My kitty's throwing up--what can I do to help?

I'm just catching up - oh goodness, poor HP! :rub:

I'm SO glad he's improving. :heart2: It sure does sound like he ate something that's working its way through his system, slowly but surely. Many, many, many vibes that's the problem - and that he'll be able to pass it without too much pain, and no surgery needed! :cross:

Glad to hear Honey Pie is improving!  It really amazes me how beneficial those IV fluids can be...for virtually any ailment!

GoHolistic said:

 
My Sebastian's acute onset of vomiting turned out to be pancreatitis. Frequent vomiting and anorexia were the only two symptoms observed at home and I immediately took him in the next morning. Upon a physical exam, he also had severe abdominal pain and hardness upon palpitation. He was hospitalized for three days. Yes, it could be an obstruction and an x-ray would help determine that, but I also think some blood work might help. Blook work was done first with Sebastian and showed a huge spike in WBC (specifically neutrophils). Then he had an x-ray, and then an ultrasound.

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I haven't commented on this yet because, after reading up on pancreatitis, I just couldn't bear to think of Honey Pie having it. It sounds terrible, and I'm sorry that your Sebastian has to deal with it . But I'm grateful that you mentioned this because I'd only heard about it here or there, and now for the first time I have a clearer idea of what it is, what to be aware of, and what tests can help diagnose it. Thank you for sharing your experience!

I guess I'm a little surprised that the vet so readily prescribed prednisone for appetite. I usually associate prednisone with more major immune/inflammatory issues determined by blood work and not a blockage. Why wouldn't she/he just prescribe an actual appetite stimulant, like Cyproheptadine or Mirtazapine? Out of curiousity, what antibiotic did they give you, if you don't mind me asking?

StealthKitty said:

 
I haven't commented on this yet because, after reading up on pancreatitis, I just couldn't bear to think of Honey Pie having it. It sounds terrible, and I'm sorry that your Sebastian has to deal with it

. But I'm grateful that you mentioned this because I'd only heard about it here or there, and now for the first time I have a clearer idea of what it is, what to be aware of, and what tests can help diagnose it. Thank you for sharing your experience!

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No worries. I just like to put it out there because at first I thought it was "just a hairball" and couldn't have been more wrong. And I forgot to mention that Sebastian also had a slight fever with the pancreatitis. The trick is to catch it early and treat the symptoms.

Was it Prednisone or Prednisolone?  The liver has to work harder with prednisone, it actually breaks it down into Prednisolone.  My cat has been on a steroid for 2 1/2 years.  He used to be on Prednisolone but there have been a lot of supply problems with it for a while so now he is on dexamethasone for chronic digestive problems.  He has never been given an appetite stimulant.

GoHolistic said:

 
I guess I'm a little surprised that the vet so readily prescribed prednisone for appetite. I usually associate prednisone with more major immune/inflammatory issues determined by blood work and not a blockage. Why wouldn't she/he just prescribe an actual appetite stimulant, like Cyproheptadine or Mirtazapine? Out of curiousity, what antibiotic did they give you, if you don't mind me asking?

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I agree that I would use Cypro or Mirt before prednisolone for a straight up appetite stimulant with no other issues. I hope it's prednisolone and not prednisone because cats need to turn prednisone into prednisolone, so it's just easier on their systems to give prednisolone.

As for the antibiotic, with a fever, it is very possible that it's a bacterial infection. Unless you want to do a culture to be sure, I would probably give the antibiotics.

Yeah, when he said "prednisone", the first thing I thought was that it should be prescribed for something more serious than appetite! I don't think we'll be giving it to him. Also, he does seem to have a little appetite on his own and I'm not sure I want to trick him into eating more if he's still not pooping.

I can't read the name of the antibiotic on the prescription, but it's something like Bayteic or Bayreic; and I suspect that it's wide-spectrum.

Baytril? If so, what was the recommended dosage? If higher than 5mg/kg/day, please read this. http://www.tufts.edu/vet/vet_common/pdf/petinfo/dvm/case_march2003.pdf

Oops, just now seeing the comments on prednisolone... looking at the prescription, it's a little sloppy but it does look like it might say "prednisolona". It's possible that that's what he said but my mind registered "prednisone". So, if that's what he prescribed, is it a good idea to give it as an appetite stimulant?

