Vomiting bile possible blockage in Ragodoll-What to ask vet

Firstly I have a vet appointment in an hour but I wanted to ask what I should have the vet look out for? My four year old ragdoll vomited a hairball Sunday night and again on Monday and also vomited some bile it did concern me but he was acting fine. On tuesday I stepped in something that I thought was dog pee, but I now think it was more bile as he just vomited more bile in the same location. I immediately called the vet and have an appointment in an hour. Some other possible symptoms is that he has been very picky when eating the last two days- this used to be very normal for him but since I got my new kitten he has been eating a lot more but went back to his old picky ways on Monday after the hairball. I am wondering if you think this is a blockage of some sorts and what kind of tests should I have them run and what is the best treatment?. I probably won't be getting the good vet because of the last min appointment and I am sure they are going to try to make me run every test there is (usually I don't leave without spending at least $500), so I would like to know what are the best tests and treatments?

Update: I just got back from the vet. They charged me $260 just for xrays (no sedation)! Ended up spending just under $400 for this trip.  The X-rays showed he may have eaten something that is causing the vomiting, she doesn't think it is a blockage. I think it may be a hair tie because he is obsessed with them and no matter how careful we are he sometimes gets one (he will take them out of our hair at night). We are fasting him over night and bringing him again in the morning to see if the object has moved. If it hasn't I have to decide either to spend  $500 on an ultrasound or $2000 on surgery. I am really hoping it passes over night! I really wish I didn't live in such a high cost vet area- I also feel they really try to get as much money as they can instead of helping the pet. The vet was trying to convince me to leave him over night with an IV despite the fact he is drinking fine and this would have totally stressed him out and make him sicker as he will not pee if he is in a strange place. 

Wow that does seem high for x-rays but I guess as you said it just depends where you live. I have no experience with bowel or stomach obstruction so I can't really offer any help. 

An ultrasound would provide a better picture but if there is a blockage as observed on the x-ray he will still probably need surgery. 

I am hoping for you that he can pass it overnight 

Franksmom said:

Update: I just got back from the vet. They charged me $260 just for xrays (no sedation)! Ended up spending just under $400 for this trip.  The X-rays showed he may have eaten something that is causing the vomiting, she doesn't think it is a blockage. I think it may be a hair tie because he is obsessed with them and no matter how careful we are he sometimes gets one (he will take them out of our hair at night). We are fasting him over night and bringing him again in the morning to see if the object has moved. If it hasn't I have to decide either to spend  $500 on an ultrasound or $2000 on surgery. I am really hoping it passes over night! I really wish I didn't live in such a high cost vet area- I also feel they really try to get as much money as they can instead of helping the pet. The vet was trying to convince me to leave him over night with an IV despite the fact he is drinking fine and this would have totally stressed him out and make him sicker as he will not pee if he is in a strange place. 

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Once this is over, if this is really how you feel about your vet, I'd seek a new one.  You may be in a high cost area but there are still honest people out there who will not suck you for every dime you are worth (I have found such people in NYC, DC, Paris (France) and Chicago so I do not doubt they exist where you are).  This doesn't mean they won't be expensive- if you are in a high cost area, you are- but it does mean they won't ask you to do needless things as you seem to feel your current vet does.  Should you by some random chance live in any of the 4 areas I mention, PM me- I have suggestions.

Obviously the current issue has to be sorted through first though

Gee, I am sorry, But I agree with a new Vet.
I have Three Ragdolls myself..... And I am not saying this is what it is, but if you are in the US, this can be simply a hairball problem due to the season change/over-shedding. I am going through right now with my girl, and working hard to prevent on my two boys.

Fasting for the night is good advice. Medicine for vomiting - Cerenia is excellent, and a lubricant of choice to pass that hairball. Aside from that, a good diet and a good hairball prevention regiment through the season, that will last until about September.

The older they get, the more complicated it tends to be, as their motility gets a little more compromised with age.

I would seriously consider looking for a vet who is a little kinder to your pocket next time...... Hairballs right now are very common, and lets face it, Raggies have a TON of hair to shed!

Thanks everyone for the advice. I like one of the vets at the clinic but since this was last min I had to see the one that I think just likes to run up the bill. She had previously had me run all these tests on my dog which the vet I like said really were not necessary. I live in Toronto and it seems like every clinic here has insane prices, if anyone knows of a good one please let me know! 

I was really thinking it was a hairball blockage but the vet said she saw something on the xray in his stomach. She said it may have been in the intestine so it could just simply pass. It is being sent to a radiologist so hopefully they can give me more answers in the morning. I am bringing him in tomorrow morning and I am going to ask to speak to the vet I like if she pushes for surgery. 

They gave him an injection for pepcid and he has not vomited at all tonight, and I also think he is hungry as he seems to be looking for food. I am going to ask about trying a lubricant tomorrow instead of doing some crazy exploratory surgery which she was pushing for today. I really would like to try everything before doing surgery not just because it is super expensive but because I think it would be really hard on him-he is very sensitive and I think the stress may be too much for him. I was really irritated because she was saying surgery is a great option even there is nothing there because then she can look at everything and see how his organs are! And after telling me to fast him she was trying to sell me their terrible food- URGH!

He has never had a hairball problem before but thanks Carolina I will start doing some prevention when this is over.   

Is he keeping food? If she is keeping food she is not blocked.

Hairball blockage happens - my cat gets it. She is getting over one right now - usually she throws up several hours after she eats - to a point where I am almost ready to feed her the next meal.

Bile vomiting is quite typical of hairball issues as well..... to my cats happens in the morning or hours after they eat, when they have an empty tummy.

A couple of years ago she got completely blocked - that means she could not even drink water - she would immediately vomit - projectile. THAT is a blockage. Very similar to a blockage by a foreign object - nothing goes through.

A hairball problem will not show in an X-Ray - what you will see is a gas pattern. Likewise, you will not see plastic, rubber-bands, rubber, anything like that.

He is vomiting hairballs...... So I am very inclined to think the problem is hairballs. But since the radiologist is going to get back to you, that is good.

I would run MILES from a vet who would push surgery on my pet before EVERYTHING was tried, unless it was a clear life-saving situation.

Just my honest opinion FWIW.

God luck hun!

Carolina said:

Is he keeping food? If she is keeping food she is not blocked.

Hairball blockage happens - my cat gets it. She is getting over one right now - usually she throws up several hours after she eats - to a point where I am almost ready to feed her the next meal.

Bile vomiting is quite typical of hairball issues as well..... to my cats happens in the morning or hours after they eat, when they have an empty tummy.

A couple of years ago she got completely blocked - that means she could not even drink water - she would immediately vomit - projectile. THAT is a blockage. Very similar to a blockage by a foreign object - nothing goes through.

A hairball problem will not show in an X-Ray - what you will see is a gas pattern. Likewise, you will not see plastic, rubber-bands, rubber, anything like that.

He is vomiting hairballs...... So I am very inclined to think the problem is hairballs. But since the radiologist is going to get back to you, that is good.

I would run MILES from a vet who would push surgery on my pet before EVERYTHING was tried, unless it was a clear life-saving situation.

Just my honest opinion FWIW.

God luck hun!

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Thanks so much for the great information! He was eating a small amount and vomiting bile probably a few hours or so after eating. I just go back from the vet and the radiologists said that the object was in his colon and the followup xray today showed it was on its way out. When I called them this morning before bringing him in at first the vet was trying to get me to do blood tests or an ultrasound but I put my foot down and said I was not happy with how she was handling the case and asked for the other vet to consult. He vomited again this morning and I could see a hairball in his throat and some hair came out-I think he is having problems getting it all out. I told them that I think this is clearly a hairball problem and I want to try to treat this first before doing more expensive tests or crazy surgery. I think the other vet who is really great and owns the clinic talked to her because when I brought him in she changed her tune and said that she agreed it is probably a hairball issue and that the object in his stomach was probably a red herring. She gave me some of the hairball lubricant stuff - I am not crazy it is petroleum jelly based but I will use it this time because this is so serious but I will try some preventative stuff in the future rather than giving this all the time. I hope using it just this once won't cause him too much harm. She also gave me some Famotidine, I asked about [color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Cerenia she said  it was almost too strong and it may be good for him to be able to vomit out the hairball. I only spent another $100 today on a follow up [/color][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]X-ray and the meds so it wasn't as bad but I am irritated that I have just spent about $500 on a hairball but it is a good lesson I will only go to the vet I like from now on and will speak up more. [/font]

