I apologize for a lack of update for those who may have been waiting for one, I have just been so busy!
The first few days after surgery were definitely not easy. Leo was very sleepy for the first few days, and although otherwise pretty good, he absolutely refused to eat or drink for days 2-6 post-amp. He would eat a couple dry treats I offered, but capped himself at 2 a day it seemed. I tried different treats, every smelly wet food I could find, I tried several flavors of baby food, and I even tried a truly disgusting mixture of baby food, tuna water and mashed up tuna chunks, all watered down with chicken broth. You’d think that would be a cat’s dream (less of a dream for his seafood-detesting owner :p ), but Leo was simply not having it.
Increasingly concerned he was going to become dangerously dehydrated and/or starve, I resorted to force feeding him using a 10 mL syringe. A member here (Holly, bless!) suggested a meal replacement formula made by Pet Ag called CatSure. My local PetSmart did not carry this particular formula, but I did find a similar one made by GNC there. I also picked up a calorie booster paste made by GNC there as well. I think he was not a fan of the paste (it didn’t seem very palatable…), as he fought that more than the syringe, but I just wanted to get as much food in him as I could (because it wasn’t much). It was not a fun process, but I was at least able to get some nutrition and hydration into my poor boy this way. I am lucky to have a job which allows me to work from home if need be, but working remotely is still indeed work, and it was very stressful to try juggling that and force feeding your cat every hour or so. I don’t write this to frighten anyone who may be going through this soon themselves, but just to prepare yourself for the task ahead. If you are able, I highly recommend you take off work for at least a couple days after bringing your amputee home!
Yesterday morning (Day 7 post-amp), we at last had a breakthrough when Leo started eating on his own. He has since been doing remarkably better, and is more active and seems more comfortable and his normal self. I was never more relieved than I was to wake up to him munchin’ away, and he kept going back for more a few times throughout the day!
This afternoon we drove back up to Flint for our follow up appointment, and to go over the biopsy results. Leo apparently amassed a fan club during his time at Animal Surgical Center of MI, as several technicians stopped by to give him some love and let me know how much they enjoyed having such a sweet patient. I was a very proud cat momma (:
I had prepared myself for the worst, and I got something close. The biopsy revealed Leo was struck with an extremely malignant case of osteosarcoma that is practically unheard of in cats. They were able to remove the tumor entirely with the surgery, and did not find signs on metastasis in the surrounding soft tissue. Chemo is an option to try and make sure it does not return, but it is not at all guaranteed to do anything at all and very expensive. Without further treatment according to the most cited study of this particular form of cancer in cats, median lifespan is a little over 4 years. If I elected to do chemo, we’d have to go back every 3-4 weeks for 6 treatments, which I think would be rough on both of us physically and unfortunately, financially for me as I could barely afford the amputation surgery itself being a young, single person still very early in their career. ):
Because there are no signs of mets in Leo’s lungs, which in cats is typically the first place they appear outside the initial tumor, I have decided not to go through with chemo for now. We will be going back to ASC in early April for another checkup with Dr. Walshaw and do some more radiographs to check for signs of mets, unless anything changes before then.
It’s not an idilc situation, but I am heartened at such a long prognosis even without treatment, as well as Leo’s positive change in mood and behavior the last two days. He is a happy cat with a very strong and light spirit, and I hope I will get those 4 years with him. I will continue to share updates and advice for the post-amp life as they come!
It doesn’t look very comfy to me, but I think he’s enjoying himself :p
THANK YOU for the update! No need to apologize we totally get how this is! We have all been thru it and it’s not easy to juggle much other then our animal recovering. I was concerned and thought I would just pester you and just ask;) YEAH YEAH 🎉🎉, Im so happy to hear this! Leo is eating on his own and comfortable, I was thinking it was the meds they sent you home with the Onsior making him not eat. Leo is onto recovery now! YEAh for you both and Zooey. You did great getting him thru this!! You got great news no mets! Chemo is not for everyone and there is nothing wrong for opting out. Its not a guarantee either way. Leo is healing and got rid of that pain! The rest is just statistics, This may never go farther! Stay pawsitive ok! Leo needs you pawsitive and you have every reason to be right now. Nasty cancer is been taken off! We will stay pawsitive it stays off! Leo Looks so happy and relaxed laying on his back!
If you need anything just reach out ok. Jump on the forum or you can private message any of us. Your never alone in this. We absolutey care!
I will watch for your updates. As you can see I was;)
Hugs!!
