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Circling/Falling

post #1 of 34
4/18/10 at 6:46am
Thread Starter 
One of my 10 yo males developed this overnight a few days ago. I took him to the vet Friday. In addition he has lost nearly 3 pounds since January. Vet gave me antibiotics and a steroid. He seems to have regained his appetite today but is very unstable moving. I don't have the money for an MRI. Hopefully the circling and falling is being caused by an inner ear infection and not a brain tumor or a stroke. I've read some of the stories here about similar problems and am just wondering how many of these cases turn out to be inner ear problems rather than the more serious ones. Thanks you have a great forum here.
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post #2 of 34
4/18/10 at 7:10am
Many years ago, my cat Harry had an inner ear prob. He was actually trying to walk on his front feet with his but in the air!

With treatment it did clear up. Hope you have the same results!!
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post #3 of 34
4/18/10 at 7:24am
Sounds like vestibular disease.

southbound, some info for you:

http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/Heal...arDisease.html

http://www.cathealth.com/vestibular.htm

http://www.vetinfo.com/feline-vestibular-disease.html

In this article please scroll down to feline vestibular disease:
http://www.vin.com/VINDBPub/SearchPB...00/PR00325.htm
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post #4 of 34
4/18/10 at 7:26am
Hello and welcome to TCS, I'm sorry to hear about your kitty.

If it is Vestibular Disease (inner ear) the symptoms should subside fairly quickly, within a few days, from what I have read.

If it is from stroke, it could take a bit longer.

Did your vet do blood work? If not, why not? If stroke is suspected, blood work to check thyroid, and a blood pressure reading are necessary.

It is possible for a cat to recover from stroke, it takes a bit more time, but if it was a stroke, hyperthyroid and/or high blood pressure needs to be controlled. In addition kidney disease is often associated with hyperthyroid and high blood pressure, another reason for blood work.

I am not a vet but have a lot of experience with the above. Please keep us updated on your beloved boy, what's his name?
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post #5 of 34
4/18/10 at 7:49am
Thread Starter 
His name is Nikky. He has had problems with breathing and severe congestion for some time now. He has been on antibiotics and steroids on and off for a while now. I am going to take him back to his old vet for some blood work this week. Maybe the medication has caused the problem with his balance. Up until a couple of days ago he was his normal self running around and jumping everywhere. I imagine the weight loss might be attributed to his loss of sense of smell from the congested/runny nose. His left eye doesn't seem quite right as far as the coloring goes but it has improved with the new medication. I need to take him back to the old vet. I don't want to mention any names but this national chain vet he visited the other day wasn't my cup of tea and the charges were astronomical.
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post #6 of 34
4/18/10 at 11:54am
I hope your cat will improve.
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post #7 of 34
4/18/10 at 12:11pm
My diabetic cat used to do the circling and falling down when his BG wasn't stable ...I hope your cat gets well soon
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post #8 of 34
4/19/10 at 9:07am
Thread Starter 
I couldn't handle watching the poor guy looking like he was on ice skates for the first time so I took him to his old vet. He has an inner ear infection which was treated. Doc says he should be on his feet again in a couple of weeks tops. He did blood work which he sent out to a lab and should know all about that in a day. Concern is the weight loss the past couple of months. He has some other minor issues but he has been dealing with congestion for a couple of years now. He is eating his dry and wet food and seems to be in decent spirits. I just hope the blood test doesn't show anything too bad. Fingers crossed.
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post #9 of 34
4/19/10 at 9:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by southbound View Post
I couldn't handle watching the poor guy looking like he was on ice skates for the first time so I took him to his old vet. He has an inner ear infection which was treated. Doc says he should be on his feet again in a couple of weeks tops. He did blood work which he sent out to a lab and should know all about that in a day. Concern is the weight loss the past couple of months. He has some other minor issues but he has been dealing with congestion for a couple of years now. He is eating his dry and wet food and seems to be in decent spirits. I just hope the blood test doesn't show anything too bad. Fingers crossed.
for your kitty! I hope he's better soon!
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post #10 of 34
4/19/10 at 3:16pm
Thread Starter 
I forgot to add that it took the vet today about 5 seconds to diagnose Horner's Syndrome. The vet I took the cat to Friday was absolutely clueless. It really is important to find a decent vet. I am really miffed about the wasted time and money I spent on Friday. Not only did they charge 75 bucks for an "emergency" visit they also added 30 bucks on top of that for an emergency visit. so they actually charged me twice.

