Category: Post Amputation

We have hopped into our 8th almost into our 9 months technically.

Purrkins has lost 1.56 lbs. 🎉👏🏻👏🏻So far we are looking at having him lose 1 1/2 lb more.

Purrkins is at 180 calories a day.

Saxton is down 1/2 lb. They have different metabolisms obviously poor Saxton had to be reduced in calories once again. Saxton is at 172 calories. 😾 

Purrkins & Saxton both went to see Dr. Matt for their Tune up’s acupuncture and if needed chiropractic. It has been three months since their last treatment.

Saxton goes for his IBS/Constipation issues a bad gut! I am a huge believer in Acupuncture and Chiropractic after seeing the results on both of our guys! It is miraculous to see the change in them after each session! 

We let Purrkins out of his carrier, and he is at home in Dr. Matt’s office, This is very rare for our kitties to be so relaxed and show their purrsonality.

I think we kitty owners usually are the only ones who really know and get to see who our kitties are. Purrkins is showing Dr. Matt precisely who he is!

Purrkins rubs up against Dr. Matt, he stood up on his back two and checked on his brother who was getting his treatment, he roams around the office, He was weaving in out of chairs up and over the stretcher of the chairs.

Dr. Matt smiles, “look he is doing an obstacle course look at him go” “Really great to see”!

It just warms my heart, we are always in awe of Purrkins but when Dr. Matt is smiling away in awe of him!😍

I think Purrkins is teaching Dr. Matt a few things:)

I continue to say this; it is worth repeating!

” We never could have imagined Purrkins to do this well on 3 legs!”  We would have been happy with Purrkins just hopping on.  He has surpassed anything we could have imagined!

He is an inspiration! We could not be more proud of this guy! 

In the last 2 weeks, I could see Purrkins hop looked off.  It is hard for me to explain what I mean, but I knew it was different.

His head was going lower to the ground as he hopped and his shoulder looked higher. His gait was off. He looked uncomfortable to me.

Purrkins was still playing and acting normally. In fact, the boy does not skip a beat. He goes like he has four legs! Precisely why things would get misaligned.

Dr. Matt checked Purrkins, and he was out of alignment in 4 areas.

• Atlas- 1st vertebra of the neck, carries the head)
• Cervical 7
• Right Pelvis
• Thoracic 10

These are all typical of being a Tripawd.

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Purrkins loves his sessions with Dr. Matt he lays and lets Dr. Matt do whatever to him.  

As Dr. Matt adjusted him we could see Purrkins wince each time, then a release in his little eyes, he never complains. My heart skips a beat with each wince, but I do follow his lead!

We will follow up in 2 months now instead of 3.

Here is Mr. Purrkins playing with kitty boinks, I made a slow motion too. How neat is that to see?

We made the video below to share our journey. Hopefully, this will help future Tri-kitties and their humans!

Purrkins Amputation Journey

Until our next update, we are happily hopping on into our 9 month 😸

Hugs, Purrs & Scratches

Love to all XOXO

 

Purrkins has been a tripawd for 7 months. Wow, where does the time go???

We started our diets in November for both Purrkins and brother Saxton.

We calculated the calories and write everything they eat down. Including treats!

I have a notebook out and just keep everything tallied.

We had to keep making adjustments to get these guys to lose weight. We actually gained ounces when we first started!🤢  Every week we weigh them, then tweaked the calories, we are now at 185 calories Purrkins has lost 1/2 lb!😃

Ok, you won’t be excited about 1/2 lb but let me say how excited we are!👏🏻👏🏻🎉 If you have cats, you will be excited about 1/2 lb each week we are losing ounces!  We are excited about ounces lost! Slow weight loss is best for cats!

So, for now, we are staying at the 185 calories if each week we continue to lose we will just stay here until we are at a good weight. We can evaluate each week.

Unfortunately, it took Purrkins losing his arm to get serious and figure this weight loss out!  We have tried everything in the past – different foods, different proteins, high fiber, we have gone by the suggested feeding amount from the vets, from the labels. The calorie counting is the only thing that has worked for us to date.

We are still on the same food we have just cut the calories back very gradual.

This is the website we followed the directions on for calories and reduction. Very INFORMATIVE site.

