New and need advice

roxie · Aug 6, 2013

I'm totally new at this so hope I post on the right page this time! I have six cats, seven if you count the new stray kitten that thinks its sneaky eating my other cats food! My cat Bubba is 13 or 14 months old. He was doing fine, eating and playing until Sunday. He wouldn't eat anything and just laid around. By Sunday night he could barely stand without collapsing. I took him to the vet yesterday and they kept him. He tested negative for leukemia, but the vet was afraid to do anymore blood work until his red cells built back up. He suspects Feline Infectious Anemia, or FIA for short. I had never heard of it until yesterday. They're giving him fluids, antibiotics, steroids and vitamins. The vitamins may be included with the IV. He still isn't eating but he's still hanging on. The vet says if it is FIA they usually don't make it when they get that anemic. I've researched almost everything related to it online. From what I read they can survive with proper treatment. Just the fact that he made it through the night is a miracle. I'm not giving up. I've cried and prayed almost constantly since I had to leave him yesterday. I lost two cats last year, one to lymphoma (he had leukemia) and I had to have one put to sleep. She couldn't walk without falling over. It started out with a stumble here and there but continued to get worse. When she got to the point that she couldn't control her bowels or bladder and had very little quality of life I knew it was time to let go. The vet thought it was probably a brain tumor. She was a stray that came here starved half to death. She had been mistreated because she was terrified of brooms or mops and her eyes always looked a little crossed. She had a happy life the 3 or 4 years I had her. I just don't think I can handle losing another one yet. It says it can be caused by bites from fleas, ticks, Mosquitos, or a bite from another Infected cat. They don't have fleas, but we do have a lot of ticks here. I treat them for both. This last time I bought an off brand because the frontline is getting really expensive for 6 cats. I don't know what caused it. Has anybody dealt with a cat that had FIA? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

roxie · Aug 6, 2013

image.jpg

roxie
Aug 6, 2013

This is Bubba.

goholistic · Aug 7, 2013

I'm so sorry to hear about Bubba.

I've actually never heard of FIA...I've heard of FIP (feline infectious peritonitis), which, unfortunately, can creep up very quickly and is fatal. I hope Bubba doesn't have this. Poor guy.

Sending good vibes your way...

dan32 · Aug 7, 2013

Can one of the moderators relocate this post to the health section so it gets the proper attention?

dan32 · Aug 7, 2013

I just looked up FIA, commonly called Bartonella. There is a blood test for that. You can see from my post on Kinney's anemia that identification of causes can be elusive. Kinney was tested for a whole bunch of contagious diseases, testing negative for them all.

It seems imho that the vets in trying to identify the causes of anemia try bacterial blood diseases first, infectious blood diseases next, then resort to trying to identify if they are bleeding somewhere internally as a last resort. Maybe that was just my experience...

Anemia can get very serious and they just lose energy more and more. The docs go by a reading on the bloodwork panel called Packed Corpusle Volume (PCV), also may be called Hemocrit (HCT) where they list the percentage of red blood cells in the blood in total. The doctors seem to use either term interchangably.

Initially when Kinney had stopped eating, his PCV was 24%, then three weeks later by the time I took Kinney into the ER (a limp dishrag) - his PCV was down to 12% and he needed a transfusion. I am not sure that every vet's office can do a transfusion - it might have to be done in a hospital environment. That perked him up a lot, but was pretty expensive. After the transfusion, it brought his PCV up to 16%. It buys time while they figure out what is going on.

roxie · Aug 7, 2013

GoHolistic said:
I'm so sorry to hear about Bubba.
Thank you so much. I talked to the vet earlier today and he said he had some good news for me. He said he was eating and drinking and had perked up. He told me he didn't think he would even live through the night when I brought him in Monday. He wants to keep him another day or two to get his system built back up. They're still giving him antibiotics, fluids and steroids. I had never heard of Feline Infectious Anemia either before Monday. It has been renamed a couple of times. Everything I read about the symptoms matches what Bubba has. I just hope he's going to stay well. I'll be so happy to get him home again, but I can't give him an IV here. Hopefully that will be gone by tomorrow since he is eating and drinking now. Thanks again.