Give Leo and Zooey chin and ear scratches & Extra Treats!!
Holly & Purrkins😻
Leo is a LOVE!!! As you know, not eating for cats can lead to Fatty Liver disease which is fatal after a few days. Syringe feeding is critical to prevent that so good job!!! Your vet should have suggested Hill’s Science Diet A/D which is a critical care food that vets use all of the time for both dogs and cats. It is, simply put, a LIFESAVER. You can order it on Amazon. It is a high calorie essential food that you can feed small portions of and is easily syringe fed due to its consistency. Cats and dogs LOVE it. ( And it is not that expensive! )
Sorry for the bad news on the cancer, but it sounds like you guys are well positioned for a bright future! We will keep our fingers and paws crossed for you! I think you made the right call on the chemotherapy, personally – it sounds like it would have been a huge burden on your little family, poor Leo was already struggling with the surgery aftermath, and the benefit is very uncertain. Especially since the surgeon had good news about it not spreading!! Leo is lucky to have such a loving, caring buddy to keep looking out for him <3 Best of luck to you!!!
Honestly, I think that if I had been given the 4 year statistic, I would do the exact same thing you are doing – just letting Leo be a cat. And, it sounds like he is ready to be getting back to his normal routine, which is great news!
Your love for Leo comes shining through with every word AND with every action! You clearly know him best and have his best interest at heart.:-)
Leo’s blog is very hely for anyone starting this journey. Among other things, it shows that, although recovery can be rough, it does get better!!
Thanks for the update. Can’t wait to see more pictures of Leo getting with loving life!! Enjoy the gift! 🙂
Hugs!
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Hello, Your story is very similar to mine. My 9 year old boy jasper just came home today (2 days post Op. He also had a hemipelvectomy due to an osteochondroma on his femur that rapidly grew while I was away for a month). upon return I took him straight to the vet and was told amputation was the best option. We did a CT scan that showed nodules in his lungs and I am waiting for biopsy results to see if they are in fact cancer. Jasper isn’t himself (to be expected) and I just feel a little overwhelmed and scared as he also has a seroma that developed, it was drained in hospital for the entire time he was there but now I am just monitoring at home. I would love to know how things turned out for you and any advice you have to get him through this time.
Sending love.
Jasper & Emily
Hi Emily and Jasper.
I first want to apologize for not replying sooner, and I hope that things have gotten a little better for li’l Jasper in the past few weeks. It is totally normal that Jasper would not be himself for a bit, and it’s also totally normal to feel scared at first.
I am really bad at keeping up with blogs, but this one was particularly difficult for me emotionally. The first couple weeks after Leo’s surgery were some of the most difficult of my life. It was a struggle to get him to eat for a while, but once we got past that, things got much better!
I never updated this blog after this post, but I did get another 6 months with Leo. I hope this news doesn’t too scare you too badly, because these situations can honestly vary widely from case to case. In Leo’s case, the form of osteosarcoma he had was incredibly rare for cats, as the tumor had formed on his pelvis rather than his leg. It was also pretty large, and a very aggressive form of cancer. While he lived 6 happy months after amputation and initial recovery, the tumor returned in his abdomen and just kinda exploded in growth over the course of a couple weeks. ): There was nothing doctors could do at that point, and it was causing him great pain. It was a horribly difficult decision, but I had to put him down at that point and end his suffering.
That was a really hard time for me, and I still get brought down pretty hard when I think about my last couple weeks with him. However, I still don’t regret anything I did! Prior to the tumor’s return, Leo lived a happy last few months doing all his normal cat things, still bothering his fur-sis Zooey all the time. He was playful, and while he had to learn new ways to do some things, I don’t think his quality of life really suffered from the lack of a limb at all.
I truly hope that you get much more time with your li’l boy Jasper than I did with Leo. There are a lot of success stories on Tripawds, and I encourage you to read up on them! If ya need someone to talk to, I’m here as well and would be happy to talk you through things however I can.
Cancer sucks, but it can be beat. ❤️
One thing I would recommend I’d be very insistent that your vet do REALLY thorough checks for any signs of tumor growth at your follow up appointments. I had actually just taken Leo to his 6 month check up 3 weeks prior to having to put him down, and I remember I brought up concern that there was a day we’re it seemed like he was struggling in the litter box. The vet made it seem like it wasn’t that big of a deal, but I feel like they didn’t take my concerns seriously enough. Had they caught the tumor then, I probably could have spared Leo some of the pain and suffering he went through in his last few days, and that haunts me still to this day more than anything. ):