Thursday, January 13, 2011

Further Update on Ozzie

Again, a zillion thanks for your outpouring of well wishes for Oz. Above is a picture of her pre-surgery and we had every reason to believe that all would be fine, short of recovery time. However, X-rays don't always tell the complete story, and at the Humane Society, we'd heard that very fact when we went there to pick her up. So... when the surgeon went in this afternoon, he found that her leg above the break was in a million pieces "like shattered crystal" was how our vet put it. The extent of the damage to her femur was inestimable, but hadn't shown on those Xrays. Sadly, they had to amputate her leg. It was hard to hear these words over the phone, but as I continued to listen, I realized how impossible, given the circumstances, it would have been to put dear Oz's leg back together again. So we will look to Ben to help us figgur out life as a tri-paw. Knowing Ozzie as we do, she will be a TROOPETTE in her recuperation. The hardest pawrt will be converting herself to an indoor kitteh. Will let you know about her homecoming tomorrow or Saturday. Thank you all again for your kind thoughts - our apologies for not getting back to you these past few days.


23 comments:

Wyatt said...

Gosh, I don't think I have ever seen a 3 legged cat, but it looks like if any cat is up to the challenge, it would be Ozzie.
Keep us posted and we will say our Aire-Prayers.

Love,
Wyatt and Stanzie

Angel Tucker, Daisy and Leo said...

So sorry to hear about Ozzie's leg. We are sure she can adapt to tri-pod life. We will keep fingers and paws crossed.

Tucker and Daisy

bbes tribe said...

Will keep our paws crossed for Ozzie!! Somnetimes it seems as if animals handle things like this much better than we do. Will be coming home to caring & loving family.
Wags
& Woofs
Ernie,Sasha,Chica

Sierra Rose said...

Love to you all. Sweet Ozzie will now have a new chapter. We are so sorry about these events, yet imagine that Sammie will have to scooch over just a tad for sweet Ozzie to have room for furpal cuddle time.
Hope to see you tomorrow. Please let us know if we can help in any way.

Sweet hugs,
Sierra Rose

Infrequent Flyers said...

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear about Ozzie's loss of a limb! But animals can be so resilient. I'm sure she will learn to manage on 3 paws.

Many years ago, our cat Angie went missing for months. When she finally came back home, she was limping badly. The vet said her leg had been broken but had already healed itself, although in a wonky way. He would have had to re-break the leg, set the bone, and even then, doubted that it would be "normal"--so at his suggestion, we left her "as is". Angie has limped for the past 10+ years but can still run, climb, and pounce. I hope it will be the same for Ozzie! My heart goes out to you, M!!

Sheila and Bob said...

Prayers going out to Ozzie for a speedy recovery and that he will have a wonderful life.

Sheila & Bob

George The Lad said...

Sorry to hear this, but I am sure she will ajust to life well, and Samantha and Avalon, will know that there something not right and will be gentle with her, us dogs just seam to know these things.
George and Jan xxx

Molly the Airedale said...

Mom gasped as she read your post. Ozzie will be okay because she has you guys to heal her and love her.
The AireZen continues to flow.

Love ya lots,
Maggie and Mitch

Tucker said...

Oh Nos! I'm sure Ozzie will be ok though. Momma says when she was little she had a kitteh that lost the bottom half of her back leg. She was absolutely fine, still went outdoors, and was acutally my kitteh brother Patch's great grandma. So, Ozzie will be ok we know it.

woof - Tucker

Anonymous said...

Hey Guys,
We're sorry to hear this news, but you're right about Ozzie; Ben will be her inspiration. Even our Radar says that cats and dogs can overcome substantial obstacles and he should know. There's a GR at AHGRRS , Roo, that is missing both of his front legs and he's hopping along just fine. The recovery and adjustment might be a bit longer than previously expected now, but with the Power of the Paw, Ozzie will do just fine.
- TBH&K

Kapitein Haakje said...

oooh sorry to hear this news
well ozzie wil do just fine ^^

Kissslobbers
El'bow & Hauwii

Sage said...

Ohhhh, poor Oz. It's amazing how doggies & kitties adapt to the loss of a limb. She'll be up and at it in no time! We're sending lots of good healing thoughts your way.

Sage & her Mom

Trixie, Lily, and Sammy-Joe said...

Our Mama had a roommate who had a three-legged cat! the cat's leg had been eaten by a coyote! Mama says that cat managed fine with three legs, as if he barely even realized one was missing. We hope Ozzie will recover fast and as pain-free as possible! By the way Sammy-Joe is giving away a cool cat toy on our blog today! Go check it out!

♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥ said...

Oh no, we are so very sorry to hear this. We can't imagine getting that news over the phone. But animals can be so resilient and loved ones know they have to fight hard for their humans. We will cross our paws and say our prayers that Ozzie will adjust easily to her new life as an indoor kitty. We just know that you will do all you can to make it comfortable for her.

Hugs and Woos ~ Phantom, Thunder, and Ciara and Mom too

The Daily Pip said...

Pip's mom here ...I volunteer a shelter and have known several tri-pod cats. Cats who lose one of their back legs seem to adjust more quickly than front legs, but all cats adjust with time. She will be fine and I bet she get used to being indoors, too. Our three cats were originally strays and all have adjust to indoor life and don't really show any interest in going outside.

Best wishes!
Kristin

Lorenza said...

Sure it was hard to know about it on the phone, right?
But I am sure too she will adjust very good to her new situation!
Paws crossed!
Take care
Kisses and hugs
Lorenza

The Thuglets said...

We were sorry to read about Ozzie's surgery. However we are sure with time and lots of TLC she will adapt to life on 3 legs.

Paws Crossed for Ozzie and the future!

Big Nose Pokes
The Thugletsx

abby jenkins said...

My friend Teddy, we called him Tripod, lost his leg to a car accident when he was a pup and lived a very, very long and happy life. That guy could jump and play like nobody's business! Our vet actually came over to give Otis his shots, Ted was over hanging out, and the good doctor did not even realize Teddy had three legs until he was on his way out and I mentioned it.

It will be a hard road for a while but you are surrounded by love and friends, that group includes us.

Blessings,
Cheddar and Abby

KB said...

I'm so sorry to hear of this terrible incident. Thank goodness that Ozzie was found, eventually, and that she's getting the vet care that she needs. You must be mystified about what happened to her. I'm just guessing that she'll learn how to be as quick on three paws as on four, especially with the help of your amazing family.

Augie and Ti's mom said...

Oh what sad news! But I'm sure she'll be getting lots of lovin' to help her adjust :)

How Sam Sees It said...

So sorry to hear about this. We are sending prayers her way - and lots of hugs for you!

Sam

Pup Fan said...

So sorry to hear about this! I'll keep Ozzie in my thoughts... I hope she adapts to tri-pod life quickly!

Kari in Alaska said...

Sorry to hear about her leg :(

Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com/