Every cat parent around the globe agrees that the felines have a knack for acrobatic thanks to a combination of sharp instinct and adaptable body. Hence, the pets could survive free falls from incredible heights without sustaining life-threatening injuries. That being said, major traumas still cause a wide range of issues to cats: bruises, scratches, and of course, bone fractures (especially in the pelvis). Obviously, no animal would live a healthy life with fractured bones which makes it necessary to deal with cat broken pelvis as soon as possible.
Want some guidance from the vets regarding cat broken pelvis? If that is so, you are going to find what you need right down below.
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Brief Overviews Of The Situation
For your information, the pelvis is a ring-like structure of bones that consists of two halves with three bones each: pubis, ilium, and ischium. Among the bone fractures that may happen to the average cats nowadays, broken pelvis is the second most common one.
Generally speaking, fractures in the pelvis shall lead to acute, non-bearing lameness of the hind legs that greatly impair the mobility of the pets. Most of the time, broken pelvis tend to happen more frequently in adult cats with matured bones than kittens. When the pelvis of young pets got subjected to traumas all of a sudden, other structures in their bodies should break before the pelvis fracture. Considering the shape of the pelvis, fractures often show up on both halves (left and right) at the same time.
Depending on the severity of the fractures, cats with broken pelvis could suffer from internal injuries that affect the urinary tract, thorax, nerve and alike.
Notable Symptom Of Fractured Pelvis
In the wild, the majority of predators prey on animals that show signs of illness. Despite the fact that it's a household pet these kinds of days, your fluffy friend still remembers that rule. As a result, if its pelvis indeed suffers several fractures, your cat would strive to keep things just like usual. So it's up to the pet owners to keep an eye out for oddities.
- Body dysfunction
- Loss of hind leg mobility
- Excessive vocalization (meowing, growling, ...)
- Hiding all day long
- Bruises, scratches, ... around the trunk
After you notice the mentioned symptoms in your furball, it's strongly recommended that you contact the local veterinary clinic. Tell them that they are about to deal with a case of cat broken pelvis. Use the opportunity to provide some details of your cat to let the vet prepare.
Note: While transporting your cat, it's of utmost importance that you keep the carrier steady to prevent fractures in the pelvis from worsening. Since cats with broken pelvis often experience great pains, they may behave aggressively which necessitates the use of thick gloves.
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What Happen At The Clinic
In most of the cases, the vets must conduct thorough diagnoses in order to detect the presence of bone fractures as well as other damages. By taking multiple Xrays of the trunk, it's possible to determine the severity of the fractures in the pelvis. A combination of orthopedic and Neurologic examination should detect less than obvious injuries in the joints, nerves and so on. Once the vets have a complete picture of the situation, they are going to devise treatments for the pets which vary from pet to pet.
Overall, there are two treatment options for cats with broken pelvis: surgery and cage rest.
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Surgery
For cases of cat broken pelvis with extensive fractures, medical intervention would likely be necessary in order to realign and stabilize the bones. The process involves placing a series of pins, plates, screws and wires at strategic locations to hold the pelvis together. When the felines manage to defecate and urinate by themselves then they may go home. Usually, after being discharged from the clinics, cats have to spend at least six weeks on cage rest before they could roam freely once again.
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Cage Rest
Like humans, broken bones in cats heal over time. If the vets decide the fractures seem minor, care rest is the preferred choice. They shall confine the pets to a cage with all the necessities prepared inside (foods, waters, litters and so on for a couple of weeks. During that period, the pets usually perform physiotherapy on the felines to help the animals get back on their feet. In the case that everything proceeds smoothly, cats with broken pelvis would be able to go back home after approximately six weeks on cage rest.
Depending on the circumstances, vets could give the pets specialize medications to relieve the pain and treat soft-tissues wounds. Several cats have to stay on medication for a short time after leaving the clinic.
Keeping The Pets Safe: A Couple Of Tips And Tricks
We pet owners always love our adorable furball but every now and then, it's necessary to stay firm to protect the felines from themselves.
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Prevent The Pet From Escaping
Cats have a reputation for being adept escape artists that only need a small opening to get into the outdoors. Unfortunately, the curiosity of the pets in this case tends to bring them more harm than good as the outside contains a variety of dangers. That is why it's widely advised that you do whatever it takes to keep your fluffy friend stay indoors. You can either set up some scratching posts, cat trees or provide your furball with a comfy bed and satisfying toys. Put on the cat a collar with a bell so that you always know where he/she is.
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Arrange All Heavy Objects Carefully
Sure, cats are pretty quick but that doesn't mean they have the ability to avoid falling objects every time. So to be on the safe side, you must place cumbersome objects in secure positions away from your playful pet. The last thing you want to see is your fluffy friend getting squished underneath something.
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Lock Access To Tall Places
The average cats prove quite capable of pulling majestic jumps from heights without much difficulty. Nonetheless, it's a good idea that you stop your pet from reaching tall places. Humans make mistakes from time and the same applies to cats.
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