Saxton is not losing like Purrkins; we had to cut his calories back again now to 180. 😾 Hopefully, this will be his key number.

Feline Obesity: An Epidemic of Fat Cats

We got this food puzzle that they both love, (thank you for the suggestion tripawds)

We use it as a treat puzzle because our guys do not eat dry kibble.  They go crazy for these Bravo freeze dried salmon bites. There is never one left in the puzzle;)

Purrkins mastered the little bowl at the end of the video.  That was his first success at the fish bowls. 👏🏻

It’s a fun way for them both to use their minds. If they are bored or insist they are hungry, we get the puzzle out.

Purrkins has to use his core muscles with this.

We do count all those treats, and the calories go towards the daily 185.

We can see his 1/2 lb weight loss and so can Purrkins.

We notice Purrkins is more active. Plays more races around more;)

We are not sure what our goal weight is yet, – 1/2 – 1 lb more??

We will see what Dr. Matt thinks when we see him again in a couple of weeks.

Purrkins got his new small yellow (CANCER SURVIVOR color) bandana Saturday.

Purrkins is so handsome in yellow😻

Purrkins in his heated window seat;) He fell asleep with his bandana.

He likes the small size better. 😻

Thank you Tripawds for making smalls for tri-kitties and smaller breed dogs.

Until our next update …….

Hugs, Purrs, & Scratches!
Holly, Mark, Purrkins and brother Saxton

XOXO

 

Purrkins and his humans are celebrating his six month Cancer Free Ampuversary🎉

I have another long update and apologize for the book in advance.

When Purrkins got his stitches taken out at MSU they told us they would like for Purrkins to be rechecked in 6 months, we could do that with our Traditional Vet or with MSU oncology. We chose MSU.

We have been seeing our holistic vet regularly since his amp for the acupuncture, chiropractic, nutrition & immune support.

We had our 6-month recheck with MSU Oncology on the 3rd. I assumed our recheck would be bloodwork, a good looking over and possibly an X-ray.

I told Purrkins we were just going for a recheck and would be coming right back home.  When we got to MSU 8:30 a.m., their idea of recheck was all of the above and an ultrasound. That was the best way to make sure we had no metastasis.  Now we are leaving Purrkins, and his belly has to be shaved. His hair just grew back in. I was not thrilled!😔 Mark agreed we should do all of the above to make sure those microscopic cells that could have been laying and hiding were not going to show up now.

This journey is not easy by any means, once you get that dreaded Cancer diagnosis your world furever changes!

I was shaken up. I was not prepared for the ultrasound and all of sudden it hits me.  I felt like we just went back six months to the same terror!🤢  Purrkins stayed the day at MSU. Unfortunately, an emergency came in, and his ultrasound was pushed back. We got the call we could come get him at 5:00 A LONG stressful day for all of us!

We are ecstatic to announce we are still cancer free!!!  Everything came back  UNREMARKABLE🎉

Completely excised with left forelimb amputation 7/26/16
No evidence of metastasis 1/3/17!!!!

Happy and relieved words could not describe the weight lifted once again, I asked the Dr. if I could hug her I was so happy and thankful!  She said absolutely we were the only good news she got to pass on that day. She was as happy as we are!  She felt very positive, but it was cancer, and they would like just to keep on eye on him, she said a lot of times, cancer can come back in a different form or kind.

They would like to recheck him in 6 months, and when we get the UNREMARKABLE news again, we will then go to yearly exams.

The boys say Thank You to Sally!

Sally wrote -“Do kitties like Puppy Lattes? Actually, go ahead and ask Starbucks for a Kitty Latte to go! If they’ve never done one, it’s time they start!! In fact, they can name it in his honor…PURRPPUCCINO!!! 🙂 🙂

Purrkins has made a difference at MSU 👏🏻👏🏻  We asked Tripawds to send MSU and our Vets the Tripawd fliers when we were in Recovery, hoping to spread the word so other animals and their pawparents can be aware, educated and have support as we did! To know they are not alone in this journey.

Look what we saw!!  They are out at the front desk HA to LOVE IT

Again elated doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt.  We saw the fliers at Dr. Matts office too!  You never know if they will indeed put these out.   Yep there out!👏🏻🎉

We want other people to be as blessed as we have been to find Tripawds and know life on three legs is a Quality of life option!