Also, if it's not unreasonable to give him an antibiotic, I'll just go ahead and do it rather than put him through the stress of taking him out to have a culture done. I just like to double check about things like that because there is a tendency in my area to over-prescribe them. I can't count how many times my husband has seen a doctor about allergies and left with a prescription for antibiotics!

If he is eating at least half his normal caloric intake, I would hesitate to give him the pred just for appetite stimulation. I would call your vet and make sure he didn't prescribe the pred for any other issues though. I would also ask him/her if you could get a prescription for cypro or mirt instead. You might not need it if he's eating on his own, but it's good to have on hand in case he stops eating.

It might be Baytril... it literally looks like he wrote B a y T e i c, but the Google has no knowledge of any such antibiotic or brand name. The prescription is for three 50 mg tablets, and I'm to give half a tablet at 8 AM for 6 days.

...after reading the document in the link, we'll be calling the vet to double check the name before giving him anything! Wow, good to know that about Baytril, definitely won't ever be giving our cats that!

He might have been on the pred and just stopping it would not be a good idea.

Denice said:

He might have been on the pred and just stopping it would not be a good idea.

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Very good point. I would speak with the vet about the prescription concerns.

We have to see the vet this afternoon to settle the bill, so I'll be asking him some questions to get these prescriptions straightened out. Thank you all for giving me pointers! Are Cyproheptadine and Mirtazapine brand names or the name of the active ingredients?

Also, does prednisolone actually stimulate appetite? If so, and if that's what the vet prescribed, I'll be sure to give it to him.

It does stimulate the appetite but for digestive problems a low dose is usually given as an anti-inflammatory.  

OK, we'll go with prednisolone then. I looked up cyproheptadine and mirtazapine and found out that those are the names of the drug itself (easier to ask for the drug than the brand name, in case a particular brand isn't available here). He ate a little for breakfast but won't look at any other food now, so I think a little something to encourage him to eat is a good idea.

OK, I'm back from the vet again; while I was out I picked up the prednisolone and a small syringe, so just in case he still doesn't want to eat on his own I can maybe give him a little chicken water. The vet explained that I would need to put just a few drops between his cheek and his teeth. However, when I came home Honey Pie ate a little chicken and rice. Not much, but at least something. It's the most he's eaten since Sunday night.  Here's the thing: when I weighed him last week, he weighed 8.9 pounds. Now he weighs 8.2. Part of me sees that and wants to get him a feeding tube "yesterday." But then I think, maybe the prednisolone will do the trick and tomorrow he'll start eating more. At what point would it be good to try giving him some food via the syringe?

About the antibiotic, yes it's Baytril and turns out the vet had already been giving it to him, so here's a dilemma. Honey Pie weighs 8.2 pounds= 3.7 kilos, which would mean he should be getting only 18.5 mg of Baytril daily. The vet prescribed him 25 mg. I don't know if I should go with the 25, or give him a tiny bit less than that, or not give it at all. Which is the lesser evil?

I really don't know what to suggest about the Baytril. We've used it in our cats without any issue, and before I knew there could be a problem - but we have seen the problem of blindness in the cats of people who've used Baytril posting here.

How many days is the prescription? Because my understanding the problem is also related to length of time (usually). I mean - we are talking about an uncommon side effect.

As to eating, when kitties are feeling off, it's usually best to offer them a lot of small meals frequently. When Ming Loy had pancreatitis, I offered her just 0.25 ounces of food every 2 hours. (She normally eats about 3 ounces a day).

When do you need to use the syringe? When he's not eating at least half of his normal daily amount on his own.

I personally see no harm in using the pred for a week or so. It does need to be tapered down. But it can really help them feel better. Especially if his insides are all inflamed from trying to pass something through....

I think we'll go ahead and give him the Baytril. It's only for 6 more days, and I think it's better for him to finish the course.

He hasn't really eaten since Sunday night, just a few bites twice today. I've been offering him food every couple of hours or so, but he's not interested. So, maybe I'll try to give him a little broth from the chicken we cooked him earlier.

Thank you for your help, Laurie.

Oh, also, how do I taper down the prednisolone? The vet only told me to give him half a pill once a day for six days.