I have a litter of 4 and this morning heard one crying. Went in to find baby not able to use back legs. Rushed it to the vet and x-rays showed NO TRAUMA at all! Thank goodness, but we don't know what the prob is.The vet said it could possibly have a blood clot back there, so I am giving baby heparin shots every 8 hrs for 2 days. Also steroids for 5 days and antibiotics for 7. Vet says if not using them in 5 days that baby probably won't recover:( Has anyone ever been through this and what was the outcome? VERY SAD!!!!!
2007-07-17 12:16:36 · 7 answers · asked by rnrlovin 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
It's hard to say. In adult cats, a blood clot causing paralyzed back legs is almost always fatal. Did this just suddenly happen to a previously normal kitten? Possibly the mother cat injured it by landing on it when she jumped into the nest box.
Do this...see if the kitten has any feeling in its tail and hind feet. Pinch them with your fingers to the amount of pressure that you know would hurt a normal kitten, and see if it reacts. Then take something like a pencil and touch its anus, and see if it reacts...it should twitch or ripple. And observe whether the kitten has bowel movements like the other kittens, or whether it has none at all or poop dribbles out constantly.
If he has feeling in his hind feet or tail and sensation and control in his anus, there may be hope for improvement.
Will his mother nurse him or does she reject him? Mother cats have an instinct about which of their kittens will not survive.
At the vet hospital where I work someone brought us a tiny kitten, about four weeks old, that had been abandoned by his mother. All he could do was drag his limp hind legs behind him, but he did have sensation and muscle tone and he could move his tail. It was a long road with him, but he steadily improved. He's now about three years old and can walk and run, though not normally. He can defecate by himself but has to have his bladder emptied.
He's a beautiful happy cat.
2007-07-17 12:30:47 · answer #1 · answered by Kayty 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'd definitely say that this is an aortic thrombo embolism -- or basically a blood clot.
This happened to my baby last March and again last October. While in march he regained full functionality of his back legs, in October it was much worse and he had to be put down.
Between March and October he was on Heparin, Benazapril, Baby Aspirin, Atenolol and one other medication twice a day.
Check to see if your baby is panting, because this in an indication of respiratory distress.
While it's not usual for this to happen so young, it's possible that the baby was born with a malformed heart (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy -- enlarged left ventricle of the heart-- was what my baby had, but the symptoms didn't show until he turned 6, passed away at 7 years).
The best thing to do is to continue with the medication, and massage the legs -- sorta like physical therapy -- as this really helped my baby regain his functionality after he threw his first clot.
I'd make another appointment with the vet asap to try to find the full cause. Good luck and my prayers are with you!
2007-07-17 15:19:15 · answer #2 · answered by mybeeswax2683 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No trauma? Nothing impacted in the spinal column?
A blood clot is possible. HAve the vet check the blood tests, sometimes a low phosphorus (or potassium, not exactly sure, it's one of those two) can cause this. I know it does in ferrets. I'm assuming he took a blood panel?
2007-07-17 12:24:57 · answer #3 · answered by Elaine M 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We have a very tiny 4-5 weeks old kitten (an orphaned stray feline). When he first came home, we gave him milk, omelette and other normal human food. It had diarrhea, vomiting and fever on account of indigestion. The Vet suggested Puppy Weaning Pedigree pack. Only after eating this food, it recovered. If your kitty has been weaned from its mother very early, better to try a Puppy Weaning pack. As far as hard food is concerned, better to try after a week or so. You see, it has to get accustomed to its new surroundings also. Also get your vet to have a look at her before trying anything.
2016-04-01 09:26:17 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Have seen this (blood clot) many times at the animal hospital I work at. The majority of the animals were humanely euthanized (decided by thier owners). I do know of one who partially recovered. He was given his own room by his owners as he has no control over his bowels. The BM falls out as he maneuvers around his room. He sort of drags himself around with his front feet. Otherwise, he seems quite happy.
2007-07-17 12:34:16 · answer #5 · answered by bioluminate 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This didn't happen 2 me, but I know what could help. You can buy a kitten size pet wheel-chair designed for pet's back legs. It sould help. And Good Luck!!!
And don't worry, I'll pray for your little kitten!!!
2007-07-17 12:22:14 · answer #6 · answered by Hollyberry♥ 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have never had this happen but even if the meds don't help i am sure the kitty can function and can live a full healthy kitty life.
2007-07-17 14:00:57 · answer #7 · answered by kittens 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