How is this for Quality of life on 3? Tripawds do have more fun!

Who needs four legs to be happy and play? Not me!  (LOVE SEEING HIM GO)😍

Purrkins has had a total of 6 acupuncture treatments after his amputation surgery.  It has done wonders for Purrkins it is miraculous to see the change in him!  We are now going to what Dr. Matt calls “Tune-ups” 4 times a year.

Purrkins has only needed one chiropractic adjustment in his six months of being a Tripawd. These needed to be adjusted simply because he is a Tripawd and things do get out of whack.  The Atlas (1st vertebra of the neck, carries the head) and the sacral vertebrae.

(added the photo in case anyone is interested) On where those are.

We thank Dr. Matt for helping Purrkins feel so good! Purrkins does not feel he is handicapped or special needs in any way!

I showed Dr. Matt what Purrkins has been up to😉 I wanted him to see what he is doing for Purrkins!😀

Dr. Matt’s eyes about popped out of his head! “How does he get all the way up there” as he is smiling ear to ear😉

Well he jumps from the floor to the countertop, then up to the refrigerator and up to the cupboards

Here’s the problem Purrkins cannot get down safely!  We only have so many steps for Purrkins.  I cannot make the entire house tripawd safe, we have tried!

If we could build him a set of stairs to safely get down, I wouldn’t care, but there is nowhere to put stairs and still function in the kitchen.  I have slid stairs over to him to get down, and I have physically gotten up there myself to get him down (That’s another story LOL)

Much to Purrkins disgust, he is banned at night or when we are not here, to assure he has a safe way down.

This is our temporary solution to keeping Purrkins safe when we leave and at night.  I have Mark assigned to making a more permanent door in the future:)

Well, that wraps up our six months update we are so proud of Purrkins!
We are going to keep on hopping on!  If you find yourself here and read all the way thru.(thank you!)

You will see Tripawds have more fun!  & IT IS A QUALITY LIFE!
We have no regrets and Purrkins doesn’t either!
Thank you for all the love and support

 

 

 

 

Hugs, and Purrs!
Holly, Mark, Purrkins and brother Saxton

XOXOXOXOXO

Until our next update …

Purrkins is in his fourth month of being a Tripawd kitty now; I meant to update on his 3rd and started this in his 3rd month. 🙄

There never seems to be enough hours in the day. Time has just flown by. We are grateful every day, we had a choice and were able to amputate and cut that cancer off!

When we were faced with the decision, it was our worst nightmare! But we can most certainly say we did the right thing for Purrkins no matter what our future holds! He is such a joy to watch and does amazingly well. He is absolutely just as happy on three as he was on 4!

I still get nervous leaving him and that will never 100% change for me.

Life experiences change who you are as a person or pet parent. We had a 16-year-old cat named Garfield, he was sitting on the kitchen table, one of the boys jumped up on the table, and Garfield tried to get away and slipped off the edge of the table, he tried to catch himself, and in seconds he fell on the wood floor and not on his feet! I tried to catch him and there was no time it was a blink of an eye and Garfield was on the floor with a compound fracture bleeding from his back leg.

We rushed him to the emergency room at MSU, and we were told the worst, the break was so bad they could not repair it, on a younger healthier cat they would have amputated.  At Garfield’s age and health, he was not a candidate for surgery we had to say goodbye to our Sweet Garfield that day! I bawl as I type this three years later, it is still the same heartbreak.

You never hear anything about cats breaking bones due to falling, that doesn’t happen, right? Cat trees to the ceiling, Cat walls, cats climbing trees outside, cats jumping all over and landing fine.

Well, unfortunately, we are here to tell you it can happen. I do not know if it is never shared or if we are one in a million.

When we were faced with the decision to amputate with Purrkins years later it was truly unreal!

We have had so many new kitty members join lately I felt like I needed to share Garfield’s story.

If we can prevent accidents or mishaps, we should take that step. We are all joined by the love of our animals and want the best for them.

