Traci- question for you... (long. sorry)

[vam]

Hi, Traci- thanks so much for your responses about my cat Baxter's amputated tail last week. I'd followed up with Jen, who had a similar experience but haven't heard from her yet. Here's what I wrote to her, in case you have a moment to consider and respond:

Hi, Jen- you were nice enough to respond to my post last week about my cat's amputated tail. Well, sure enough, he had to have the rest of it taken off on Monday and it seems (fingers and toes crossed) to be healing much better than when we'd tried to save some of it. He's wearing an e-collar now because he was still attacking the wee bit he has left, and even with it on he tries to! Did your kitty do this? My cat seems to realize it's missing (or maybe it hurts him still or maybe, I'm fearing, he has a phantom limb thing going), then goes at it and freaks himself out and maybe hurts it more, then sulks really miserably for a long while. He NEVER used to get annoyed by anything, and didn't even know the meaning of the word aloof, so it's especially disturbing to see. Is this at all like your cat's behavior? I know you said it took months (!) of the e-collar to make him forget about it, and I am bracing myself for that. He just hates it SO much and I think that the collar, maybe as much as his tail issue, is turning him into a different cat. I'm sure this is a lot of "wait and see," but I'd be a bit comforted to know that his agressiveness with his tail is not terribly unusual. Thanks in advance- I really appreciate it.

Traci- Now that his mini-tail is healing better, my new concern is how much he tries to attack it even with the collar. Meanwhile, he can't groom himself and is miserable beyond belief (not surprisingly), particularly since he has bad diarrhea I think from the antibiotics. I can't imagine him having to wear this collar for too, too much longer but maybe that's just the way it is-? His appetite is strong (very) and he's made it to the litter box except for a couple of diarrhea mishaps. I'm really sorry to bother you with this again, but we just moved to this town and I don't know our new vet well or how thorough she is. No reason to believe she's not, but he's our baby and we want him to be as comfortable and well as possible. Any help would be sincerely appreciated. Thank you.

[Traci]

Yes, most of what you're describing is normal behavior after such a radical surgery. But, again, I would recommend you ask your vet for pain meds to be given orally at least for the first few days after surgery. While some of the behavior can be attributed to a normal reaction, you also want to be sure he is not feeling excessive pain, for this reason, ask your vet about pain meds. (if she obliges, do NOT administer in any way other than her specific instructions)

The e-collar is essential to ensure he doesn't pull out his sutures/staples. If you allow him to lick at, pull at, he can induce further infection into the suture area. At least until the wound shows healing and until your vet removes the sutures (usually 10-14 days post-op), you need to prevent him from self-mutilation, aggrivating the wound site, hence the e-collar. You can take it off during times you're there to strictly supervise him. No pet is appreciative of an e-collar, but it does serve the purpose.

If your vet gave you a hard plastic e-collar, you can 'soften' the edges by placing layers of tape (i.e., duct tape) on the edges, to help prevent those edges from hurting his tail when it touches him. It's not a perfect solution, but it may help. Otherwise, at your request, your vet may be able to order a softer e-collar from Trimline, only thing is, I think she has to order them in bulk. (worth a try to ask her)

Try not to fret too much about the changed behavior, remember that as the wound heals, it will start itching, feel aggrivated, etc, this is the main reason for the behavior, he can't get to it to self-comfort (as in licking/grooming). Hang in there, and if you're concerned, don't hesitate to contact your vet. In the meantime, keep a close eye on the suture area for any signs of infection, swelling, leaking of blood or pus, hot to the touch, etc, in which contact your vet immediately.

As for the antibiotics, a few things you can try...first, feed first, then administer the antibiotics so he can aborb them. You can also add a 1/4 teaspoon of dry metamucil over his food once daily until the stools are more normally formed. Ask your vet first, she may suggest fiber capsules given temporarily. If the diarrhea doesn't subside within three days, contact your vet, she may need to change the antibiotics. Be sure he's drinking plenty of water on a daily basis.

[Guest]

Traci- thank you so much. My husband took Baxter to the vet this morning and he reports that the vet is pleased with how his tail is healing. She observed him attacking his tail and is a little concerned that he's as distressed as he is, and that he hasn't seemed to settle somewhat with respect to this. She said she's optimistic, though, that he'll have a full recovery (she said something like 95% do, with only the small 5% having unresolved nerve issues-- something to do with nodules not forming properly). But in the meantime, she's going to consult with a local specialist in veterinary neurology to see what we can do for him. So we'll see. His injury was particularly bad, in that apparently his tail was "degloved" quite severely and the separation between his two vertebrae was so big (about 2 inches). I wish we knew how it happened- maybe it would explain some of what's going on. Poor guy- he's so, so unhappy. I cannot thank you enough for your thorough, thoughtful and quick resposes. Have a great weekend.

[Traci]

Well it is true that nerve damage can result, but at this point in time, your main focus should be watching him heal and recover. Once the actual wound and suture site is healed, you will then be better able to determine if nerve damage is a potential. It would be hard to determine that at this point simply due to the nature of the amputation, pain, healing process and his getting accustomed to the healing process.

As for how the tail got degloved, it's anyone's guess...I don't know his history, if he was outside, got into an accident or caught in something. From experience, it is usually due to a trauma such as hit by a car, or dog attack. The main concern was that you knew there was a problem and got him treated immediately.

Hang in there, and don't be afraid to consult your vet when something doesn't seem right to you.