Cruciate op in cats

[Sandstone1]

Friend has a 11 year old cat that has hurt her hind leg. Vet advised surgery to fix cruciate ligament. Have seen a fair few dogs have this op but not a cat, any one had this done for a cat? was there a good out come. Pros and cons?

 

[AmyMay]

Following as I’m interested

 

[Sandstone1]

No one? Cat is on painkillers at the moment while waiting for surgery but has improved quite a lot already ( I know the painkillers will be helping a lot)
Owner is insured so its not the cost, but they are quite worried about putting the cat through surgery. She is a very much loved cat and they want to do the right thing for her but have had little advise and input from the vet.
Post surgery care in dogs is long and difficult with this op I know, im guessing the same for a cat? Has anyone any experience with this op in cats please?

 

[pistolpete]

Surgery not usually recommended for dogs under 10kgs as it can heal with rest. Would think same applies to cats?

 

[South Dakota]

Having worked in an orthopaedic vets we’ve done a fair few cats. Rather unusual injury in cats. Usually require surgery- fixed using a leader line (basically very strong thread). Must be strictly cage rested 6 weeks minimum we advise. If the cat is otherwise fit and well the GA and surgery it’s self shouldn’t be a problem and healing will likely be slower as an older cat but again shouldn’t be a problem if properly rested. Hope this is of some help.

 

[Sandstone1]

Having worked in an orthopaedic vets we’ve done a fair few cats. Rather unusual injury in cats. Usually require surgery- fixed using a leader line (basically very strong thread). Must be strictly cage rested 6 weeks minimum we advise. If the cat is otherwise fit and well the GA and surgery it’s self shouldn’t be a problem and healing will likely be slower as an older cat but again shouldn’t be a problem if properly rested. Hope this is of some help.

Thank you, apparently vet has told them it can be managed without surgery but would be better to have it. Vets have been pretty vague and unhelpful I have told them to ask for a second opinion.

 

[fiwen30]

I have some links that cover dogs & cats, I’ll have a hunt for them for you!

 

[fiwen30]

Ok, so most of what I have is geared towards dogs - it seems like cruciate operations in cats haven’t been as extensively documented. But most of whats out there seems to treat cruciate op recovery in cats as the same as for small dogs, with the recovery rate being the same.

Obviously, it’s more difficult to limit the activity of cats than it is dogs, but with careful management of environment it should be possible.

These are the general links I have which are geared towards dogs, but which give comprehensive info about the operation, recovery & rehab in general -
https://www.topdoghealth.com/faq/do...tZN_91DSSv2Ic2-17IS7jOL8JkrCtxIZesihyjgGh7vvI

https://therehabvet.com/wp-content/..._advice_for_dog_owners_on_crates_and_pens.pdf

https://therehabvet.com/2017/04/room-rest/

https://therehabvet.com/recovering-dogs-advice-for-owners/

https://the-balanced-dog.com/2019/10/13/dog-acl-surgery-home-exercises/

https://b585086d-b514-40b9-acad-0ba...d/d149f2_6c3562a3fb90435ba5e0fb6b2e83ebbc.pdf

https://b585086d-b514-40b9-acad-0ba...d/d149f2_1ad0ce30cfe345d0964e57f54e5b76d5.pdf

https://b585086d-b514-40b9-acad-0ba...d/d149f2_9fcda49b2e984cb59636fb6f2cc5e399.pdf

This page breaks down the aftercare, recovery, and rehab, week-by-week. It’s mostly geared towards dogs, but also has mentions of cat recovery timeline as well -

https://www.auorthopaedics.co.uk/_files/ugd/d149f2_6c3562a3fb90435ba5e0fb6b2e83ebbc.pdf

 

[Sandstone1]

Ok, so most of what I have is geared towards dogs - it seems like cruciate operations in cats haven’t been as extensively documented. But most of whats out there seems to treat cruciate op recovery in cats as the same as for small dogs, with the recovery rate being the same.

Obviously, it’s more difficult to limit the activity of cats than it is dogs, but with careful management of environment it should be possible.

These are the general links I have which are geared towards dogs, but which give comprehensive info about the operation, recovery & rehab in general -
https://www.topdoghealth.com/faq/do...tZN_91DSSv2Ic2-17IS7jOL8JkrCtxIZesihyjgGh7vvI

https://therehabvet.com/wp-content/..._advice_for_dog_owners_on_crates_and_pens.pdf

https://therehabvet.com/2017/04/room-rest/

https://therehabvet.com/recovering-dogs-advice-for-owners/

https://the-balanced-dog.com/2019/10/13/dog-acl-surgery-home-exercises/

https://b585086d-b514-40b9-acad-0ba...d/d149f2_6c3562a3fb90435ba5e0fb6b2e83ebbc.pdf

https://b585086d-b514-40b9-acad-0ba...d/d149f2_1ad0ce30cfe345d0964e57f54e5b76d5.pdf

https://b585086d-b514-40b9-acad-0ba...d/d149f2_9fcda49b2e984cb59636fb6f2cc5e399.pdf

This page breaks down the aftercare, recovery, and rehab, week-by-week. It’s mostly geared towards dogs, but also has mentions of cat recovery timeline as well -

https://www.auorthopaedics.co.uk/_files/ugd/d149f2_6c3562a3fb90435ba5e0fb6b2e83ebbc.pdf

Thank you very much for that. Very interesting.

 

[magicmoments]

Friend has a 11 year old cat that has hurt her hind leg. Vet advised surgery to fix cruciate ligament. Have seen a fair few dogs have this op but not a cat, any one had this done for a cat? was there a good out come. Pros and cons?

One of our cats was diagnosed with it some years ago. They said it would heal without needing surgery, which it did. There's a whole lot of difference in the activity levels of many cats compared to dogs, particularly as ours was in her teens.

 

[Sandstone1]

One of our cats was diagnosed with it some years ago. They said it would heal without needing surgery, which it did. There's a whole lot of difference in the activity levels of many cats compared to dogs, particularly as ours was in her teens.

Its funny you should say that as I have spoken to my friend tonight and the cat is a lot better. They have decided to cancel op for now continue rest and painkillers and see vet again i a couple of weeks the vet said they could not see the ligament properly due to swelling so may not need a op after all!