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Hello, I have a few questions regarding a paralyzed kitten.
Background: i work in a shelter in Germany and the kitten was brought to us 2 weeks ago with paralyzed hindlegs & tail. No obvious injuries and no bones are broken. What caused this is unknown. He already had atrophied muscles and slight missing fur where the joints craped on the ground, so we guessed whatever caused it was a while ago.
He doesn’t react if you pinch the hindlegs or tail, and he can’t urinate (he will loose urine whent he bladder is full) on its own and looses it’s faeces unvoluntarely. When at rest the legs will be bent backwards at the knees and a bit rotated, sometimes they spontaneously shiver and he extends/pulls in. I have started to move and massage his legs and place them “correct” position while he sits/eats. There is movement in there – but not conscious. If I touch between the toes they will spread, if I touch the inside ot the thighs he will stretch the legs and if I touch the underside of the foot he will pull them in and curl the toes. But it’s not controlled, more like reflex.
Is it a good sign that the nerves react to soemthing, even if not conscious? I wonder it braces could help him to keep his hindlegs from overbending/bending inwards when he runs/plays, so his joints/tendons don’t take damage from the constant “wrong” placement.
Our vet has not much experience with paralyzed cats, so i thought asking around doesn’t hurt. She is very sceptical that we can help him and is mostly concerned if he can’t urinate on his own. He currently gets medication to help his bladder to better contract – which seems to help somewhat. There is more tension in there and he reacts more when we express his bladder. He has a muscle tonus in his sphincter, too. But also no concious control.
I can add photos tomorrow, currently I only have a video that’s too big.
I’m open for any ideas. Thanks so much!
6 week old kitten fell off the bed and hurt its back left leg. He can’t walk on it. He cries when it gets bumped. He can pull the leg against his body and lays on it, but when he stretched his leg out the top of his foot was facing out instead of forward. I’m worried he may have broken or dislocated something. How can I tell and what do I do? And what can we give him for pain?
Please go to the vet asap for an X-ray. They may be able to splint it to help it heal. Kittens heal fast and almost every fracture and dislocation will heal if you get there quickly. Also kittens are dare devils so try to keep them in a large crate or carrier for a few more weeks.
Hi, my cat Daisy recently had major dental surgery to remove 12 of her teeth. She did well through it but shortly after started to pull her hair out as she grooms. Wherever she has rested there are clumps of hair and it’s primarily on her thighs. She’s eating well, acting normal and using the litter box normally. Can you help?
I would contact your vet and make them aware of this new behavior right away.
I would worry this is pain. Or stress. There are lots of medications available for these. Please call your vet.
My 6 year old female pit was diagnosed with Chylothorax yesterday, 7/5. My vest was only able to pull a little of the gel type liquid from her lungs. She referred us to a specialist, but they cannot see her until Aug 4. Do you know if there is another specialist in the Baltimore, Maryland area that could see her? She is currently taking 50mg of Lasix. I don’t want to wait four weeks. She has barely eaten anything over the last two weeks as it is. She’s lost about 7-10 pounds.
Hello,
Without knowing exactly where you are located I would go to UPenn through the ER service and that way you can be seen immediately. You should not wait until August. In fact I would be incredibly worried that you don’t have that much time to safely wait. My preference is UPenn above all other referral centers as I have found them to be the most efficient and affordable of all the specialty centers. There are other specialty centers like the PetER and Chesapeake Vet Referral in Towson but I have had many clients find them cost prohibitive for care. If you in the through ER at a specialty hospital you can be transferred to the internal medicine department from there same or next day at the latest. Good luck. Go very soon especially if your pet is acting unwell.
I ended up taking her to Pet ER in Towson and they said she has Pyothorax . The thick fluid includes bacteria and maybe cancerous cells.
They said the only thing they could do was all in or nothing. Is surgery the only option? I did ask them to send the liquid from her chest to the Pathologist. I want to know for a fact that there are cancerous cells. What if it’s only bacteria, would antibiotics resolve the infection? Do they have to do open chest surgery to remove the liquid?
I have decided to wait for the pathology report to be certain it is cancer. I’m also looking into autoimmune disease. I’ve been told by several people that their dogs were going through the same as my Ginger. They were told it was cancer, but they fought and advocated for their dogs. They were both found to have autoimmune disease and have been treated with steroids and have been alive and well for over four years.
