Cat vomiting despite anti-emetic

I agree with above, and I posted it a few days ago.............................this kitten MUST Have xrays/ultrasound of the abdomen done...................to rule out any kind of obstruction and this should have been one of the first few diagnostic tests the Vets considered doing when the nausea wasn't resolving, that's mindblowing to me.   You need to gently INSIST that this be done explaining that you're concerned that perhaps she swallowed something and has some kind of foreign object inside/an obstruction.   All of the anti-emetic meds in the world are not going to help if the vomiting is caused by a mass or an obstruction.   If your Vet won't do this, go elsewhere.   It's shocking to me that this hasn't already been done....it's shameful really, IMO.

And to the Vet that told you "I was also told that Baytril would not cause vomiting since it's a "mild" antibiotic, but to stop it for a day or two and see if there's any improvement."......................with all due respect, what a freaking moron.   First off, YES Baytril will definitely cause vomiting in some cats................it is NOT a "mild" antibiotic, it's an extremely potent one and many vets use it as a last resort."

I'd be seriously requesting copies of all results and tests and meds prescribed to date and finding  a new Vet, the ones you've been seeing sound like total clowns who are not taking any of this seriously.

I seriously doubt my cat ate anything strange - her brother is a idiot and likes to eat things like broom bristles ad rubber bands (which I try to stop, but sometimes he still manages to find something to munch on). But my sick kitty only eats actually edible things. I suppose it's possible she had a lapse in judgment and ate something bad, but she's smarter than that, so I don't think it's anything like a twist tie or paper clip.She's been at my mother's before many times, and I've been away from home for long periods while at college and Kitty was fine. There's not much in the house that would possibly stress her out - she's a pretty mellow cat. The vet is actually the one who said the next step should Kitty's current meds not work would be an ultrasound, so I don't think I need to tell her that.Out of curiosity, if Kitty does have a blockage of some kind going on and she was all clogged up, wouldn't her belly be swollen? Seriously, if I press one finger into each side of her belly, they meet in the middle. There is no bloating, stiffness, tenderness or swelling whatsoever. All I know is I think Kitty is getting desperate - I tried giving her baby food again and she threw it up. I went to get some paper towels to clean it up and by the time I got back, she was eating the food she had just thrown up. While she's drinking plenty of water, I don't know if she's 100% hydrated with how often she vomits. I don't know if I should quit feeding her completely so she doesn't get dehydrated or keep trying to get her to eat and keep something down.

Poor Kitty. Could you try cooking some plain (no seasonings) chicken meat and puree it with added water and see if that would stay down?

Not sure if you're into alternatives to drugs, but going to mention this. For vomiting (or any digestive issues including constipation/diarrhea, nausea, etc.) I use a natural "Pepto Bismol," Slippery Elm Bark (SEB) powder mixed with just boiled water, let sit so it thickens a bit into a syrup, cool, then give via syringe or dropper. Some kitties will even lap it up off a plate or spoon. You can get capsules or bulk powder from most health food stores. Great info on its uses and how to make it here at Little Big Cat. I can't tell you how many kitties over the years, including mine, that I know of who have benefited from SEB. It is an amazing herb! And one of the few that is safe for kitties.

I have heard about slippery elm bark, and I'm by no means opposed to herbal treatments (I use them myself sometimes). And if I thought I could actually keep something besides water in my cat's system, I'd consider giving her some so she could just have some relief from vomiting. Especially since she's started vomiting for no reason again along with vomiting right after eating. Still no blood or bile in the vomit, but also no pain, restlessness, depression (in fact, she seems to purr a lot easier, whereas when she feels well, I usually had to work for it a little more), diarrhea (but I don't know if she's had any bowel movements at all), and while she seems a little more lethargic than normal, it's better than she was Monday. I wonder, if she does have intestinal obstruction, if it's not really large and that's why it's not causing most normal symptoms of a blockage. I know it could be something else besides a blockage, but I'd just like to think she'd have more than A symptom.Neither vet that examined her said her intestines were bunched up and they never said she was in pain, so as I've said about a million times already, here I sit wondering what could be going on when my cat has such atypical symptoms. She is so tiny that there's no way you couldn't feel anything enlarged in her body. You could probably feel a fart through her skinny frame. I also read that many cats with blockages present with high heart and respiratory rates and a mild fever, which my cat did have on Monday. But her breathing and heart rate and temperature seem to be back to normal now. So why would those symptoms just up and disappear? From three days of antibiotics?Even in sickness, my cat continues to confuse the heck out of me.

RuneKeeper said:

I seriously doubt my cat ate anything strange - her brother is a idiot and likes to eat things like broom bristles ad rubber bands (which I try to stop, but sometimes he still manages to find something to munch on). But my sick kitty only eats actually edible things. I suppose it's possible she had a lapse in judgment and ate something bad, but she's smarter than that, so I don't think it's anything like a twist tie or paper clip. She's been at my mother's before many times, and I've been away from home for long periods while at college and Kitty was fine. There's not much in the house that would possibly stress her out - she's a pretty mellow cat. The vet is actually the one who said the next step should Kitty's current meds not work would be an ultrasound, so I don't think I need to tell her that. Out of curiosity, if Kitty does have a blockage of some kind going on and she was all clogged up, wouldn't her belly be swollen? Seriously, if I press one finger into each side of her belly, they meet in the middle. There is no bloating, stiffness, tenderness or swelling whatsoever. All I know is I think Kitty is getting desperate - I tried giving her baby food again and she threw it up. I went to get some paper towels to clean it up and by the time I got back, she was eating the food she had just thrown up. While she's drinking plenty of water, I don't know if she's 100% hydrated with how often she vomits. I don't know if I should quit feeding her completely so she doesn't get dehydrated or keep trying to get her to eat and keep something down.

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But it could even be a hairball... I wouldn't discredit her having a blockage so easily. And no, she's not going to be swollen because everything she's eaten she's thrown up.
You'll be able to tell if she's dehydrated because A. if you scruff her the fur wont bounce back and B he gums will be very light pink or white. Do *not* stop trying to feed her, she's not going to make it without food.

RuneKeeper said:

I have heard about slippery elm bark, and I'm by no means opposed to herbal treatments (I use them myself sometimes). And if I thought I could actually keep something besides water in my cat's system, I'd consider giving her some so she could just have some relief from vomiting. Especially since she's started vomiting for no reason again along with vomiting right after eating. Still no blood or bile in the vomit, but also no pain, restlessness, depression (in fact, she seems to purr a lot easier, whereas when she feels well, I usually had to work for it a little more), diarrhea (but I don't know if she's had any bowel movements at all), and while she seems a little more lethargic than normal, it's better than she was Monday. I wonder, if she does have intestinal obstruction, if it's not really large and that's why it's not causing most normal symptoms of a blockage. I know it could be something else besides a blockage, but I'd just like to think she'd have more than A symptom. Neither vet that examined her said her intestines were bunched up and they never said she was in pain, so as I've said about a million times already, here I sit wondering what could be going on when my cat has such atypical symptoms. She is so tiny that there's no way you couldn't feel anything enlarged in her body. You could probably feel a fart through her skinny frame. I also read that many cats with blockages present with high heart and respiratory rates and a mild fever, which my cat did have on Monday. But her breathing and heart rate and temperature seem to be back to normal now. So why would those symptoms just up and disappear? From three days of antibiotics? Even in sickness, my cat continues to confuse the heck out of me.

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Cats are very good at hiding pain. Usually you won't see any signs until it's too late. She's going into the vet today right? Please make sure she gets an IV with nutrients.

