? Broken Pelvic bone; advice needed

Luna broke her pelvic bone like a month or two ago from jumping onto the counter (she can only use the sink to drag herself up) and falling. She got better pretty quickly but must have re-injured herself in the last few days as she can't walk again.

She is too old and screwed up for surgery. I had stopped giving her cosequin when we switched foods for no reason at all, I'll start giving it to her again. I'm getting pain meds now. I'm trying to figure out a way to keep her from jumping up and using the sink for leverage.

My question is, as she's too old for surgery, what can I do? I feel like I'm just wasting money getting more x-rays and all that because there is no way she can undergo surgery.

 

First the money. If getting more test and x-rays is just going to tell you what you already know then what's the point. Noah also needs major dental surgery but won't survive it so for 2 years he has been on transdermal BUPE and it saved his life. I've been down this road before, getting an MRI (and then being told it was an extra $500 for sedation etc.) and it was all for nothing. I'm not saying to give up but there's a point at where you can make Luna's life easier in other ways.
We had a 7th floor balcony in Toronto with carpeted steps and a walkway that gave our older cats the freedom to lie in the sun. We also had a 28 pound cat with arthritis and I built him a platform 2 steps into the basement se he wasn't making a painful trek everytime he had to go.
The big problem might be getting her to not fall again doing something she's done all her life. My wife's cat fell from a 4th floor balcony and months later seemed to forget all about it. Cat's aren't stupid so when I say "They just don't get it" I'm not being cruel.
Turning your home into a system of ramps and ladders will be so impractical. I have a book someone gave me called The Cat's House and frankly the house looks ridiculous.
Maybe start with one of those (way overpriced) cat condos. They're not hard to build but you'll need tools and the room to do it. She might find that a lot more fun than the counter. Our Andy (big claws, slim and trim) perches on a 1 inch railing for the stairs to the basement and leaps straight to the second floor. It's quite a sight but he's getting older every day. His fat brother has already fallen from the second floor because more than other cats he "Just don't get anything!".
Are you in a house? How many floors? While you're away is their a space Luna can be locked up?

 

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petco...-and-ramps/trixie-pet-stairs-with-plush-cover
when she is better again, one of these would eliminate her jumping and using sink for leverage, it moves out of the way easily.

other than surgery if needed which you say she is too old for (is this what vet told you btw??, personally i don't feel 12yrs is too old for surgery if you can afford it and there are no other actual health issues that could complicate surgery that is), from what i recall being told, when they have broken bones, they needs to be put in a room or large cage for a few weeks where they can't run wild or jump unto anything while their bones heal and fuse back together so gathering that would be the case for a minor broken pelvic as well..

 

That's a good point. Who determined she is too old for surgery?
We have an enormous crate we used to potty train our dog. It has a slide out bottom tray and is plenty big enough for baskets, toys, bed etc. It is definitely not what I would call confining.
If the surgery were to take place would they use an external fixator?

 

Thanks for replies. I am thinking of something rubber at like a 90 degree angle I can put on the counter but can't find anything. We don't want her on the counter so IDK about stairs . There's not really anywhere to put them either nor do I think she'd use them.

It's a one bedroom house. She used to be a total food freak and would find anything in the sink including the sponge. She knocks over trash cans. She's aten through metal cans before. She's a monster - or at least she used to be until we realized she had hyperthyroidism and probably acromegaly. She's done it forever. She used to be able to hop right up until she broke her pelvis. I'm home most of the time but it always seems to happen when we're gone or asleep. She goes crazy locked up and will pee and worse everywhere if she is.

 

I'm not willing to put her through surgery except as a last resort if it doesn't get better with re-starting the Cosequin. Also got her more pain meds. She was on 18 units for 4 years and has hyperthyroidism. Her liver and kidneys are pretty fried. I'd be too afraid to take the risk bottom line - I was scared enough when she had dental done 4 years ago.

Not to mention I'm already $17,000 in debt from a state to state move and buying a house. I'd do it if I had to but it's not in the cards at the moment.

 

I'm wondering if this might work if I put it directly in front of the sink and blu-tac it to the counter so it doesn't move. Just a regular bar anti spill thing. I don't think she'll be able to get a grip like she does with that up there.

 

Is there only one place that she goes to jump up on the counter? If so you can try placing an office chair mat that has studs on it upside down in the area she jumps from. The studs will be uncomfortable to walk on and she will avoid that area.

 

She can only make it in the sink because she gets leverage and can pull herself up. She kinda ends up diving right into the sink. That is a good idea though if only it were the counter. Ugh she's getting bad and falling over again. She tweaked it bad somehow. Got her scheduled for the 28th to see a vet and just ask questions if anything. She needs to go in for hyperthyroid recheck anyhow.

 

is that rubber?? if so i think that would actually give her something to hang on to better, her claws may grip into it if she starts to fall.
they supposably don't like foil paper and i do believe when i was looking to keep my old pee cat off counter, i read to tape foil paper on edges of counter to deter them from jumping on it. i never tried it though since i have a cat that tries to eat foil paper.