[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]I gave him the meds when he first got home and he is mad at me so I will wait to feed him because he is such a drama queen and I know since he is upset about the vet and the meds he will not eat. [/color]

[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]I have a question about the hairball jelly- he is super picky and of course wouldn't eat it. It ended up being a huge mess because I had to try to put it on his nose but it kind of got all over him, but he was licking it off. The vet said I could give it with a syringe so I guess I will try that. She said to give it twice a day-is this enough?[/color]

I agree with Carolina. I know that most people say that their cats experience regurgitation with a hairball problem, but my cat does almost the same thing you describe. She will hack up hairballs only with vomit/clear fluid. No food. If she does this a couple of days in a row like she did a few weeks ago, she will also just vomit some bile/clear fluid and be off her food a little. I think just the just act of vomiting up multiple hairballs makes her a little nauseous. If she only vomits up one little hairball occasionally, that doesn't seem to affect her.

What has worked fairly successfully for her is egg yolk lecithin, one capsule a day.

Oops, sorry, double post.

vball91 said:

I agree with Carolina. I know that most people say that their cats experience regurgitation with a hairball problem, but my cat does almost the same thing you describe. She will hack up hairballs only with vomit/clear fluid. No food. If she does this a couple of days in a row like she did a few weeks ago, she will also just vomit some bile/clear fluid and be off her food a little. I think just the just act of vomiting up multiple hairballs makes her a little nauseous. If she only vomits up one little hairball occasionally, that doesn't seem to affect her.

What has worked fairly successfully for her is egg yolk lecithin, one capsule a day.

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Thanks! I guess in this case I probably jumped the gun in taking him to the vet. I will try the egg yolk lecithin in the future, how do you give it to your cat? Do you pill her or will she eat it in her food (though frank never finishes his food so it will be hard to get him to eat enough of it). 

He just ate a small amount of wet food. I had to really encourage him with freeze dried chicken. I think I am going to put a bowel out of the freeze dried chicken because it is the only thing he will eat right now. 

I just mix it up with her food, either wet or raw. Most cats don't seem to mind the taste. Mine never finishes her food either, so sometimes I will give her an extra capsule if I don't think she ate enough of it, also with food. I've never pilled my cat, and this capsule looks a little large to pill, but if pilling is easy for you that might be an option. There's only two brand available, Swanson and Nature's Plus. The Swanson has a little additional rice flour that make it easier to get out of the capsule. The Nature's Plus is more sticky and hard to get all of it out.

Hi hun. Glad you spoke to a vet that has a brain on his head, gee
i will have to disagree on the Cerenia, but that's ok. You need the kitty to keep food down. This imho is not prevention mode, not for these couple of days.
For the Laxatone.
Be CAREFUL with the syringe.
The dose is 1cc each time. Aim carefully to the Roof of The mouth. Extremely carefully for the kitty to not aspirate that stuff. The safest way is to open its mouth and put a blob in there. 1cc is about 1cm, or roughly the length of your fingertip (middle finger) . Make a strip, open his mouth and put it in there.
Now, my experience is, a couple of days after you start putting a bit under his nose he will start liking it. It will be a treat.
Give this twice a day dose until he is off this crisis. As maintenance, the dose is once every couple days for the season.
Hope he gets all better soon!

Franksmom said:

Thanks! I guess in this case I probably jumped the gun in taking him to the vet. I will try the egg yolk lecithin in the future, how do you give it to your cat? Do you pill her or will she eat it in her food (though frank never finishes his food so it will be hard to get him to eat enough of it). 

He just ate a small amount of wet food. I had to really encourage him with freeze dried chicken. I think I am going to put a bowel out of the freeze dried chicken because it is the only thing he will eat right now. 

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Don't worry about feeding freeze dried chicken; when my girl was sick my vet let me feed her Fd chicken for a few weeks and it was ok. Make sure to cut it small; it passes easily through the hairballs and makes her eat slower.

Thanks again for information! I will try the finger method for his next dose!

