Bentley has recovered

Bentley is now 10 month post op from his (R) hip FHO surgery and 5 month from the (L) hip. He is walking and running without a limp. He can jump up on a table from ground level. The only thing that reminds us of his surgery's is that when he jumps he has to gauge the jump for a few seconds before he actually makes the jump. This is to insure himself that he can make it. His Vet said that this is normal and that he most likely will be doing this for the rest of his life. It is really nothing, just something that I had noticed. 

To help Bentley overcome his atrophy my husband build him a ramp that leads from our kitchen window out to our fenced pool area. Walking up and down the ramp helped Bentley tremendously to build his leg muscles up again. The atrophy is completely gone and he has no more pain. We also took him on a lot of leash walks and made him climb stairs which all helped in his recovery.

Bentley and I wish all of you Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas. Hang in there with your little Patients. It is a long recovery period but they do get better in the end. 
 
A Healthy, Happy & Prosperous New Year to all of you!!!

Update (L) hip 6month post op (R) 4 month post op

An update on our Bentley. Since he had his last Vet Appointment on August 8th, 2012 Bentley has gotten much better.
He still walks with a little limp but it is now more of an mechanical limp rather then a pain induced limp.
I started to take Bentley on AM and PM leash walks and stair climbing, which made a huge difference. Bentley would plop down in between to rest but the walks helped to build his atrophied legs. He no longer needs any pain meds.
The end result is that Bentley runs and jumps again!


He gets up on his cat tree by using only the 3 outer steps to get to the top tray. He no longer uses the 2 inner steps.









He can jump from the floor onto a table with no problem. He will however gauge his jumps before he goes for it. The Vet told us that this is perfectly normal.
He can run very fast and he also started to use his hind legs again when he plays by kicking what ever toy he caught....something he hadn't done in a long time. Another big improvement is that he started to sleep again on his back with his back legs outstretched and relaxed like the picture of him shows.

We are very happy with Bentley's recovery. It has been 6 month now since he had his first FHO on his (L) hip and 4 month since the (R). I guess all of the other reports and stories on FHO surgery's are correct by stating that this surgery and recovery will take a long time...up to a year!


Our Bentley is doing great!!!

More bad news

Bentley had his 7week post op check up yesterday- August 8th, 2012 from his second FHO (left leg 6-18-2012).
I informed the Vet that I had noticed that Bentley started to limp again on his right leg (his first FHO leg from 5 month ago)
I also noticed that when he runs after our neighbors kitten that he sort of Bunny hop's at times. He also didn't tolerate me touching or stretching his legs at all. He started to hiss and swipe his paws at me.

Something is wrong again....!!!

The Vet said that this must have developed within the last 5 weeks because at his previous post op appointment, she was able to manipulate both legs without any complains from Bentley.
She however did say, that when she took an X ray immediately after the surgery, she had noticed a growth along the femur on his first FHO right leg. She showed me the X Ray and "yes" it looks like bone is growing back along his femur.
She said that this could be the problem, the growth could cause an impingment which would be the culpit of his limping and new pain. It could also be an infection of the bone or Bentley himself trying to grow back what's missing.
The Vet ordered more X rays to see if the growth had gotten even bigger since the last X ray was taken 5 weeks earlier. Bentley had to be sedated again...otherwise he would not have been able to tolerated the procedure.

I went home crying....waiting for the Vet to call.

3 hrs later the call came and Bentley's Vet told me that Bentley was awake and fine. She was able to really manipulate both legs while he was sleeping and she could not feel any physical evidence of an impingement. She also informed me that she could not feel Bone on Bone rubbing therefore, it is not necessary for Bentley to undergo more surgery to clean up the new growth at this time. Maybe later down the line but not now.
She did however say that the growth has not gotten any bigger since the last view and that the location of the growth should not be causing discomfort to him. The new x rays also revealed that new bone is also forming on his left femur now! She said that this must be Bentley's own body's defense trying to replace missing bone tissue. The radiologist confirmed everything within normal findings. I did ask if she had seen this in any of her previous cases. She said that they normally do not take any x rays 1 or 2 month post op therefore, she only recalled a similar case in a dog with new bone growth.

