Blackie's Luxating Patella

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Jan
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Blackie's Luxating Patella

Post by Jan »

The diagnosis from the vet hospital to which Blackie was referred shows that Blackie has a luxating patella in his right hind leg. This is what is causing the pain and lameness in the leg. More extensive x-rays done by the Neurological Dept did not show anything untoward in his spine or hips.

The luxation is categorised as Grade 3 which wasn't good news. This result means that he will need to be passed onto the Orthopaedic Dept of the referral hospital. Not the news I wanted to hear. However, Blackie is going to have the luxury of seeing a Professor who is one of the leading lights in the orthopaedic field. Unfortunately she is currently on holiday so we have to wait until 6 September for a consultation with her.

If the operation goes ahead he will be on 4 week recovery rest - confined to one of the small bedrooms in the house for 4 weeks(this will almost be a fate worse than death for him).

So the decision depends on our consultation with the Professor. Only thing we can do at the moment is to try and stop him jumping up on the kitchen worktop! We've been told that Blackie is very agile and strong for his age. Not that we needed to be told that as he fights us every step of the way whenever we have to put any treatment on him. Soon we have to try and remove the bandage round his right front paw .... wish us luck!
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Re: Blackie's Luxating Patella

Post by booktigger »

Luxating patellas are better than a nerve issue. Am surprised they said 4 week room rest, I was told it was 6 weeks cage rest when there was a chance Lucy would need hers operating on. Good luck with the appointment
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Re: Blackie's Luxating Patella

Post by alanc »

Poor Blackie. Best of luck with all that. I wonder whether a couple of large dog crates might be better than keeping him in a small room? I used a pair of them to keep Tilly confined for some 12 weeks after her operation. It was much easier as she could have company (Badger slept on top) and see what was going on. i could also be certain she wasn't jumping anywhere and see where she was before opening any doors to make sure she didn't escape.
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Jan
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Re: Blackie's Luxating Patella

Post by Jan »

That's some comfort that the patella issue is better (however slightly) than the nerve issue.

We won't know the exact recuperation time until we meet with the Prof on 6 Sept. She's the expert - and some - judging by her credentials!

Dog crates were suggested but when I asked if a room 8 x 9ft would be small enough, the Neurology vet said she thought it would as long there was nothing in the room that Blackie could try and jump up to. There's no bed, just a high wardrobe and a tiny window cill that no cat can either jump up to or sit on. He will go stir crazy I know that! If the Prof says a crate, then a dog crate it will be.

If we go down the small room route, the door is an issue which we are hoping to solve. Blackie is an only cat - so the only company would be the human kind.
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Re: Blackie's Luxating Patella

Post by booktigger »

The advantage of using a dog cage is he can be in the same room as you
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Re: Blackie's Luxating Patella

Post by Lilith »

Aww sorry to hear this, poor chap. :( I do know that this can be agonisingly painful; I've chiefly heard of it in small dogs and that they scream with pain - just like your Blackie.

Sorry been off the forum for 3 days because of pc problems but just adding my good wishes, and also from Emily, Mouse, Molly and Shahi python, all crossing paws and tails for Blackie's speedy recovery x
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Re: Blackie's Luxating Patella

Post by alanc »

If we go down the small room route, the door is an issue which we are hoping to solve. Blackie is an only cat - so the only company would be the human kind.
Jan - A lot depends on how well behaved Blackie is. If he is a Houdini type cat (as Tilly was when she was 3 - a lot more sedate these days, fortunately) then a cage is the best way to go. If he can be trusted to stay in the room and not make a dash for liberty the moment the door opens a crack, then probably not so necessary.
I think Tilly appreciated being in a room with me and being able to see what was going on (and have Badger get her mice to play with, but we don't admit to that!). Tilly has never been a cuddle demanding cat and has always just preferred just to have company around. Other cats can be very different!
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Re: Blackie's Luxating Patella

Post by Jan »

Thanks for the further good wishes, alanc + Lilith

OH made the point that a cage might be better as we could have Blackie in the same room as us - downstairs + upstairs.

In answer to alanc Blackie most definitely is not a well behaved cat, nor a cuddle cat - he hates being picked up for any reason. Its a 'fight' to put any flea/worm/pain killing treatment on him, and he is a very anxious/easily stressed cat. He will absolutely hate being caged. He is a free spirit who comes + goes as he pleases. Perhaps its to do with the fact that he comes from semi-feral stock.

We haven't had another episode of him howling with pain for several days. He is being given Metacam every morning now until we see the Prof at Langfords in a week's time.

Yesterday he rushed up the stairs like a 3 year old (heart was in my mouth!). We have stopped him jumping up on the kitchen worktop by putting pans along the edge - but yesterday OH left some beef in another part of the kitchen, I heard a noise, rushed out to find Blackie happily licking the joint :roll:
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Re: Blackie's Luxating Patella

Post by Lilith »

Lol - worth washing his whiskers for was it? Little devil!

