Where to find surgical specialists in Chicago?

Oprah used Arboretum View Hospital in Downers Grove (western suburbs) when her puppies were ill. But that may be a haul for you. But, I wonder if they could give you a referral to someone near you in Chicago?

I'm going to start here: if your cat is not eating, not eating at all, he needs to be hospitalized. A cat not eating is an emergency situation that calls for emergency treatment. (You need to realize, however, that no vet will start out by putting in a feeding tube.)

It would be best if you contacted your current vet and let him or her know your cat is not eating. You should expect that your vet would tell you to bring him in right away and hospitalize him. The necessary tests not done yet - X-rays and ultrasound - would also be done while he is in the hospital.

Please, contact your vet immediately. If your vet does not offer to hospitalize him, then call the small animal ER at the vet school in your state for advice. That's the best, most reliable place to call in a situation like this - IF you get no help from your vet.

The number is 217-333-5300

And their web site
http://vetmed.illinois.edu/

One of my coworkers had one put in her cat a few months ago. I'll ask her and find out where she went. It's true that not many are able to put them in. When I find out from her, I will post.

asntp, it is very important that you understand two things.

One, that with the correct treatment (hospitalization, IV fluids and medications), a sick cat that isn't eating, can start eating again and remain well and continue eating after he goes home from the hospital. Fluids alone in a situation like this are vitally important.
Your cat hasn't had any such treatment, and there is a very good chance that that's all he would need to make him feel better and able to eat.

Two, as I said earlier, vets don't start out by putting in a feeding tube when they don't even know what's wrong with a cat. Doing the necessary diagnostic work is absolutely essential.
A feeding tube is no substitute for proper diagnostics. In your cat's case a vet will want to do additional blood work, take X-rays, do an abdominal ultrasound, and the fPLI test. When a cat is not eating, all these tests are necessary.

Please, have your cat hospitalized so he can get the fluids and medications he needs, and have all the other necessary tests done to find out why he can't eat. When vets recommend these tests they have the pet's best interest at heart. Please believe me when I tell you this because it's true.

Not sure where in Chicago you are located, but I go to a great vet in the NW suburbs, Arlington Heights, called the Arlington Cat Clinic. Any of the vets there are fantastic. Their number is 847-398-3355. I have treated 5 cats there and they have always been great. Two of my cats are sadly no longer with us, but 3 of them are still doing well.

I love that place because they only treat cats and they have a specialty with geriatric cats. They are very caring and they are all cat lovers.

I have used Arboretum View Animal Hospital(www.avah.org), and Veterinary Specialty Center (www.vetspecialty.com) in Buffalo Grove for specialist care, but not surgery specifically. They both have multiple specialist including surgeons. I believe your vet has to refer you though.

As far as cat-specific vets, the ones I know of are Chicago Cat Clinic and Cat Hospital of Chicago but I haven't personally used either one so I can't say whether they are good choices.

Is this a reasonable approach? I'm really not sure. Perhaps, if test results show pancreatitis and absolutely no treatment works. (You are not there yet. So much hasn't been done yet.) Otherwise I would want to work on resolving the problem without a feeding tube. It can be done. Also, you might want to keep in mind that a PEG tube can cause esophagitis. If that happens, it's just one more problem that needs to be dealt with. And the medications required to treat it work against everything you're trying to accomplish.

It will be important for you to see the blood work results and I urge you to ask for copies of all the results for yourself. I can't emphasize how important that is.

I'd like to ask you, what are you feeding, is it canned or dry, and what kind of changes have you made, what kind of different foods have you offered since your kitty has lost his appetite? Are you leaving out food, or are you trying to keep a feeding schedule? Have you tried offering all-meat baby foods? What about kitten food? Have you tried any? What about home cooked chicken breast without the skin, etc? And what about prescription food, Hill's a/d for instance? That's good, even if a cat has pancreatitis. (In fact I remember a kitty that actually recovered from pancreatitis with the help of this food.)
Fish is one kind of food I would not offer in any form in this situation.

I'll be honest with you, I would do everything in my power to avoid having to use a feeding tube. As long as the liver is functioning normally, any underlying condition can be treated with the appropriate medications. And the right treatment brings back the appetite. Also, since vaccinations cause inflammatory responses, which in turn can lead to a list of complications, including pancreatitis, it would make sense to deal with this situation holistically as well, in addition to any necessary conventional treatment. I'm thinking, since holistic vets know a whole lot about dealing with vaccination related serious complications, I would want to see one to get some help.
One place you might want to look:
http://www.holisticvetlist.com/
Go to advanced search.
You might also Google holistic vets in your area.

This article is good reading, it explains some things
http://www.dogsadversereactions.com/...ineDamage.html