The only bad thing is that Bentley's legs are very skinny and show sings of atrophy which is causing him the pain. His original operated right leg should show more muscle mass by now...since it has been 5 month that he had the surgery.
She prescribed a low dosage of Bupernex every 12hrs or as needed,  to see that if with the help of pain meds Bentley's endurance for movement will last longer.
Bentley needs to exercise more to build up his muscle in both legs. The X rays also showed a slight
patella luxation in both of his knees (Patellar luxation occurs when the cat's kneecap (patella) is dislocated from its normal anatomic position in the groove of the thigh bone (femur).
However, currently this condition is very slight and supposed to normalize again when the muscle builds up in his legs again... through exercise.
The big dilemma is now... how to get Bentley to move more without him constantly plopping down to rest. Bentley is a cat and does not exercise like a dog. The Vet said that the best exercise for FHO rehabilitation would be to swim....well cats and water don't mix. We do have a pool but I don't know if I get Bentley to go in there...lol 
Right now we just take him for walks on his leash and encourage him to play in his waking hours. The Vet also informed us that cats take much longer to heal from this... than dogs. Dogs tolerate PT (Physical Therapy and Hydro Therapy) much better...which speeds up the recovery.

We will keep trying and hopefully Bentley too will recover eventually. It is so sad and heart wrenching to continuously see him struggle.
I wrote today to Jackson (The cat from Hell show) to see if he has some advise... how to get Bentley to move more. 

Any advise from anybody is very much appreciated.... 

I am currently looking for a PT facility here in Los Angeles that will also work with cats. 
We are seeing the Vet again in 6 weeks for a follow up.

Bentley's second FHO surgery went great

On Monday June 18th, 2012 Bentley underwent his second surgery, this time on the left side. I had to leave with a very heavy heart to Germany the same day because of a very ill mother hospitalized overseas.
My husband, daughter and best friend stayed behind and took over Bentley's post op care. Bentley's surgery went much better than the first time around. He had the surgery in Pasadena/CA at the:

http://www.pasadenavetspecialists.com/team

This time Bentley was also kept over night post op which did make a huge difference in his aftercare. My family had none of the previous post op growling or pacing like the first time. By the time my daughter and friend picked Bentley up the following day after his surgery, his pain patch had kicked in and he also had his meds for the first time. His incision was smaller this time around and he also had 3 sutures.

He had to wear a soft color to stop him from licking and chewing his surgical side. All they had to do is take him home and let him rest. The new Vet had Bentley placed on liquid medication for pain and Antibiotic's for only 7 days post op and not for 3 weeks!

 Therefore, his stomach didn't suffer at all and he used his litter box to poo and pee right from the get go with no further problems. His post op care was to give him his medicine twice daily and to keep him quite for 2 weeks post op, meaning (no jumping, running, climbing etc.) Dr Little our new Vet told my family and friend that after the 2 weeks of rest period, Bentley is allowed anything he wants to do... to help build up his muscle again.
The 2 weeks went by with no other incidents. Bentley did great! None of the previous nightmare's!  I have been kept updated in Germany via Skype and E-Mail. Thank God for our technology! It was so hard for me to go so far away and leaving my little guy behind like this. But all worked out wonderful!

Bentley is now 1 month post op and doing great!!! :) He had his first follow up appointment and that also went wonderful. According to my best friend and daughter he showed no aggression at all at the Vet's even when she pulled his operated leg out all the way to check his range of motion. The Vet had Bentley walk and all looked perfectly normal. We were told that Bentley should recover with time fully normal.
I am as of now still in Germany for one more week before I get to go back home, this time leaving here with a heavy heart. My mother is suffering from dementia with severe anger outburst and I have to leave my father alone here to take care for my mother by himself, which is extremely difficult. But I get to see my little guy soon and of course my family and friends in the states and hopefully we all can figure out something to help my Dad and to all live a happy life. Even if we are worlds apart.

Bentley pictured here... 1 month post op with his little Physical Therapist "Hannah"hard at work!

 One more thing to all Pet Owner's, please check into some Pet Insurance for your Baby. Bentley has "Healthy Paws"

http://www.healthypawspetinsurance.com/

 and they covered 80% of his total Vet Bill, which is a lot. My husband already received the check in the mail and we got most of our money back. It is very comforting to know that we do not have to worry about expensive Vet Bills any more.

Bentley has to have annother FHO surgery

He has done it again!!!

