Gracie is home, her cast gone. She's limping on the leg a little, and I don't trust it enough to just let her loose in the house. She was loose in the mudroom for a while, and I tried to bring her out to the living room, but she just ran limping back to the mudroom - for now, I guess that's where she feels like she needs to be. I'm sure she'll get over that eventually. And I'm sure I'll get over thinking her leg is made of glass, ready to break again the first time she jumps down on it. It may take me a while, though.
The vet's office disappointed me again, too. I know they were doing me a favor by not charging me to take off her cast, and I appreciate that, I really do. But I went in there today with Gracie, and the receptionist took her to the back and they took her cast off, and she just brought her back out in her crate. I never talked to a vet at all. After she's spent three months in a cast, and even though they're taking it off, they're not sure how good her elbow is healed, shouldn't they talk to me and give me some instructions on what she should and shouldn't do? Should she just be loose in the house right away, or should she just be in one room or in the crate still? No one told me anything. Shoot, I didn't even get to see her out of the crate until I got her home. So I think I'll be finding a new vet. And that makes me sad, because I've gone to these people for years, and always trusted them, but now for two visits in a row, I've been treated in ways that I don't like.
Stupid vets.
So, since I didn't get any instruction from the vets, I'm just going to keep her in the crate for a couple of days when I'm not home and at night, just to make sure she doesn't try to do too much too soon. And then I'll just watch her when I'm at home, to make sure she doesn't re-break her leg.
In the meantime, her leg needed a lot of grooming. It was full of dead hair, which I pulled out as much as I could - she groomed it herself the rest of the way, but I didn't want her swallowing anymore of that dead hair than necessary. It looks good now, just with way less hair than normal, and a bit of a bald spot on one side, where the cast must have rubbed it. But I'm sure it'll look normal again soon.
Less noise, more me
1 week ago
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3 comments:
what a pretty kitty! I hope she's doing better soon. :) I don't blame you for totally babying her. I would too.
Hi.
I traveled over here from Bitchypoo and thought maybe you could use a little help from a stranger that lives 2,000 miles away:)
I'm a licensed Veterinary Technician and I understand your confusion and worry.
I would watch Gracie carefully (like you have been) especially about not placing her foot properly on the floor. This indicates nerve problems. It probably is just from swelling near the nerve or from lack of use and should resolve on its own. If it doesn't she will need further care.
Also, fractured bones that develop a callus (new bone growth around the fracture sites) are actually stronger than the bone originally was. I didn't believe this for awhile, but was also told this from my own orthopedic surgeon.
As for keeping her crated, I would start to leave her out more, if possible, because activity will actually promote healing.
The retired Veterinarian that I first worked with used to say that in a cat if you got the two ends of a fractured bone in the same room they would heal. Cats are just amazing that way. With pelvic fractures in cats we just give them good pain medications and keep them confined for 3-4 weeks.
I hope this helps.
Gracie should be just fine!!!
Amber
cramber@bbc.net
Wow, thanks so much for the comment! The information you gave me was way better than what my vet gave - another reason to be searching for a new one, I guess. I'm having Gracie out of the crate when I'm home to watch her, and she is getting stronger on it. She started putting it down when she walks last night. She doesn't put it down for every step, but it's more and more all the time. She also seems to be regaining the strength to flip it back over when it's upside down, so I'm very encouraged.
Your comment was very nice and encouraging - thanks again.
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