Best of luck with the little horror :D
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Re: Blackie's Luxating Patella

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Blackie saw the Prof yesterday .... though he'd decided the best way of seeing her was from the sanctuary of hiding hunched up under the table at the other end of the room.

Seems the Prof thought we'd come in for Blackie to go straight to surgery but I explained we were told the consultation would be for 'options'. So we had to give her a brief history of when the luxation started etc etc. However, in the last week or more, Blackie has been pain-free as far as we know and has run downstairs like a 5 year old chasing a Ping Pong ball.

When I told her that we've seen Blackie either stretch his right hind leg out or flick it (without any cries of pain) she said that some cats are able to learn how to manage their patella problem. But she made the point that eventually this will make the knee more painful as the cartilage will wear away.

She agreed with me that the terrible screaming Blackie did on the first slipping patella episode was probably as much to do with fright as the pain itself. (I will never forget the sound of that scream - ever).

I said although I'd prefer Blackie not to need any op, I had a real worry about him being caged for 6 weeks. He has a difficult temperament (to say the least) She advised that the cage rest would be for 3 weeks and then a further 3 weeks confined to the house.

The Prof suggested as there was no need for imminent surgery at the moment, perhaps the best way to approach the problem was to try and get Blackie gently used to a cage (medium size) for the next 4 weeks. In the meantime, in spite of his early stage CKD we could carry on with the Metacam, gradually decreasing the dose to 2ml but no lower. If there was any incidence of diarrhea or vomiting we should stop the Metacam immediately and contact her for advice.

I asked if there were any supplements we could give Blackie to help protect his cartilage and she said in her opinion Yumove was the best one to get. It will also help with the arthritis in his spine + right front leg - which I knew nothing about until recently.

So we'll see how we go with the cage trial - and how Blackie gets on pain-wise in the next 4 weeks.

I had thought that Blackie would be too old for surgery, but seems not. She said the notes received from the Neurology Dept reported that he was in good health for his age and that his Stage I CKD was well controlled.

So its back to the Prof on 4 October. To be honest I'm in a quandary as to whether he should be put through this surgery and recuperation.
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Re: Blackie's Luxating Patella

Post by booktigger »

It's a tricky one, with his age and temperament. if it helps, my neighbour ended up at the emergency vets once after a similar cry of pain from one of the cats, vet said it was arthritis, yet we lost her 7 years later to something unrelated, she never once had another episode, despite being obviously arthritic for a few years (and she couldn't tolerate metacam, although she had acupuncture for a while, then cartrophen injections). Am surprised they have said arthritis in spine and front leg when you were told it showed nothing - you will be in the same boat as me, that even operating on this situation won't stop the need for pain relief for arthritis in other areas.
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Re: Blackie's Luxating Patella

Post by Jan »

Things just got better and better since I last posted.

I started Blackie on YuMove about 3 weeks ago and within 4/5 days there was a dramatic improvement in his mobility - we couldn't believe it. Rushing up + down the stairs like a lunatic and skidding along the wooden hall floor - it was as if he was 4 not 14+half. I did worry that after being advised to take him off Metacam 10 days ago because of vomiting twice in 3 days, the pain/inflammation would return and inhibit his movement. But this didn't happen - there was still no sign of lameness and any stiffness in the right hind leg decreased as the days went by.

We kept the appt with the Prof this morning and after watching him walk around and jump up and down from the counter in her room, she agreed there was no sign that any operation was necessary at the moment. She asked me how introducing him to cage rest went - I had to tell her it didn't - Blackie would start crying once he realised he couldn't get out, no matter how often we tried to introduce him to the cage.

She thought a slight decrease in his weight might help and to carry on with the YuMove as clearly it is helping him.

If there are any further problems within the next 6/12 months, I can contact the referral hospital direct for an appointment with the Prof. I sincerely hope that this won't happen and that all is well that ends well :D
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Re: Blackie's Luxating Patella

Post by Lilith »

Great news! :D

Well done Blackie and well done you too - fusses to the lad :D
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Re: Blackie's Luxating Patella

Post by booktigger »

That's great news, hopefully he'll be a bit more active now
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Re: Blackie's Luxating Patella

Post by alanc »

Glad to hear Blackie is doing well.
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Re: Blackie's Luxating Patella

Post by Mayday21 »

That's fabulous!! Fusses to Blackie. Vivian
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Re: Blackie's Luxating Patella

Post by alanc »

Just to give you some encouragement, tubby Tay from next door has a luxating Patella - has had from kittenhood. Doesn't make much difference to him - I've just hoicked him down from the top of my 6ft tall bookcase for the third time this week!
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