Why was there dried blood on her legs???
They took blood samples from all four legs but I wasn't sure why. And she had IV in her front leg. When I removed the take at home there was dried blood and I was trying to wash it off.
I am calling our vet now. My vet will not be there tonight but someone is on call to see emergencies. Shannon is 18. Surgery would have to be the last resort.
Shannon
Re: Shannon
I don't know why either and it has me a bit concerned, along with the way you described they "tested glucose levels in all four legs". You only need one blood draw for a glucose check. The only reason they would need more than one draw is if they didn't get enough blood the first time (for more extensive bloodwork), or couldn't find the vein, in which, it doesn't take all four to find one.
..........Traci
Re: Shannon
Peg ' i had sent this via the mail box but Traci let me know it should go into the cforum..
so here it is for what it is wortth... not much Hellp I realize but kinda hard to suggest anything with out at least seeing the pet....good luck
davet wrote:
this is really too complicat5ed to even come close to a diagnosis,,,I think Traci has covered most of the options...If it came on suddenly I would make a far out guess that it either be a sudden cerebral clot...which i doubt but the seconed guess =would be a break down of a spicule of arthritic bone... ie she apparantly has had arthritice or a spinal arthritic problem and she may have jumped and broke or dislodged a small bit of bone from an arthritic joint in the spine....I really am just shooting int the dark cause from this distance, Ie not too far cause I am in Warrington, but it appears that soimething snapped....now here is where I am at odds with the U.of P (don;t tell them this,) but I think one injection of a steroid might give some releif....no more than one low dose...I am sorry for being so vague but it is difficult enought to diagnose when they are sitting on a table right in front of you; Just for kicks what area are you located in??? again sorry for being so vague but even if I had you cat sitting right in fron of me anything would be a guess...keep me posted as new information comes along...cbh-dvm
so here it is for what it is wortth... not much Hellp I realize but kinda hard to suggest anything with out at least seeing the pet....good luck
davet wrote:
this is really too complicat5ed to even come close to a diagnosis,,,I think Traci has covered most of the options...If it came on suddenly I would make a far out guess that it either be a sudden cerebral clot...which i doubt but the seconed guess =would be a break down of a spicule of arthritic bone... ie she apparantly has had arthritice or a spinal arthritic problem and she may have jumped and broke or dislodged a small bit of bone from an arthritic joint in the spine....I really am just shooting int the dark cause from this distance, Ie not too far cause I am in Warrington, but it appears that soimething snapped....now here is where I am at odds with the U.of P (don;t tell them this,) but I think one injection of a steroid might give some releif....no more than one low dose...I am sorry for being so vague but it is difficult enought to diagnose when they are sitting on a table right in front of you; Just for kicks what area are you located in??? again sorry for being so vague but even if I had you cat sitting right in fron of me anything would be a guess...keep me posted as new information comes along...cbh-dvm
Re: Shannon
Traci and Davet,
I really appreciate your input. I got in to see our vet tonight and they did another examination. Shannon is alert and all systems are working fine. Shannon has an extensive history of lameness and problems since about 2 yrs old due to damaged left leg. This is where the arthritis began years ago. Shannon does not exhibit pain and is moving about more freely now. She's still wobbly but the medicine seems to be helping ease her discomfort. Shannon has had chiropractic work done for a couple of years to help her aching back so I think the arthritis diagnosis has basis in fact. When my cat, St. John (SinJin) had a saddle embolism, his legs were ice cold and no pulse. Shannon has a pulse in her hind legs and her feet are warm and the pads pink. Her left leg is weaker all the time and she may have even sprained it pulling out the back again. She always wobbles when she walks. Since the leg is shorter than the other, she overcompensates and has back problems often but never to this extent. Our vet even mentioned the tech may have hit a muscle or nerve with the sub Q which was done Monday night and she was fine then. We need to watch to see if the meds help and if not go on from there. You know I won't wait long for results before looking for answers. For now, I have steps and pillows and assorted objects in front of the furniture to help her get where she wants to be and get down again. She's smart enough to know exactly what to do with them. Her meds are very low doses of steroids because of her kidney function. One is for pain and discomfort. I take Mexicam but they can't give that to Shannon due to kidneys. Thank you both so much for your input. It means the world to me. Thank you.