After I took Nikky in today the vet recommended I bring in the cats for ear mite treatment. He cleaned all 4 gave them all Acarexx and a shot each for $70. Plus he did an exam on all 4. Plus he gave me another round of steroid and antibiotic treatment for Nikky. $70.
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post #11 of 34
4/21/10 at 4:27pm
Thread Starter 
Blood work came back fine. Nikky has pneumonia but that is being treated and he should recover fully from that. He is still shaky on his legs doesn't push it too much but he is getting around a bit better now. The Doc expects a full recovery. I think he is enjoying the extra attention. He's a good boy.
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post #12 of 34
4/21/10 at 4:46pm
That is great news! Stick with this vet.
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post #13 of 34
4/21/10 at 11:51pm
Yes, this sounds like a great vet. Hope your boy is better soon!
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post #14 of 34
4/22/10 at 6:34pm
Thread Starter 
He's not 100% yet but he has improved quite a bit over the past couple of days. He is getting around a lot better still a little unsteady but not falling. I was surprised to find him underneath me this morning when I opened the can of wet food for the family. So he's looking good. Thanks to all.
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post #15 of 34
4/22/10 at 8:09pm
That's still good news! Any improvement is good!
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post #16 of 34
4/24/10 at 9:19am
Thread Starter 
Well I guess the improvement does not go in a straight line upwards. He is in good spirits and is eating and drinking. He is still having some problems getting around and falls now and then. He is tilting severely to the left with the head tilt. I called the vet yesterday afternoon. I was expecting miracles I guess. so the vet told me this inner ear infection and its damages can last days months or years. He might even need surgery to relieve the possible pressure on the nerve that is causing his problems. Hoping it doesn't come to that.
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post #17 of 34
4/24/10 at 9:37pm
Aww I am so sorry. Trust me, I know that feeling. that it doesn't take that long.

And mega for you.
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post #18 of 34
5/2/10 at 11:05am
Thread Starter 
He's getting around a little better. I took him to the vet Friday and he said the pneunomia has improved quite a bit as had the inner ear infection. My female did go after him the other day but there is no way to separate themall the time. Most times she is friendly but sometimes she just acts a little strangely. Anyways. I imagine due to the stress I notice the last couple of days he has taken refuge for periods in the litter box. Not a lot though. He has no urinary problems the Doc said other than the inner ear thing and the congestion he is doing very well. What can I do to discourage the litter box hanging without stressing him even more?
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post #19 of 34
5/2/10 at 3:22pm
Just let him. Or....set up a cardboard box with a t shirt in it you ahve slept in, near by for him to snug down in.
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post #20 of 34
5/31/10 at 9:13am
Thread Starter 
With all the terribly sad tales I thought maybe we could all do with a bit of good news. Nikky went to the vet again yesterday and the vet was pleasantly surprised at his nearly total recovery. He still has a minor head tilt but he has gained back most of the weight he had lost from his long term bout with pneumonia. He is running around again. The vet reco'd he stay on his daily regimen of steroids and oral antibiotics.
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post #21 of 34
5/31/10 at 9:19am
Oh that's great news. Thanks for the happy update on your Nikky!
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post #22 of 34
6/2/10 at 4:01pm
Thread Starter 
It was going so well for my little guy. I woke up this morning and noticed Nikky had a humongous swelling on the left side of his throat. He seems fine otherwise eating drinking and playing. I called the vet and just got to run him over as he was going home. He took a quick look and his lymph node is terribly swollen. The vet is pretty sure it is a tumor can't tell if it is malignant or benign. I am going to take him back in tomorrow afternoon to get it aspirated to see if it is malignant. Hope not the vet did say the treatment is similar in any case i.e. keep him on his steroids and antibiotics. Here's hoping whatever the mass is it is benign.The growth came on very quickly and the growth rate was astounding. He doesn't think it is just a cyst.
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post #23 of 34
6/3/10 at 9:27am
Oh, poor thing....sending vibes your way and prayers. Keep us updated.




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post #24 of 34
6/3/10 at 9:28am
Oh no. I am very sorry to see this. I'm thinking of you and Nikky and praying all will be well for him.

Please keep us posted.

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post #25 of 34
6/3/10 at 10:11am
I too am thinking of Nikki. Please let us know what is found.
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post #26 of 34
6/5/10 at 6:06pm
Thread Starter 
Tumor is benign. Treatment is the same antibiotic and steroid. However the gland is very swollen and is large. It cannot be drained or removed. I am at a loss as to what to do. His current meds do not seem to be helping to reduce the swelling one bit. He is still eating drinking seems to be in no discomfort whatsoever. Does anyone have any ideas? Obviously if this keeps growing it will affect his ability to eat drink breath.
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post #27 of 34
6/5/10 at 6:08pm
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post #28 of 34
6/5/10 at 8:20pm
Well, the benign is good news. What is your vet's recommendation? I suggest a consult with a specialist.
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post #29 of 34
6/7/10 at 4:18pm
Thread Starter 
I went to talk to the vet today. He said to keep a close watch on the growth. So long as it does not get any bigger nothing needs to be done. He told me he has a dog who has a similar kind of growth so as long as it doesn't grow towards the throat and affect his breathing drinking or eating to leave it alone. He said it could be removed with little to no problem if it gets worrisome.
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post #30 of 34
6/23/10 at 7:07pm
Thread Starter 
While Nikky's growth has not gotten appreciably larger he has managed to catch a cold. This is alarming because he has been on Amoxicillin and steroids for a bit over two months. He is not interested in eating for the past couple of days. We have been hand feeding him his wet food and giving him water through the injectors we use to give him his liquid meds. He does get up to drink and use the litterbox but he has markedly declined the past three days. He actually appeared to be coming back to some type of normality besides the growth. I don't know how long it is fair to keep him going like this. Very sad.
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