My cat's shoulder is probably dislocated, what are my options?

JoshuaD · #1 05-13-2006, 03:25 PM

My cat came limping to the door last night, he couldn't move his right arm, and it seems like he probably dislocated it at the shoulder jumping from somewhere to somewhere.

He can't walk on it, he doesn't seem to have much control over it, and if I touch it at the shoulder he meows. It doesn't seem like the bones in the arm are broken, I can handle the arm and it doesn't seem to bother him. It seems to be some sort of shoulder injury.

It costs 100$ just to go in and see the vet, and another 170$ for x-rays. Then probably a ton more for them to actually fix anything.

If it comes down to it I'll pay to get it fixed, but I'd really rather not shell out near 1000$.

Do I have any other options?

Los Feliz Slim · #2 05-13-2006, 03:28 PM

Take him to the vet right now.

LondonBroil · #3 05-13-2006, 03:32 PM

How much is your cat worth to you?

Hopey · #4 05-13-2006, 03:33 PM

I suggest taking him to the vet immediately.

mason55 · #5 05-13-2006, 03:38 PM

Take him to the vet, either for xrays or euthanasia

wdcbooks · #6 05-13-2006, 03:38 PM

You shouldn't own a pet if you are unwilling to pay for non-extraordinary emergency veterinary procedures.

Homer · #7 05-13-2006, 03:40 PM

This is a dumb post. I can't imagine there being any other options.

wdead · #8 05-13-2006, 03:40 PM

[ QUOTE ]
You shouldn't own a pet if you are unwilling to pay for non-extraordinary emergency veterinary procedures.

[/ QUOTE ]

Warik · #9 05-13-2006, 03:41 PM

I wouldn't hesitate spending twice that to have my dog treated for something half as serious. Go to the vet right now.

Annulus · #10 05-13-2006, 03:43 PM

This exact same thing happened to my cat about 3 months ago. Just out of the blue he starts meowing and crying and had a horrible limp with one of his back legs. I immediatly rushed him to the emergency 24HR vet. It was about 4am. It was $125 just to bring him in. and then $70 per x-ray. She suggested to 2 xray, one of the leg and one of the pelvis. I said sure. In total it was over $300 bucks including the pain killer shot. The xrays came back negative and the Vet diagnosed it most likely as a soft tissue injury, a.k.a a sprained joint. She suggested to give him a week to recover at home and then take him to my regular vet for a look to make sure everything was ok.

Basically homeboy recoverd. He got a little bit better every day and finally after about 2 weeks he was 100% his old self. I could of totally avoided the $300 the vets charge because they really didnt do anything at all. The pain killer was probably a waste as it was just a one time shot.

If it happened again, I would probably give a day or 2 and see if he makes improvements. I highly doubt he broke anything or seriously dislocated a joint. My suggestion is watch him carefully and make sure he doesnt climb to high places cuz he might be tempted to jump off. Just watch him and he should get better. I hear soft tissue injuries are quite common in cats.

DISCLAIMER- im not a vet nor do i play one on TV. if you love your cat and money is no object then take him to the vet. if you love your cat and you value your money then maybe wait a day or 2. Good luck.