Day 3 after surgery
It is 11 AM and I am finally dressed for the day. Long night and the wear is showing, I am looking like a ZOMBIE! The vet called at 9AM and woke me up, out of a dead sleep. I could barely speak, let alone, answer the questions, but learned something very important. Al told me that Holly could lick her staples a little, but the tech said, “no licking is good licking, put on the collar if she continues”. My watch just got harder. Also as Holly becomes more ambulatory (meaning she starts to walk), then I have to watch and worry about her more. She actually jumped onto our very high bed, she continues to AMAZE us. We have an intricate series of soft steps that we fabricated, but she just jumped right up. She is still wobbly, but she is getting better each day. The Tech also told me that the Fetanyl patch is at it’s peak today, so she said don’t worry if she doesn’t eat. I am also supposed to wean her from the oral pain medication, Buprenorphine, starting today, so I will watch for discomfort, before automatically giving her the pain meds. Looks like Day 3 is getting harder, ahhhh!! I need a break, LOL!
I am posting this photo of Holly’s incision, so hope it doesn’t make the perspective Tripawd Kitty Moms and Dads nervous. Actually, I think it looks great now, took a few days of getting used to seeing my sweet girl like this. I simply can’t wait until her hair grows back and she starts eating more. She is losing weight and she doesn’t have much to lose. On this journey, PATIENCE is a VIRTUE!
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January 9th, 2014 at 5:39 PM
Holly’s incision looks great. Sorry I am not a kitty owner but I know that it is harder to keep kitties from jumping. But over all she is looking great. Now Erica, Jill’s mom put Jill in a onesie. I am not sure exactly how she did it but maybe she will comment and it stopped Jill from licking.
Good luck this is the tougher part of the recovery but over all sounds like she is doing great
Michelle & Angel Sassy
January 9th, 2014 at 6:02 PM
She looks really comfortable! Cats are a bit of a mystery to me too, I haven’t had one in decades. For dogs the rear amps tend to have trouble going up, but sounds like Holly is doing OK. I would be careful though until the staples come out. I’m not sure how you keep a cat from jumping up…
The onesie is a great idea. When my quad pug Obie had knee surgery last year I made him pants so he couldn’t lick his incision. I didn’t use the cone on him but the inflatable collar, but with the pants I didn’t have to worry so much.
Hang in there- it gets better and the sleep more plentiful!
Karen and Spirit Maggie
January 13th, 2014 at 6:14 PM
Hi Karen and Spirit Maggie! Holly really is doing quite well. She is out of our bedroom and feeling more and more like Holly. Today, she spent the day away from me, which kinda made me feel a little sad…… Like everyone has said, it is more how badly I feel about this, than how Holly feels. She just marches ahead, like the trooper that she is. She seems more in touch with us, since her surgery and hopefully, that will be the legacy.
Thanks for your continued support!
Karen, Holly’s left out Mom
January 9th, 2014 at 10:09 PM
Holly still very pretty even with that ole’ incision! Which does look good for three days out.
Sounds like she’s doing well…..even if it is partly induced by a “drug high”!
My little diddy about patience is…”Give me patience! And hurry up! I need it now!”
She will co ti ue to show improveme t…slowly bjt surely!
Now, we need to get mom some sleep though! “Try” not to worry…your Holly IS n the road to recovery and she doesn’t want yo wearing yourself out.
You’re doing a great job…both Holly AND you! Hang in tnere!
Keep us posted, okay? Any picture of your sweet Holly is a good picture!
Sally and Happh Hannah
January 13th, 2014 at 6:17 PM
Thanks Sally and Happy Hannah. Yes, she is a “beauty”! That made it hard to see her go through this. She is my only little girl, cat or human, so I tent to overprotect her. Now that she is out of our bedroom, she is much happier and I am more relaxed as well. I just check on her every half hour and so far, so good, not missing staples, LOL!
Warmly,
Karen, Holly’s mellow Mommy
January 10th, 2014 at 12:02 AM
Karen – Holly’s incision looks great. And I’m so glad that you’re getting used to seeing her that way. The shock wears off quickly. 🙂
Don’t tire yourself out! Things will be okay! (But I know I can’t say that and actually have you feel relieved! haha). But seriously, rested mommies are the best mommies, so make sure you take care of yourself too!