We are extra cautious with Purrkins he has steps going to all his favorite spots! A set at his window seat a set at the coffee table, he goes from the coffee table to the sofa. A set at our bed. He always uses his steps! We are not taking any chances if we can prevent an accident we are going to. We are doing the better safe than sorry approach!

When a new member joins, I suggest stairs or any way to make the landing or jumping up & going down easier and safer!

We also moved furniture closer together, so it’s like stairs, graduating down to areas, we added floor mats and rugs, anything to make things easier and safer on his remaining limbs! Purrkins brother also uses the steps just because he can;)

We had steps for our Garfield because he was up there in age and had arthritis. He always used them. You can use boxes and furniture if you cant get steps. Just think safer ups and safer landings!

We also put some sisal carpet on the window sill. Secured with some double-sided carpet tape, Purrkins was slipping on the window sill when he was relearning his new life. Cats love sisal anyway;)

We live in a SMALL house, do we have room for these stairs and do they look nice NOPE do we care NOPE sure we would love the house to look great but again life changes how you look at things, and it is what it is! All that truly matters is safety and to allow our animals to be themselves and happy on 3 or 4 legs.

Purrkins is still getting acupuncture treatments done he was off for two months we go back the 21st for another session.

We do see a lot of improvement with each treatment. Purrkins comes homes and plays and has more energy. He seems to tire less frequently for the first week afterward. Dr. Matt said that that is all the endorphins working.  He has two bowel movements on his acupuncture days. It obviously stimulates everything.💩

Dr. Matt also does chiropractic and checks Purrkins alignment each visit. He said he is holding his adjustments (alignment) well and that cats usually do hold their adjustments for longer periods then dogs do.

That being said he also said he doesn’t have a lot of cat patients. Dr. Matt will also learn from Purrkins & Purrkins brother Saxton. We are not sure what the long-term plan is on acupuncture and will keep you posted on what we are doing and what Purrkins ends up needing and benefiting from.

Some things we have noticed with Purrkins are ~
● He tires easier, He plays just as hard as he did before, he just doesn’t last as long.

●His one remaining front right leg is getting a lot bigger! It is really impressive to see how the body compensates
for the increase in size!

●We have seen a decrease in him trying to use his missing limb. He was trying to use his missing arm a lot the first month and each month that is decreasing. Dr. Matt said that is normal, the brain is still sending him signals the leg is still there.

● We have seen him be startled a couple of times and he goes to take off running, without thinking and then flops frantically, then seconds later he gets his wits about him and off he goes on his 3 legs! He must realize oh yeah my leg is gone this is not working. I imagine in fight or flight mode that’s normal too.

●Purrkins has figured out some new ways to clean his one side. He props one side up on the window, wall, or his humans and can now reach everywhere except his one side of his face.

He also seems to prefer having his amputated side propped up now when sleeping or cleaning. He always uses a pillow or wall or again us humans for support. He prefers his head elevated too. He likes to lay on the sofa between two cushions (crack) That spot no one usually wants to sit in because you sink down in between😉

●He does appreciate his one side of his face wiped off and his one ear to be scratched more often. We are happy to oblige.

●When he sits, he now brings his 2 back feet in closer to the front leg.

●Purrkins has decided to go back to using the non-handicap litter box;) We have three litter boxes total, we cut two of the boxes out in the front for him to have easier access. His brother Saxton didn’t mind the alterations. In fact, he still is using the easy access boxes. Purrkins uses both the cut and uncut ones now. updated (all the boxes are cut now)

●Purrkins stopped sleeping in his regular bed after surgery it has a warmer in it. We noticed him laying on the air ducts on the floor. We took the heater out of his bed, and he still did not use it. He prefers to be cool now rather then warm and how smart is he!;) I didn’t think of the cool being comforting to him. I saw the cooling beds on tripawds gear and that it was beneficial for joints and aches. I ordered him a cooling pad on Amazon, and he loves it. I put it on the sofa during the day and bring it to our bed at night.

●Purrkins fur is not entirely grown back in yet but almost, Its fuzzy and cute. It will be nice to have him fully clothed again, and we can keep on hopping on! I suspect next month he will have his full coat back. (total of 6 months from bald to full coat. Just in time for winter;)

We are working on both of the guy’s weight now. There was A LOT of complaining at first, and there still is, but it is getting better. We calculated what their daily calorie intake should be. We slowly cut back on portion size, we write down everything they have eaten and tally the total calories for the day.

