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... skipped a few weeks taking photos because of my camera problem...
but Ziggy is doing as great as ever!
I took him off the antibiotic approximately 3 months ago.
Therefore, he has been on no prescribed medications at all.
I still give him his vitamins & supplements twice a day mixed in a little baby food.
The past month or so he has been licking around his leg bandage about every 3 days or so... when it gets dirty I think. Thats about how often I change it. When its clean, and freshly changed, he doesn't try to mess with it.
Tonight, when I changed his bandage, he was super senstitive around it, because part of a scab (where he licks a lot, if he can get to it) was stuck to it. and he was jumpy and I had a hard time changing it. I also noticed the leg appeared to twist slightly and I am afraid its going to come off. It almost felt like if I pulled it that it would slip off. But I didnt want to mess whatsoever with it. But I'm now wondering if maybe thats why he has been licking around his leg in recent weeks.. maybe he knows somethings about to happen., like the leg is ready to come off.
I will start the antibiotic again today, just in case it does come off and he has an open wound there.
I went to bed around 12 or 1 last night. Sometime between then and 3 a.m the most amazing thing happened!! Well, I woke up to go downstairs to the bathroom and Ziggy was by the door, so I picked him up to move him so he wouldn't follow me down, and I noticed I couldnt see his bandaged leg. I wasn't sure if he was holding it under him or what so I looked again and noticed a small red spot- then I saw his big dead leg, all bandaged up- the entire thing! - laying on the floor! IT FELL OFF!! I tried to bandage the stump that was left as best as I could so it wouldnt get infected and dirty as it healed. Except 2 sharp, long, shards of bone were left on the end of it, and that made it difficult! I just tried to wrap them, too.
I gave ziggy a torbutrol pill (This is a pain pill; I still have a small amount left from last summer) and he must have been really sore or maybe even in pain before that, because about 5 or 10 minutes later after it took effect and we were in bed he started PURRING really LOUD and it lasted over an hour because I couldnt fall asleep very fast. And he appeared to be happy ALL night long every time I woke up. And when we woke around 9 am, he was running around the house like a young cat, happy as could be! But the strange thing is, he did NOT want to go outside like he usually does! I brought him out, but he ran all the way back in again! I think he had such a good night he wanted to stay inside longer! He is playing on the bed this morning, trying to grab the comb and seems really content and in great spirits! His bandage did stay on the night, but today its slipping off and I tried 4 times but it keeps coming off so I am leaving it off today and trying to think of what to do with his stump, as well as the part of bone that is sticking out of it. Below are photos. Warning: Graphic!
This is Ziggy's right front leg (the leg that had the dead part attached for the past 9 months!!)
Take notice of the 2 pieces of bone that are
sticking out.
Although it is probably not life-threatening, I'm thinking they
may need trimmed off, so that the wound can heal around it.
Although I haven't yet decided what is best for him...
suggestions are welcome.
CLOSE-UP:
This is Ziggy smelling his dead leg that fell
off.. I put it on the bed the next morning to take the photo.
It was found last night at 3 a.m. on the floor, sort of by the
door between the two upstairs rooms.
It is still bandaged up with a fresh, clean bandage because I had
just changed it last night!
It looks like a cast.. might be hard seeing because its in the
sunlight.
CLOSEUP dead leg.. what to do with it now?
I gave Ziggy another dose of torbutrol (his
pain pill) today at noon.
Right now he doesn't have any bandage covering up his stub.
He has not been licking or messing with it though.
Still trying to decide what to do about those pieces of bone
sticking out of the stub.
He is purring today and is a happy cat.
Although I want to keep him on the torbutrol for now because his
stump is probably sore.
Ziggy is doing well. His stump is sensitive and
I cannot bandage it but it is scabbing over and is not bleeding.
I am putting either antiseptic wash or hydrogen peroxide on it
several times a day.
I have been trimming the bone myself using toenail clippers, a
tiny bit at a time.
He doesn't feel anything and I was extra cautious starting out
just to be sure. He purred the whole time.
The other thin shard of bone that was sticking out fell out on
its own.
Photo isn't too clear but here is another close-up
today:
Still more trimming to do on the bone... I am
only doing tiny bit at a time from the tip.
He doesn't like the sound of the clippers now the bone is thicker
this end and it scares him.
But still he appears not to feel anything. Soon I hope to have
the bone down near the stump.
I am tapering him off the pain medication down to once a day
instead of twice.
His stump appears less sensitive today and he is purring a lot
and still playing so he must not feel too bad.
He is not licking his stump at all; I am not sure if he can even
reach it or not.
He has to learn to balance again because he forgets he doesn't
have his hook to lean on anymore.