Well crap, turns out the local animal hospital hasn't the facilities for either ultrasound, X-ray or continuous IV fluids. So today's visit was kind of a waste. The vet seemed glad to see Kitty was doing better overall, but she said I'd have to go to a private animal clinic out of town if I wanted to get ultrasounds done. The vet also suggested that my cat could be throwing up because the thyroid meds haven't taken full effect (doesn't explain acute onset vomiting) or simply just because. Yeah I would buy the "just because" logic if the cat threw up for one day. It will be two weeks of vomiting and not digesting food this Friday. She says she wants to give the thyroid meds another COUPLE of weeks to see what happens. I don't think my cat will live 2 more weeks without food since the vomiting has not slowed down at all. The only other thing that seems to be wrong is her heart rate is still a little high (200 bpm), whereas Monday it was 250 (vet said normal for a cat would be around 180). Kitty has lost a pound since I took her in Monday.I was given some special kibbles for sensitive stomachs and told to crush it into something soft by mixing it with warm water, and I was also given the Viyo I forgot to get a few days ago. I gave Kitty a spoonful of the Viyo and it came right back up (with a couple small hairballs). Vet also suggested Kaopectate for the vomiting, which is all well and good, except my cat literally cannot keep anything down that's thicker than water. If she's throwing up a vitamin shake, she will throw up medication.This vet didn't seem too concerned that the cat had not kept any sort of nutrition down since the Friday before last, and she now wants me to wait two weeks to see if the thyroid meds will cure the vomiting? Now I'm getting irritated. I know it's not their fault they can't do IV nutrients or ultrasounds there, but I would consider my cat's degree of regurgitation pretty critical. Not once did the vet suggest a blockage - she told me if I want to rule out possible tumors that I should go for the ultrasound. If I want to put my cat through more stress. Of course I don't WANT to put her through tests that will hurt or scare her, but I want her to live, so yes I am willing to allow her to be tested and let her be a little scared if it means she'll live longer with a relatively okay quality of life.At this point, I will need to get a referral to this private clinic ASAP. My transportation is very limited and I'm just hoping I need to go there for the testing and not have to go back 2-3 times for nonsense that can be done right here. It's not that I don't want to take her - it's a matter of I borrow someone's car and since they refuse to drive on the highway, they will not allow me to drive on the highway either. I can try to ask friends of mine and hope they are available soon. At the very least, I am glad to have read the recommended hospital (about 40 miles away) has relatively reasonable prices. I'm unemployed and rely on freelancing to get me by, so unfortunately, money is an issue and between that and school, I don't have thousands and thousands of dollars to throw at clinics.

Hi Runekeeper, I found this thread while searching for feline intestinal issues. Our 14 year old cat was in a similar situation a year ago. Vet diagnosed her as hyperthyroid. We were giving her methamizole orally for 3 weeks. One day she started throwing up repeatedly and wouldn't stop. (She'd previously had vomited white foam every once in a while for some months, but nothing big, she acted normal.) Rushed to vet, they pumped her full of antibiotics, anti vomiting medication, was on fluids, she still threw up for another few days keeping nothing down. I believed she would die and they didn't have answers, we were so frustrated. I took her to a more experienced vet who listened carefully and advised us to discontinue the methamizole immediately. An ultrasound showed a thickening of the intestine and without further biopsy the vet said our kitty probably has irritable bowel disease or lymphoma, which she said, "we see all the time." She hasn't thrown up like that since we took her off the methamizole and is still enjoying life. She still does throw up white foam or mucous one time every few weeks. I'm not a vet, but if I were you I'd take her off the hyperthyroid medicine asap and see what happens. In my opinion, your cat needs to eat, hyperthyroidism treatment should take a back seat. I feel for you, good luck 

Thanks for the reply, littlesuz. I guess I wasn't totally certain if my cat's issues now were being caused by the methimazole for a couple reasons: One, she has the ear drops and not the pills, which is meant to reduce or eliminate GI side effects. Also, she was vomiting bile before she went on the ear drops. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to take my kitty off the methimazole except it would likely mean her appetite could return to "normal" (which, for her, is eating like a hog). I just worry without the thyroid meds, she will be eating more and thus vomiting more.But I'm so glad to hear your kitty came out of her terrible experience in a good way! It's always uplifting to hear success stories. I don't know if my kitty has something terminal or not, but by looking at her, she does not look like a cat that's dying. Her other symptoms improving keeps me hopeful.She goes to another clinic Wednesday morning and that is the absolute earliest I could get her in. I don't know if they will do more than an ultrasound if that turns up nothing. I did not know the foam and clear fluid was bile either - I thought bile was yellow, and apparently vomiting bile is common with IBD and pancreatitis, both of which look to be very treatable. I don't know for sure, but I can't imagine that my cat could have something terminal when she otherwise looks quite alert.

A pound in a week is really bad. If you don't get her somewhere soon, onset of Fatty Liver disease is very likely. I'm not sure what to tell you about money, you can apply for CareCredit and some vets allow you to make payment plans (there is a thread called "Can't Afford a Vet? PLEASE READ"), but if somebody doesn't figure out what's wrong with her or stop her weight loss, she is going to die. I'm sorry to be so harsh, but it's true.
If it were me, I'd be calling a cab and driving her to an Emergency Vet tonight.