 

You might find a lot of stuff at stores that specialize in kid-proofing a house. I walked into one by accident and had no idea this stuff existed. It is NOT something you would find at a Toys R Us.
I watched a documentary about the journalist Miles O'Brien after he had his arm amputated. He had a lot of kitchen stuff like grip mats that let him open jars. Again, maybe hard to find but at this point.
How badly is the bone broken? A hairline fracture that would heal by itself if not moved around too much means you may get by with pain meds. There's no reason she has to be miserable (I have broken all my fingers, one thumb, an ankle, chipped knee cap, bent my wrist into a pretzel) and I know vets are a lot more compassionate than human doctors. Noah has been on transdermal BUPE for a long time and it has saved him from a life of misery. I'll send you the details later. Tickling his ears is now the worst part of his day. The best part is blocking my access to the fridge as you can see if you look carefully. After a lifetime of spending money on animals he is the first that we just let live a normal life and that was years ago. It wasn't about being cheap so if you're having any guilt about this please don't.
I look forward to your journey with Luna and years of good fortune.

 

Speaking of kid proofing. I bought this instead of the rubber because I agree I think she could probably use that to get up easier. I don't think she'll be able to jump over this or walk through it. It's shorter than the counter but I don't think she'll get the leverage the sink provides (I really hope she can't jump over it...). It's 32" tall, the counter is 36, but it has handles she kinda uses. She's smart...

 

I can't speculate how bad it's broken. The vet said she needed cage rest and surgery isn't necessary. I have no idea what she's "re-done" to it or if she just tweaked it badly. I am going to take her to another vet and talk about IF surgery is even an option based on her overall well-being. She's a happy cat but badly arthritic, diabetic (OTJ now!), and hyperthyroid, but her liver/kidney levels are pretty fried as of our last test. IF it is an option than I'll consider x-rays to see how bad it really is and if surgery IS an option maybe I'll consider it. Cage rest is kind of hard because she'll just pee and poop all over herself - she's really wobbly and blind and it's just not fun. IDK. I just can't see myself locking her up in a cage for a month she'll go insane. Ugh, ageing.

I am freely able to get her pain meds. Last time she was fine after 24 hours (they'll give me 3 for $16) so hopefully this time is the same deal. Thanks I have no idea what a transdermal BUPE is but I can guess.

I see a nasty break at the top right of the pelvic bone. I've broken my hand and it never healed, broke it in the military punching something and they didn't cast it so now I have arthritis in it at 27 y/o, and I broke my foot last year and "walked" on it for 3 months before realizing it was broken and saw a doctor, lol. Neither times really hurt, but I have a weirdly high pain tolerance. All my problems are mental .

 

I can't read x-rays but that looks nasty. This is a guess but that looks like a plate and screw job and if so will be expensive. I broke my wrist and had an external fixator with 11 pins and 2 rods, painkillers were required and it still hurts every day 15 years later.
BUPE is Buprenorphine. You'll read a lot of nasty things about it, 50 times more powerful than morphine etc. Obviously the dose is diluted.
Noah hated the oral, it was one the most emotionally painful things I've ever done to an animal scruffing him and getting it on his gums. You cannot sneak it into food. What he gets looks like toothpaste and you rub it on the inside of his ears. His balance and vision are fine, he'll be on it forever.
Is she completely blind? I don't think you mentioned that.
Even if she has the surgery won't she still require cage rest? If the bone broke this "easily" does she have a condition where it's likely to happen again? I really feel for both of you. I've had some old cats, mostly 17 and 18 and one that lived to 23 but this is going to test you. The decisions you make will be hard but we are here to support you. Sometimes life gives you very few options.

 

She's at least 90% blind if not completely. She's breaking my heart last few days. She's eating and drinking fine which is great. She's just completely unresponsive and lethargic. I can't tell if it's the pain meds or the pain. She usually eats pills out of my hand, she doesn't care, she'll eat anything. You know how we get with these diabetic kitties - beyond attached - and seeing this breaks my heart but she'll recover like she did last time she just needs a few days and I can get more pain medicine. Would I ask the doctor for a transdermal BUPE? How much is something like that? She's only 12 and was just fine before she re-hurt herself a few days ago. She just has the saddest meow in the world... just a high pitched "mroooooo" like an old lady cat, when she's in pain.

I had a japanese bobtail live to be 19 after getting electrocuted and losing all her hair and she beat cancer twice. She died because we got another cat who viciously attacked her and the vet did not give her antibiotics and she died of infection weeks later after the ride home from the vet, derrrr. Tough old thing. Also had one go at 2 years old from FIP, which is just a vicious disease, makes cancer look friendly, so - you get lucky and real unlucky sometimes.

 

I should mention she has hardcore arthritis, even since we got her. She had diabetes at the pound but she was too lovely to pass. She was the first one I saw and I grabbed her and they're like she has diabetes you don't want her and I said well who else is going to take her, she'd been at the pound for 2 years, eating Hills brand bullshit dry food and she weighed 20lbs, so I went and paid $400 for insulin and took her home 4 years ago. She also has total spinal fusion as in her spine is one long bone instead of vertebra. I am going to ask the doctor about longterm pain management like the transdermal BUPE so thanks for that idea.

 

Thanks for your kind words

 

Luna died last night. See lantus forums.

 

}}HUGS{{ so sorry dear

 

So sorry Luna, Alison and John. See you in Lantus.