Thank you for this! I read thru the article and couldn't find exactly how to diagnosis, as it seems the parasites only show up in bloodwork every so often, but I will mention it to them since the symptoms are quite similar . Now a new hurdle... soon after arriving home last night, he began walking very strangely, having to stop and lie down. They gave him a dose of Mirtazipine, and although they say they've never seen side effects like this, I'm reading lots of similar reports online. I'm taking him back in this morning so they can monitor him. Yes, they did give him rehydration fluids yesterday, but mentioned giving him fluids specific to the potassium/sodium issue, and they have to be very careful to offer the perfect balance. I believe that is supposed to happen tomorrow, but honestly we went thru so much material that I've lost track. I don't want him to linger on and put him thru too much, but not even knowing yet what could be wrong, I want to do everything possible to help him. He is 16 years old, but as they said at the vet's office they have treated cats who are 25 years old, so he COULD have more years in him. Oh, they also cultured the wound/infection site to see if he may have something resistant to standard antibiotics. I believe that test should be back on Thursday. Will keep you posted, thanks again!
Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear that he has lost more weight.It seems there is something definitely weird going on. At this point, it doesn't seem like all this is caused from gingivitis. Keep an eye on that red blood cell count. Anemia is not good. Did they give him fluids at the vet to help with his electrolytes? Poor boy. I wish there was something more I could say. It sounds like you are doing all you can, and keeping in contact with your vet.
I don't think any cat likes to be syringe-fed. When I had to syringe-feed my Sebastian, I always followed by praises with a high-pitched voice ("baby talk") and extra loving and pets. This seemed to help, as he never ran away afterwards.
Just thinking here...there's another member of TCS whose cat has (had) Feline Infectious Anemia (FIA), which can apparently be caused by bite wounds (see: http://www.petwave.com/Cats/Health/Feline-Infectious-Anemia.aspx). Something to look into, perhaps? Of course, it could just be a really bad infection. I'm not a vet, so I don't really know.I'm just trying to help because I really want to see your boy turn the corner here!
Please let us know how things turn out on Wednesday. Continued vibes....
Thanks so much! Noticing your profile pic now, your fur baby looks just like the one I've been referencing here... my baby's name is Mr. Grey
I'm so sorry to read your latest couple of posts and will be sendingfor you all until you find out what's happening with your guy. It is awful when you don't know what's going on and then new things start to happen that make you worry even more. Relief you are able to get him to the vet quickly and they can do more monitoring as well as waiting for test results to come back.
My girls lived to (just before) 18 and 22, and had full and happy lives until they crossed the RB. We all want the best for our cats and I am very busy hoping that your guy's health improves so you can all enjoy lots of fur pensioner years too. Very glad your vet has a positive and thorough approach to pensioner cat care.
Yes, that's him!
for Mr Grey, I'm always happy to hear of other grey kitties.Hope he's settled at the vet and not too traumatized when he comes home. I haven;t had to syringe feed but would be terrified, and hate the idea of doing something the cat is so distressed about so totally understand that bit of relief!
Is Mr. Grey the middle cat in your avatar?
I'm so sorry to hear you're going thru this. Our vet has ruled out gingivitis as being the source of Mr. Grey's weight loss. I wish I had some suggestions for you. Perhaps start a new thread with stomatitis as the subject will get some replies. You could also search on the term to read thru what others may have experienced. I certainly hope Loki recovers, he is far too young to be going thru all this.
My young cat Loki is suffering with stomatitis. He is only two and can't eat or drink. He has gone from 17lbs to 8 lbs. Vet. has removed teeth that were most infected and steroid shots, antibiotics, and pain medication. This is extremely painful condition.
I am at a loss. On a vet. consultation by phone yesterday, she said put him down humanely. He is suffering terribly and the expense has been in the thousands. At first he was diagnosed with mega colon. This was incorrect.
Perhaps, your cat has stomatitis. If anyone has any suggestions, please respond.
Blessings,
Mimi
He hasn't started either the potassium or the B12 yet, just picked those up today since they had to be specially ordered :-) I think the vet was surprised too about the anemia, as the only reason they tested for it is because I insisted! He said it's possible he's just a carrier, and it hasn't caused any symptoms, but we're going to treat regardless, of course. Thanks for those links!That is great news that he is his acting and eating normal again! So at this point, he's getting B12 and the potassium supplement?
Wow, I am a little surprised that the FIA test came back positive. When I had suggested it, I was truly taking a shot in the dark! Well, I guess it's better that you know so that it can be treated appropriately.
For your future reference and research, here are the two threads about another cat on TCS that was diagnosed with FIA:
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/262816/new-and-need-advice
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/263769/bubba-has-had-a-relapse
Keep us posted on his progress! Many vibes for your boy!He hasn't started either the potassium or the B12 yet, just picked those up today since they had to be specially ordered :-) I think the vet was surprised too about the anemia, as the only reason they tested for it is because I insisted! He said it's possible he's just a carrier, and it hasn't caused any symptoms, but we're going to treat regardless, of course. Thanks for those links!
Thanks so much! My stubborn boy will NOT take his potassium supplement... tried clam juice and his favorite canned food. Hoping there's another way to get it down... ugh!Keep us posted on his progress! Many vibes for your boy!
Is it a liquid or a pill?Thanks so much! My stubborn boy will NOT take his potassium supplement... tried clam juice and his favorite canned food. Hoping there's another way to get it down... ugh!