Emergency no longer...Trink coming home Thurs evening

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Re: Emergency! Back from vet & ER too

Traci, I'm sorry to read this.

Please don't feel guilty about what happened. It was a life lesson and one that you and the rest of us have learned from. You didn't do anything maliciously, you had good intentions and unfortunately it didn't go the way you thought it would.

So, if you must feel bad and guilty - then give yourself one more day to feel this way and move on. Your kitties need you at your best, not your worst and they can sense when you're not right. So, let it go move on and let's get your girlie well.
 
Re: Emergency! Echo and surgery for broken leg today!

Thank you all for your stories....you don' know how much they mean to me. This board helped me get through my loss of Boomer and the hell we went through together and I'll never forget that. Now you are all there for me with my latest fiasco. I tend to be more the negative/worried type so all your support helps so much.

On a different note...I wrote to Trinket's former foster mother yesterday to tell her what happened and get her wisdom. She told me that her "mother cat" Faith who helps take care of all her kitten fosters died suddenly yesterday of a heart disease - hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Terrible news. No symptoms. Just suddenly went down hill...crying...extremely low temp. The vet told her there was no way of knowing because the cat didn't have any symptoms. This reinforced my getting Trinket a heart ultrasound.

Lots of bad happened over the last 24 hours. I really need good news on this heart ultrasound!!!!
 
Re: Emergency! Echo and surgery for broken leg today!

Oh gosh .. how sad for the foster mom ... That is what took my little boy cheddar .. suddenly and without warning .. one minute he was sleeping on my chest the next he was gone ..

If I had known then what I know now, I'd be doing the ultrasound as well .. sending positive thoughts for a good ultrasound result!

Give trinket love and hugs from us!
 
Re: Emergency! Vet apt @ 4:30!

Tena and Curry said:
Hi Tracy...just saw your post.

Good luck at the Vet today.

Had a similar issue w/my two kitties. It was horrible to witness and I felt somewhat helpless in knowing what would help and what would make the situation worse. So I actually hired a vet behavorist here in Houston to come to my home to help me in re-integrating my two kitties. It worked. Send me a PM if you interested in the steps she had me go through to slowly bring my two together. One of the first things she did was had me put the attacking kitty in a separate room. Let the other cat out to roam. It takes some of the power from the attacker and allows the skittish one to feel more comfortable.

It took my two 4 months to get back togehter, but I had tried to reintegrate a couple of times on my own before hiring the behaviorist.

Tena-

Yes....I am interested in the steps to bring them together again! They had never fought until this. I had had them separated when they first met. Trinket got the bedroom, Merlin got the rest of the house. I thought I'd do that again. Slowly let them see each other. Do you have more detailed info? I wish I had a screen on my bedroom door but no such luck.

hugs,
tena
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Re: Emergency! Echo results!

I just found out that the echo was "purrrrrfectly normal" and she's good to go with surgery! YAY!!!!!! No heart issues. Thank GOD.
Next they will fix her leg and call me to tell me how she went. Doc expects it to be fine.
I can visit her tonight and she'll come home tomorrow most likely.
Thanks for your prayers!
 
Re: Emergency! Echo results!

My little Milo broke his leg (snapped the bone off at the hip!) about 4 months ago, when he was just 3 months old. We still don't know what happened. No surgery is possible for this - the head of the fibula is still in the hip socket. He was in terrible pain - it was heartbreaking. A Fentanyl patch worked really well for him for a couple of weeks, and he has "healed" on his own. (He actually formed a false joint of muscle and ligament to connect the leg to the hip!!) He runs and jumps and only occasionally we see him limp.

They are resilient, tough, marvelous creatures-- they hold no grudges, and they heal quickly. I just know she will do fine, and-- with any luck-- she and her best pal will have completely forgotten today's fight.

Sending you ALL good thoughts!
 
Re: Emergency! Echo results!

Hi Traci

I'm glad to hear she has an all-clear on her echo :) Fingers crossed for a quick recovery from surgery.