As off June 13th, 2012 Bentley suffered another fracture along the femoral head growth plate on the left side now. We where warned by his Vet that these fractures are almost 90% bilateral. He played with his little kitten friend outside and all of a sudden while chasing Hannah around a corner, we saw his leg bend in an odd angle. He stopped dead in his tracks and he held his leg up in agony. He could barley walk afterwards. We took him straight to his Vet and our suspicion was confirmed... he needs another FHO surgery this time on his left leg. Bentley is scheduled to undergo surgery Monday June 18th, 2012.

We are devastated for him, that he has to go through this ordeal again but least we are prepared and know what to expect this time around.

Bentley 6 weeks post up

 Bentley has reached his 6th week post op mark from his FHO! 
He can run short spurts and then plops down with his leg stretched out to the side of him to rest. He climbs onto things i.e chaise lounge chairs out by the pool with little hesitation. We were told by the Vet's technician that it will take a long time for the muscle to rebuild and therefore it will also take a while for Bentley's stamina to return back to normal.
His appetite however, has returned to normal and his bowls are also completely normal. He still walks with a limp... tho! Hopefully that will also get lesser and lesser with time!

His hair is starting to grow back nicely too from his pre op shave. All in all things are starting to look up more and more with our little man.

Modified Cat Tree

About 3 weeks into Bentley's post op phase, he kept on looking up his favorite cat tree! But it was so far out of reach for him! My husband set down and brainstormed a design to make it easier for Bentley to reach his goal...the top tray. A friend of ours build the steps out of a 2x4 and plywood and I covered the project to make it look nice. 

Bentley took to it right away and he is now the King of his castle again.

Hello to all cat lovers! 

My name is Barbara and I am originally from Germany...so please excuse any mistakes with the English language during this Blog!

 I currently reside in Los Angeles, CA. Our household consists of my husband, a daughter and our beautiful 17 month old Maine Coon “Bentley”.

This blog is designed to help others undergoing an FHO surgery with their cats. The experience can be quite nerve racking and heart wrenching. If you Google "FHO surgery", you will also see a wonderful informative Blog by the name of: Jason’s cats. I found a lot of useful information there however; I don’t think it is no longer active! 

Here is our cat Bentley’s story:

We noticed a slight limp on our Bentley off and on. We didn’t think much of it since he played, ate and showed no other symptoms of discomfort. We thought that he must have stepped wrong and eventually would work it out. However, he started to have more and more trouble jumping up on things and sometimes he would actually completely miss the jump. That was odd for a young cat! We also started to notice that he would just lay down more and more and when it came to play time, he would just use his front paws. That was even odder. My husband said that he also started to hiss at him while playing, or when picked up…it was time for a Vet visit!

Our Vet gave Bentley a thorough exam and when she reached his right hind leg, he hissed and lashed out…it was time for X-Rays!

It turned out that our poor Bentley had a Femoral Head Fracture right along the growth plate. We were advised to have Bentley undergo FHO surgery.

A Femoral Head Ostectomy (FHO) is a surgical procedure that removes the femoral head and neck from the femur. FHO surgery is performed to alleviate pain.

Cats do quite well with this surgery. Our Vet explained that Bentley will form what is called a fake joint and that his strong muscle group in his hint leg will help keep the joint together. Hard to believe but true!!!

We were in a state of shock, since we never even saw him getting this horrible injury in the first place. Bentley is mostly an inside cat and if allowed outside; only on a leash under constant supervision! Our daughter however had witnessed him jump from our living room table the other day and landing awkwardly. But for a cat his size (he is a very large pedigree Maine Coon with a current weight of 18lbs 14oz and according to our Vet he is just at a right weight for his size), a jump from a table shouldn’t be a problem! Well obviously not!

We bought Bentley from a Breeder and we were advised to have him neutered at 6 month of age. Bentley’s Vet thinks that this could be the reason for his growth plate fracture. And I emphasize “Could”!!!These fractures are often seen in young male cats that have been neutered at 6 month or even younger. One of the hypotheses is that the lack of hormones (due to early neutering) prevents the growth plates from closing properly, which can result in a fracture at the weakened growth plate. More and more Veterinarians are discussing the possibility of a link between early neutering and growth plate fractures.

Please make sure to discuss with your Vet, what he thinks should be the right age for your little guy to undergo neutering surgery.

 Your Vet will know what’s best for your little guy and hopefully therefore safe you from a huge heartbreak, expense and the most important…your poor cat from a lot of pain and agony!

