Vagus Nerve / Twitching / FHS

Thanks for your responses and recommendations.

I asked my human nutritionist -- who also is certified in Chinese herbal medicine as well as acupuncture -- about whether Bach's Rescue Remedy in alcohol would be as effective as in the glycerin base, she thought about it, and said she believed the alcohol is necessary for distillation purposes. I'm going to try to get a more definitive explanation.

My cat is also suffering from FHS and has been twitching and excessively licking non stop. I just posted my first post on this site about what has been going on and thought I'd share what has worked and not worked. When my cat first started getting the symptoms I tried going the herbal remedy route so the Bach resure Remedy for animals which did not do anything, Omega 3 Fish Oil which again did not do anything except maybe make her fur softer and more shiny and virgin cold pressed coconut oil which again did nothing. The only temporary relieve she gets is when I apply a hypoallergetic grooming foam to her fur - it actually stops the twitching dead in it's tracks no word of a lie but it only lasts for maybe a day or two then it's back to the full on twitching. I've had to finally put her on Prozac and Prednisone but that now does not seem to be working and I'm debating whether to try her on Gabapentin as suggested by the vet. My heart goes out to you all as I know how difficult this is - I've never cried so much.

Have you had a chance to chat with Trysh yet? I was really hoping.... if it's something that takes a while, it's a tough decision.

Just throwing another idea out there... if it's an immune system response, I wonder if something like Transfer Factor, or colostrum, or lactoferrin, or thymus would help? :dk: Something to ask the nutritionist maybe?

Trysh said via email we'd have to "wait and see". I'm seeing her for myown aches and pains this Saturday and will discuss it further with her.
And the holistic vet is still a possibility--to address the FHS issues as well as gastric acid (if she goes without food for 10+ hours, she throws up).
Or maybe another telephone consult with the homeopathic vet.
I won't see the human nutritionist for several weeks, and she doesn't like to answer supplement type questions via email.

If you weren't feeding raw I'd wonder about food additives. Jamie had FHS, and we found that any food with beet pulp, soy or preservatives really exacerbated it. He did pretty well for years on a restricted diet, but when his heart got really bad I had to tempt him with Fancy Feast, and the FHS became full-blown again. Since that stuff is full of artificial flavors and coloring, I'm 99% certain they're what triggered it again. I didn't have any luck with Bach's or homeopathic remedies. He got salmon oil because of EGC. It helped that, but I don't know whether it also helped the FHS. He had the latter really bad as a kitten and as a senior, but it was fairly mild when he was an adult.

Interesting about the oil.
I try to remember to give Ritz Krill oil three times a week. I should look at my records to see if there is a correlation between the Krill oil and FHS.
Do you think I should switch to salmon oil?

Like I said, I don't know whether it helped, because we put the milder FHS down to the change in diet, and the salmon oil was for his rodent ulcers. I never tried Krill oil, so I don't know whether it would have helped or hurt. He still got the twitching back, but not every day, and he no longer stayed up for 3 - 5 days running or bit at his tail, etc..

Hello, not sure you are all on this site any longer but my Wallee Bear has FHS, just recently diagnosed and I am crying right now typing this because it sounds like not a lot works for FHS...can you give me any advice for how to make Wallee feel better.

He has been to the vet three times to rule all other issues out, no fleas, no mites, no skin problems, no heart, kidney, liver issues.

His actions look like every video on line of a cat with FHS, my vet had never seen it before so she was reluctant to diagnose it but her vet network confirmed it after seeing a video of Wallee.

Any help you can suggest would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Ann

Wallee Bear said:

 
Hello, not sure you are all on this site any longer but my Wallee Bear has FHS, just recently diagnosed and I am crying right now typing this because it sounds like not a lot works for FHS...can you give me any advice for how to make Wallee feel better.

He has been to the vet three times to rule all other issues out, no fleas, no mites, no skin problems, no heart, kidney, liver issues.

His actions look like every video on line of a cat with FHS, my vet had never seen it before so she was reluctant to diagnose it but her vet network confirmed it after seeing a video of Wallee.

