Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat limb amputation for bone tumors has good recovery and owner
By Kimura, Shogo et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2025·1Capital City Specialty and Emergency Animal Hospital, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Limb amputation for feline appendicular bone tumors results in excellent recovery outcomes and high owner satisfaction with a low incidence of complications.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with bone tumors in their legs underwent limb amputation and showed excellent recovery afterward. Most of the cats were able to walk without support in less than three days, and 82% had a great quality of life post-surgery. Owners reported high satisfaction, with nearly all feeling pleased with their cat's recovery and adaptation. Complications were rare, making this a viable option for cats facing this serious condition.
People also search for: cat bone tumor treatment · cat limb amputation recovery · feline cancer surgery outcomes
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the recovery outcomes of cats following limb amputation for appendicular bone tumors. METHODS: This retrospective, multi-institutional study included cats that underwent thoracic or pelvic limb amputation to treat primary appendicular bone tumors (2006 to 2019). Short- and long-term postoperative complications were investigated. Owners were surveyed to evaluate their perceptions and satisfaction regarding postoperative adaptation and recovery outcomes. Fisher exact tests were used to compare the results between different levels of amputation performed. RESULTS: A total of 68 client-owned cats were included. Mild short-term (≤ 14 days) and long-term (> 14 days) postoperative complications were reported in 5 (7.4%) and 3 (4.4%) cats, respectively. Overall, time to return to walking without support was < 3 days in 69.7% of cats and 3 to 7 days in 16.7%. Activity level changes were reported as no change in 75.8% of cats. There were no behavioral changes in 92.3% of cats. Quality of life following amputation was recorded as excellent in 82.4% of cats. Owner satisfaction was reported as very satisfied, moderately satisfied, or satisfied in 98.5% of cats. There was no significant difference between thoracic limb and pelvic limb amputation in owner satisfaction or postoperative complications (short-term, OR = 0.39 [95% CI, 0.035 to 2.39]; long-term, OR = 0.41 [95% CI, 0.0074 to 5.39]). CONCLUSIONS: Most cats showed prompt and complete recovery following thoracic or pelvic limb amputation, with a high level of owner satisfaction and low incidence of postoperative complications. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Thoracic or pelvic limb amputation in cats can result in excellent recovery outcomes.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40139159/