Healing Nerve Damage (Kitty not GSD)

[saraja87]

Hello Everyone,

I know this is a GSD forum but I thought maybe someone might have experienced something similar with a cat or dog and might have some helpful advice.

On Monday, my senior kitty (turning 16 this year) tried to jump over our 6ft wood fence. Normally he jumps onto a trash can and then over but the trash cans weren't there that day and he's made the jump from the ground before. This time, he got his foot stuck in between two of the wooden slats and hung by his paw for up to an hour before he was discovered.

I arrived home at 5:30 and he was in the house but sometime between 5:30 and when we found him at 6:30, he went out and got stuck. I was able to free his foot and he didn't appear to be in any pain but when he tried to walk on it, the joint knuckled under him. I took him to the vet and had some x-rays done which didn't show any readily visible breaks, although feline metacarpals are so tiny it can be difficult to tell. Since it's not broken but it can't support his weight, both the vet and I believe he has nerve damage.

The vet decided to put him in a soft (bandage) cast instead of a hard cast and reevaluate in 10 days. It's thick and fits well, but he's a stubborn boy and it bends slightly at his wrist when he tries to walk on it. He's on pain medication for nerve pain twice a day and because the cast is cumbersome and longer than his foot, he has to be cared for like an infant. Needless to say, it's doing nothing to improve his ego or dignity.

My understanding of nerve damage is that it can take months to heal, if it heals at all, so I'm not sure what we can expect to see in just 10 days. I'm not sure how long to wait if his foot doesn't improve before the damage is considered permanent. If he doesn't improve, which from the way his cast is bending seems to be the way he's going thus far, could he wear a splint? Something like this perhaps? Is there anything that can be done to promote nerve healing and strengthen his leg? He seems bound and determined to walk on it so I think he's willing to put in the work as am I. I'd carry him around every day for the rest of his life but I don't think he'd appreciate that so I'd like to restore his mobility to the best of my ability.

[LisaT]

First thoughts would be alpha lipoic acid, the herb scullcap, an extra B complex supplement, maybe even extra B12 on top of that.

I have no idea about kitty doses.

The homeopathic remedy hypericum might help.

[BowWowMeow]

I was going to suggest skullcap and hypericum. And I would find a vet who does acupuncture and laser therapy.

And I would not let him go out anymore except when supervised.

[saraja87]

I will look into all those supplements, thank you! The pharmacist I asked was totally unhelpful and I was hoping you guys would have some suggestions. Haji is practically miniscule, only 6 or 7 pounds so I'll have to see how small I can make the dose. I was also tossing around the idea of acupuncture, but I didn't think of lasers. There's got to be a vet around here who specializes in it.

He's was actually a mostly indoor cat already but now he's never leaving the house The poor boy had an accident this evening because the pain meds upset his IBD stomach and he ended up falling in it and needing a bath. At this point I think he'd willingly agree to stay inside.

[BowWowMeow]

For the hypericum, unless you can find the teeny-tiny pillules, you can just get the human 30c remedy and dissolve one pillule in a tiny bit of water and give it to him with a syringe.

Find someone who really knows what they're doing with the laser therapy, preferably an acupuncturist or chiropractor.

Also, for the IBD you can give Phytomucil or Honest Kitchen's Perfect Form or slippery elm. If you use the slippery elm be sure to give it an hour away from the other meds. My Cleo kitty had IBD.

[Falkosmom]

Sorry about your kitty. I hope he gets better. (He is a cutie.) A vet once told me that as a rule of thumb with homeopathic medicine, if it is safe for a dog, it is probably toxic for a cat.

[saraja87]

So we went back to the vet today since Haji's cast was bending at his wrist and he traded up to a new light saber like splint. It's even bigger than his last bandage so now he really can't get around. His vet acknowledged that his nerves will probably take 8-10 months to heal and she expects to send us to rehab. I asked about acupuncture and she seemed open but wanted to wait a couple weeks with the splint on before proceeding. No helpful info about supplement safety for kitties though

[BowWowMeow]

What do you need to know about supplement safety for cats?

Homeopathy is totally safe. Herbs are safe as long as you follow instructions for cats.

I was pretty much 100% holistic with Cleo's care. Varda and Gio, my two new kittens (5 and 8 months) are also being holistically treated.

[wolfstraum]

Even with amputation, let alone nerve damage lameness, cats can be wonderfully mobile....I don't know anything much about the supplements, but just wanted to reassure you that cats are very resilient and even impaired, he will be a happy cat....and I agree - cats are best kept indoors....tho I had a afriend with a 3 legged cat which would sit in trees to catch birds...

Lee

[saraja87]

Thank you for all your help everyone. I'm sorry to say that we unexpectedly lost Haji tonight. He took a real turn for the worse around 4:30 and by 6:30 was gone despite everything the vet and I tried. She wasn't our regular vet since it was after 5 and I kept asking her if he had a chance of getting better or if this was it because I didn't want him to suffer. She wanted to run blood work so we did and said he needed some IV fluids and antibiotics and could go home since they didn't have overnight staff. They gave him the injections, handed him back to us, and he took his last breath seconds later in my arms. It was awful, I've had him for 16 years and can't imagine my life without him.