I read the whole thread, and the debates on whether or not to go to the vet ... You did, of course, and major kudos for that because even if it was a soft tissue injury and did not require surgery, she was in pain. Not bearing weight, or limping badly, is always because of significant pain and pain deserves treatment (and therefore requires a vet visit) too. So it's not a waste of time or money or cat-stress to go to the vet even if x-rays don't show a broken bone -- pain should be treated as well. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of old-school vets out there who aren't good at treating pain but many are, and that should be one of our guidelines in choosing a veterinarian for our companion animals.

Please keep us posted and of course pics of her are always welcome :)
 
Re: Emergency! Echo results!

In lieu of a screen door, get 4 baby gates (check Craigslist for second hand - its less expensive) and stack them in a doorway, slightly offset so you can overlap them (because if you don't, someone will learn how to climb over them!)

Voila! Exposure with safety.

This isn't as flexible as a screen door, but it is easily removed when you need to get in and out or are done with it.

BTW: Baby gates may be bungied to the back of car headrests to make a barrier preventing dogs from joining you in the front seat to help you drive.
 
Re: Emergency! Echo results!

KarenRamboConan said:
My little Milo broke his leg (snapped the bone off at the hip!) about 4 months ago, when he was just 3 months old. We still don't know what happened. No surgery is possible for this - the head of the fibula is still in the hip socket.
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[I think you mean femur, not fibula, right?]

Hi Karen

I'm replying to this post and doing a minor hijack because these weird fractures can occur in cats and it's important that people know about them. (I'm assuming you meant femur, not fibula, since it's in the hip.)

I worry about that femoral head staying in there and causing arthritis -- has he been neutered yet? You can get x-rays at that time to see what kind of arthritis is already building up around there. The surgery usually done for these fractures in cats is a femoral head ostectomy (FHO); the head is completely removed and the femoral neck is 'cleaned up'; a false joint forms from scar tissue and the vast majority of cats are no worse for it.

Fractures of the femoral head (the 'ball' in the ball & socket hip joint) and neck can occur in young cats, esp. males, around the growth plates in the femur. (The rounded part of the bone is the epiphysis, and this is where the growth plates are.) The phenomenon can occur in any cat but has been associated with young adults, males, and being overweight and neutered. (Early neutering may delay closure of growth plates.) There are about half a dozen published reports of this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11199169 Cats who have one, often have another. Treatment of choice is an FHO.

This doesn't sound exactly like what happened w/ your kitten (your kitten's break sounds much more dramatic) but I'm putting the info out there for reference. I'd keep an eye out for discomfort Milo and consider having an FHO done. In the meantime, arthritis in that joint is practically guaranteed so you might want to discuss starting cartrophen (the Canadian Adequan ;-)) and Cosequin/Dasuquin with your vet.
 
Re: Emergency! Echo results!

KarenRamboConan said:
My little Milo broke his leg (snapped the bone off at the hip!) about 4 months ago, when he was just 3 months old. We still don't know what happened. No surgery is possible for this - the head of the fibula is still in the hip socket. He was in terrible pain - it was heartbreaking. A Fentanyl patch worked really well for him for a couple of weeks, and he has "healed" on his own. (He actually formed a false joint of muscle and ligament to connect the leg to the hip!!) He runs and jumps and only occasionally we see him limp.

They are resilient, tough, marvelous creatures-- they hold no grudges, and they heal quickly. I just know she will do fine, and-- with any luck-- she and her best pal will have completely forgotten today's fight.

Sending you ALL good thoughts!
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Hi Karen-
That's an incredible story!!! Holy crap! The body is pretty miraculous. Did you have to confine him at all so he wouldn't jump? I'm so glad Milo is okay. Thanks for such a positive, happy post!
 
Re: Emergency! Echo results!

BJM said:
In lieu of a screen door, get 4 baby gates (check Craigslist for second hand - its less expensive) and stack them in a doorway, slightly offset so you can overlap them (because if you don't, someone will learn how to climb over them!)

Voila! Exposure with safety.

This isn't as flexible as a screen door, but it is easily removed when you need to get in and out or are done with it.

BTW: Baby gates may be bungied to the back of car headrests to make a barrier preventing dogs from joining you in the front seat to help you drive.
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Hey! That's a great idea? See???? That's why I come here. I don't need to go anywhere else for all cat-related things. All the answers are ususlly here!
 
Re: Emergency! Echo results!

Jess & Earl said:
Hi Traci

I'm glad to hear she has an all-clear on her echo :) Fingers crossed for a quick recovery from surgery.

I read the whole thread, and the debates on whether or not to go to the vet ... You did, of course, and major kudos for that because even if it was a soft tissue injury and did not require surgery, she was in pain. Not bearing weight, or limping badly, is always because of significant pain and pain deserves treatment (and therefore requires a vet visit) too. So it's not a waste of time or money or cat-stress to go to the vet even if x-rays don't show a broken bone -- pain should be treated as well. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of old-school vets out there who aren't good at treating pain but many are, and that should be one of our guidelines in choosing a veterinarian for our companion animals.

Please keep us posted and of course pics of her are always welcome :)
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Hey Jess-
Yup, you are right about the pain thing. I wish you patrolled this board 24/7 ;-)
I could tell things weren't improving at all; perhaps getting worse, and I'm not the type to watch and wait. I get obsessed and need to take care of things. Thank GOD it worked out the way it did.

Another question-it seems that my vet is trying to sell me pet insurance. She's for signs all over her office and even called me to suggest it. She says she insures both her dogs and she recommends it getting the major medical. Do you think she's trying to sell me something that she'll get a commission on or does she really care. No other vet had ever done this. And part two - do you think it's a good idea?
 
Re: Emergency! Echo results!

Jess & Earl said:
KarenRamboConan said:
My little Milo broke his leg (snapped the bone off at the hip!) about 4 months ago, when he was just 3 months old. We still don't know what happened. No surgery is possible for this - the head of the fibula is still in the hip socket.
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[I think you mean femur, not fibula, right?]
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Well, of course I do... I was just trying to get you to post! ;-) :oops:

It looked like we were heading for an FHO, and I was quite prepared (had researched all about it and was prepared to sell a kidney to pay for it), but the ortho guy eventually ruled it out - the hip socket closed over, completely encapsulating the broken femur head. But yes- we know arthritis is an almost certainty.

Poor Milo was rescued from a drug house when he was about 5-6 weeks old. His mama had already been given away (possibly when he was 3 or 4 weeks old) and he was eating boiled cabbage and dry cookies. I suspect poor bone health because of that. He's done well since, and is one happy and spoiled kitten (altho' he still nurses on his arm when he is snuggling). He did also have a heart murmur- gone now- and seems to be meeting all his milestones. (And yes, is also neutered.) Gorgeous Maine Coon mix - a real heart stealer!

Thanks for the info!

Traci - he confined himself. The pain was pretty bad. His brother, Dexter, stayed with him 24/7 -- even went to all Milo's vet appointments. They are very close, and Dexter didn't try to get Milo to play until Milo was well again. We did back off the pain meds a bit -- no pain means they think they can do anything. So it's a fine line between relieving pain, but leaving just enough discomfort to keep them grounded.

Oh- and pet insurance AFTER an injury is probably not a good plan. I bet she gets denied for most things based on a "pre-existing condition", and the premiums may be sky high. Mind you, if I had bought insurance for Milo BEFORE he broke his leg, I would have saved $$$$$.... :roll:
 
Re: Emergency! Echo results!

Hi Jess-

Here's some pics and videos of Trink and Merlin. I sound NUTS talking in them...especially the Merlin video. The last photo is of Dave and Merlin. Dave is purposely making a face....he's not a mental patient I promise. :roll:



 
Re: Emergency! Echo results!

Traci, they are SOOO cute! I'm a sucker for meezers. Trink is going to be fine. Kittens bounce back. And Merlin and Trink will be best buds again soon, though probably not until the vet smell is gone.
 
Re: Emergency! Echo results!

Traci and Boomer said:
Another question-it seems that my vet is trying to sell me pet insurance. She's for signs all over her office and even called me to suggest it. She says she insures both her dogs and she recommends it getting the major medical. Do you think she's trying to sell me something that she'll get a commission on or does she really care. No other vet had ever done this. And part two - do you think it's a good idea?
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I looked into it and I can't find any insurance programs that offer vets commissions for getting clients to sign up. I think it's probably just that she strongly believes in it. She may also have had some bad recent experiences with clients who have been forced to euthanize rather than treat treatable problems, and that is often almost as heartbreaking for the vet (and staff) as it is for the family. Have you spoken to her about monetary concerns before? You have two young cats and now would be the time to start up the insurance.

As far as whether or not it's worth it, if you don't have a reliable income (from a trust fund, etc.), it's certainly worth considering. I get a great discount but still ended up spending a LOT on my dog's illness. I did curse myself earlier this year after I x-rayed the puppy I'd adopted and found severe hip dysplasia -- cursed myself for not signing him up for insurance before I did x-rays. I think WCF & Meowzi had health insurance which paid for a lot of her cancer treatment and surgeries; we have a dog on the cardio service with multiple congenital problems and his insurance (Trupanion) has paid through the nose for him to have multiple procedures and treatments. So it sure can be worth it if you end up with an animal who needs something major down the line. In your kitten's case, you might have paid two months total insurance and then have had most of her tibia fracture paid for by insurance -- that would be pretty awesome.
 
Re: Emergency! Echo results!

KarenRamboConan said:
Well, of course I do... I was just trying to get you to post!
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To be honest I didn't even notice you'd written fibula instead of femur till I went back to reply .. it's an easy slip of the tongue.

But yes- we know arthritis is an almost certainty.
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I'd ask about cartrophen because it is one of the rare drugs that can claim to actually slow the progression of arthritis, rather than just treat symptoms. NSAIDs, EFAs, etc. treat symptoms but cartrophen/Adequan may actually affect the development of arthritis. I've started it in Calvin (the dog) for this reason -- he actually has no symptoms of hip dysplasia.

We did back off the pain meds a bit -- no pain means they think they can do anything. So it's a fine line between relieving pain, but leaving just enough discomfort to keep them grounded.
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I think this has come up before and I wanted to address it again. Pain medication does not remove all pain, especially orthopedic pain. After I had wrist surgery I laid there in the hospital room pressing the morphine button every 10 minutes and was still so painful that they had to give me an additional medication. The use of an appropriate pain medication is to make the pain bearable -- for some types of pain there's no hope to relieve it completely except by using general anesthesia (that's why some burn victims are put into a coma on purpose). Anyway, the goal is always maximum pain relief for the condition; if we need to confine, so be it.
 
Re: Trink coming home Thurs PM & pic of $3000 cape

I called for a second post-surgical update and her nurse told me she is doing fine. Couldn't get much out of that robot nurse. They are offering her food now.

The vet tells me she must be confined for 4 weeks...not allowed to jump or play or she could stress the plate since that's the only thing holding the leg together because there is no cast. ohmygod_smile
She's the most playful and active cat I've ever had. She's the alpha of her and Merlin too. He's a couch potato without her. He's not been eating much in her absence. I know he's missing her, the big lug. Anyway, my landlords have a MASSIVE cage/crate that they let me borrow. It's set up in my room so I can keep her separate from Mer for however long she needs to be. I'll set it up cozy for her. She has to be in there when I'm not home for her own protection. Has anyone ever gone through a confinement like this? I'm tellin' ya...it's unbelievable the situations I seem to get myself into with my cats. This story is the topper.

Here's the picture I got of Merlin in his cape.

 
Traci my first impression of that pic is that merlin had something (another animal) on him...maybe attacking him.
Could be Trinket was attacking the thing on merlin and not merlin.
And then got all confused.
Merlin only knew that Trinket was attacking HIM.
This seems to make sense to me anyway.
 
Re: Trink coming home Thurs PM & pic of $3000 cape

Traci and Boomer said:
I called for a second post-surgical update and her nurse told me she is doing fine. Couldn't get much out of that robot nurse. They are offering her food now.

The vet tells me she must be confined for 4 weeks...not allowed to jump or play or she could stress the plate since that's the only thing holding the leg together because there is no cast. ohmygod_smile
She's the most playful and active cat I've ever had. She's the alpha of her and Merlin too. He's a couch potato without her. He's not been eating much in her absence. I know he's missing her, the big lug. Anyway, my landlords have a MASSIVE cage/crate that they let me borrow. It's set up in my room so I can keep her separate from Mer for however long she needs to be. I'll set it up cozy for her. She has to be in there when I'm not home for her own protection. Has anyone ever gone through a confinement like this? I'm tellin' ya...it's unbelievable the situations I seem to get myself into with my cats. This story is the topper.

No experience with confining a cat for that long, but thought you might like MurrysMama's story of Murray aka Ol' Ahrange Thang being confined after anal gland surgery....
http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/read.php?8,35088,35385
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Spazzie had to be confined too like that and we also borrowed a big cage thing to keep her in. i've got pictures around here somewhere

she didn't seem to have a problem so much as Kitty did. it was Kitty's first experience with sharing her house with another kitty and she didn't like it. she would sit across the room and hiss at Spazzie. Spazzie seemed to have no problem with being confined really but i think because of Kitty's reaction to her being there, she developed this habit of hiding her food. i think she thought that Kitty was going to take her food so she would flip her food dishes over in the cage when she was done eating. took years to break that habit of hers :-)

i did keep a blanket over the cage thing because it did seem to calm her sometimes when nothing else would. it took willpower on my part sometimes to leave her in that thing. she'd sit there and talk to me and talk and talk and talk and i admit, it was hard sometimes to leave her in there but i knew that if i let her out to roam she would most likely just make her situation worse so when she was talking too much or too worked up, i'd just unfold the blanket down over the front of the cage, kinda like covering a carrier in the car to calm them
 
Re: Emergency! Echo results!

Jess & Earl said:
I'd ask about cartrophen because it is one of the rare drugs that can claim to actually slow the progression of arthritis, rather than just treat symptoms. NSAIDs, EFAs, etc. treat symptoms but cartrophen/Adequan may actually affect the development of arthritis. I've started it in Calvin (the dog) for this reason -- he actually has no symptoms of hip dysplasia.
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I used to give my Dev Cartrophen Vet shots for his arthritis - he was about 19 at the time. That was quite a while ago, and it was still a pretty new drug. He responded really well, and was given quite a bit of relief from his arthritis. My sister's Golden Retriever is only 7, but is arthritic, and I got her to talk to her vet about it, and Kayda is responding very well, too. So I would have no hesitation in trying it with Milo. Is there any research about the best age to start? He's still a baby (7 mons).
 
Re: Emergency! Echo results!

KarenRamboConan said:
So I would have no hesitation in trying it with Milo. Is there any research about the best age to start? He's still a baby (7 mons).
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The original studies on Adequan (Adequan and cartrophen are very similar) were done on puppies, to see if it helped with hip dysplasia, so its use in juvenile dogs is well established. There's no data on its use in cats of any age, and neither drug is labeled for cats. There's no contraindication for kitten use, however, and I know some surgeons do recommend it for kittens after a major orthopedic event, and Adequan is also used for FLUTD in young cats. So ... I'd personally not have a problem with it, but you can ask Milo's orthopedist. (Did you have a new hospital open up in your area? I remember there were no specialists around when Astrophe had her troubles.)

Since in Milo it would be used to try to delay or slow progression of arthritis, I would start it as soon as you can. I started it for Dillon a few weeks ago and I'm using short 30g 3/10 insulin syringes IM and it's going great. He gets a spoonful of 'junk food' cat food and I give him his shot. This morning he pounced on me while I was in bed sleeping, and he hasnt' done that in ages. (I hope he doesn't start doing that all the time, it's annoying!) So I'm pleased with how it's going so far. In the dog, I haven't noticed a darn thing but he had no symptoms to begin with. I'm giving it in the hope that somewhere, on a cellular level, it's working to delay arthritis.

Traci, looking forward to your update and the woebegone cat-with-bandage picture ;-)
 
Re: Emergency! Echo results!

Jess & Earl said:
[ (Did you have a new hospital open up in your area? I remember there were no specialists around when Astrophe had her troubles.)
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Nope, we just happen to have a vet in town who loves orthopedic work. I don't know his qualifications, but he's been doing it a long time, and has a super track record. But I suspect it's purely surgical. I'll ask about the Cartrophen, but I suspect my vet will do the research on that one.

Thanks!

Traci - how's the little one today?
 
awww poor merlin .. doesnt know where his best friend went .. but she'll be back and in a few weeks they'll be back to playing and sleeping together as if nothing had happened!
 