Bentley had his surgery on March 15^th, 2012. We dropped him off Thursday morning 8:30 AM and my daughter and I picked him up the same day at about 5:30 PM. I was not prepared at all for what was about to come and to see my poor Baby in so much pain. He growled and howled, hissed and paced the floors none stop. He would not allow anybody near him without hissing and getting more and more agitated. We finally managed to confine him in a small area and by then he had somewhat settled down. His Fentanyl patch attached to his neck must have finally started to kick in. We were told that the patch could take 6-12hrs after application before it starts working. Beside the Fentanyl patch, he was also placed on an antibiotic Cephalexin, 25mg every 12 hrs.  

The next morning Friday his first post op day, Bentley would just lay there staring into space. He had used his litter box to urinate during the night but no bowl movement. He would only eat food out of my hand and he would barley move. Each time he would switch sides he would make a kind of squealing sound. It was so sad to witness! He pretty much spend the whole day just lying down. I wasn’t too worried about his water intake since he had a lot of IV fluids the day before and the wet food also contains enough moisture to help keep him hydrated.

Saturday on his second post op day, he was a wee bit better since the pain patch was now working for him. He still showed discomfort but much less than the day before. He still would only eat out of my hand and not drink. I started to give him water with a syringe. At about 10:3OPM Saturday night Bentley crawled and wobbled into his litter box. He sat there squatting and shaking and crying. He tried and tried…and finally produced a very small and dried up hard poop, which just dangled of his back side. He fell over from pain and exhaustion and all I could do is watch and cry. I tried to clean him up which resulted again in anger hissing and growling and more stress. The pain patch was making him constipated.

On his 3rd. day post op which would make it Sunday now, Bentley still had not produced a good bowl movement and I now started to help him along by feeding him pure pumpkin paste 1tsp 2x daily. I had spoken to our Vet Friday before the weekend and was advised, that if he doesn’t produce a movement to also give him some Milk with the pumpkin. Cats are lactose intolerant and will usually go to the bathroom shortly after they had Milk. Not our Bentley… he does not like Milk, Cat Milk or any of the Laxatone brand’s at all, not even Tuna flavored. Since it was the weekend I contacted an online Vet Service for advice. Here is the post:

Please advise....
My 16 month old Maine Coon Bentley is the 3rd day post op from an FHO surgery. He eats wet food only Natures Variety Instinct Lamb. He eats if I hand feed him. I do not see him drink very much. He is probably getting all the moisture out of the wet food. My concern is that he has not produced a bowl movement since last Wednesday 3/14/12. I have been giving him about 2 Tsp. of Pumpkin daily and extra water through a syringe (my Vets advice). He is urinating but no poop. My Vet also said to give him Milk. He however does not like Milk.
He is wearing a Fentanyl patch and he is also on Antibiotics Cephalexin 25mg every 12 hrs. Should he be pain free with the patch? To me he still looks very uncomfortable. He barley moves and I guess this also does not help with his bowls. What else can I do for him?
Thank you in advance....Barbara

The response:

Hi there,

The poor dear. It is probably uncomfortable to get into the position to have a bowel movement. The Fentanyl patch may not be doing the whole job for him to keep him pain free. You could by Miralax over the counter at the drug store and give him some of that. It is safe and mild. You could also try Cat Lax or Petromalt or Laxatone that you can get at your vets or a pet store. The doses are on the labels. I find psyllium seed powder easier to use than the pumpkin you can get that at a health food store. 1/8 teaspoon on canned food at each meal. Yes the extra water is important. If he hasn't pooped by Monday then go to your own vet for an enema and sub cutaneous fluids. It is not life threatening if he does not go till then.

Off to the store I went to buy Miralax for Bentley. I mixed 1/8 of a tsp. with his tsp. of Pumpkin and he happily licked it of the spoon. Still no BM and you could tell that he was starting to feel more and more uncomfortable. He kept on licking his back side. Finally Sunday night at about 10:30 PM he walked back into his litter box and produced a normal size BM. After wards he felt so much better. He actually came and walked around for just a little bit and even played just a wee bit with his front paws. We all slept well that night!

Monday 4^th day post op, we were back to square one! Bentley was just lying around and now not having much of an appetite either! He did not use his litter box all day and night which had me worried. I called the Vet and took the Fentanyl patch off which could have been the cause of his ongoing constipation.

We switched Bentley back to Bupernex for pain management every 8-12hrs.