Hi Dr. Magnifico. Our cat Boogie was recently seen by Dr. Ahrens for his constipation issues, and also to have blood drawn to check his hyperthyroidism. I have a couple questions for Dr Ahrens.
I prefer not calling the office, as I do not want to pull her away from whatever she is doing at that time, and it is really hard to reach me by phone.
Can you please ask her to email me at ——— or if you could give me her JVC email address so I can email her, I would greatly appreciate it!
Thank you!
Terri
Hello,
i notified Dr Ahrens. please reach out to me anytime if you need anything,, be well,, stay safe and hugs to Boogie!
xoxo
krista
Hi, on November 23 our dog Darla was diagnosed with IVDD and was put on cage rest and given meds. As of today I feel like she’s gotten worse. She used to walk some when we took her outside to use the bathroom. Now she refuses to walk unless she really needs to go. And it’s only a few steps. Whereas before she would walk way more. Her front legs now are weak and her paws don’t flip over like they did. She does react with all legs when I pinch between the toes. The front legs are more delayed but she does pull them in. She doesn’t seem to be in pain anymore as she used to yelp out and whine when we picked her up. We’ve been to two vets (the second to get another opinion) and both agreed to the original findings. We have started cold laser therapy and she’s had one session so far. I’ve also started doing physical therapy on her after watching your YouTube videos etc. is there anything else I should do? She used to wag her tail and now just seems so sad. Is it possible for her to loose so much muscle mass that she’s so weak? When the weighed her she had lost 3 lbs but the vet said it was because she hasn’t been active. I can feel her bones protruding out. (she was small to begin with and was very active) she does eat and drink normal. The second vet did say I could give more pain and muscle relaxer.( every 8 hours as opposed to 12) Maybe the muscle relaxer i need to cut back on? I’m just at a loss and so sad she isn’t getting back to normal by now.
Hello,
I think there is always a question of mental health and physical health. So. Make sure she is getting enough physical therapy and emotional therapy. A bored and lonely and painful dog is a withdrawn and depressed dog. Also discuss other options for mobility. Like swimming or a cart. And get outside. A lot! Dogs needs to be getting their nose in the air and feeling involved in the world. They also need to be consistently monitored for medical complications and changes. I hope this helps. Let me know.
Thank you so much for your reply!! We for sure try to get her out as much as possible. I’m using a harness to help her and she walks with her back legs. We walk a lot in the back. We even went for a walk and made her a nice bed in a stroller and took her for a stroll. I just find it odd laser treatments are not working ( she’s had two now) and I see no improvement. I’m pretty sure she’s lost more weight despite eating normally. I will have them weigh her the next time I take her in. Also she was able to walk before…just slowly and it was her back legs that were affected. She walked fine before with her front. I don’t understand why she would all of a sudden not want to use her front legs. She’s been on crate rest etc for a month and a half now. So now way of her injuring herself again. When researching it seemed like once dogs had pain managed they were back to normal even though they couldn’t physically do things yet since they need to heal. But they are wagging their tails and seem back to themselves…personality wise. Also- now on both front legs she has redness over where some of her bones are. One bone looks larger then the other leg. Not sure if it’s red because she’s been licking those areas but I haven’t seen her lick since she doesn’t move much laying down. I think our next step is to do an X-ray to rule out other things like tumors or bone cancer because in my gut I feel there’s something going on. I will keep you updated!
I have a 14 month old pit mix that has terrible anxiety. He is terrified of being by himself, even if we are just behind the closed door using the bathroom. He cries terribly & will pace the house until we’re done. If I take a shower or bath I leave the door open so he feels a little better, but he then cries & tries to grab my arm to pull me out (not in an aggressive way). When people come into the house he paces, jumps, & whines for them. He also does this outside when he sees people or other dogs. He is told “down” when he jumps & warned with the beeping noise on his training collar. He will sit but it is very hard for him to stay still, as he continues to whine, shakes, & then rolls into the ground. It’s like he knows to listen & tries very hard but literally can not stay still. He also is terrified of thunder & the sound the trash truck makes. When those sounds are occurring he runs right under the table & won’t come out. We are in the process of training & we were told by them that they also think he has anxiety. They think he would be able to comprehend better if it was under control. I have been researching non stop for things to help with this major issue. I don’t want him on prescription anxiety meds that cause him to seem “sedated” & not like himself (that happened with my family dog). I have come across a tablet to help with separation anxiety & the behaviors that come with it. It is called clomicalm & every review or story I have read about it was positive. I really do think this could be a successful choice for him IF I know this is something that is not harmful. There are possible side effects that could occur but that could happen with pretty much any medication humans or pets. This tablet does not cause dogs to seem drowsy from what I’ve read from people’s experiences & has a high success rate to treat anxiety. We have tried natural treats, oils, thunder vests, etc. & nothing has helped him in the slightest bit. I just want to know if this something that would be okay for him to take daily or even okay to take at all?
