My daughter was in here room this evening and noticed the cat's back legs don't seem to be working... Is there someithing I can do? I'm calling vet in morning but I thought someone can help me also.. She's 10 yrs old and I'm crazy for her. I asked my daughter if she sat on her by accident and she said no.//// please help me on what to do.. How can she use the kitty pan?? Thanks Maureen

-- maureen (onemaur@yahoo.com), November 20, 2001

Answers

I think I would just try to keep your cat in an area where it won't make a difference if she has an accident, perhaps put some newspapers out on the floor or something. Sounds like she has something wrong with a nerve. Hopefully the vet can help her out in the morning.

-- Leslie in Western WA (sundaycreek@gnrac.net), November 20, 2001.

If you have an emergency vet service, I'd suggest you take her TONIGHT. Loss of the use of the back legs can be caused by a blood clot blocking blood flow to the legs. If the cat doesn't get attention, it will die. This MAY not be what is wrong, but it could be a situation needing immediate attention. I'm sorry for you and your poor kitty! Good luck!

-- Joy F [in So. Wisconsin] (CatFlunky@excite.com), November 20, 2001.

UPDATE: I have a 9:30 vet app. She doesn't seem to be in any pain. I hope it's something we can fix.. They're all booked up and said for $55.00 they can see her this morning.. she did alot of cleanning her tail and behind for fleas and all. She's very clean. I don't know I guess I'll have to wait abit.. I'll let you know. Thanks

-- maureen (onemaur@yahoo.com), November 21, 2001.

The homoepathic remedy for elderly animals (Although 10years in a cat isn't really old) who seem to be losing the use of their hind legs is Conium Maculatum, and if you can get it in 30c, that would be good to try. You can order it online. Particularly if the vet hasn't got much to offer in terms of treatment.

-- snoozy (bunny@northsound.net), November 21, 2001.

Snoozy,

Will you please discuss Conium Maculatum a bit? I have an 8 year old German Shepherd that has almost lost the use of her hind legs, and is close to being put to sleep. The vet thinks she is losing the sheathing around her spinal cord - degenerative myelopathy. Even getting an expensive more precise diagnosis ( CAT scan, etc. ) probably wouldn't result in effective treatment to reverse the situation.

Any information on the product would be helpful. Thanks!

-- bluetick (coonhound@mindspring.com), November 21, 2001.

We had a cat once who was 1 year old which this happened to , the doctor took xrays and there was no spinal damage but he figured she had been hit and brused the spine so we kept her from moving to much[ in a rabbit cage] and three weeks latter she was fine except for a limp.She was able to expel waste though, if yours cant that would be a problem.Best get her checked.You have to clean them tell they are better.

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), November 22, 2001.

Conium Maculatum is a homeopathic remedy made from poison hemlock, however, as with all homeopathic remedies, so dilute that there is not any danger of being poisoned. Homeopathic remedies are often described by the symptoms they cure, which are often (but not limited to) the symptoms an overdose of the original substance would cause.

"An old remedy, rendered classical by Plato's graphic description of its employment in the death of Socrates. The ascending paralysis it produces, ending in death by failure of respiration, shows the ultimate tendency of the many symptoms produced in the provings, for which Conium is an excellent remedy, such as difficult gait, trembling, sudden loss of strength while walking, painful stiffness of legs, etc. Such a condition is often found in old age, a time of weakness, langour, local congestions, and sluggishness. This is the special environment that Conium chooses to manifest its action. It corresponds to the debility, hypochondriasis, urinary troubles, weakened memory, sexual debility found here. Troubles at the change of life, old maids and bachelors. Growth of tumours invite it also. General feeling as if bruised by blows. Great debility in the morning in bed. Weakness of body and mind, trembling and palpitation." [from Materia Medica by Dr.William Boericke.] There is much more, but this gives you an idea.

One of my homeopathic vetrinary books states specifically that "The leg weakness of the German Shepherd responds beautifully to Conium (although the symptom is not confined to that breed.)" [from The Homeopathic Treatment of Small Animals by Christopher Day.]

You can order homeopathic remedies online from Homeopathy Overnight. They usually come in the form of little sugar pills. You can just stick a few on your animal's tongue or in the side of their mouth. Do not put it in the animal's food, as that could negate the remedy's effect. The thing about homeopathic remedies is that once you see any effect, any improvement, don't give any more until you see no more improvement. In other words, they're not vitamins, or herbal supplements or antibiotics or steroids. Think of a homeopathic remedy as a twang to the system. Its job is to twang the patient's own immune system just enough for it to respond and get itself back to health. So in that respect, it is more like acupuncture. If your animal responds to one dose, which is entirely possible, then you may not need to give any subsequent doses. Often the vials of homeopathic remedies will have some blurb about 'take every four hours blah blah blah.' This is because the FDA can only think in the usual way.

One last thing. I have found that the homeopathic remedies found in regular retail stores seem to be useless, dead, impotent. Perhaps they have gone through too many scanning devices or been mishandled in some way. I buy from Homeopathy Overnight in alcohol dilution and I have a stock of sugar pills and I make up little vials of different remedies myself. People who have used both the storebought ones as well as the same remedy which I have put together say they get much more action from mine. You can order the remedies in alcohol as I do, and simply have your animal smell it. For animals who won't take medicine in their mouth, it's a good way to sneak it in on them. I mention this because I fear that many people try homeopathy with remedies they buy at the healthfood stores or now even mainstream groceries, nothing happens, and so they assume homeopathy is bunk, when in fact the remedy they tried may have been antidoted in some way. It also must be the correctly selected remedy, and that is where homeopathy is an art as well as a science. It sounds like Conium would do your German shepherd a lot of good. I hope you give it a try. At worst it would do nothing, so I think it is worth a try. Good luck.

-- snoozy (bunny@ northsound.net), November 23, 2001.

Thanks! I will look into it. Unfortunately, my dog may be too far gone. Her mother had the same problem.

-- bluetick (coonhound@mindspring.com), November 23, 2001.

Bluetick, never underestimate the amazing power of homeopathy. My cat the vet wanted to euthanize the very day I brought him in. But I wasn't ready, and I didn't think my cat was ready, and I took him home and researched my books and gave him a remedy that correlated to his symptoms. By the next day he was moving around, eating, laying in the sun, and giving his little brother whatfor. I got another 2 months of his company, but then even homeopathy could not hold off his fate forever. Given the very specificity of the recommendation of Conium for German Shepherd hind end paralysis, I really think it could help.

-- snoozy (bunnny@northsound.net), November 23, 2001.

I had a cat who went through this. In Spike's case it was end stage FIL and a bad bout of pleurisy. Just did him in. Lovely cat. Inner city street rescue. I took care of him for a few years..then his time was up. He went to rainbow bridge peacefully.

Bluetick..did your vet do scans on the mother and that is how he can make the diagnosis about spinal problems with this pup? The reason I ask is because a dearly departed pup of mine had similar problems for the last couple of years of his life. It was a heart murmer and blood pressure problem with him, and other things. And I had to adjust meds on a regular basis. Luckily I had a Vet who believed in all treatments. He took hawthorn drops as well as Vasotec [a human heart med] as well as doggie massage treatments. All at various times. There are many sites on the web for info. One I used to go to a lot was altvetmed. Good luck!

-- PC (jasper2@DOGLOVER.COM), November 24, 2001.