I've actually never heard of FIA...I've heard of FIP (feline infectious peritonitis), which, unfortunately, can creep up very quickly and is fatal. I hope Bubba doesn't have this. Poor guy.

Sending good vibes your way...

goholistic · Aug 7, 2013

That's great news! I hope he continues to feel better. Please keep us posted.

roxie · Aug 7, 2013

To Dan32
I was typing a reply a while ago but I must have hit something and it disappeared! Maybe I'll figure out how to do this. I've never been on a forum before so its all new to me. Thank you for your reply. There are tests they can do for the FIA. The PCR test seems to be the most reliable from what I've read. I'm not sure if he's done anymore bloodwork since Monday. His blood was like water and his red cells almost nonexistent. I had read somewhere that at 12% they need a transfusion. I'm not sure if my vet could even do one in his office. I live in a small town. He did give me some good news earlier today. He said that Bubba was eating, drinking and had perked up. He said he didn't think he would live through the night when I brought him in Monday. He wants to keep him another day or two. I'm just so thankful that he's improving. I've been checking the gums of my other 5 cats everyday now. I want to know if they're getting sick before they end up limp as a dishrag. Thanks again.

roxie · Aug 7, 2013

Dan32 said:
I just looked up FIA, commonly called Bartonella. There is a blood test for that. You can see from my post on Kinney's anemia that identification of causes can be elusive. Kinney was tested for a whole bunch of contagious diseases, testing negative for them all.

It seems imho that the vets in trying to identify the causes of anemia try bacterial blood diseases first, infectious blood diseases next, then resort to trying to identify if they are bleeding somewhere internally as a last resort. Maybe that was just my experience...

Anemia can get very serious and they just lose energy more and more. The docs go by a reading on the bloodwork panel called Packed Corpusle Volume (PCV), also may be called Hemocrit (HCT) where they list the percentage of red blood cells in the blood in total. The doctors seem to use either term interchangably.

Initially when Kinney had stopped eating, his PCV was 24%, then three weeks later by the time I took Kinney into the ER (a limp dishrag) - his PCV was down to 12% and he needed a transfusion. I am not sure that every vet's office can do a transfusion - it might have to be done in a hospital environment. That perked him up a lot, but was pretty expensive. After the transfusion, it brought his PCV up to 16%. It buys time while they figure out what is going on.

How is Kinney doing? Do they know what's causing the anemia yet? I hope he's okay.

roxie · Aug 7, 2013

Roxie said:
How is Kinney doing? Do they know what's causing the anemia yet? I hope he's okay.

I sent you a reply a while ago but it shows up under my name. It says to Dan32. I really will get the hang of this!

roxie · Aug 7, 2013

GoHolistic said:
That's great news! I hope he continues to feel better. Please keep us posted.

Thank you, I will. I would love to bring him home but have to wait until the vet thinks he's healthy enough. I have five more cats but a part of me will be missing until he gets home. His mom shied up here in may of last year. I didn't know she was even pregnant. Somebody had set her out because she was too friendly to be a feral. She's not afraid of the vacuum cleaner or even the sound of the mower. I'm sure they dumped her because she was pregnant. I named her Muffy. She had the kittens in our garage on July 7th. She had five but only two made it. I got her spayed as soon as the kittens were weaned. Bubba is the only one that hasn't been fixed, but as soon as he's healthy enough he will be. I had to wait to get the money to do it. Here's a picture of his sister, Sissy. I couldn't think of names that fit them. I'm usually a little more creative than that!

image.jpg

roxie
Aug 7, 2013

dan32 · Aug 8, 2013

Roxie: My cat Kinney's anemia was from a stomach ulcer. They found it by doing an ultrasound, gave him prednisone and his ulcer has healed. He may have other problems, but his anemia is gone. His PCV is back up to 33%. I have a whole thread of his journey (look for Kinney in the title), but the anemia was the scariest - like their batteries are dimming.

Hope Bubba is on the mend. He's young, so probably has good healing powers.

ldg · Aug 8, 2013

Oh I'm so sorry to hear this. :hugs:

And I know that "gum watch" well. :hugs:

My kitty Tuxedo had feline hemolytic anemia (FHA). The cause was never discovered. His body treated his red blood cells like they would a virus, and attacked them. At first they thought it was infectious anemia, but all the tests were run, and nothing found. He did respond to Baytril at first, but then it didn't help. Doxycycline is also a commonly used antibiotic for this type of problem.

For Tuxedo, they had to determine if his bone marrow could produce red blood cells. He received a blood transfusion immediately after the bone marrow aspirate. When it was determined he COULD, they put him on an immune-suppressive dose of steroids. We used prednisone at first, but it stopped working. They then tried Depomedrol, and that worked, thank goodness, because that was the last tool in the box.

He was first diagnosed in 2004, though I know now it started in late 2003 (his eating litter WAS pica associated with the anemia). We had to fight this actively for four years, and then stay on top of it for a few more years. In mid-2011, he went into remission. Again - reason unknown. It was just over time, he needed the depomedrol less frequently, and then in less quantity.... until he didn't need it any longer. :dk:

I'm so glad your boy is perking up. It sounds like he's a fighter, and I hope the antibiotics do the job in time for him to come home to you! :heart2: Many vibes for you and your boy. :vibes:

stephanietx · Aug 8, 2013

So sorry you're having to go through this with Bubba, but I thank you for finding this site and sharing the journey with us. I'm so very glad that he's perked up. Praying that he continues to improve.

roxie · Aug 8, 2013

Dan32 said:
Roxie: My cat Kinney's anemia was from a stomach ulcer. They found it by doing an ultrasound, gave him prednisone and his ulcer has healed. He may have other problems, but his anemia is gone. His PCV is back up to 33%. I have a whole thread of his journey (look for Kinney in the title), but the anemia was the scariest - like their batteries are dimming.

Hope Bubba is on the mend. He's young, so probably has good healing powers.

I will read his story. I'm glad the anemia is better. You're right about it being scary. They go from normal to barely clinging to life in no time. I got to bring Bubba home today! I was so happy. It seemed like it took them forever to bring him out ! I didn't think I would be bringing him home alive when I took him up there. He meowed all the way home, but as soon as we got inside he calmed down. He's been eating like he's starved to death. I guess he was. He seems to have lost quite a bit of weight. He has barely left my side since he got home. He's been in such a loving mood all evening. He came home with antibiotics but the vet told me on the phone that he would be coming home with a few medicines. I'm going to call him back tomorrow and make sure he isn't supposed to be on anything else. I hope Kinney gets better.

roxie · Aug 8, 2013

LDG said:
Oh I'm so sorry to hear this. And I know that "gum watch" well. I'm so glad Tuxedo is finally doing better! He really went through a lot. Poor kitty. Bubba came home today! I'm so thankful. He's so happy to be back home. I'm worried that he's not drinking enough water or resting enough. He's definitely eating enough! He attacked the wet food like it was his last meal. He's on Clavamox, but I'm going
to call the vet tomorrow and see if he's supposed to be on prednisone. He was taking it in the hospital and the vet told me on the phone that he would be coming home with a few medicines. I'm terrified he will have a relapse. That FHA sounds a lot like what was happening to Bubba. I don't know what his RBC was but he said his blood was like water. That FIA causes the body to attack the red blood cells because the immune system is trying to kill what's attacking the cells. They shaved him under his neck and he's got a small sore there. I don't know if that's where the IV was or where they took blood. I'm keeping a very close eye on him. Thank you for your reply. It's so nice to be in touch with other animal lovers that love their cats as much as I love mine! I told Bubba people were wishing him well on this site. He says thank you. Or he would if he could talk!
My kitty Tuxedo had feline hemolytic anemia (FHA). The cause was never discovered. His body treated his red blood cells like they would a virus, and attacked them. At first they thought it was infectious anemia, but all the tests were run, and nothing found. He did respond to Baytril at first, but then it didn't help. Doxycycline is also a commonly used antibiotic for this type of problem.

For Tuxedo, they had to determine if his bone marrow could produce red blood cells. He received a blood transfusion immediately after the bone marrow aspirate. When it was determined he COULD, they put him on an immune-suppressive dose of steroids. We used prednisone at first, but it stopped working. They then tried Depomedrol, and that worked, thank goodness, because that was the last tool in the box.

He was first diagnosed in 2004, though I know now it started in late 2003 (his eating litter WAS pica associated with the anemia). We had to fight this actively for four years, and then stay on top of it for a few more years. In mid-2011, he went into remission. Again - reason unknown. It was just over time, he needed the depomedrol less frequently, and then in less quantity.... until he didn't need it any longer. :dk:

I'm so glad your boy is perking up. It sounds like he's a fighter, and I hope the antibiotics do the job in time for him to come home to you! :heart2: Many vibes for you and your boy.

roxie · Aug 8, 2013

LDG said:
Oh I'm so sorry to hear this. And I know that "gum watch" well.

My kitty Tuxedo had feline hemolytic anemia (FHA). The cause was never discovered. His body treated his red blood cells like they would a virus, and attacked them. At first they thought it was infectious anemia, but all the tests were run, and nothing found. He did respond to Baytril at first, but then it didn't help. Doxycycline is also a commonly used antibiotic for this type of problem.

For Tuxedo, they had to determine if his bone marrow could produce red blood cells. He received a blood transfusion immediately after the bone marrow aspirate. When it was determined he COULD, they put him on an immune-suppressive dose of steroids. We used prednisone at first, but it stopped working. They then tried Depomedrol, and that worked, thank goodness, because that was the last tool in the box.

He was first diagnosed in 2004, though I know now it started in late 2003 (his eating litter WAS pica associated with the anemia). We had to fight this actively for four years, and then stay on top of it for a few more years. In mid-2011, he went into remission. Again - reason unknown. It was just over time, he needed the depomedrol less frequently, and then in less quantity.... until he didn't need it any longer. :dk:

I'm so glad your boy is perking up. It sounds like he's a fighter, and I hope the antibiotics do the job in time for him to come home to you! :heart2: Many vibes for you and your boy.

I did it again! It posted in the middle of your post. Sorry, I didn't mean for you to have to search for the reply. : )

roxie · Aug 8, 2013

stephanietx said:
So sorry you're having to go through this with Bubba, but I thank you for finding this site and sharing the journey with us. I'm so very glad that he's perked up. Praying that he continues to improve.

Thank you for your prayers. He got to come home earlier today! I was so glad to have him back. I was afraid he wasn't going to make it. I'm keeping a very close eye on him. He's on antibiotics, Clavamox. He has ate a ton of food since he's been home. He's not drinking much water and that worries me. He's lost quite a bit of weight in just a few days. I have to take him back in a week for his shots and find out when it will be safe to get him neutered. I'm betting I won't get him anywhere near that cat carrier for a while!

roxie · Aug 8, 2013

GoHolistic said:
That's great news! I hope he continues to feel better. Please keep us posted.

Bubba came home earlier today! He's happy to be home and I'm happy he's home and alive. He's eating lots, but not drinking much. He's been so loving since he got here. He's barely left my side. I've been trying to get him to rest but he's too excited. Thanks for your concern and well wishes. I hope he continues to improve and doesn't have a relapse.

goholistic · Aug 8, 2013

If the vet was giving him fluids, he may be plenty hydrated for now and not have the desire to drink, especially since he's eating wet food also. But definitely keep tabs on that as the fluids get absorbed and start to wear off. I'm glad to hear he's eating so enthusiastically! It's my understanding that steroids may cause a bit of excitability/restlessness.

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