Hello,
It sounds like it is time to get help from a behaviorist. Please ask your vet for a referral and also ask them about medications to help bridge the gap as you start to help him overcome his fears and anxieties. Medications can help but they should not be used without also implementing training, socialization and behavior modification therapy. I hope this helps and I hope your pup gets help soon.
I agree with Dr. Magnifico. A behaviorist will be money very well spent and will benefit ALL of you. Very best of luck. Don’t give up!!????????
I agree with the others – find a behaviorist. I’d also invest time in a sport of some sort. This can help build the confidence it sounds like he lacks.
Our 2 year old Pitt mix recently suffered from a laceration to his front paw pad. We ended up bringing him into the ER for stitches, which he received. However, neither the vets or ourselves were able to get him in his cone of shame. For about 4 days we were able to deter him from interfering with his wound through careful monitoring and a sock with cayenne pepper placed over the bandage. Day # 5, however, is when things went to pieces. Sometime between lunch and when I get off work, he was able to get his bandage off and proceeded to gnaw at his stitches… We took him back to the ER last night, but given how he is with strangers (not good), we opted to forgo getting him sedated and re-stitched, and try to take care of him from home. He lets us change his bandage, but when I tried changing it this morning, some of the gauze had adhered to the wound. I’m afraid if I pull more of it off, I will make the wound worse, but I can’t imagine that leaving it on there is a good idea either. If we can avoid even more costly medical bills without jeopardizing his health, that would be great. That being said, I’m reaching out to the canine community for any advice available! Thanks for taking the time to read my post 🙂
My 8 year old dog started limping this evening. She ran outside to chase a squirrel and was limping when she came back in. I can rub, hold, look all over and she shows no sign of distress. She isn’t helping or whining. Acting normal except she seems confused as to what’s wrong and she’s eyeing up the sofa and thinking about jumping up before she does. Not sure if I should just give it a day to two…maybe she pulled or tweaked something or make an appt with vet right away. Currently she’s being nosey about what’s going on in the back yard and acting fine.
Hello,
I think it’s ok to wait a day or two to see if this resolves as long as everything else is normal and ok. If this helps I wrote a blog to help is the source of limping. See if this helps.
https://kmdvm.blogspot.com/2014/08/understanding-and-diagnosing-limping.html
Good luck!
hello,
I am so sorry to hear about this kitten. I think that there are some answers that I jut cannot give without an in person exam, but, I also think that the recovery is very very unlikely if you have muscle atrophy. I also think that there is no other species on the planet that can adapt and overcome anything better than a kitten.
As long as you can manage the ability to urinate and defecate and keep him safe and happy (he needs toys and attention and to still feel like a fierce predator and playful kitten) then it is perfectly fine to have a pet with a disability.
I would not use a splint or any kind of bandage, they cause more problems than they are worth.
See if you can find this kitten a home and make sure that the the new parents are able to palpate the bladder and colon and make sure they are passing feces easily and emptying the bladder completely (urine retention can lead to urinary tract infections) and make sure they are spayed/neutered before 6 months old.
Also make sure the home is handicapped safe.
I hope this helps.
thank you for caring about the ones other people overlook. You are an amazing human!
krista
Hi! Paralyzed cat mom here????
Your story sounds a lot like mine when Hamilton arrived. He came to us around 5-6 weeks old with no obvious wounds or breaks. We weren’t sure what to do but give him a chance..
He is unable to urinate and defecate on his own so therefore this is something I do every day multiple times.
This friends are hard to care for but easy if you have the patience and willingness to do so.
As my kitty got a little bigger, we looked into a wheel chair for him(he hates it). I learned he was better on his own scooting around. Some days he wears a diaper, but you have to be careful with this as they need cleaned every time they pee.
As far as expressing the bladder, you have to find what you’re most comfortable with and what the cat is comfortable with. My kitty doesn’t really like anyone expressing his bladder but myself because because we have our “routine”.
Hoping this kitty excels in life and gets all the love he deserves! We are here to help and I’m happy to share tips/tricks that I have learned myself along the way!!!
-Autumn