiger is limping every day now, even tho on 1 drop a day, I wouldn't wait till next week as she has already been on the drops for a week hasn't she? Sorry really don't mean to tell gran how to suck eggs (yes I know I'm almost double your age :rofl:) as I know how experienced you are but I wonder now if is is just arthritis and I trust your sneaking suspicion that it might be something else
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Well, I only started giving it to her on Mon (she hadnt' been limping much until then), and I know when the others have had to have it, they had to have 3 drops for 2 days, then go down to 2, then one, I started her off on one, so will give her another couple of days on two first. Teh vet did say to give her a week on it, which would be next Mon. She is fine in herself though, she has been going out, eating well, and cos I haven't been well this week, curling up on the sofa against my legs.
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its normal to start on a higher dose and then reduce for maintanence, perhaps it has been enough to kill pain and her use it more thus making it worse if that makes sense but not enough to reduce inflammation ?
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Yeah, that is why I am not going to take her back till she has had a bit longer on the higher dose - thought I could get away with it cos she would only limp for a day or two and stop, but obviously not. Vet said if we didn't have much luck with Metacam, we could look into Synoquin or something - but I would struggle with most tablets, and I dont know if Synoquin could be crushed to go in her food, and whether she would then eat it, she wouldnt' eat Drontal in food
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We had Synoquin capsules for Tom which we used to sprinkle on his food but not practical now as all 3 eat together and Tom likes to graze. I think Synoquin does take some weeks to kick in but didn't notice any improvement with Tom after a month and stopped using it.
Sorry Desley didn't mean to be alarmist but looked back through this thread and thought you had started Tiger on Metacam on 8 March which is a week ago but now see that was when you decided on Metacam if she started to limp again.
Sorry to hear you have been unwell and v much hope you feel better soon.
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Des Sorry to hear about Tiger can i just say that you are certainly NOT being paranoid though ..as Jackspratt said it just goes to show you care !!
By the way if you are interested in heated pillows look up Cherry pillows as they dont have the yucky smell the other ones do !
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Am glad to hear that Synoquin can be sprinkled on food, the girls eat separately, so that wouldn't be an issue here, and I doubt it would do Molly any harm anyway with her being 14.
Not a prob Rosella, the vet did say that, it was just that I didn't notice any limping till this Mon, so will see how she is next week. Fingers crossed the higher dose is enough for her.
Cheers Lisa
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I've still got 20 Synoquin capsules left from last May's prescription. The doseage seems to have been 2 capsules a day for 1st 6 weeks reducing thereafter to 1 capsule a day. As we bought 90 capsules (not cheap about £35 if memory serves) we obviously tried them for 35 days and noticed no improvement :( so gave up. I'm a devil for not chucking out medication but comes in handy sometimes.
:hug: to Tiger
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Hmm, if they take that long, not sure if I want to go down that route.
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WEll, she has an app for Wed, fingers crossed I get to cancel it cos the Metacam has worked. I have only seen her walking from the front today, so can't see if she is still limping.
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is it possible that one of the claws may have been cut a bit shorter than usual due to her wriggling and cut the quick ? I have watched my ex partner (vet nurse) clip dog claws and it makes me wince ouch . I'd be afraid of accidently cutting them a bit too short :scared:
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No, I have checked all her claws, and I dont tend to do the back ones as much as the front ones, as they dont grow as long. She is going on Wed regardless, she is looking a bit thin round her back end, and her fur is yucky - but hopefully that is just due to moulting.
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Hope so Desley cos Franta is the same...............he did not moult like this last year but the weather has been warmer and he has been living in central heating for a year now as opposed to a garage.
Hope she is OK ;D
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Our Gandolf had arthritis in his back legs which meant he didn't groom his back "trousers" very well for years and hated it when I tried to help out. Is the Metacam having any effect yet Desley or is she still limping?
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Desley, is she eating well? If she's thin around her bottom has she got a round belly? Look at the inner part of her ears, are they going orangey?
Refusing food and having a swollen belly and lean pelvis could be signs of generally poor condition. The orangey ears are a way to check her liver. I hope all goes well at the vet. She may be responding badly to the meds. Some conditioning pills might help, if appropriate. My fave are Kitzyme, cos they're no problem to give, the cats eat them out of my hand!
