dgk wrote:
On Thu, 10 Mar 2011 02:15:40 GMT, ingold1234[at]yahoo[dot]com
(Gandalf) wrote:

On Wed, 9 Mar 2011 15:19:33 -0800 (PST), Elle
wrote:

Beloved pud is back from the ortho vet's, snoozing in the sun. He is
well. Main points:

-- An x-ray was done immediately. The ankle bone has fused nicely.
Bone healing looks great (after six years, not five, pardon).

-- No signs of infection.

-- The vet said the screw could stay or be removed; it was my
choice. He did not list any particular pros or cons. I naively did
not realize pud had to be put under for this, so it was kind of a
big deal. (Big doh on me again, remembering the screw goes into the
bone and must now hurt just having been removed.) I did decide to
have it removed, on the premise it bothered the cat in general and
could lead to worse things. But I really have no idea. Pud got one
stitch to pull the skin over where the screw was. No meds were
prescribed. This is a reputable vet hospital and I trust their
post-op instructions, which were nothing this time.

-- The x-ray showed that the plate, now held in place by 12 screws,
actually broke at its vertex. The vet said this is very common. The
cat's ankle is at a fixed angle now, the same as the angle of the
original plate. The vet said removing the plate is done often. After
surgical removal, the cat would be in a splint for 4-8 weeks and
have to be confined so he does not pull that superman flying from
the table top stuff. The screw holes would fill with bone over
time. If the plate is not removed, the question is whether the
plate will start moving around and causing the cat pain. The
surgery for removal is not too expensive ($400 to $850, depending
on how things look when the surgeon actually gets in there). I
asked the vet if it were his cat what he would do. He hesitated. I
am sure he gets this question a lot. He was pretty clear it did not
have to be done, at least not without other signs. Earlier he asked
the cat's age, and I think he was factoring this in, too. If I had
all the money in the world, yet there continued to be no signs of
malaise, pain or infection, I think it might be cruel to put the
cat (about eight-years-old) through another surgery and that gosh
awful convalescence. At any rate, no decision has to be made
immediately. I will monitor the ankle and ponder it.

Pud with his sister got a special treat of shrimp when we got home.

Thank you all for your input. Sometimes just not being alone in
these decisions helps. I got all teary-eyed just watching the many
dog and cat patients passing through the doors, along with a few
human visitors with special treats who had come to see their loved
ones as they convalesced there, which the staff encourages. It
remains the same fine hospital I know from six years ago.




It is nice to have a place where you can really trust the vet.

I have run into two really bad ones, over the years.

Just like doctors, there are good and bad vets, and a LOT that are
just adequate.

I have a VERY good vet now, which is a great comfort to me.

She will answer question on the phone, or by E-mail; she encourages
people to call or E-mail, so you don't have to bring your cat in,
every time you have a question.

Aside from being very, very good, she's also a VERY nice person, as
well

Glad that all is well, I think I would have just left the plate alone
also. That's pretty much what they do for people, right? I just
checked with my friend who has a plate in his ankle. He says they just
leave it in but they might remove it if he was younger.
\
We have a good one here in the Salem, Oregon area too. She operates a van,
and comes to your house, which is a lot easier on the cats than bringing
them away from home would be. Trouble is, the cats hear her van, and split
as soon as she turns the corner onto our block, so she has to phone first,
so we can catch them and stick them in a cat carrier.... I am waiting until
they can tell the ring of our phone when she is on the other end...:^)