Its essential in cats to not lose weight too quickly, they can develop hepatic lipidosis or fatty liver disease, both can potentially be fatal.

We use a digital pet scale, we put a cardboard box on it and zero out the scale then put them in the box to weigh them. We weigh them both weekly, and we are slowly making progress. After all, the complaining its rewarding to see the scale move in the right direction!

 

ZIEIS | 30 Lb. Capacity | Digital Pet Scale | Z30P-DURA | 11.5″ X 9.3″ BigTop Dura Platform | 0.1 Ounce Accuracy

We do core strengthening with Purrkins every day a couple of times a day. He is getting really good at standing on his back two legs;) We do them on this balance pad. He now swats his toys standing on his back two feet;)

I just started to put his food bowl on the balance pad, and he now eats on it. That took some time and coaxing at first, but the food is motivating 😉

Saxton is also strengthening his core; we don’t exclude him, they get rewarded with bonito flakes or freeze dried treats.

The boys being brothers enjoying an Indian Summer day! Notice the arms. Saxton really couldn’t be a better brother to him he is so courteous to him!

Saxton watches Purrkins more closely then he used to and allows Purrkins to hop in front of him and lead the way, he always stays back a little for Purrkins to go first. We do make sure to give Saxton just as much love and attention as we have before and give them both equal care and love. Saxton just doesn’t have his own blog, and I am obviously not a blogger 😉 We just wanted to share Purrkins experience hoping his Tripawd journey might help another kitty or kitty parent someday!

We will update again in or around our 5 or 6 months hopefully more time will appear when the snow does.👀

Until then we hope everyone’s fur and non-fur families are doing well. 😘😽

Todays is Purrkins 2 month ampuversary. He is doing great!

He had his 3rd Acupressure treatment the end of last month.

Dr. Matt said he is doing so well he didn’t need to see him back for a month! 🎉

Purrkins is playing in his new ripple rug.  They both love it!

Purrkins tired out after playing.

I thought I would also post this video on how gets along with his hop.  I took this a couple of weeks ago.

Not much to report Purrkins is just being his sweet self with one less limb. He gets around great, plays the same, hunts the chipmunks at the screen door. All with more gusto then he had before!

Today is our one-month ampuversary. Hard to imagine it has been a month already! We couldn’t be happier to post Purrkins is doing fantastic!

There isn’t anything he can’t do on his 3 legs. He is acting like a kitten again! That shows us how much that leg was bothering him.

Purrkins had his 2nd Acupuncture treatment last Wednesday, and he actually jumped up on Dr. Matt’s cushion ready for his treatment! Dr. Matt used the laser again, Purrkin’s stayed still and enjoyed the treatment!  He Never ceases to amaze me! Did I mention our Dr. Matt is an hour away? Purrkins enjoys the ride:)

He came home and played with his favorite toy (a homemade candy cane). He carries it around the house meowing! That was the first time since before the surgery we got to hear that happy sound!  He feels a great difference with the acupuncture! Both times he has come home and played and has more energy!

He is back to being my shadow just a little louder shadow. He has a cute hopping sound. He is surprisingly very fast on 3!

His fur is growing back pretty fast. The poor guy had his belly shaved from the ultrasound, then the surgery site and his back leg.

We go back again for another acupuncture treatment next Wednesday.

The boys are back to being sweet brothers!

They are begging to go outside.

They only get to go out with us, on a harness or in their tent. Will work on taking some videos and getting them posted 😉

 

A Special Thank you to All of Tripawds! You guys and gals are all very special people! Angels that all gather in one place, as I see it!

We are so thankful for all the help and information not to mention the support! You all made a huge difference in this!

As all tripawd parents know this is not a journey any of us wish to be on. However, thank God for Tripawds!

We are so grateful we didn’t have to go thru this alone!

Thank you, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Chels, Janice, Sara , Dr. Matt, Dr. Jones, Dr. Zarka , Dr. Vilar, Judy, Dr. Rubin, Chris Elmore (MSU Vet student who helped me everyday while Purrkins was there), he will make a excellent Vet one day and New York will be lucky to have you!

