Do animals cope with amputation?

Last week Tigger broke two cat carriers – first his own, then his sister’s.

 

Tigger is a handsome shorthair ginger neutered male, with an eight-kilo frame and no fat to spare.  He broke each of the carriers in turn as his owners valiantly attempted to catbox him and his sibling before taking them to the clinic. Tigger didn’t like being placed inside a travel case, as his owners recounted, and showed his disapproval by simply and swiftly destroying both boxes. Somehow, both cats still made it to the clinic bundled up in their respective travel cases. I really appreciated the owners’ determination and persistence at getting their pets to the clinic for their bi-yearly check-up. Not surprisingly, Tigger was uncooperative.

Tigger’s right foreleg had been amputated from just below the shoulder six months earlier when he was just a four-month-old kitten.
He had returned home one day dragging his leg. No fractures were found, but it would have been far better for us to have found a fracture rather than the nerve injury which, we could only surmise, was the result of a car accident.  Initially, it was decided to give Tigger some more time, to allow us to assess his condition and determine whether we could avoid what turned out to be inevitable. In the end, Tigger’s owners conceded that his leg be amputated, especially since the leg condition was being aggravated by being dragged on the ground. 

He certainly looked well now: I was told he could get around the house easily and has even mastered running around with three legs and can jump onto furniture.

Unfortunately, amputation is often a necessary evil; yet it is a decidedly better option to putting your pet down; and it is truly amazing how well animals can cope on three legs.  The most common reason for amputation is primarily bone tumours in the limbs or, as in the above case, nerve injuries. The amputation of a limb of a four-legged creature does not usually hinder mobility, and sometimes it is truly difficult to notice that some cats or dogs have a missing limb at all.

Three cheers for Tigger and his owners for being so brave!

Dr. Martin Debattista
Veterinary Surgeon
thisweekwiththevet@gmail.com