No worries, Minka - I know cats can only go so long without food and I understand she can die if someone doesn't figure out what's going on. As mentioned, she's going to a better clinic tomorrow morning and I hope I don't just get told they don't know what's wrong with her and/or "come back in a week so we can treat her." She was about 9.75 pounds and as of yesterday - exactly one week since she was weighed - she was 8.25 lbs. So actually 1.5 pounds she lost. I just wish the idiots at the local clinic would have told me about their limited facilities sooner so I could have gotten her an ultrasound sooner. Nooo, let's just throw random food and meds at her and see which one sticks! I'm sure they weren't overly concerned because useless tests and meds and visits means more $$$ for them, and then if the cat is too sick to help, well then that's $$$ to put her down too. I don't mind if they can't do certain tests there, but they need to learn to admit when they have no answers.Something else I've been wondering....is it possible she doesn't have an intestinal blockage, but an esophageal blockage? I was trying to find more info online and I found a story of a short-haired cat with similar symptoms as my kitty. Weight loss, lethargy, throwing up right after eating, vomiting white foam and clear mucous, but still an appetite. Turns out the kitty had a hairball stuck deep in his throat that was preventing food from reaching the stomach. Most likely stuck on the way up because it was too large to get up. I'm not saying that's definitely what is wrong with my cat, but her symptoms don't match a lot of what I've read for other conditions, including intestinal blockage. Most cats seem to have appetite loss - my girl lost hers for a few days, but it came back.Here's hoping I at least find out what's wrong tomorrow. Hoping for a treatable outcome, but I want to know what's wrong in general too.

RuneKeeper said:

No worries, Minka - I know cats can only go so long without food and I understand she can die if someone doesn't figure out what's going on. As mentioned, she's going to a better clinic tomorrow morning and I hope I don't just get told they don't know what's wrong with her and/or "come back in a week so we can treat her." She was about 9.75 pounds and as of yesterday - exactly one week since she was weighed - she was 8.25 lbs. So actually 1.5 pounds she lost. I just wish the idiots at the local clinic would have told me about their limited facilities sooner so I could have gotten her an ultrasound sooner. Nooo, let's just throw random food and meds at her and see which one sticks! I'm sure they weren't overly concerned because useless tests and meds and visits means more $$$ for them, and then if the cat is too sick to help, well then that's $$$ to put her down too. I don't mind if they can't do certain tests there, but they need to learn to admit when they have no answers. Something else I've been wondering....is it possible she doesn't have an intestinal blockage, but an esophageal blockage? I was trying to find more info online and I found a story of a short-haired cat with similar symptoms as my kitty. Weight loss, lethargy, throwing up right after eating, vomiting white foam and clear mucous, but still an appetite. Turns out the kitty had a hairball stuck deep in his throat that was preventing food from reaching the stomach. Most likely stuck on the way up because it was too large to get up. I'm not saying that's definitely what is wrong with my cat, but her symptoms don't match a lot of what I've read for other conditions, including intestinal blockage. Most cats seem to have appetite loss - my girl lost hers for a few days, but it came back. Here's hoping I at least find out what's wrong tomorrow. Hoping for a treatable outcome, but I want to know what's wrong in general too.

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The fact that your kitty has an appetite but throws up IMMEDIATELY after eating anything truly says to me that there's a blockage somewhere, whether it's in the esophagus or further down in the GI tract.  

Was she ever on any pill meds prior to all of this?   I ask because cats have such a narrow little esophagus, the thinking now is that when one pills a cat, to ensure they "chase it" with 3-5cc of water syringed slowly into the side of their mouth........as pills can sometimes get stuck in the esophagus and cause 'erosive esophagitis.'   Here is an article on it, by a well known Vet:

http://www.catinfo.org/?link=pillingcats   ---- very interesting article and I learned a lot, though have had cats all my life and prior to reading this had never chased pills with water, had never even heard of erosive esophagitis!

How many seconds/minutes after she eats something would you say she will throw it up?