My husband and I got up with him every hr. throughout the night and he looked very uncomfortable in his little bed. He did not move once.

Tuesday Morning 5^th day post op, Bentley had not urinated or pooped since Sunday night and also completely stopped eating now. I was mostly concerned about him not urinating. I feared a blockage. My husband and I were devastated! My husband took the morning off and we went straight to the Vet. Our Vet gave Bentley a physical exam and performed an Ultrasound to check his bladder... which was fine. She also gave Bentley an Enema, an Appetite stimulant and an anti-inflammatory, which made a huge difference. Bentley came home and he was a different cat. He played, rubbed up against us and had a great appetite. He even walked around using his leg with a slight limp. We were amazed at the difference in his demeanor.  

Wednesday day 6 post op, Bentley urinated and pooped during the night and his appetite seemed to be back with the help of the Mirtazapine (Appetite Stimulant). His energy level on a scale from 1 to 10 however is about a 2. Well I guess that is not bad for his 6^th   day post op.

Thursday 3/22/2012 one week post op.

Bentley has come a long ways. He is such a trooper!

Today Bentley ate without the help of Mirtazapine. We noticed that Bentley is trying to fight me all the way when it comes to his antibiotics. We think that the Cephalexin is really upsetting his stomach and that seems to be the worse of his problems at the moment. Sadly we have another week ahead with it. He is down to less than half a dosage of his Pain meds and managing very well. He is very alert and walking more through the house. We bought him stairs to help him get on our bed which he is using very nicely. He eats little throughout the day but more during the night. His cat box stays untouched throughout the day but in the mornings we find that he urinated and pooped during the night.

Friday 8 days post op

Today my husband got greeted at the bedroom door at 6 AM by a loudly purring Bentley waiting for his breakfast. His food bowl from last night was completely licked clean and he also had success in his litter box with both # 1 and # 2. I have a feeling that today will be a good day for our Bentley! This happy mood lasted until it was time again for the antibiotics. I don't know how he managed to spit them out 3 times but he did. When I finally managed to get the pill down his throat, he retrieved instantly back in his bed and all appetite was lost again. It finally dawned on me to start him on some Probiotics (Forte Flora) along with the Antibiotics, to help restore the balance in Bentley’s digestive system. It seemed to help… Forte Flora is very palpable to cats and once sprinkled over Bentley’s food he actually ate, not as much as he used too…but he ate.

He has been walking more and to my surprise he even wanted to go outside today! He also is starting to size certain jumps as if he wants to try! Unfortunately I had to turn him down with both of his attempts, he will have to wait 1 more week before he can resume his normal activities…Dr.’s order!

Today was the first day to see some of Bentley’s normal behavior back. There was also no need for pain meds toady. All Bentley is taken now is the Antibiotics, the Anti Inflammatory and Probiotics.

I finally see a light now and I think that Bentley is now gaining more and more strengths as each day passes in his recovery.

We still have a long road ahead of us but I think once he is done with his Antibiotics, then his tummy will feel better too and all shall be back to normal soon.

On his 10^th post op day we again headed 2 steps backwards! Bentley completely quit eating and drinking and vomited once during the night and once throughout the day. After I called the Vet we decided to stop his Antibiotics but to continue with the Anti inflammatory meds until finished.

His appetite improved somewhat but from what Bentley ate before his operation, was now only a small fracture. He used to eat a whole 5.5 oz. can pre op and know if we were lucky he ate 1/8 of a can.

Partly to blame was also his inactivity.

Slowly but surely Bentley’s appetite improved somewhat within a few days after stopping the Antibiotics. And it got even better after we had finished the Anti-Inflammatory.

Bentley is now almost 6 weeks post op and a different cat. His appetite is back to normal. He runs and plays. He begs for his food in the morning or at night! And he is begging twice a day to take him outside on his leash to chase Lizards.

The only thing that reminds us still of his surgery is that he walks with a limp… because of his leg being somewhat shorter. He also still needs help with little booster stools to get up on things. He can jump up onto a chair but prefers the booster stool instead. Probably still too early and I am maybe expecting too much too soon.

Otherwise Bentley has come a long ways since his surgery on March 15^th, 2012.

His bowl movements have also all turned back to normal. Time will certainly tell with him since we have read numerous times that the recovery for this specific surgery is a long one. It can take up to a year before fully recovered.

I will be more than happy to help answer any questions, should you have any!