DCIN: An Unusual Situation with Sam

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Diabetic Cats in Need (DCIN)

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I wanted to tell y'all about an unusual situation that DCIN is in.

We made contact with a high-kill shelter in MD about a diabetic cat that had been surrendered there. Sam.

Sam-911.jpg


DCIN listed him as a "911" because the shelter planned to PTS if there was not a rescue to pull Sam. DCIN found Sam a foster home, and had a transport all set up for last Sunday.

A couple hours before the pull we get info from the shelter. Oops. Sam is limping a little and it appears his leg is fractured. (I, apparently not completely understanding the term fractured, thought it meant a hairline crack.) The woman who was scheduled to do the pull and hold him overnight in advance of the transport went to get Sam and took him to her vet. Not fractured (using my definition), broken.

This is a video of Sam walking. This is a heartbreaking video, so you may want to bypass watching it. The hock on Sam's right leg splays to the left.

It turns out that both of Sam's back legs were broken, but the left one mended. The vet specialist says the injuries are months old. The vet records from the previous owner, I am told, record the break in the left leg. Nothing is said about the break in the right.

The specialist recommended, and DCIN agrees, that Sam should have his right rear leg amputated. The break is too old to fix. Sam is having that leg amputated today.

Jennifer J wrote a Cat on My Sleeve Blog post about Sam. Here.

I am posting this to let you know that DCIN now is traveling unknown waters in its efforts to rescue a diabetic cat. We haven't dealt with a physical abuse case before, and this is serious physical abuse. We also have never dealt with an amputation. The DCIN case managers and Sam's emergency foster Mom, the one who pulled him from the shelter and who has agreed to keep him through 4 weeks of healing, are somewhat shell-shocked over this.

Sam's blog page is here. If you could chip in for his surgery, we would really appreciate it. Please do send him prayers and well wishes, both for surgery and his recovery. We are a little uncertain about how much physical stress the loss of his right rear leg will put on his previously broken left rear leg.

Sam may not even be truly diabetic. His hyperglycemia may be a stress reaction to his physical injury.
 
Can't see the video, but maybe my computer has been telling me that it will make me sad. Sam needs all the positive feelings he can get. Sounds like he is surrounded by loving pepole who will be there for him. Asking St Francis for a special intercession for this boy - I know he can pull through and have a wonderful life with someone. Thank you DCIN & foster family for helping him! chip-in done earlier today!
 
this just breaks my heart :sad: I have click on donate but it only says stuff about shopping ! please help I would like to donate to help Sam cat_pet_icon
 
calliecat an marty said:
this just breaks my heart :sad: I have click on donate but it only says stuff about shopping ! please help I would like to donate to help Sam cat_pet_icon
Click to expand...

http://fdmb-cin.blogspot.com/2012/01/sa ... -asap.html

in the blue box there should be an orange box that say "chipin" - you click on that and it takes you to a page where you can put in an amount to donate and put in your paypal account info. I was able to do this around 7:30 this morning. Come to think of it, I meant to print the receipt.
 
HOW could someone look into any animal's eyes and intentionally hurt them like this? I just can't wrap my head around that. I don't get angry very often, it just upsets me all over but things like this make me VERY VERY ANGRY. I also don't usually say much to people that do things that I don't agree with unless it's over an animal - THAT will get me seeing red and my mouth open and screaming. There's been a few people over the years that have been SO shocked when I let go....there's one gentleman that I guarantee you will NEVER attempt to dump a dog again...he thought this crazy old lady was gonna kill his bad self....he went back and picked up the dog he'd just dumped and took him to the local shelter instead. I currently have 3 animals that I've taken from abusive situations...and have several GA's that were also taken and lived the rest of their lives knowing love....

I'm so sorry sweet baby but you're out of there now, let someone try to heal all those hurts, both physical and mental. Oh such a terrible terrible awful thing....my heart cries....
 
