The Mild Perils of Cat Patella
I know that many of you are probably wondering about the outcome of my cat Luke's appointment with the surgeon today. I am pleased to be able to tell you that the news is very good!
After a VERY thorough workup by two fantastic veterinary surgery residents, Luke was diagnosed with a grade 2 (out of 4) luxating patella in his left knee, which means that his kneecap occasionally slips out of its normal groove in his tibia and needs to be slid back in. This is why he's been limping occasionally; much to my relief, the limping is NOT due to pain but due to him correcting the positioning of his own kneecap. He does NOT have a tear, whether partial or complete, of any ligament in his knee. Because his right knee is at a tier 1, it is likely that his knee problems are congenital, and that his left knee's condition was worsened by his struggles just as we suspected. Although surgery is an option if his condition worsens, it's very likely that it will get better with time if he can be induced to rest instead of jumping up onto everything and doing more damage to the soft tissue in the process.
What this means is that Luke will be confined to a large dog kennel in our living room until 2011. After three weeks or so of strict rest, he can come out occasionally but should still stay away from stairs and jumping for a few weeks more. We've made his temporary living quarters as comfortable as we can, with food, water, a litter box, and plenty of toys and blankets, but he still cries quite a bit during his usual active times (though he seems to nap the rest of it, which is good). I also gave him a single dose of meloxicam tonight, and he'll be on other painkillers for a week or so more as well, intended as much to keep him calm and sleepy as to control any pain he might have. The vet seems confident that this will lead to a big improvement in his knee, but if it doesn't, we can consider surgery as an option later.
I think this is a great outcome and a huge relief. While it will be challenging to keep Luke in the kennel for so long, we would have had to do the same if he had ended up getting surgery, and this way he doesn't have to go through all that stress and pain (and I don't have to spend $1,500+ either). It's also a comfort to finally know what's going on so I can focus on managing realities instead of worrying about possibilities. Thanks to everyone who sent their good thoughts and supported all of us during this ordeal, which is hopefully now OVER for a good long time.
This entry was originally posted at http://gamerchick.dreamwidth.org/576813.html. You can comment on either journal. Number of comments on Dreamwidth:
After a VERY thorough workup by two fantastic veterinary surgery residents, Luke was diagnosed with a grade 2 (out of 4) luxating patella in his left knee, which means that his kneecap occasionally slips out of its normal groove in his tibia and needs to be slid back in. This is why he's been limping occasionally; much to my relief, the limping is NOT due to pain but due to him correcting the positioning of his own kneecap. He does NOT have a tear, whether partial or complete, of any ligament in his knee. Because his right knee is at a tier 1, it is likely that his knee problems are congenital, and that his left knee's condition was worsened by his struggles just as we suspected. Although surgery is an option if his condition worsens, it's very likely that it will get better with time if he can be induced to rest instead of jumping up onto everything and doing more damage to the soft tissue in the process.
What this means is that Luke will be confined to a large dog kennel in our living room until 2011. After three weeks or so of strict rest, he can come out occasionally but should still stay away from stairs and jumping for a few weeks more. We've made his temporary living quarters as comfortable as we can, with food, water, a litter box, and plenty of toys and blankets, but he still cries quite a bit during his usual active times (though he seems to nap the rest of it, which is good). I also gave him a single dose of meloxicam tonight, and he'll be on other painkillers for a week or so more as well, intended as much to keep him calm and sleepy as to control any pain he might have. The vet seems confident that this will lead to a big improvement in his knee, but if it doesn't, we can consider surgery as an option later.
I think this is a great outcome and a huge relief. While it will be challenging to keep Luke in the kennel for so long, we would have had to do the same if he had ended up getting surgery, and this way he doesn't have to go through all that stress and pain (and I don't have to spend $1,500+ either). It's also a comfort to finally know what's going on so I can focus on managing realities instead of worrying about possibilities. Thanks to everyone who sent their good thoughts and supported all of us during this ordeal, which is hopefully now OVER for a good long time.
This entry was originally posted at http://gamerchick.dreamwidth.org/576813.html. You can comment on either journal. Number of comments on Dreamwidth: