Friends on the FML,
 
My poor King Tut had surgery for a broken right hind leg today.  He's fine
but just thinking about it makes me hurt.  I had noticed the night before
that he was moving funny but he was playing so I didn't think too much more
about it.  Later the next day he was still not moving normal but almost
hopping instead of walking.  Hum, what's wrong with this picture.  I picked
him up and his right leg was hanging lower than the left one.  Hum, can he
stand?  I held him under his front legs and put his back legs on my hand and
put some of his weight on the legs, most of it he transfered to the left
leg.  Hum, does it move?  I felt the left leg and moved it slightly outward,
yes he had resistance in that one, now the right leg, oooohh!  very limp not
much resistance, something is wrong!  Vets off is closed and he doesn't seem
to be in pain except when putting presser on his leg.  So I put him in the
cage by himself so he will have to take it easy for the night, I thought
maybe it was out of the socket.  Called my vet this morning at 7:30am and
took him down at 8:15.  Xray showed it was broken.  My vet said it was a
clean break and had me take him to another vet she trusted to do the
surgery.  They cross pinned it to keep it secure (it about 1/2 inch above
the knee).  I get to bring him home tomorrow and the vet said he needs to be
quite for 2 to 3 weeks (and I thought yeah, right!) so poor guy will be
banished (I'm sure he'll see it that way) to his cage for 2 to 3 weeks so
the others won't get him too excited and make him disobey the vet.  I figure
one of my kids weren't paying attention and closed the door on his leg, or
tripped over or stepped on him, or left the bathroom door open and he
climbed up the wicker thing that stands up over the commode (it's taller
than I am) and he fell off.  At any rate I had a very long talk with them!!!
I told them it wasn't fair to make the little critters suffer because you
can't or don't feel like checking every time you close the door when you go
outside, or watch where you put your feet or close the bathroom door, they
are just as much a part of the family as you are and you will watch over
them like little brothers and sisters.  I think they finally understood!
 
Point being, it had to hurt a lot and he did not let me know he was in pain
except to favor the leg slightly.  They are very stoic about pain and
noticing little things that are different from their usual behavior is
important, better to check and be wrong when things seem a little different
with them than not to check and feel bad later because it was something that
needed attention.
 
Hope everyone elses fuzzies are alright!
 
Vicky
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[Posted in FML issue 1587]