cage rest

Re: cage rest

Dagmar Steele — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:24:44 GMT

yes Kate, still the same cat! She's much improved!! She is walking in the cage but not putting any weight on the FHO leg yet. I've started putting her on a balance board now.

Re: cage rest

Kate Richardson — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:13:34 GMT

Is this your little girl who had the blood transfusion? If so, I am glad to hear she is doing well

I would think the pelvic surgery should take priority, so cage rest would be indicated, but perhaps some supervised exercise indoors ie walking around room with nothing to jump up onto, and maybe some physio on the FHO side ie some gentle passive flexion and extension of limb to encourage movement around that hip?

Maybe Malcolm can comment

Re: cage rest

Dagmar Steele — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:38:24 GMT

[quote user="robloxley"]

My point is more that having done the work, they might hope that the referring vet would keep to their postop advice, or if need be discuss it with them? Maybe ask them about physio etc. if the client is keen?

[/quote] I send them all my osteo work. They never recommended any physio so far. I do know that views on duration of cage rest vary hugely hence I was interested in other opinions. Client is keen in doing all she can as it is my own cat we are talking about. Discussing it with the clinic is difficult for me as I don't want them to think I'm questioning their advice and they are really hard to get hold of (very busy). They do a great job otherwise and there is no better clinic available where I live.

Re: cage rest

Mark Holmes — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:11:06 GMT

[quote user="robloxley"]

You say you don't do orthopaedic surgery but are questioning the advice of the clinic you referred the case to?

[/quote] Whats wrong with that? I referred a case to one centre, diagnosis sounded like a load of bollocks, rang said centre to discuss it politely (and I was very polite) and was spoken to very rudely. The clinician just repeated what was in his letter and refused to enter into any more discussion. Re referred to a second centre, first diagnosis was bollocks. Dog now doing great.

Re: cage rest

Rob Loxley — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:09:52 GMT

Re: cage rest

Dagmar Steele — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:48:27 GMT

I am not questioning the work they've done. I just want to give the best aftercare I can and there might be some more things that might help than just eight weeks cage rest. And no, I'm not looking for another referral clinic, they are very good, it's just that things like physiotherapy are not overly popular here in Germany.

Re: cage rest

Rob Loxley — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:32:04 GMT

You say you don't do orthopaedic surgery but are questioning the advice of the clinic you referred the case to?

Re: cage rest

Dagmar Steele — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:55:15 GMT

Malcolm, I do not intend to do anything like a pelvic repair at all. As I said in my post I don't do them myself, but I was interested in others opinions on it. This cat had complex pelvic surgery at the second of January, left hip had been badly dislocated and has been fixed with a toggle pin, which unfortunately didn't last, so FHO has been performed on the 27th. My referral clinic originally recommended 8 weeks of cage rest and now recommends still 4 weeks cage rest. This may be rather due to the pelvic surgery than to the FHO performed. I was just wondering what way would be the best forward, on the one hand I don't want to do any damage to the pelvic work, on the other hand I usually recommend exercise after FHO, too. I got some pretty good hints on another list like using a balance board, the recommended hydrotherapy might prove a challenge though...

Re: cage rest

Malcolm Ness — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:37:50 GMT

FHO cases shouldn't be cage rested at all - the sooner they get the pseudarthrosis moving, the better. Use a cranio-lateral approach that avoids cutting the gluteals as this will allow faster rehabilitation.

If you aren't doing any orthopaedic surgery then you quite simply shouldn't be starting on pelvic fractures. These are amongst the most complex of all fractures and the potential for iatrogenic damage with catastrophic consequences is significant. We would expect most pelvic fracture repairs to be robust enough not to need cage rest at all.

Re: cage rest

Utlendigur — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:23:56 GMT

With femoral head and neck excision arthroplasties the sooner they start using the leg the better they do so definitely no cage rest - you want them to be running and jumping on it. Pelvic fractures would depend on things like age of cat, type/number/location of fracture(s), type of repair - 3-6wks at a guess.