Here we go again:-( - update on Lucas

momto4kitties

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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
 

feralvr

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Oh sweetie :sniffle: - I am sad to hear Lucas is so sick right now and :hugs: to you, Tammy. I know how very, very worrisome this it to you, Lucas' meowmy :hugs:. I do think you know best as far as the orbax and Pred. together, from you past experience. I would do both too. I don't mean to keep bringing up Pipsqueak because his issues is far less serious than sweet Lucas - but I too took Pipsqueak totally off Pred one week ago today. Well, that last day his chin started to flare. This morning it was really getting bad, red, swollen, pustules and hard lumps forming againing. So I put him back on 5 mg. Pred for three days then will go to the 2.5 mg./day until it clears then every other day again. I had his chin totally cleared up and maintaining it with every other day 2.5 Pred. I just wanted to see if he could go without the Pred. :(. I guess not. I just want you to know that from what I have read, Pred. is not as hard on cat's as it is dog's. So if you have to keep Lucas on the Pred - and he can be maintained at a low dose, then just keep him on it..... I know another member here on TCS who has to give her cat 10 mg. of Pred/ once a week for life and it seems to help this cat from having any flare-ups or issues. So maybe down the road you could spread the Pred. out - say from every other day to every three days and so forth. That is what I will try with Pipsqueak - after I can get this flare-up under control - I will just try to space out the dosing of the Pred.

Thinking of you and Lucas. Hope your baby feels better very soon :cross: I think he will feel better in another day with the Orbax and the Pred. :nod: :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes:
 
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momto4kitties

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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:)
 

feralvr

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Tammy - I do think that 2.5 mg. IS a low dose for cats :nod:..... So even if you had to keep Lucas on that dosage, it would be pretty safe IMO. BUT if you could maintain him with the 1.25 mg. - even better :nod:. Something I never thought of either for Pipsqueak - 1.25 mg. :think:. I know you mentioned the 1.25 mg in another post. Pipsqueak is really doing fine - I am sure the Pred will kick in and help to clear this new eruption. He has some other health issues as well (blood in urine - stress issues) - so I think he has a compromised immune system too. It is just a daily worry and I just try to accept what is happening to some of my furkids right now and just deal on a day to day basis. If I allow myself to worry to much and get worked up, then I am not helping them and just making myself more run down. It is hard, though, to stay strong emotionally when our babies are in a crisis. BUT somehow, from experience, we always seem to weather the storm :storm: and come out the other side with full :sun:!!!!!!!

:vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes: For sweet darling Lucas and :hugs::hugs::hugs::hugs::hugs: for meowmy :heart3:
 
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momto4kitties

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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
 

feralvr

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I am glad that Lucas is better today :). I do think that bruising on his paw pad could be directly related to the Lupus :sniffle:. I have a friend who has this disease and moved to a dryer climate, Arizona from Chicago. She also cannot, under any circumstances, be in the sunlight. I don't know all of the medical "lingo" to describe this but I think you have found something here that is related to "some" of the reasons for Lucas' skin issues :nod: When you just noted that about the sunshine - it brought my friend's Lupus condition immediately to my mind in regards to the sunshine :nod:. More :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes: that Lucas will continue to improve today and tomorrow :cross:

Yes, I have always used ceramic bowls. Now stainless. I fear with Pipsqueak - there is more to this than I really know. I brought the urine sample in today - got it this morning. He is so good, he just let's me hold a small, sterile plastic container in his urine stream :lol3:. It didn't look real good, still a bit dark :( :( :sigh:
 
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momto4kitties

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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
 

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Oh Tammy..... just more :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: and :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: for Lucas. I guess in the end he really does have the discoid lupus. :( He's contending with so many things. He's so very lucky to have a meowmy that cares so much. I hope the antibiotics and the slightly higher dose of pred work quickly!

Just FYI, Lazlo is on 5mg of pred daily - likely will be for whatever time he has left with us. :heart3:

At this point, I think it's just about making Lucas as comfortable as possible. :heart3:

:hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :hugs: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes:
 
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momto4kitties

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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.
 
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momto4kitties

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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.
 

feralvr

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Just more :hugs: and :vibes: tonight..... I don't know anything about Discoid Lupus in cat's. I am just going on what a dear friend has deal with having Lupus. I do know she has severe muscle soreness and bruised very, very easily :(. I wonder if that is what happened to Lucas' paw.... he jumped down and landed a bit to hard on that "hand" :). I am hoping to read in the morning, he is better :cross: :vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes::vibes: :hugs::hugs::hugs::hugs::hugs::hugs::hugs:
 
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momto4kitties

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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 ....
 

barbb

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See if your vet will give you a steroid shot instead of the oral pred every day, it might make a big difference. :-(. Also I will mail you allergy pills if that will help, they contain vitamin C which should help the immune system a lot. Let me know. And my FIV group said lactoferrin is a big help. I'm so sorry to hear about your kitty. I posted on another link too about the allergies.  
 
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