I am pretty worried and would love some more advice. So he did eat a little bit this morning at about 10am and I had to leave him with my mother. I am really very irritated with her as she did not message me until 7pm to tell me he wouldn't eat. I rushed home and got him to eat a little bit of wet food at around 8:30- he just licked the gravy. I gave him his second dose of [color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Famotidine and he seemed a bit better. When I gave him the wet food he wouldn't eat any of his freeze dried chicken so I gave him some after about an hour since I gave him the meds (I did break it up into small pieces). He actually ate some but then about 5 min later he threw up the freeze dried chicken and a hairball. I am not sure what this means? I just gave him his second dose of the hairball lubricant. I am going to call the vet first thing but I am not sure what to do? It really stresses him out to go to the vet so I would rather just ask them to try some different meds that I can pick up. He hasn't eaten much in the last 24 hours so I am very worried-should I keep trying to get him to eat or just leave him alone for the night??[/color]

Franksmom said:

I am pretty worried and would love some more advice. So he did eat a little bit this morning at about 10am and I had to leave him with my mother. I am really very irritated with her as she did not message me until 7pm to tell me he wouldn't eat. I rushed home and got him to eat a little bit of wet food at around 8:30- he just licked the gravy. I gave him his second dose of Famotidine and he seemed a bit better. When I gave him the wet food he wouldn't eat any of his freeze dried chicken so I gave him some after about an hour since I gave him the meds (I did break it up into small pieces). He actually ate some but then about 5 min later he threw up the freeze dried chicken and a hairball. I am not sure what this means? I just gave him his second dose of the hairball lubricant. I am going to call the vet first thing but I am not sure what to do? It really stresses him out to go to the vet so I would rather just ask them to try some different meds that I can pick up. He hasn't eaten much in the last 24 hours so I am very worried-should I keep trying to get him to eat or just leave him alone for the night??

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For how long he hasn't eaten now?
DEMAND a shot of cerenia! DO NOT leave the vet without it.
And pills to take home for about 5 days - it's only once a day

Is he over weight?

You can also discuss with your vet REGLAN - Reglan will increase motility and help him pass the hairballs. You have to give it 2x a day, 20-30 minutes before the meals. You can give both Reglan AND Cerenia - Cerenia for Nausea and to keep the food down, and Reglan to help moving the Hairballs through.

But your vet has to help you through this.

Is your cat drinking water?
Is he pooping?

When my cats had a hairball blockage - and that was when they would immediately throw up, the vet would give a shot of Cerenia, Cerenia to take home for at least a few days (Lucky has been right now for 5 days on pills only, today was her last), told me to fast them for the night to calm down their intestinal tract, and give double dose of lubricant daily for a while.

But you HAVE to give them something to keep the food down.

Now - I will not go for days fasting or eating very little - VERY dangerous!!!!

He has been eating a little bit today but not very much and he is drinking. He did eat breakfast and lunch  yesterday and they told me to fast him until this morning. I am going to call first thing to get the [color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Cerenia the vet I don't trust said it was too strong and gave him the [/color][color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Famotidine instead. I am kicking myself for not insisting but it is so hard to know what is the right thing since I did not go to vet school. He is a small Ragdoll only 9 pounds. I will also ask about the [/color][color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Reglan. I am insisting I talk to the good vet tomorrow and if not I will take him t another clinic. [/color]

[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]He does seem pretty alert and is currently playing with the new kitten so I am really hoping everything will be ok until tomorrow morning when I can call the vet.[/color]

Franksmom said:

He has been eating a little bit today but not very much and he is drinking. He did eat breakfast and lunch  yesterday and they told me to fast him until this morning. I am going to call first thing to get the Cerenia the vet I don't trust said it was too strong and gave him the 
Famotidine instead. I am kicking myself for not insisting but it is so hard to know what is the right thing since I did not go to vet school. He is a small Ragdoll only 9 pounds. I will also ask about the 
Reglan. I am insisting I talk to the good vet tomorrow and if not I will take him t another clinic. 


He does seem pretty alert and is currently playing with the new kitten so I am really hoping everything will be ok until tomorrow morning when I can call the vet.

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Yes, one f the biggest indications of hairballs is that they don't get "sicklish"

Their appetites at the most might go down, but aside from that and the vomit, that's it.

Famotidine is just an antiacid...... It really doesn't do much for this..... I have no clue why this vet gave him this but...... oh well...... :dk: