My feral cat broke her toe. Can we amputate for quicker recovery?

I would also likely recommend amputation if the wound is not healing as the possible complications and pain involved would likely be much worse than the surgery. Cats do very well with three legs, especially if it is a young cat! If you would like another opinion I would recommend consulting with a boarded surgeon as they have more training in fracture repair. Good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You can try the antibiotics first. Usually a long course is needed when it is involving bone meaning having to give antibiotics for 4-8 weeks sometimes. If you would prefer to use medical therapy first, I would recommend they culture the wound so that they know which antibiotic would be best to use to treat this and use oral antibiotics instead of Convenia. Also, pain control medications are indicated to treat the pain. If no improvement is seen in that time frame, the toe amputation may be needed. You can use an e-collar to try to prevent licking which may delay healing. Good luck and have a great day!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Stitch! I think you are doing the right thing. If her bone density isn't normal then she will have a hard time healing and it will take her longer, could be more painful and put her through more. Amputating the leg will be uncomfortable for her for 5-7 days then she will do great. Cats do well on 3 legs! I wish you the best!

I'm sorry that Salem is having this issue. I bet he is in pain :( Once a metatarsal is fused it is impossible to re-break and splint to get it to heal. Even if they could do that (which I highly doubt) it would most likely need to be fixed with plates and screws; splinting will not help. I suggest you consult with an orthopedic surgeon. They will tell you how the leg can be fixed or even if it can be fixed at this point. The surgeon may know of a way to fix it that your vet may not be aware of. Ask your vet about a referral to a surgeon. Honestly, in my opinion, it is better to amputate the limb. Cats (and dogs) do AMAZINGLY well with 3 legs. I have had numerous 3-legged cats and dogs (my personal pets) that once they have the surgery they never look back. The source of pain is gone and they adapt to using 3 legs very easily. That will be the easiest and least painful option for him and it will heal very quickly. The surgery is very easy and quick to do. He will heal in no time and will no longer be suffering. I hope this helps. If you have more questions feel free to ask. Best wishes.

Without having an xray done it is almost always impossible to determine if it can be repaired surgically or if amputation is needed, i strongly recommend having the leg xrayed before getting to such a conclusion.

Ouch! Without seeing the x-rays, it's difficult to provide a terribly accurate opinion regarding Luna's tail. In general, if there is a small fracture near the tip of the tail, these can heal quite well without any lasting problems. However, if there is a fracture closer to the tail base, these can cause more problems when healing (i.e. holding the tail up while using the litter box) and be more painful. Tail amputations do not cause any significant stress beyond the stress caused by any surgical procedure. Most cats recover uneventfully after 10-14 days with the help of some pain medication. To my knowledge, there is not emotional distress caused by tail amputations because cats do not experience the social pressures that people will feel. In most cases of tail fractures, I lean towards amputation. I hope this helps you to confirm your decision!

Poor Abbott! It sounds like he had a pretty nasty infection with draining tracts! I'm so sorry that this happened to him! Unfortunately, the infection may have infiltrated the bone at this point, making it even more difficult to treat. Amputation is definitely an option, and most cats do great following the procedure (they are not very concerned with looks)! Abbott will have to be placed under general anesthesia, and the surgery itself typically does not take more than hour. He will likely need to be hospitalized for a few days following the procedure, but will go home shortly with an E-collar to prevent him from damaging the sutures. His mobility will likely be just fine, most cats continue living absolutely normal lives following an amputation. One of the concerns would be to keep him from getting overweight throughout the rest of his life, as he will have three legs to support himself. I hope this helps!