Chase is very sick :(

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ghostuser

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Poor Chase, things just keep getting worse for him. We found a new vet to see, and she started him on antibiotics for another UTI. Likely the old vet never treated him long enough, because she DID see bacteria. (They kept saying there was none.) The culture didn't take, however, so we don't know which type. She said his white count is really high.

She was concerned about his heart, which baffled me. He had his heart tested about two years ago, and a recent (a month to a month and a half ago!) x-ray that showed it to be fine. However, her new x-ray showed a lot of fluid build-up. She thinks he could have congestive heart failure... It also could be a tumor, she said. She mentioned the very slim possibilities of heartworm or pneumonia, but she thinks those are highly unlikely. She also mentioned possibly getting a test done for FIP. He came from a pet store, and had whatever shots the vets threw at us as a kitten, so it's almost certain he's been exposed to the coronavirus, right? So I'm really not sure the test wouldn't just be a waste of money.

He was doing amazingly well on the appetite stimulant, new antibiotics (Doxy), and regular sub-Q fluids for about a week. He went from 8 lbs to 8.4. (He probably should be at least 11.) Today he isn't eating. I am hoping it is just because I didn't give him the appetite pill last night.. but he's had two doses since then and isn't begging, so I guess that's a long-shot. I syringe-fed him a small amount (about 20 CCs) of A/D hoping to spike his appetite, but it doesn't seem to have accomplished more than making him mad at me.

I really.. don't know what to do at this point. The vet said an ultrasound from a specialist would be needed to confirm the heart failure theory, but she sure made it sound like I would just be wasting my money to do it. I still plan to call and at least see how much it would cost me. He still seems pretty happy, though he doesn't want much to do with me after all the pills I've been shoving down his throat, the needles I'm having to poke him with, etc...


The other thing, is that she said his urine is too dilute, even when he was dehydrated. She is concerned about his kidneys because of this, though his blood test results didn't show any abnormal values as far as that goes. So she really isn't sure what could be causing that.

I guess there isn't much advice I can ask for... I don't know. Just send some positive vibes his way, I guess. My poor boy...
 

taterbug

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Many, many positive being sent to Chase. Bless his little heart...and your's too!
 
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Thanks a lot. The poor guy just threw up.. it was full of cheese. I don't know how many times I've told the family NOT to give him much cheese, even if he's not eating much else. Ugh. Half his meds probably came up with it.
 

xocats

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Awww...I can tell that your are very worried about your sweet boy.

Sending calming vibes to you and healing vibes for precious Chase.
 

cloud_shade

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I'd skip the FIP test--it won't likely tell you much unless you are testing a sample of the actual fluid and not just his blood. Is he on a diuretic?
 
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He's not on a diuretic yet because he was so dehydrated. I think he will probably be put on one at his recheck next week? At least, she had talked about it.
 
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Chase had his recheck, so I just wanted to update. There's not a lot to tell. The vet leans toward thinking FIP, but admits she really does not know what is wrong with him. She thinks it is just a matter of keeping him comfortable as long as possible until the time comes.. She didn't want to do a diuretic still since he is losing too much water in his urine, and the fluid in his chest isn't so bad that it is causing symptoms yet. She upped him from 100 mL to 200 mL of sub-Q fluids a day.
 

ktlynn

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Poor boy! I'm very sorry Chase is ill.

I think you should get his heart checked out with ultrasound (echocardiogram) - it's much more accurate than an X-ray. Echos are only as good as the person doing them, however, so try to have a feline cardiologist do it, or at least a vet with lots of ultrasound experience. Echos are expensive but you will get an answer.

The amount of fluid Chase is getting has been significantly increased (100mL to 200mL). It's dangerous to do too much fluid if there's heart disease present, so you need to find out what's going on with the heart ASAP!

It seems that if there was true kidney disease, the bloodwork kidney values would reflect this. I wonder if it's got something to do with the heart and the fluid that's building up.

Your vet has admitted to not knowing what's wrong with Chase, and it sounds like she's given up. But your boy was able to gain a little weight and even though he's not feeling well, he "still seems pretty happy" as you said. If Chase were my kitty, I'd get a second opinion and fast.

If you're near Knoxville, there's a vet school at UT. Give them a call and try to get Chase in to the vets there. I think it's the only vet school in the state university system, but you could check on that. You may also have a veterinary emergency/diagnostic hospital in your area. These are usually larger facilities than the small private practices of local vets, and they'll have several feline specialists there. There may also be feline specialists in private practice if there are no vet hospitals like that near you. You want a specialist, board certified if possible. Do a search and see what you can find.

Lots of prayers, good vibes and good wishes to you and your sweet boy.
 
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Knoxville is over 4 hours away. We looked into it when we had a dog with cancer the local vets couldn't do anything for. I do want to look into getting a second (well, third at this point!) opinion on his condition. I really wish money weren't an issue at all. I think I would have to go an hour to Nashville to find a specialist, and I've been told the fee to even get in the door is very steep. I considered a cats only vet in the area, but have heard absolutely nothing good about him from anyone. I was told he even tried to cheat animal control overcharging! ... So. I'm not sure what to do at this point. But I will at least call around and get an idea of where I could go and how much it will be.

Oh, and thanks to everyone sending positive vibes his way.
He does seem to be feeling a bit better with the increased fluids.
 

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Awww, poor Chase!
Sending many, many good health vibes his way.
 
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I talked to one local place today.. they aren't specialists, but they do offer echos and have experience doing them.. They quoted me $198. Is this a normal price for it?? This place sometimes is cheap, sometimes high for things, so I never really know what to think. I still need to call a couple of other places and see what they do.
 
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