Cat - Double Hip Replacement - the super vet

takingthemon86

I wanted to post this because we found so little on the subject when our 1 year old cat was diagnosed with hip dysplasia. He had is on both sides and the poor cat couldn't jump and was in terrible pain.

Our initial consultation with the vet suggested he'd need both hips removed and that they could function very well without hips. Fortunately we live fairly close to the supervet, Noel Fitzpatrick and we were even more fortunate to have pet plan.

We had an appointment with Noel himself and after 8 very difficult months our beautiful british shorthair has had both his hips replaced, has completed his extensive cage rest and was discharged last friday.

His first operation was a bit of a shock for us, he came home in a terrible state and trying to keep a cat in a cage indoors for 6 weeks is very difficult and quite hard to do. As is keeping him clean and entertained.

After his second operation (6 weeks after the first) things became a lot easier, he could limp around a lot better and was clearly looking a lot happier. The hard part was enforcing the cage rest and not letting him run about.

It was without doubt the best decision we made, petplan was wonderful and paid out around £12k in total. I can't talk highly enough of Noel and Fitzpatrick referrals, although the aftercare was mixed.

If anyone has the misfortune of having a furry friend with this issue and want to know more do let me know.

rising_from_the_ashes

Poor wee button - very glad he's all fixed & pain free and can get back to doing 'cat' things (which generally seems to involve a lot of sleeping!!)

gettingready

Zara had both hips done at FR by Noel too - about 3 years ago now.

I now had to ask my vet to refer back to FR as she is not walking well, limping, dragging back legs etc so need to check what is going on there.

But Zara is a dog, she is 9 this year - still the procedure is exactly the same.

Hope your cat is ok long term now xxx

Slinky

Ohh I think this thread needs pictures, don't you, of your happy cat?

That man is amazing. I hope never to have need of his services for a pet, but great to know there are people prepared to go to extreme lengths to help.

michbright

Interestingly, I have 2 British Shorthair cats with hip dysplasia. One is markedly worse than the other one but, so far, she seems to be coping okay. She can't jump very high but then has never been able to jump very high, so it's nothing new to her. She is still able to chase (and catch) shrews, birds, mice, etc., so her mobility seems to be okay for now.

I have been giving her supplements which seem to help and trying to keep her weight down, with varying degrees of success . She'll be 5 in July, but the vet isn't too concerned at the moment. I found your post quite interesting because I'm sure it's something we'll have to do in the future for her.

BTW we're also with Petplan, and so far have been good at paying out when we've needed it.

jess1974

I must be the only one who thinks 12k in vet fees is ridiculous for a cat....i have a cat and i love her dearly but 12k....no way.....she could get run over by a car tomorrow x

Ilona

I would love to meet Noel, but not in the circumstances of having to get treatment for a pet there. Such a wonderful man.
Ilona