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Vomiting, low temperature; obstruction or virus?

post #1 of 13
2/18/09 at 11:40am
Thread Starter 
we have a 9-month old foster cat who suddenly took ill, lethergic, low body temp, wouldn't eat and kept throwing up. he's at the vet's now, they took an x-ray and didn't see any obstruction and now they are doing a barium study because he vomited a couple of times overnight. if they don't find anything in the barium study, what will they do next? I want this cat to get better but the bill is totaling up fast.

My colleague says they should rule out a virus before they dive into some kind of exploratory surgery. i don't know all the specifics of what they've got him on but I know he's on an IV catheter to keep his fluid levels up.

I've read through as many threads as I can on this, ranging from swallowed rubber bands to CRF, i'm just not sure what to do next. The cat was only with me a couple of weeks, he tested neg for FIV/Felv, been neutered and vaccinated and up until monday he was fine. He was a stray cat so we don't know his past, but he's a Siamese mix.

My fear is they'll put him through all this and never have a reasonable explanation for it. what is the diagnosis usually if it's not an obstruction? at this point i'm almost hoping he swallowed something, at least it can be removed and he will get better.
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post #2 of 13
2/18/09 at 1:07pm
Hi I'm sorry I really can't suggest or advise anything, I'm sure someone will be along who can give you more information. Many Prayers and good luck
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post #3 of 13
2/18/09 at 2:14pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the nice thoughts. I just talked to somebody at the vet's, they've got him on 2 types of antibiotics plus Pepcid, so if it was a virus you'd think the antibiotics would help him out more. They're right in the middle of the barium scan, so it'll be a while before we know anything more. I'm almost positive now it will turn out to be an obstruction, but I'll wait to see what the doc says. I'm racking my brain about what he might have swallowed, I thought my house was cat-proofed!
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post #4 of 13
2/18/09 at 2:14pm
Pancreatitis can cause the exact symptoms you are describing. I would think an abdominal ultrasound would be first before exploratory surgery.

There is a blood test for pancreatitis, the fPLI at TAMU, it is expensive and takes at least a week to come back, but it is the only definitive test for this right now.

Usually vets will start supportive treatment well before this test result comes back.

Hope this lucky boy gets to feeling better soon. You are an angel for fostering!
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post #5 of 13
2/19/09 at 3:30pm
Thread Starter 
the poor guy had a seizure today. the vet no longer thinks it's an obstruction but almost definitely a virus. he keeps mentioning parvo, which would really suck. They're stepping up the antibiotics but if it is something that serious, what are his chances? i kind of wish they had pursued it as a bad virus all along, i kinda feel like they wasted time with the barium study, but i guess they're not clairvoyant.

this is shaping up to be a textbook case of why people need to learn to be more responsible with their pets. he's clearly not an alley cat, but was found living on the streets.
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post #6 of 13
2/21/09 at 7:32pm
Thread Starter 
just a follow up ... our poor cat didn't make it. the vet believes he had panleukopenia and it overwhelmed his immune system. they did everything they could to get him to bounce back but it was too much for him. we're pretty upset of course, such a lovely cat, it's still hard to believe he's gone.

once again, i must vent how enraged i am that somebody betrayed this cat to the streets, where he picked up this horrible virus. below is a link to a photo album of him, he was obviously somebody's housecat. so sad.

http://flickr.com/photos/jimmylegs/s...7613270245086/
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post #7 of 13
2/21/09 at 7:50pm
He was beautiful! I am so sorry Jimmylegs, you tried so hard to save this sweet boy. Your right, due to human stupidity this kitty died. A simple vaccination would have saved him.

The silver lining is that he know love and caring in the end. He didn't die alone and terrified on the streets.

RIP beautiful boy
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post #8 of 13
2/21/09 at 7:56pm
Condolences on losing JimmyLegs Bless you for all your efforts - in the end, he was receiving medical care and at the very least, he was given a peaceful passing instead of, as KittyMonsters said, dying alone & terrified in the streets. Scamper happily over RB, JimmyLegs - our RB crew of TCS kitties will be there to welcome you
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post #9 of 13
2/22/09 at 3:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimmylegs View Post
just a follow up ... our poor cat didn't make it. the vet believes he had panleukopenia and it overwhelmed his immune system. they did everything they could to get him to bounce back but it was too much for him. we're pretty upset of course, such a lovely cat, it's still hard to believe he's gone.

once again, i must vent how enraged i am that somebody betrayed this cat to the streets, where he picked up this horrible virus. below is a link to a photo album of him, he was obviously somebody's housecat. so sad.

http://flickr.com/photos/jimmylegs/s...7613270245086/
Oh no that's so sad!
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post #10 of 13
2/22/09 at 4:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jimmylegs View Post
so if it was a virus you'd think the antibiotics would help him out more.
Just as an aside, antibiotics have no effect on viruses; once the cat is infected, the best you can do is support it and fight off secondary infections. Only a vaccine will prevent a virus.

He was such a beautiful cat, I can understand your sadness.
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post #11 of 13
2/22/09 at 5:19am
That's too bad. He was a beautiful cat. Since he came down with panleuk it sounds like he never got the initial kitten vacs, so he was betrayed in more ways than one. Poor boy.
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post #12 of 13
2/23/09 at 4:58am
Thread Starter 
thanks, folks. considering he was unaltered and found wandering the streets of booklyn in the dead of winter, i am not surprised his original owner didn't follow through on those initial, important vaccinations. i guess it's preaching to the choir here, but it's good to remember these facts when getting the word out. such a shame, so unnecessary. but i'm glad we gave him a chance.
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post #13 of 13
2/23/09 at 1:06pm
Poor little baby... He was such a trooper for having to go through so much so suddenly!

Bless your heart for taking care of him.

Rest assured he's happy and at peace now. Probably soaking up the sunshine on an angel's lap

I wish there were more people like you in the world!
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