I know that cats can get nasopharyngeal polyps.......I have a cat who, when she was under for a dental, I had them inspect the back of her throat real well as she was always sounding very "phlegm-y" in the throat.   Thankfully she didn't.

A shame the clinic you went to couldn't have even given her some subcutaneous fluids (IV fluids given into the subcutaneous tissue under the scruff of the neck.......the body absorbs this fluid into the bloodstream over a few hours depending on how dehydrated......this is basic stuff, many of us cat owners with cats who have kidney disease give subQ fluids ourselves at home on a regular basis).

When she has an ultrasound done, be sure to specifically ensure they're scanning not only her abdominal organs but esophagus, too.  

I know in humans they can sometimes get 'esophageal constriction'........just searched google and found this article about narrowing of the esophagus in cats/dogs:

http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/digestive/c_ct_esophageal_stricture#.UKxfiob-3Sg

Here's another that refers to the process of dilating the narrowed esophagus....... and yes, a furball could definitely get stuck in there.   Over the 25 years I've had cats, I've seen some furballs horked up that made my jaw drop.........a few that were a good half inch in diameter and rather long:

http://www.vetstream.com/felis/Content/Technique/teq00693

http://www.reachvet.com/hairball   (not sure if this is the article you'd read?)

I'd really be firm about your concerns that maybe there is a furball stuck in the esophagus.

RuneKeeper said:

No worries, Minka - I know cats can only go so long without food and I understand she can die if someone doesn't figure out what's going on. As mentioned, she's going to a better clinic tomorrow morning and I hope I don't just get told they don't know what's wrong with her and/or "come back in a week.

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Simple; you don't take that. You demand x-rays and and ultrasound. Imho I would go straight to the ultrasound. X-rays won't show plastic, strings or hairballs. It barely shows inflamed tissue either. An experienced vet will see a gas pattern that indicates blockage; but if you get an idiot of a vet, he can just say he doesn't see anything and there you are out of luck. You are way better off with an US.. this sounds a LOT like a blockage to me, in fact, I will bet that's what it is. The symptoms scream blockage; typical all the way. I had a hairball blockage in my house, and another very close call... Both had those symptoms.... But my goodness what is in this vet's head :doh3:
No matter what the vet says tomorrow, get out of there with a solution and a diagnosis, do not get out with a note to come back next week, because she might very well not last that long.

Got Kitty to the vet today, and the ultrasound didn't show anything awful - no tumors or intestinal blockages (which surprised me). It showed slight thickening of her intestinal lining and a little nodule on her pancreas, which the vet said he was very confident was not cancer. Another vet gave Kitty a once-over - she was concerned about her losing so much weight in such a short span of time, and she feels it's most likely due to a combination of not being able to keep any food down for over a week and inflammatory bowel disease. The vet was also suspicious of possible pancreatitis.So Kitty gets to stay there for a day or two, getting IV fluids and some meds and will be introduced to food slowly to see if she can keep anything down. After the exam, Kitty was allowed to walk around the exam room and the vet was happy to see her moving around and rubbing her head on things. She said this is a very good sign that the cat isn't horribly ill. From what she told me, a full recovery is totally possible if pancreatitis is the culprit, and if it's IBD, while the care would be a bit more long term and require diet changes and maybe steroids, it's something that could still be helped. Either way, the vet was quite hopeful.I will call again tomorrow to see if she's able to keep any food down. I actually asked both vets if they thought it could be a blockage and both said they didn't think so. Unlike the vets here, these folks really seemed to know what they were talking about. However, if Kitty still cannot keep anything down, I will ask if they would check her for esophageal blockage. I don't want to just throw meds at her to see what sticks. Also, I was instructed to stop the Methimazole since she's not actually hyperthyroid. And phew, thank goodness for student loan money - poor Kitty's bill just for today was about $1200, not including the several hundred already spent on useless tests and meds at the local clinic. But she's my kitty and I love her, so she is totally worth it.@the_food_lady, thanks so much for the great information! (Also, sorry for my posts being one big block of text. I separate everything when I type it, but it gets posted as one giant paragraph and I have no idea how to change it.)