Thanks to All of our family. We are so blessed to have you all!

💞❌⭕❌⭕😽😽

 

We have 3 sets of stairs for Purrkins. All of which are different heights. Just wanted to share these.

They are lightweight very easy to move, I put rubber shelf liner under the steps, and they don’t move at all.

Purrkins uses all of his stairs! We ordered one more set, and hopefully, we can cover all of his areas now. Total will be 4 sets. This helps him get up and down without such a strain on his 3 legs. It also helps his Mom and Dad worry less!😉

Going up basement stairs. 14 days post amp.

We live in a log home the stairs are not typical. We were very concerned how Purrkins would manage these stairs on 3 legs.  We put carpet on them before his surgery.  We thought it would help him get up and down with some traction.

Going up the log stairs

Going down our log steps.  He completely avoided the carpet on the way down? As you’ll see. 17 days post amp.

Just posting this info on what we have done to help accommodate Purrkins to his new life on 3! We want him to be himself and do what he wants and do it safely!

Hope this may help others on the same journey some day.

Wanted to share Purrkins is back to getting around to all of his favorite places.  Much to our disbelief, he scared us to death!

Here he is back on top of the kitchen cupboards. With no help no steps! He has to jump to the countertops, up on top of the fridge, and then up to the cabinets.

Getting down, I did assist him in showing him the best route and moved his steps to the counter for him. He used that way no problem.

How would he have gotten down? I’d like to think he had a plan? This is good we are here to see what needs to be addressed and make those changes as they come about.

Purrkins had stopped climbing the cupboards after his biopsy surgery. It’s an excellent sign he is feeling better without that arm! As scary as it is for us. It’s not for him!

He jumps in and out of his baskets no problem, Up and down the steps no issues.

It’s just over two weeks since his surgery, and we find him amazing!

Saxton and Purrkins are also back to being brothers! No more hissing. They are even back to a cleaning one another. 😍

Saxton still observes Purrkins, it is not a stalking behavior, definitely watching him close and staying close by him, have to wonder what he is thinking?

We go back for his 2nd Acupuncture treatment on Wednesday.  Will keep updating as we go.😽

It has been two weeks today since Purrkins arm was amputated. Unreal it has been two weeks already.

Yesterday after his acupuncture treatment Purrkins played with his yeowww fish! He rolled and rolled he figured out how to hold the toy with his one arm.

Purrkins went back today to MSU to get his stitches removed.

He quivered the entire time.  I felt terrible for him.

The surgeon is pleased with how everything looked and said Purrkins is FREE – no more t-shirts or onesies!

He is allowed to go back to regular activity!

I attached his Pathology report below.

 

LOVE THE BOLD PRINT ON PAGE 2!

Regular activity became RUN and JUMP all over the house lol

He was ready Mom was not. He does so well I shouldn’t have been so worried.

He amazes us again! He wanted to go down to the basement Mark, and I thought we would be ready in case he needed us. Well, he RAN down before we could do anything! 👀

Mark and I were both in shock did you see that?! He investigated the entire house every room in fact! I thought he must be exhausted by now. No, he rested for a few minutes, and he was back up again.

What an amazing day! Purrkins is AMAZING. We are both in awe. His Grandma and Grandpa were able to watch all thru videos and pictures. They were also amazed.

Saxton just watched Purrkins go everywhere, they smelled each other, and that was ok for a short time. Saxton then gave him a big hiss  😒 Hopefully a little time we can get them back to being brothers.

Purrkins is back to himself today! We can certainly say we did what was best for Purrkins!

He is back to his happy, active self!  We also know his leg was bothering him more then he was showing us! He had slowed down and was sleeping more than usual before the surgery.

We will work on some more videos and get them uploaded of him getting around!

1/2 day of being a free man again and on 3 legs has been a joy to see!

We are so thankful we had a choice and were able to save Purrkins life!

I know cancer has no rules. But this is the greatest news we could get! Clean margins, cancer left with the leg!  We are running with that!

We are going to live and celebrate a long cancer-free life! 🙏

Thank you, everyone, for being here with us thru this terrifying time!  Yeah, Purrkins! 🎉🎉🎊🎈

Love to all XOXO