Okay, I’m going to try to go through your comments and let you know my experience/knowledge with them!
First, as far as licking goes – Fang mostly left his staples alone but he did lick a couple of times. Cat’s naturally lick to clean their wounds because they have lysozymes in their saliva, which help kill bacteria. I’m not a vet, so I wouldn’t throw what the vet said out the window, but know that if she gets a lick in here and there, she’s going to be fine. It’s the BITING that comes with the licking that is a problem. You know, when they find a hard thing while grooming (i.e. staples), they will try to bite it out. Point is, keep an eye on her but don’t be too worried. It will be okay. You’re not going to let her rip out all of her staples.
I’m so glad that Holly is getting around more already today! That’s great! Fang jumped over a baby-gate the day we brought him home. It was heartwarming to see. As far as trying to restrain her – really, you can’t stop a cat from jumping, short of putting her into a box (which, for my cats, I can’t stand doing). Generally, I try to remember that cats are their own creatures and they’re not stupid – if it hurts, she’ll stop doing it. Now, maybe at the moment she’s got a lot of pain meds in her, and it’s not hurting her when it “should”, but you’re getting to the point where the pain meds are going to start wearing off, you’re not really giving her the orals anymore – so if you are really worried about her over-doing it, you wont have to worry for long. She doesn’t want to hurt herself either!
Speaking of “watching for discomfort” – with cats that’s a little tough. They don’t like to show their pain or illness. Just a random note that many cat pawrents don’t know: Purring is a sign of happiness in many occasions, but it is also a sign of pain. When in pain, cats purr as a method of “self soothing” (sort of like hugging yourself when you’re freaked out). So, if she’s purring for no reason all by herself, that could be a sign of pain. If you’re petting her and she’s purring – well that’s a whole different story. 🙂
Many tripawd kitties lose weight at first because the pain meds make them feel a little nauseous. Don’t be alarmed if she’s not eating much. When the pain meds start dropping out, she should start getting her appetite back.
And finally, on your comment about wanting her hair to grow back – omgosh I felt that way too! Kitty looks so much more back to normal when they finally don’t have this HUGE patch of missing fur. But, kitty hair is often slow growing – so be prepared. Well, it’s not ALWAYS slow growing – it grows according to the weather. So maybe its a good thing that the weather is awful and freezing lately! Holly might have hair back in no time! Hah!
Thinking of you guys! So glad things are going well! Keep us posted!
January 10th, 2014 at 12:34 PM
Thanks Chantal and Fang! Again, you guys are so caring and I have taken all your words of wisdom to heart. Sorry, I did not get back to you yesterday, but I am having unexpected guests today and had to do some overdue cleaning. Luckily, Kyle is here to continue the “watch” while Al and I tidied up. I just got off the phone with my Mom, who, with my stepfather, owned a veterinary practice for 25 years. She reminded me about the purring. It helps so much to hear from someone who has experienced this with a cat, as you have. I am going to be with my nephews and sister in law, so may have to put on the dreaded, “soft cone”. I hope it works, if not I will try the onsie. Thanks for all your help, it shows so much care and concern, and that is why I keep calling you all, ANGELS! Have a great weekend, and I hope to get a full night’s sleep this weekend, well maybe….
Love,
Karen, Holly’s encouraged Mom
January 10th, 2014 at 6:34 AM
Hi Karen
Tiredness….the hallmark of the early days of being the pawrent of a tripawd! Take care though…it will get better but we don’t need you to get sick!
Holly is doing great….and even with no fur in one area….she is beautiful! It is amazing how quickly you will become accustomed to the fact that Holly only has three legs.
Take care…snuggle her as much as she will tolerate (Tuck has three feline sisters so I understand cat behaviour) and enjoy her!
Hugs
Linda and Tucker
January 13th, 2014 at 6:20 PM
Hi Linda and Tucker. You know it when you said, “as much as she will tolerate”. She has finally broken away and she seems to be doing great. I still let her know that I am here for her a few times each hour, LOL!
Can’t thank you enough for your support,
Karen, Holly’s proud Mama