I'm glad you have some results--it sounds promising! I didn't mention before, my cat who also has thickened intestine (unconfirmed IBD or lymphoma), we are injecting her every 14 days with Vetalog (steroid) in the skin between her shoulder blades. (per our vet) Whatever is inflaming her intestine, it keeps it at bay. Within an hour of each shot I can see her eyes light up and she feels better. Maybe an option for your kitty. She's not stressed going to the vet, and she's comfortable. Wish you the best

Well crap, the vet called today to say my cat is still vomiting up everything immediately after she eats it. Funny, I asked both the radiologist and the emergency vet if, based on her symptoms (which I described in detail), she could possibly have a blockage in her throat/esophagus. They both said no. I guess the vet had to see the immediate upchucking to believe what I was saying since simply explaining that she keeps food down for 1-2 minutes wasn't enough.Soooo now the vet is saying it's an esophageal blockage. Could it be a big hairball? Oh no, of course not. The vet says she's pretty sure it would be caused by a tumor. Now I'm not saying that's impossible, but from what I have gathered from my own reading, esophageal tumors in cats are pretty rare. I'm not saying I know more than the vet, but I think with esophageal tumors comprising less than 0.5 percent of all tumors in both cats and dogs, why would she tell me this is the most likely cause? Really? There is absolute NO way that my cat - who is prone to big fat hairballs despite me brushing her - could have a hairball stuck in her system? Perhaps a chunk of food, or maybe she had a lapse in judgment and ate string? I don't want them to sugar coat things, but tumors in the esophageus don't seem like a common cause.The only thing is symptoms of an esophageal blockage are the same as a tumor, probably because a tumor would still be considered a blockage. I'm just irate that two vets told me there's no way my cat's problems could be caused by a blockage, and now they're saying that's what it is. That, or something called megaesophageus. I wish I'd have gone with my instincts and scheduled and endoscopy (I think that's what it's called). Besides that, the ultrasound showed mild changes in the intestines and the pancreas - basically I was told that symptoms this mild usually don't cause clinical symptoms, but they possibly could.My kitty gets an X-ray with barium and all that tonight and if nothing shows up, then she needs to get a camera tube down her throat to see what's going on. The vet said she was concerned, with the way my cat vomits, there's a chance she would throw up the barium before enough of it got in her system and then she might inhale it. I guess inhaling barium is a bad thing.So fingers crossed that it's not cancer, although I realize whatever is the culprit, my cat will probably need surgery.

Called the vet back, and she said Kitty has something in the middle of her esophagus (like halfway between her mouth and stomach). The affected area looks to be narrow in one spot (like it's being pinched) and then it dilates immediately. This is abnormal and shows that there is something obstructing the esophagus and preventing food from passing into the stomach. Some things the vet suggested were tumors, ulcers, strictures. The x-ray showed a grey area in the dilated spot - the vet could not say for sure what it was.So tomorrow, the office's radiologist will take a gander at the X-ray and say if he thinks it's one definite thing or if he's not sure either. In any case, I will most likely be getting Kitty an endoscopy on Monday.While the vet definitely could not make promises, she did say my cat's symptoms definitely were not normal for cancer. As in if a malignant esophageal tumor was large enough to cause an obstruction, then there would also be a general decline in my cat's health. But she said my cat was totally alert, looking around curiously, nuzzling people who were feeding her and checking on her. Basically doing normal cat stuff. Not to mention her initial symptoms were all very sudden. Cancer so often takes a long time to show clinical symptoms and my cat was perfectly fine up until last week. I watch them all like hawks and I would absolutely notice if she lost her appetite or wasn't keeping food down. Could a tumor grow to the point of obstruction in 5 days?The vet also acts like I'm crazy when I ask if it could be a hairball. Why couldn't it be? I'm not saying it is, but why is that such an impossible suggestion? Could a hairball get stuck that far up in the esophagus, or would it be more likely to get stuck nearer to the stomach? I understand the esophagus is difficult to operate on, so I'm very much hoping it's a thing stuck in her throat that can be broken up, removed, or pushed into the stomach.

Ok, now we are getting there - yes, kitty is blocked. (In my experience, yes, it can be hairballs, and in my vet's experience, it can too. But it won't show in x-rays. I am not sure about US - I don't think so either.) Thing is, this kitty has gone without food for how long? She HAS to eat!! Food has to go down. Feeding tube? Has that been discussed at all?