I really appreciate your input. I got in to see our vet tonight and they did another examination. Shannon is alert and all systems are working fine. Shannon has an extensive history of lameness and problems since about 2 yrs old due to damaged left leg. This is where the arthritis began years ago. Shannon does not exhibit pain and is moving about more freely now. She's still wobbly but the medicine seems to be helping ease her discomfort. Shannon has had chiropractic work done for a couple of years to help her aching back so I think the arthritis diagnosis has basis in fact. When my cat, St. John (SinJin) had a saddle embolism, his legs were ice cold and no pulse. Shannon has a pulse in her hind legs and her feet are warm and the pads pink. Her left leg is weaker all the time and she may have even sprained it pulling out the back again. She always wobbles when she walks. Since the leg is shorter than the other, she overcompensates and has back problems often but never to this extent. Our vet even mentioned the tech may have hit a muscle or nerve with the sub Q which was done Monday night and she was fine then. We need to watch to see if the meds help and if not go on from there. You know I won't wait long for results before looking for answers. For now, I have steps and pillows and assorted objects in front of the furniture to help her get where she wants to be and get down again. She's smart enough to know exactly what to do with them. Her meds are very low doses of steroids because of her kidney function. One is for pain and discomfort. I take Mexicam but they can't give that to Shannon due to kidneys. Thank you both so much for your input. It means the world to me. Thank you.
Re: Shannon
By the way, I'm in New Jersey, close to Pennsylvania which is why I went to Langhorne when my hospital didn't have a vet on duty when I called. They also suggested Shannon lose a little weight, maybe a pound, to help with the arthritis. At over 11 lbs, she is big for her size.
Re: Shannon
I feel about chiropractic the way I feel about acupuncture, worthless, and the latter even dangerous.
With a tentative diagnosis of LS, chiropractic is the LAST thing you should be doing, and personally, I'd have to wonder if any of it in recent months/years could even have contributed to her incident this time. There's not enough evidence nor knowledge available for even vets, let alone chiropractors with no animal health knowledge or even human physicians, and with the way things are today, practically anyone can take "courses", but it means nothing when it isn't validated nor determined safe in animals. I'm sorry, Peg, but I can't and won't advocate chiropractic and acupuncture, especially in pets with known previous injuries! I'd be more inclined to advise seeing a veterinary orthopedic specialist, not an acupuncturist nor chiropractic.
I'm not questioning there is arthritis present, but I do wonder about the spine and LS and what if any, hidden dangers there might be (i.e, fragments, compression, etc). I can somewhat understand the vet's wait and see approach in combination with the meds, but Shannon should be restricted from activity as much as possible to lessen the potential of further damage.
Yes, maintaining an appropriate weight can help arthritis, but it can also help other pressures on the limbs, spine, to some small degree, but if there's disk or other bone fragments, those need to be addressed more appropriately.
With a tentative diagnosis of LS, chiropractic is the LAST thing you should be doing, and personally, I'd have to wonder if any of it in recent months/years could even have contributed to her incident this time. There's not enough evidence nor knowledge available for even vets, let alone chiropractors with no animal health knowledge or even human physicians, and with the way things are today, practically anyone can take "courses", but it means nothing when it isn't validated nor determined safe in animals. I'm sorry, Peg, but I can't and won't advocate chiropractic and acupuncture, especially in pets with known previous injuries! I'd be more inclined to advise seeing a veterinary orthopedic specialist, not an acupuncturist nor chiropractic.
I'm not questioning there is arthritis present, but I do wonder about the spine and LS and what if any, hidden dangers there might be (i.e, fragments, compression, etc). I can somewhat understand the vet's wait and see approach in combination with the meds, but Shannon should be restricted from activity as much as possible to lessen the potential of further damage.
Yes, maintaining an appropriate weight can help arthritis, but it can also help other pressures on the limbs, spine, to some small degree, but if there's disk or other bone fragments, those need to be addressed more appropriately.
..........Traci
Re: Shannon
Hi, Traci,
To my knowledge, no fragments or chips were seen in the imaging. It was fine enough to see the spider cracks in Shannon's rebuilt leg. My vet does think it might be a compression injury from hitting the coffee table with her back getting down from the sofa. That's why she wants to see if the meds can help the inflamation before anything else drastic. Shannon has been through quite a lot in a couple of days and rest and restricted activity is paramount. She is walking upright today and is moving only to eat, drink and use the litter. She is resting comfortably on the sofa at the moment and is not postured like she was hurting. I certainly don't want to jump into anything to cause more damage. She has a follow up on Monday to assess her progress. We have props for her to get on and off the sofa and she is using them instead of trying to jump.
To my knowledge, no fragments or chips were seen in the imaging. It was fine enough to see the spider cracks in Shannon's rebuilt leg. My vet does think it might be a compression injury from hitting the coffee table with her back getting down from the sofa. That's why she wants to see if the meds can help the inflamation before anything else drastic. Shannon has been through quite a lot in a couple of days and rest and restricted activity is paramount. She is walking upright today and is moving only to eat, drink and use the litter. She is resting comfortably on the sofa at the moment and is not postured like she was hurting. I certainly don't want to jump into anything to cause more damage. She has a follow up on Monday to assess her progress. We have props for her to get on and off the sofa and she is using them instead of trying to jump.