I’d promised myself I would run another 2 10ks this month and one was gonna be this weekend. However life got in the way and after 3 fairly sleepless nights I just about managed a 5k this morning and the last 1k I was counting the steps. Legs like lead and no ooomph. Oh well 5k is 5k.
The reason for the lack of sleep is that my poor Loki, who I took to the vets on Wednesday morning because he was lethargic, protruding tongue and limping on back leg... spent wed night there in a drip because his tongue was ulcerated and they couldn’t see what was wrong with his leg so he was doped up on painkilling injection, and given antibiotics and anti inflammatories and sent home for us to keep an eye on. Telling me he was struggling to eat. As soon as he was home with the others he was eating happily although soft food not his usual fried food. That night about 9.30, his back paw looked weepy and sore and twice the size of the other one, so I rang the vet again and they said bring him up in the morning.
When I’d got him back from the vets he’d weed in their cage and rolled in it and they had “ bathed” him but he stunk so I bathed him an hour before his appointment and then realised he cdnt dry himself because of his tongue 🙄. I tried drying him but he wasn’t happy so we arrived at the vets with him quite wet still. While he was wet I’d noticed his knuckles were oozing and also had found a bloody footprint on my white windowsill where he sleeps sometimes. So I mentioned this and handed him over to the vets. They asked me to wait outside while they checked him over.
40 minutes later the vet came out empty handed. My stomach dropped. She said “ he’s ok but... it’s not an animal bite as we first thought. It’s a chemical burn!!! And his skin is starting to come away from the pad. “ well I cried. The pain he must have been in !!! And that’s how he got the ulcers !!!
So they said they were going to keep him in and operate, shave the fur off the leg and see the damage. So home I went bawling all the way!!!
Luckily I had my daughter and son there waiting for news because I went to pieces. Anyway the vet rang back about 4 and started to tell me about him but we got cut off, he rang again said 4 words and got cut off again and as they had said they were having trouble with the phones the day before I drove up there. One of the receptionists was in the car park apologising as there was a power cut for the whole estate and the phones and computers were down.
Vet came out and said that it has gone well. The foot is ok but a lot of the skin is badly damaged - not full thickness but that it should grow back. Cats are amazing at regrowing skin he said” so I could take him home and make an spot today when the phones are in again to have his dressings changed on Monday. There will be a few more appointments apparently ☹️but those are included in the price of the op. Good!!!
He also said to keep him in a dog crate at night to stop him hurting himself so I borrowed one from my friend nearby. When we first got him home he was still groggy from the anaesthetic and he’d sit and gaze into the distance then suddenly get up and try to pitch off somewhere. He hated the cone and kept banging into things and we had to keep rescuing but every now and then he would fall asleep for 20 mins before waking and trying to move again - I think he want sure where he was. He did eat his tea though with the painkiller meds in.
Then about 8.00 we put him in the crate and he went nuts. About 90 mins of crying and digging. I’d put him in the dining room but we could still hear him all over the house. At 9.30 my shopping got delivered and I went past him to put it all away and wipe it down in the kitchen. And he has his head down in the corner with the damned collar. I felt awful. Then it has all gone quiet by the time I’d finished and as I came j to the room I realised why. The still locked dog crate was empty and he was curled up asleep- minus the cone in his comfy bed in the sitting room.
He’d managed to pull the tray back at the bottom of the crate ( it slides out to clean it) and he’d got the cone off and got through a 3”x4” hole in the bottom and god knows how!!! We are renaming him Houdini!!
Written by
limberlou
Graduate10
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Oh, poor little Loki! What a horrible time for you both - no wonder you lacked energy on your run! Yes, that really looks like a "Great Escape" - cats can be determined little things. Hope he recovers soon. Take care of yourself too.x
Yeah I’m glad I ran because I need to clear my head but no energy at all. He’s eaten this morning but he’s on the settee at the moment being “the invalid. “. And I don’t blame him at all. I’m so glad I went back to the vets but I’ve been beating myself up over not seeing it sooner. But then neither did the vet!!!
Seriously - you have done all you can and if the vet didn't spot this straight away, it was clearly an unusual presentation. Cats are also very good at hiding their pain... The important thing is that he is getting the treatment he needs - and you know how resilient they are! x
No idea where he got the burns. And he sleeps so much normally that when he stayed in his bed all day Tuesday we just thought he’d worn himself out playing at night. Then it 8 pm and he hadn’t got up to eat and turned his nose up at food we knew there was something wrong. So he must have got in it Monday night and we didn’t realise what it was till Thursday morning. I’m a bit annoyed coz he spent the night at the vets Wednesday “ being monitored” and they didn’t notice then. Just kept saying strange set of symptoms high temp/Tongue ulcers and limping.
And there have been a lot of cat fights lately - Loki is neutered but we thought he might have got caught up in one- next doors has a nasty wound to ear and shoulder and my friends cat who live a street away had swollen leg due to a bite a week or so ago so we assumed it was that.
Yes you’d think the vets should have checked him all over and found the burns.
The thought that came to me reading your reply was that maybe someone threw something nasty at the fighting cats. Doesn’t bear thinking about but some people are beyond the pale.
Hope not. It’s mainly the foot and ankle, which is why we thought he’d been bitten as he came through the Catflap and that was the last leg. Next doors got his tail bitten as he went through his Catflap. It’s a microchip one like ours so he was trying to get his tail into the house, the other cat wouldn’t let go and couldn’t follow him. That was quite nasty too.
So many people don’t bother to neuter a tomcat and they cause so many injuries and get them themselves hurt too. Much happier when snipped.
He is such a sweetie. All the nurses at the vets were giving him cuddles. He was so determined though and removed the cone first so he fitted through. It’s such a small gap!! And he looked so comfy in his bed I didn’t have the heart to stress him and out the come back on and him back in. He’d only have done it again. I think he was still half doped up from he anaesthetic and didn’t really know where he was
He seems much calmer and less stressed today. Had his meds and breakfast and gone back to sleep
Oh Loki 😢😢😢 Gosh I wonder where he picked up those chemicals? It must have been agonising for him - and for you. I’m so glad he’s more comfy now. Let’s hope his recovery is swift. 💙💙
As for your 5k, well that’s fantastic. Sure, you wanted to run 10k - but in the circumstances 5k is a real achievement. So well done! 👏👏👏
Look after your dear little fellow, and yourself too of course. 😘
Oh bless his little heart (and yours too) they are our babies and it's totally understandable that this knocked you back. Best wishes for a speedy recovery for you both xxx
What a frightening experience for Loki and you Lou... poor little guy, it is a shame the vets didn't pick up on the connection with his mouth and foot sooner...good job you bathed him when you did!
He is eating and comfy (now he's escaped the cone) so hopefully will recover well.
Oh my goodness limberlou, why a nightmare! How did he get a chemical burn? Poor little thing - I hope he gets better very soon and you can then get some sleep!
He is an outdoor cat and he could have been anywhere. There are allotments near us and people have been turning out their sheds etc .. He’s not very comfortable today - keeps trying to walk on it and crying. And then tried to climb up onto the back of the settee to sit on the windowsill. He’s cuddled up in the crook of my daughters knees, on the settee asleep, at the mo
Well he’s got his leg all bandaged up and today when he started washing himself properly he’s been washing his other heel on the back of his foot and it looks like that is a bit sore too. Having had to go up to the vets yet again this morning because he hadn’t weed for 36 hours- only for him to wee as she took him out of the carrier...I’m so glad he has an appointment tomorrow for dressing change so I can get THAT looked at too. So far it’s been every day this week except yesterday 🙄
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