Here is a case of esophageal hairball blockage http://winnfelinehealth.blogspot.com/2009/05/esophageal-damage-from-hairball.html

and another one
http://www.reachvet.com/hairball

Apparently you can do Barium x-rays, then it will show; that's how they found the one above :nod:

The REACH story is one I read earlier. Also, I don't believe Kitty's esophagus was viewed on the US - just her abdomen. So even if it would have shown up, the US wasn't done on the affected area.The vet said Kitty was able to keep down a small amount of very diluted wet food. She did vomit a little of it back up, but not all of it. I have to assume there is a partial obstruction, or else water and mucous wouldn't even go down and come up. And no, the vet hasn't even mentioned a feeding tube. If that's something that goes down the throat, I can see why - there's something in the way. We've just been farting around with a million other tests - they wanted to redo the CBC, I wanted the ultrasound, then after telling me there's NO way it could be a blockage, they want to do X-rays because they're certain it's a blockage.Also, I'm not sure if the X-ray that was done involved barium - I think it may have been. I recall the vet saying they could do that, but they were concerned the barium would come up before it could get a little ways into the cat's system. Judging by them telling me that "only metal and bone show up on X-rays," I have to assume barium was not used. My guess is they figured she'd throw the barium back up, so why bother?In any case, she's coming home with me tomorrow morning and then going back on Monday if the vet decides she should get the endoscopy. Mostly because the stuff they're doing for her there (water + diluted food) is stuff I can do here at home. No sense spending $1200 extra leaving her there. I hope they can at least show me how far they dilute the wet food and how much they offer that will stay down. I'm kind of surprised they didn't suggest a feeding tube when they know she's gone so long without food. I don't know if these tubes go down the throat or are placed via incision in the belly - if the former, I can see why. If the latter, then no idea. Hopefully Kitty will last a few more days. They didn't seem extraordinarily concerned with getting tons of food in her belly NOW, otherwise I think they would have mentioned the feeding tube.

Feeding tubes can be done both ways....
Unfortunately, I have seen plenty of vets not being overly concerned with the kitty not eating, until it is too late, and there is no return. WHY? No idea :doh3: But it happens often; quite frustrating.... so YOU are the protector of the kitty..... do not rely on what the vet thinks it is alright as far as going without eating.... There are some vets that are very good..... But others that are way too relaxed. I have watched quite a few cats die right here on TCS because of vets like that.

Talked to the vet today and Kitty's X-ray showed nothing blocking her esophagus. It's just dilated, which the vet suggests is megaesophagus, a condition in which the esophagus loses the ability to contract and push food into the stomach, meaning food just kinda sits there in the esophagus and is tossed back up. This is what they say, but they still want to do an endoscopy. Also, on the X-ray, a mass was found in her lung and the radiologist said this kind of thing is cancer about 95% of the time. On top of that, Kitty's lungs in general look a little icky, but no one could tell if this was from everything else going on or if it was bronchitis, pneumonia, etc. Short term, my concern is still the vomiting. Megaesophagus doesn't seem to have a great prognosis because many cats require liquid diets, and they need to actually keep that liquid down. I was advised to try feeding her watered down food for about a minute, removing her bowl and then holding her upright for about 15 minutes. I did this earlier and kept food down, but tried it again later and didn't have as much luck. At this point, I don't know what to do. I want my cat to live, but should I put her through two surgeries? Cost is another issue and her bills are going to be approaching the five-figure mark very soon. I do not have a job and the hospital she's been going to refuses to do payment plans - they want half the amount when I get there and the other half when I leave. The endoscopy + biopsy and surgery to remove the lung mass will be at least $5000 alone, and that's not counting follow up visits, after-care....and that's assuming all of this could actually help her. I honestly do not know what to do - she's scheduled for an endoscopy on Monday. There's no telling if she'd even wake up from the surgery. I don't know if I should do the surgeries and hope she gets better (and wakes back up) or consider putting her down so she doesn't starve to death. If she looked like she was wasting away, was really weak, had no light in her eyes, it would be slightly less heartbreaking to consider euthanasia. The fact that she's up and moving around, cleaning herself, hopping up on things...makes it hard to think about. I realize it's something I need to consider, even if it is hard. Has anyone here ever had a cat with either a lung mass or megaesophagus? Particularly an older cat? What would you do in my shoes?