Tip: be sure he has an e-collar on after surgery, so he cannot snag a tooth on either staples or stitches.

My GA civvie Pepper didn't have an e-collar on immediately after her right rear leg amputation and got a tooth snagged on a staple. She woke me out of a sound sleep with blood-curdling howls! I had to be very careful in approaching her to unhook her, which took curling her tighter so there was some slack.
 
Wow, that's awful! But - Sam's had that broken leg for months? Did the shelter not notice it? That seems odd...
 
Sam is overweight and he was likely sitting in his cage most of the time. They reached out to us quickly because FDs get put down and they had heard about us through other networks. The shelter may be pursuing things on their end, but for DCIN it's about Sam and helping him heal.

I believe he was abused in that whether he was hit by a car or a person intentionally or not, they had to know he was in pain for a long time and that indifference to me is abuse. I don't know if we'll ever learn the real story, but I'm looking forward to seeing Sam in the future and watching his progress with all of the love and support he's receiving now.

BJM, thanks for the e-collar tip. I'm sure the vet will go over things but I will relay that to his foster mom.
 
Poor sweet love!

How could anyone let you suffer like that?! You deserve so much better and now you will get it, you will know love, and caring, you may have lost a leg, but you are a strong little guy and before long you won't remember what it was like to run on all fours but will run, jump and play with three as if that is how it always has been. And you will learn that hands are not to hurt but to stoke you beautiful fur, and you will purr again in contentment, not out of fear and pain.

How I wish I could do more for you than send my love and healing to you from afar, but I know your loving foster mother will teach all about how good humans can be, and then when you are ready, some very lucky person or persons will take you into their home and heart and you will know nothing but love and caring and they won't see that you only have 3 legs, you will be the most beautiful boy in all the world in their eyes.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
Another savior situation...
and somehow, no matter how horrid some things are...
this goes far in redeeming my belief in compassionate souls!

THANK YOU, DCIN!!!!!!
 
Sam had his surgery yesterday. From his foster Mom:

Yeah Sam!!!! He's out of surgery and doing well. Dr Q said he did fantastic, absolutely no complications, nothing out of the ordinary. He's in recovery getting the really good pain meds. She said the only reason we wouldn't be able to bring him home tomorrow is if he still needed injectable pain meds. If the stuff we've been giving him is okay, he'll be home tomorrow!! I asked Dr Q if we should call him Tripod or Stumpy. She said Stumpy. So he's Stumpy Sam now. She removed the foot mid femur. I cannot wait to "meet" the real Sam; if he loved to purr when he was in all that agony, I can't imagine what he'll be like when he's feeling fabulous. I will keep everyone posted on when we get him home. And take some pics of Sam doing well!!
Click to expand...

Sam's chip-in is on his blog page here. DCIN is halfways toward paying for the surgery.
 
Sometimes cats purr when they're in pain.
When I saw this thread yesterday I cried and cried, no way I could look at a video. Thank goodness Sam is in good hands. Please be a good new home for Sam. :sad:
 
Thanks for the update on Sam's surgery. When I was in grade school, the pastor of our parrish was Father Casey and he had a 3 legged little dog. It sounds like Sam will have more of his leg than Father's dog did though, but the dog got aorund the school and grounds with no problem, probably up the stairs too (this was circa 1975, so....anyone in the Phila area might remember Fr. Casey as he was the Chaplain for the Flyers and he later moved over to Chestnut Hill College).
 
My heart is breaking for Sam and his foster mom.

Sad story warning for those with tender hearts, but happy ending and maybe some encouragement for Sam . . .

