2 Years Post-Op

Hello everyone!

Can't believe it's been 2 years since Mo's Femoral Head Ostectomy Surgery.  Since his FHO surgery, you would never even guess he had the surgery.  He runs, plays, and jumps with his brother without any limping or pain.

If anyone has any questions feel free to post & ask!  I would definitely recommend this surgery to everyone!

10 & 11 weeks post femoral head ostectomy surgery

11 weeks ago my 2 year old cat, Mo, randomly started limping and howling.  We brought him to the vet and found out he had fractured his femoral head.  He is now 11 weeks post femoral head ostectomy, and we couldn't be happier.

I haven't been updating this blog as Mo has been doing SO well with no problems!

 10 weeks post op, laying on his back and sleeping like he used to before surgery!

Playing (without any difficulty) with his best friend, Bill

 10 weeks post op- fur has grown back a lot! Can barely see where scar even was.  Just looks like he has a really bad haircut!

Playing with his toys!

If anyone would ask me if this surgery was worth it, I would say 100%.  I couldn't have imagined how quickly and painlessly he'd recover.  Do not hesitate to get this surgery!  It sounds terrifying, but the recovery is amazing.  He still limps, but seems to be improving every week.  When he runs really fast or sprints we can't even tell he has a limpy leg.

After 3 weeks I can say our cat was almost completely back to normal besides his limp.

I think the only reason his personality was different, wouldn't eat, and slept a lot initially was because of the pain patch!  I have seen some stories about cats who didn't get pain meds after the surgery, and if I could have done everything over again I would have definitely mentioned that to my vet. 

If anyone has any questions at all, feel free to post!  I was so curious and scared before my cat got surgery and during his initial few weeks of recovery.  I hope every cat who gets this surgery can recover as quickly and as well as Mo. 

3.5 Weeks Post FHO Surgery

 Mo ~2 weeks post-op! Starting to play with toys.

Laying on his back like he used to!

His wound seemed to open a bit at the top and we could see one of his internal stitches coming out which terrified us.  But we watched it closely for signs of infection.  This was at about 2.5 weeks.  After about 5 days it closed and now it looks like its closed and healed.

 Hanging out in a steak box- definitely our cat LOL!

Overall he is COMPLETELY back to normal besides his shaved fur, cut, and limp.  He doesn't hesistate to walk anywhere and jumps and climbs like he used to.
I weighed him today and he weighed 9.8 pounds - he feels so light and tiny! :( But maybe we are just comparing him to his MASSIVE brother Bill.

I would definitely 100% recommend this surgery to anyone who is thinking about it. Our cat appears to be COMPLETELY pain free and can do all the same activities he used to enjoy such as jumping, playing, etc.   It is well worth the 2000 dollars.

Now we just have to hope that the other femoral head doesn't fracture.  Our vet warned us that he might be genetically predisposed to having weak femoral heads and that the other is at high risk of breaking.  FINGERS CROSSED he can at least hold off until my boyfriend or I graduate & get jobs LOL

Day 8 Post FHO surgery

Today Mo went and got a check up at our vet and the vet said he looked great!
No fever, and his leg seemed to have a full range of motion.

He said he could see some muscle atrophy on the leg with the femoral head removal but that it was most likely because he hasn't been using it as often.  Once he starts walking on it more and more it will hopefully get stronger.

He also said that the other bone looked "grainy" and that there definitely was a risk of his other femoral head fracturing as well.  PRAYING HE DOESN'T NEED ANOTHER SURGERY!

He is doing well though, looking skinny but I'm not sure if he's always been like this and we just haven't noticed because he used to be so fluffy!

Getting better and better every day, I will update again in a week or so!

(some old pictures.. LOVE MY CATS)

My Cat Mo's FHO surgery - Day 7

Mo is walking around non stop now!  He's jumping, even running!  He still limps, but is using it more every day!

He's playful again, and snuggles with me every night!

He seems to be 100000% pain free, and besides his new hideous hair cut and limp I would never know his leg was broken 7 days ago!

No pain patch, no more anti-inflammatory meds.  Eats and drinks by himself!

Above are some videos of Mo walking. As you can see, he still limps (he's only 7 days post op!)
But he seems happy and pain free!

Day 5/6 Post Femoral Head Ostectomy (FHO) operation

Day 5 and 6 have been AMAZING with Mo!  His personality is back to normal.  I wouldn't be able to tell he had surgery or anything if it wasn't for his limp!

He purrs at us when we walk by, jumps onto the bed and off without hesitation, walks around more often (but still tries to avoid using his leg).

His fentanyl patch should be worn off by now and he seems COMPLETELY pain free!
I saw him drink water by himself so am no longer syringe feeding him!

Going to try to take his pain patch off tonight- that should be interesting.  I've read that it can be super hard.  I plan on using olive oil if it doesn't come off easily!  I will post pictures and an update after I attempt to take off his patch!

He's looking fluffy again!
Can't wait for his little scar to heal and his fur to grow back.  He doesn't seem to notice the spot they operated on at all... he completely ignores it.

 

WARNING TO ANYONE WHO WANTS TO TAKE THEIR CAT'S PAIN PATCH OFF*** 

It was NOT easy.  I started gently pulling it off and instantly looked at my boyfriend and said "Oil"

I knew it was going to take an hour at least to sit and try to gently pull it off.

My boyfriend decided to try and he was ripping it pretty hard, but then I'd look at my cat and it didn't seem like he could even feel it!  He didn't even flinch!  My boyfriend RIPPED it off.. I mean.. fur was coming off :(  Mo didn't even flinch or blink an eye.  He must have an EXTREMELY high pain tolerance, which makes me even sadder because he must have been in SO much pain that first night he broke it :( 

But on a happier note, Mo's pain patch is now off! WOOHOOO! No more pain patch, no more anti-inflammatory meds, just a happy pain free recovering cat! 

Day 4 Post Femoral Head Ostectomy (FHO) operation

Day 4

Hand fed Mo some more food (he still won't eat on his own)
Also put his water bowl in front of him and he still refuses to drink it, so I squirted a few more syringes full in his mouth.

After feeding him it was Metacam time!!! Mo's favourite time of the day.. he loves that stuff!

He moved around a lot more today.  He jumped up on my bed at least 3 times, and on to that blue chair at least 2!  When he walks I can tell he tries to avoid walking on his leg, but uses it a tiny bit (especially when jumping)

The video is of us calling Mo for treats.  I tried to video his leg.