|
OK guys, I need some input and some help. I've been fostering a feral mama cat, and I had someone bring me a kitten that they found stuck in a fence with no mama cat around. Her eyes weren't even open at that point, and my nursing mama adopted her with no problem. Since she was 2 weeks younger and smaller than her foster brothers and sister, we've been calling her Tiny Girl. She's almost 5 weeks old now, and as she started to really walk we noticed that she was having some difficulty walking. We held off to see if she was just a slow starter, but as she REALLY started to walk it became evident that something was badly wrong. I took her to my vet late last week, she took x-rays, and Tiny Girl has a birth defect which the vet says is related to Manx Syndrome. Basically, she was born without hip sockets .. call it severe hip dysplasia, that's the easiest way to describe it. She can walk, but she falls easily. She can scamper, but again she falls a lot. She can't jump at all, and she has trouble getting over even low obstacles. When she's tired, one or both of her hind legs drag. I'm attaching a video of her playing with her foster brothers Oliver and Midnight that shows a little bit of what I'm talking about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLbo7-_3eqM After examination and x-rays the vet said that Tiny Girl could probably live a fairly full and normal life as an indoor cat with provisions (like steps or ramps) for her disability, but that she may have to have surgery (femoral head ostectomy) to remove the ball of the femur once she reaches full growth, so that it doesn't rub on the pelvis. My concern is for whether she is in pain, and realistically whether -- as much as I hate even the thought -- it would be kinder to euthanize her. She's eating well, she plays some but not as much as a normal kitten her age should, and I worry  She's a wonderful little girl and I love her, and if she can lead a happy life I'll move heaven and earth to find her a home that will care for her ... but am I doing the right thing?
|
#
?
Jun 11, 2015 03:38
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 8, 2024 15:02 |
|
|
Can you afford the surgery? If yes, sure gently caress it vets are getting pretty good with dysplasia, especially in young animals. If you can't, then you can't.
|
|
#
?
Jun 11, 2015 04:17
|
|
|
That's weird that they call it related to Manx Syndrome, because my understanding was that had to do with the spinal cord not fully closing. Anyways, if the vet is telling you that the kitty can have a pretty normal life but will require some financial commitment, I would say no to euthanasia. The pain that could happen sounds like it's treatable with surgery and right now kitty isn't experiencing pain. If you're not able to commit to the special needs, perhaps there is a rescue who can step in? A cute wobbly kitten can get a lot of help with the right social media campaign. Edit: Ah, tiny girl is a bobtail/manx. That makes more sense. She looks like she's doing kitten things in the video. Just getting used to the fact that her back end doesn't always do what she tells it to do. How does she do on carpet? Can she get more traction? pandaid fucked around with this message at 11:46 on Jun 11, 2015 |
|
#
?
Jun 11, 2015 11:40
|
|
|
As long as she is not in pain and can have a good life then she will be fine. I would be more worried about any of her brothers and sisters still out in the wild as they will not make it without being able to get out of trouble.
|
|
#
?
Jun 11, 2015 15:15
|
|
|
fluffy bunnies posted:Can you afford the surgery? If yes, sure gently caress it vets are getting pretty good with dysplasia, especially in young animals. If you can't, then you can't. This isn't something I've ever had to deal with and I love my vet but I think sometimes she tends to try anything to save the animal, and that isn't always the best thing. So I wasn't sure what kind of outcome Tiny Girl could expect ... if it's generally a good outcome, then I can blitz social media and find her someone to love her and get the surgery when the time comes. pandaid posted:Anyways, if the vet is telling you that the kitty can have a pretty normal life but will require some financial commitment, I would say no to euthanasia. The pain that could happen sounds like it's treatable with surgery and right now kitty isn't experiencing pain. If you're not able to commit to the special needs, perhaps there is a rescue who can step in? A cute wobbly kitten can get a lot of help with the right social media campaign. quote:Edit: Ah, tiny girl is a bobtail/manx. That makes more sense. She looks like she's doing kitten things in the video. Just getting used to the fact that her back end doesn't always do what she tells it to do. How does she do on carpet? Can she get more traction?
|
|
#
?
Jun 11, 2015 17:48
|
|
|
The good thing is that she is running around doing kitten things and for 75% of the time does fine. I saw in your other post that she has good rectal tone, so that's a good thing. Vets do try to do whatever they can to save things; our patients die often enough (10-20 year lifespan and lack of insurance really sucks) that we really, really want to try and save things when we can. Animals that have had the FHO surgery can do quite well with it. As long as she maintains urinary and fecal continence, then things are good. If she starts having problems there, or if she starts demonstrating signs of pain, then other things may have to be considered.
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2015 04:23
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 8, 2024 15:02 |
|
|
I just saw a puppy with similar issues, but one hip more affected than the other. Compared to her, Tiny Girl looks like she is doing absolutely fabulous. The puppy was already showing severe discomfort at 8 weeks, to the point where she wasn't behaviorally normal. It was pretty bad news for a rottweiler and we did have to have a euthanasia discussion. A cat has a lot less weight to carry and she seems to be coping well so far. I'd at least give her a shot at placement.
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2015 15:54
|
|