I have only fostered one kitten before that was an abuse case, much like Sam's. He came to me at about 4 months old with two back legs that would not support him because the ligaments were so stretched out they couldn't keep the "knee" joints together. We found out about him because a neighbor told her social case worker that the people next door were trying to get rid of a kitten by repeatedly trying to flush him down the toilet. The social worker could not intervene because these people were not on her case load, but she did call us and one of our fabulous rescue workers went to the apartment and talked the people into surrendering the kitten to us. Our vet put one leg in a full cast for 2 months and we prayed the other leg would not get worse from the pressure put on it (it was wrapped tightly but not put in a cast). On a whim I took him to an adoption event and he was immediately adopted while still in a cast, although I kept him at my house until he healed enough to know the full status of his health and to make sure he had enough mobility to easily integrate into a family with large dogs and young children (I had a German shepherd so the kitten was getting good dog socialization on my end). The happy ending is that somehow this kitten compensated for the injuries and found a way to run and play with the other kittens in my house and even to tease the dog while in the cast. He was one of the friendliest kittens I've fostered with no lasting emotional trauma from the abuse. My mom came over a lot while I was at work those first few days and started calling him "Flush." I know, horrible joke . . . But the unofficial name stuck (I can't even remember his real name now) and Flush flourished. When his first cast came off, the ligaments had healed enough not to require surgery and enough to support his weight. The second leg had gotten worse but not too much. It was then put into a cast and Flush went to live with his new family. When that cast came off, both legs were close enough to being healed that his adoption became official and permanent. In the end, he healed fully and he now lives with a wonderful family who think he's fabulous!

Sam has every chance of a happy ending now that he's in a good foster home, too. Cats are amazing animals that adapt to all kinds of physical stress. You may have to immobilize him in a crate for many weeks but that's easier to do with an adult animal. I'm praying Sam also has a happy ending. And as everyone whose met a three-legged cat knows . . . they get along just fine without that "extra" leg!

Hugs and kisses to Sam and his foster mom.
Heidi
 
Animals do not know they are handicapped......only we know. I've had a 3 legged kitty, front leg gone, 3 legged dog, back leg gone, and now another 3 legged dog, front leg gone. It didn't slow them down one bit and if either one of those dogs ever got loose, there was no way you'd ever catch them. Sammie (GA) also got stung on his right front paw and wouldn't walk on it. That dog literally walked into the vet clinic on two legs, his left front and left back, that's how good his balance was. Sam will feel so much better with that useless leg gone.
 
I can't even begin to say what I think of animal abusers. It is not for polite society and I won't be able to stop once I start. It makes me so mad.

Chipin is done. Thank you so much for taking care of Sam, DCIN & his foster mom. The person who reported him to DCIN and all those who chipped in deserve thanks also for helping to make Sam's life what it should be. It's just so sad that he had to suffer to get here.

Mary,
You can go here to chip in: http://fdmb-cin.blogspot.com/2012/01/sam-in-upper-malboro-md-needs-home-asap.html

Melanie
 
Hi DCIN

Glad to hear that this guy is doing ok now. It sounds like the leg wasn't broken at the time, that it had healed but was a "mal-union." In a human they would re-break and set it but in animals it's usually just amputated. I'm a little worried that the amputation was done mid-femur (it's usually done up at the joint) as sometimes the cat or dog will still treat this as a limb and lurch while walking (as if they expect the leg to be there, and it's not). Some animals do fine with it, though. I would ask the surgeon about using gabapentin as part of the immediate pain management as some people think this may stave off neuro pain and "phantom leg."

Since he's had two broken back legs, I'd just ask the surgeon if his bone density looked normal on x-ray. It is extremely unlikely that he had a condition causing brittle bones, but I'd get the question out of the way since you do have the x-rays and an experienced eye can pretty much rule it out.

Whomever adopts this guy has to understand that he has to be *SLIM* as in, when people visit your house they comment on how sleek and slender your cat is, slim. He's just got one bad hind leg to stand on and even a 1/2lb of extra weight can significantly impact his QOL. So they've got to promise to keep him a low-normal weight, their vet can guide them.

Tripod cats with a hind leg missing may not be the best jumpers, so furniture adjustments (a stepstool beneath the windowsill, a chair turned sideways in front of the table, if he eats up there) are appreciated by these guys :)
 
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