Here we go again:-( - update on Lucas

Hello everyone:

I took Lucas to the vet yesterday and he had a fever of 104.  The vet thinks he has some sort of an infection, his eyes look infected, his nose looks sore and he keeps licking it.  This is not something new for me, Lucas has had this before he started having food allergies, this is what made our first vet prescribe the prednisolone in the first place.  The vet told us it was discoid lupus, his symptoms were the same he is having now, plus his little toes got dark and infected and they bled.   Also he kept having high fevers for no reason.

Right now Lucas looks so sick. this is not related to the food allergies at all, he has them, but this is something else and I feel it is what our  first vet said, the lupus. 

The vet we have now doesnt believe Lucas has Lupus, he says this is happening because of the food allergies or because he is FIV+, so he only prescribed an antibiotic (orbax), but I know by experience that when Lucas is having a crisis like this I have to give him a higher dose of prednisolone plus the antibiotic, that is what helps, so that is what I'm doing, I'm giving him the orbax and 5 mg of pred, I will lower the  pred when he gets better.

The holistic vet that was helping me with Lucas also believes Lucas has an autoimmune disease that could be lupus.

 I just wish I could take Lucas to the vet who firts  diagnosed him with lupus, but he moved to the US.

I checked his temp minutes ago and he still had a fever of 103.5.  I have to keep checking him.  I will update later on.

This all happened because I kept trying to wean him off the pred, he really needs it.

Tammy

Hello:)  thank you so much and I love to hear about what you are going through with Pipsqueak, I need to know about other's experiences and I also want to know how your kitty is doing.  I'm sorry his chin got bad again without the pred, I think you will be able to get him on a low dose and he will be just fine. 

Lucas was doing well on a daily dose of 2.5mg, when I started giving it to him every other day , that is when problems started, he needs it everyday.  For now, I will keep him on 5mg , but in a week,if he is better,I will start a lower dose.  I just hope I can give him a very low dose that he could stay on.  Yes, I've read the pred is not too bad for cats, but I always worry. But I will do whatever needs to be done so he can feel better. 

Thank you sooo much for your words, vibes and support.  Lots of vibes and hugs for you and your beautiful Pipsqueak:)

Thank you so much  Lauren;) Yes, it is awful when our babies are in crisis, hopefully we wil find the right dose of meds to keep them symptom free.  I'm happy to say Lucas doesn't have a fever today and his face and eyes are looking better.  What worries me is that I noticed him limping last night and I held him to check his paw and it hurts when I touch it.  He screamed!  I saw that his paw pad, not his toes, is looking bruised, I don't know what is that about, maybe he hurt himself somehow. But I also know that symptom is related to discoid lupus,which my first vet suspeced he had it.  That time one of his toes looked black and was bleeding.  If it is the lupus, he should get better with the antibiotic and the pred.

I also think I know why Lucas is in crisis.  My Mom told me that when I'm at school, Lucas likes to sleep on a small table that is beside a window and she says sometimes the sun goes through and she saw the sunlight right on Lucas.  I think that is what triggered this crisis, Lucas can't be exposed to sunlight. I have to be more careful with him, I just can't be home watching him all the time, so for now, I took the table and moved it to an area where there is shade.

Lauren, I now your boy's problem is on his chin, do you feed him in plastic bowls?  If so, change his plated to stainless steel.   That is what my first vet told me when Lucas started having eruptions on his chin. Maybe you have already done this, I' telling you just in case;)

Hugs, Tammy

Yes, Lucas seems to have Lupus and also food allergies, everyday I'm more convinced of that :( I hate that, but it is there and I have to deal with it to help my boy.  WOW!  your boy is so good, letting you take his urine so easily!  I had to cut a magazine to be able to trick Lucas into urinating into it.  Thank God he did it and I was able to get a good sample for his tests.  I  hope your boy's results are good.  Vibes for him and for you

Hi Laurie, I really wanted to know about Lazlo, I hope he is doing ok.  He is on pred too,well I guess we both have to accept that they do need it.  I accepted that Lucas has Lupus and I will keep him on the pred, of course,once he is better I will lower the dose, but he will need it for life.  If the fact is that Lucas was affected by being exposed to the sun, then I hope he can be in a lower dose once the crisis is over, I just can't let him be exposed to the sun. 

I'm feeling better now because I'm learning more and more about what affects Lucas, now I know about his allergies to food and the Lupus.  What is scaring me a little is that he is upset because his paw pad is huting, his foot hurts so much, I don't know what to do to help him.  Too bad he didn't have that symptom the day I took him to the vet.  If he continues complaining I will take him to the vet again.  He doesn't even let me touch it.  It looks bruised, but the last time he had that he didn't look like he was in pain, but now the pain seems to be pretty bad.  I hate that he is in pain.

I will see how he is tomorrow.

Hugs and vibes for Lazlo and Pipsqueak and all the kitties that are suffering from any illness,I love them all.

I will wait and see, he has no problem walking right now, but he screams in pain when he stretches his right "hand" I call them hands, it is the right front paw.  If he is still he is fine, but when he does certain movements it hurts him and it hurts my heart too.

Yes, that could have happened:( I really don't know, I just hopes this goes away soon.  Your friend's situations seems very similar to what Lucas is experiencing.  I hope your friend is doing better.

 I really call Lucas's  front paws "manitos" (little hands in spanish) the other two I call them "piesitos" (little feet). I'm crazy I know ....