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YEah, she is eating relatively well - I actually wondered if her looking a bit thin could be due to the fact she has had more senior food recently, and whether it is a sign that she doesn't quite need as much senior food. HAven't noticed much of a round belly, and am debating whether I would be allowed to look in her ears - she is at the vets on Wed, so think I may leave that to the vet (she has already snapped at me tonight cos I gave her two kisses on her head and not one!! Luckily I can read her well enough to move out of the way). She had a full blood test done last month though, so I would doubt there is anything wrong with her liver. She is still limping slightly on the meds, but could be cos of the way I used them. Where do you get these Kitzyme tablets from, I have never seen them - and I bet my two wouldn't eat them from my hand, haven't found any treats that Molly likes yet - have tried Brewers Yeast tablets on Tiger, she wont touch them.
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Kitzyme are available at most pet shops. They are yeast based but I've yet to meet a cat who didn't love them. If you have difficulty, give your cat a couple of munchies, then a Kitzyme. She'll eat it up not realising the difference. They're inexpensive (about £3.50) so if your cat doesn't like them you haven't incurred a huge loss.
Good luck.
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Cheers, will have a look when I go to the pet shop this week. You haven't met Miss Molly, I hide treats in her dry food, but she is very good at eating round them!! Her idea of a treat is a few more biccies!!
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We are at the vets tomorrow afternoon - she is still limping, Metacam doesn't seem to have done anything at all for her. Will see what the vet says - it is a shame she didn't like the senior treats from PAH, they have glucosamine in them.
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Good luck at the vets tomorrow,Desley. :)
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Good luck for today Desley
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Hope all goes well, Desley.
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Cheers Guys
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Hi Desley
Hope all goes well and send Tiger lots of love and positive vibes xxx
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Well, not quite the kind of vet visit I wanted - I got the X Ray I wanted though, but not quite for a good reason. Her knee is going out of joint too much (might be the wrong wording), so the vet thinks that she has damaged both the ligaments round that leg - god only knows how. She is going for an x-ray tomorrow, I will know what they show around lunch time. It does cause a few probs though - there is only one vet in the practice I use who can do this kind of surgery, and she is off sick, so she might end up having to be referred, and that would really depend on how far, not only am I a poor driver when it comes to directions, but she is a very poor traveller, she doesnt even like the 5 min journey to the vets, I dread to think how bad she would be with a couple of hours drive!! And there is the fact that she is a very temperamental cat who will attack for little reason, so not sure how well the recovery would be for her. Plus, this is the second leg she has been to the vets with a limp since the end of Dec. Vet was awfully surprised that she was insured though, and was even more surprised when I Said I had both girls (14 and 13) insured for just under £15 a month. I have very mixed feelings at the moment, I am partly annoyed at myself for not taking her sooner, and just assuming that the Metacam needed a bit more time to kick in, I should know by now that while the vet was right in that you dont normally get the same thing happening twice, this is one of my cats, and I do seem to have a knack of ending up with cats that develop slightly unusual health conditions, or at least ones that most people dont tend to see!! And then partly upset because I honestly dont know how we are going to deal with this, vet says we have to wait till the x-ray, but I know it won't stop me worrying. So, this seems to have ended my run of two healthy cats again!! Thank god for insurance!!
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Poor little thing. Still, you'll know what you're up against tomorrow. You mentioned the vet you might need is off sick, but is that long-term or just temporary?
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i know. We will, I just hope it is something positive, I dont think I could put either of us through the travelling to go and see a specialist. Not sure - I assumed the vet told me as they would want to repair the damage asap, and they mustn't be able to guarantee she will be back this week. I wish I had taken her last week though.
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Well, if you'd taken her in last week the vet would still have been off sick and you'd still be in a similar position.....so don't be too hard on yourself, you'd been doing all you could to make her comfortable.
Keeping everything crossed for you.
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Didnt think of it that way - and I suppose the vet might not have picked up on it last week, that has happened to me before, I have taken them for a very slight change, been sent home cos they can't find anything wrong and had to go back days later cos it has then developed enough. Mind you, that has also happened with my own health too!!