About the pet health insurance: I have PetPlan US on all 3 of my kitties and have received back far more than I've paid in premiums. No really major illnesses, either. One accident (cat reached her "arm" fast and hard under the refrigerator to get a toy and sliced her leg open) and two cases of chronically coughing cats, so x-rays and asthma diagnoses. But in neither case has the asthma needed much treatment yet, as both, weirdly, turned out to be due to food allergies, and if I control the food, little or no coughing.

When I got the insurance, one of the cats had recently had diarrhea, and the policy had a 6-month hold on diarrhea (no coverage for that particular disorder if it recurred within 6 months), but it didn't recur and now that cat has absolutely total coverage.

The youngest of the three had a rough time with her spaying (even required an ER visit, plus another regular vet visit, plus antibiotics), but the insurance company wasn't bothered in the least. By the time I needed to claim something, it had been months since that happened and the spaying-related problem had shown no sign at all of recurrence, so again, I have full coverage on her.

In other words, you don't have to wait to apply for coverage - at least, that's what my experience would indicate. When you make a claim, you submit all the animal's vet records, and as long as the current problem has resolved, it will have no effect on coverage. Every policy has a waiting period of some sort, so the sooner you apply, the sooner you are out of the waiting period.

Oh, PetPlan does not cover wellness (checkups, vaccinations, etc.). Those plans that do tend to have much higher premiums, because every animal will need wellness visits at times. PetPlan's philosophy is that wellness expenses are something you can budget for, since they are relatively predictable. The unexpected vet expenses, such as after an accident or when an illness shows itself, are what you really need insurance for, because they are totally unpredictable (and expensive!).
 
Hi Jean-

Thank you SO much for your post. I'm seriously considering getting pet insurance because I *know* that will keep my pets from getting sick....that's how it seems to work for me. :lol: ;-)

Do you mind me asking how much/how often you pay? I have no clue how much we're talking about.

Thanks again!!!
 
Traci,

I love the picture of Merlin in his cape. I would play hell getting anything on any of my cats. I also enjoyed the other pictures and video`s. Your kitties are really beautiful.
I can almost never capture the pretty blue eyes of my Siamese mix with my camera no matter how much I mess with the settings, I get red eyes or something else.
I take picture after picture but they rarely turn out the way I want them to. I just want to get those pretty blue eyes in the picture but rarely do.

Terri
 
terri1962 said:
Traci,

I love the picture of Merlin in his cape. I would play hell getting anything on any of my cats. I also enjoyed the other pictures and video`s. Your kitties are really beautiful.
I can almost never capture the pretty blue eyes of my Siamese mix with my camera no matter how much I mess with the settings, I get red eyes or something else.
I take picture after picture but they rarely turn out the way I want them to. I just want to get those pretty blue eyes in the picture but rarely do.

Terri
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Hi Terri-

I know what you mean about the eyes - nearly impossible to get them looking blue in photos. Thanks so much for the compliments. I really love my cats.
 
Traci and Boomer said:
Do you mind me asking how much/how often you pay? I have no clue how much we're talking about.
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For the youngest cat (not yet 2 years old), it is something like $115 per year. For the older two (both about 7 1/2 years old), it is I think $145 or something close to that per year. They used to be $125 each per year, but then the company changed underwriters (and increased the coverage). I guess the older cats got rewritten policies based on their age at the time the underwriter changed(??). My questions about this were answered but not with real answers, if you know what I mean. The youngest has been on the new underwriter from the beginning. I insured her when she was about 5 or 6 months old.

Prices vary depending on vet prices in various areas. You can get a quote for your particular area and age of pet from the PetPlan website (http://www.gopetplan.com). I don't remember for sure what the website says, but my claims have always been based on actual cost, not some schedule of what the company thinks treatments ought to cost.

You can choose various levels of deductible, co-pay, and coverage ceiling. The various types of policy all have the same essential coverage; the difference is chiefly in the annual maximum (it *is* annual, not by condition, and chronic conditions are covered). The maximums are high enough that an animal would have to be extremely ill to exceed them. The higher-cost policies include some extras that really don't bear on health care specifically. I have the middle of each range where you can choose.
 
Wow-thanks for all this information. I'm going to look into it. The prices you pay definitely seem reasonable. It thought it was going to be much more! :smile:
 
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