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I suppose the vet might not have picked up on it last week, that has happened to me before, I have taken them for a very slight change, been sent home cos they can't find anything wrong and had to go back days later cos it has then developed enough. Mind you, that has also happened with my own health too!!
Yes, have had that happen with pets before, and in spite of trip to doctor last week am stuck with a kidney infection that didn't show up last week!!
Which insurers do you use by the way - I think we should insure Dinah if she's staying.
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Desley, i presume its her cruciate ligaments that is the problem here ..odd thing is cruciate ruptures arent common in cats but i think there are 2 or 3 ive read about on here lately :Crazy:
Does the vet think they are partially or completely ruptured ?
also many "normal" vets are more than capable of doing cruciate repairs, is there just the one vet in your practice ?
How far is the ortho specialst from you / is there a vet school ? / Have you any one near by that could help you with the travelling ie they drive you sit with tiger..is there anyone on here near by you ??
Please dont batter yourself about leaving her an extra week..perfectly acceptable to give the meds a degree of time to work before rushing to ga's etc..as you said she was "limping" and not totally non weight bearing which is the normal case in complete ruptures.
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I can't remember what the vet said about them, but we will know more in a few hours once the x-rays have been done. There isn't just one vet in my practice, but according to my vet, only one of the 4 can do this, and that is the one who is off sick!!
The two ortho specialists the vet mentioned are going to be a minimum of a 2 hour drive, and that is prob with a normal person driving!! For those of you who know roughly where I am, the options I have been given are Dewsbury and Liverpool. There is a chance the out of hours vet could do that kind of surgery, its just the vet said that as she is insured, I could get a better surgeon than them - but it does boil down to distance and travelling.
Thanks Lynn - she didn't seem to be limping that much this morning, oddly enough!!
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ah i got you desley, i wasnt sure which vet it was that was off, makes sense to my pea brain now.
Yes falling short of the referral option which i agree is the best option you could discuss with your vet about a vet from a different local practice doing it, Your vet will of course be in a far better position than yourself to be in the know as to who the best "normal" vet would be to go to, I'm sure given the circumstances of them having a vet off so they cant provide that service and the travelling problems your own vet would be willing to help you out on this.
sounds like its only a partially ruptured cruciate, unless its a luxating patelly which to be honest sounds more like to me but if the joint is unstable like you said it cant be that..will wait to hear from you after you get told the result of radiography.
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Baggy - only just noticed your edit - my two are insured with Sainsburys, M & S also insure oldies.
That is a good idea Lynn, I might see about that. I know I could take her to the rescue's vet, and it wouldt' be as expensive, but I wouldn't be 100% happy at going there for somethign like this.
Am trying to remember the wording she used - the knee joint was moving backwards a lot more than they are supposed to, and I keep thinking she used the word 'gone' when she was talking about the ligaments, but that can't be right. She did say it felt like both ligaments though, but she should be going to the other branch to do the x-ray anytime between now and 12.30, the last time she x-rayed one of mine, I found out at 12ish.
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Well, the vet rang half an hour ago to say that she had given Tiger the highest level of sedation, and she was still growling and moving when they tried to X ray her, so she needed to give her some gas to knock her out more. Did tell her she shouldn't be too surprised as she is one of mine!! I should have the results in the next half an hour, but this might change the way we deal with this, it is lookign like yet again, I have a cat where the normal treatment might not be an option.
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from that descrip des sounds like cruciate allright, when they go the knee "clunks" when you manipulate the joint.
fingers crossed best case senario tho X
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Keeping everything crossed Desley.
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Just had another phone call from the vet - she can't find anything on the x-rays to show why Tiger is limping!! Even what she felt yesterday isn't showing up today - but then she wasnt limping this morning. So, the only thing she can say is to keep her on the Metacam and monitor her for another week or two!!
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strange if she could feel abnormal movement yesterday ?? :Crazy: :Crazy:
what about restricted excercise des ?? is this an option ?
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Very strange - but it could have been the way Tiger was at the vets yesterday, she isn't a co-operative cat (but fortunately i was the only one bit by her yesterday).
Tiger doesn't do a lot anyway!!
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Vet has rang to say she is back to her usual growling, hissy self, just a bit wobbly, so vet wants her to stay in a kennel for another couple of hours till she can walk properly, so I should be able to pick her up at 4ish, bless her. Feel very tempted to go and get her lots of treats!!
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will the vet have an appointment at discharge to discuss all options/ possible causes then desley ?
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Not sure, as she has told me the plan over the phone - she did say, that if she is still limping after a week or so on Metacam, then she could send the x-rays to a specialist for me - and she did get another vet in the practice to look at them before ringing me, so i have sort of had a second opinion already. Very puzzling!!
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partially ruptured / strained ?? in which case the plan of action would be rest anyway.
i did a quick search desley and found this http://www.healthyfoodforpets.com/cruciateligamentruptureincats.html maybe not the most scientific but fairly good explanation.
and this one is better altho i had googled for canine coz i was sure animals under a certain weight could possibly be managed non surgically and it does say about that in the treatment paragraph but i think an interesting read for you if you havent already done so.
Lick/Addison_s_Disease/Adrenal_Gland_Disease__Ferrets/Anal_Sac_Disease__Canine/cruciate_ligament_rupture__can.html
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She didn't say anythign like that Lynn, just that there was nothing on the x-ray, everything seemed fine - she did use some technical terms, but I didn't write them down. And vet didnt' seem to think she would need any rest, I would rather not cage her again, she isn't the best cat for things like that!! I will just see how things go with teh MEtacam, I know there is only her who eats the food, so I know she is getting it.
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Am now £164 lighter!!! She had some tarter, so vet did a scale and polish, and had to remove a tooth, fortunately she only charged me for the scale and polish, or it would have been even dearer!! The prob has been cos she had the sedation and then the vet had to give her anaesthetic, I have had to pay for it all!! Thank god for pet insurance though, I should hopefully get about £100 back.
I did have a chat with the vet, and apparently her knee does bend back further than it should, but when seh was under, the vet discovered that both her knees do that, and there is nothing on the X rays to show that it is a problem with them doing it, just rather unusual!! She said not to worry too much about resting, as she isn't an active old girl anyway, but she has lost a slight bit of weight, so I need to keep an eye on that. She did do a lot of pulling when she had her fully under, and another vet at the practice did too, so I am confident they haven't missed anything. She has had a Metacam shot today, I have to give her two drops for a week and if no better, we might have to go to a specialist, but at least we have somethign for them to refer too.
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Ouch at the vet cost, but worth it and thank god for insurance!
Shame there is no definitive diagnosis, suppose you just have to wait and see what happens. At least she won't need to have surgery though. Give her a treat from me.
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Yes, it is a shame there isn't something definite to go on but I hope time and Metacam do the trick. :hug:
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she will more than likely be sorer tomorrow des after all the pulling today.
Hope she gets better soon
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i think she is, as she is only picking at her food today, hopefully she will start eating more, as I have to get the Metacam into her yet!!
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If it is a ruptured ligament or tendon these heal on their own, with rest, as far as I'm aware (I had an ankle injury just before Xmas and was told at A&E that I'd ruptured the tendon, and to rest; later, however they Xrayed it and it was broken!).
I'm just wondering whether giving the metacam will encourage Tiger to be more active, so not rest the damaged knee? Is she the fat (sorry couldn't think of a more tactful word) cat? This probably created the injury in the first place.
Obviously, your vet knows best. But any bone injury would have shown on the Xray, anything else would be helped by encouraging rest.
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Sorry, wrong cat.
Fat cat = Lucy! :-[
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Who knows what the problem is, yet another one of my cats who the vet thinks has something serious and yet the tests show nothing, I should be used to this by now!! The girls are slightly taking over the roles of Ginger and Pebbles - Molly has had practically nothing in the 15 months I have had her, yet Tiger has had about 4 visits since August, 2 resulting in testing cos of the symptoms - yet both came back fine!! I am just obviously not allowed to have 2 healthy cats that give me no worries whatsoever!!
She is still being a picky eater (again, so much like Pebbles, even down to the same flavour of hte same brand being the only one she will eat!!), so she hasn't had any Metacam since she came back, will have to get it straight into her mouth today, which I hate doing.