Any help you can suggest would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Ann

Click to expand...

Hi @Wallee Bear.    Welcome to TCS!  I meant to reply to you much earlier, but I forgot.    I'm sorry your Wallee Bear has FHS. It's such a mystery condition that a lot of us are frustrated over. Some people have had success using anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medications for cats with FHS. I saw in your other post that you and your vet were going to try Wallee Bear on Prozac. Have you started this yet? Have you considered food allergies? That is usually explored next after flea allergies. I'm assuming Wallee had a full work-up (blood, x-rays, etc.)?

I think the success of the medication depends on what is causing the FHS. An anti-depressant/anti-anxiety medication I think would help if the FHS stems from a kind of obsessive compulsive disorder. Technically, FHS is hypersensitization. So sometimes a medication that calms nerve endings and addresses nerve pain is explored as well. I am not a vet. Do talk to your vet about your options. Keep us posted.

Ritz has/had FHS, probably precipitated by routine vaccinations (rabies, distemper).
As GoHolistic indicated, FHS is a mysterious illness, and not a lot of vets know much about it, especially non-feline specialists.
I would see if a change in diet helps any. You want a food that has the least amount of additives. Ritz was already on a prey model raw diet.
Also, stress seems to play a part in FHS, so you should try to play with Walle Bear on a regular basis. Keep to a routine.
Some cats like to be petted/cuddled during a mild attack; Ritz hated it unless it was a very very mild attack.
Finally, I learned to control my own reaction to when Ritz was having a particularly bad attack--running up and down the hall, running from something that she thought was biting her; her skin/fur rolling/twitching. Now, I just speak calmly to her, reassuring her, it's okay honey, it's okay.
Ritz was on Prozac for a while, but I weaned her off of it in part because of the side effects, in part because her episodes seem to be decreasing. They frequency stayed, well, infrequent, until she had another vaccination, when they started up again, although not as badly as the first time. My vet and I have discussed her adverse reaction to vaccinations, and we will think long and hard about re-vaccinating her. If Ritz' FHS was significantly affecting her quality of life, and especially if she began to self-mutiliate, I would certainly reconsider Prozac or a similar class drug.
Finally, on a recent episode of Jackson Galaxy, the 'cat from hell' was ultimately diagnosed with FHS. Interestingly enough, this cat did not direct his twitching, etc., on himself, rather he directed his agression on the owners/child. He was eventually rehomed because a young child was involved. He is on several drugs and his episodes have decreased signficantly. (This is the cat where the owners owners who called 911 because their cat was attacking them and they barricaded themselves in the bedroom--made the local/national news). I mention this only to let other posters know this is a possibility, albeit remote. (He underwent many many tests; the FHS was basically a diagnosis of exclusion.)

Ritz said:

Finally, on a recent episode of Jackson Galaxy, the 'cat from hell' was ultimately diagnosed with FHS. Interestingly enough, this cat did not direct his twitching, etc., on himself, rather he directed his agression on the owners/child. He was eventually rehomed because a young child was involved. He is on several drugs and his episodes have decreased signficantly. (This is the cat where the owners owners who called 911 because their cat was attacking them and they barricaded themselves in the bedroom--made the local/national news). I mention this only to let other posters know this is a possibility, albeit remote. (He underwent many many tests; the FHS was basically a diagnosis of exclusion.)

Click to expand...

I saw this episode!

Hi! Sorry, work has been nuts...Wallee has been having less and less episodes, he hasn't had a bad one for over three weeks. Not sure it is the Prozac or not, he still seems like he doesn't have a memory of where he had been the day before, still super cautious around his food dish that he has been eating out of for year and a half...He has had full work up, she put a video of him during an episode up on the vet website and three vets agreed it was FHS but now sure why he has it. The allergens have been incredibly bad this Spring and Summer so perhaps it is that. 

We are going to try the Prozac for 6 weeks and then titrate him down and she what happens.

I am very picky about his food, he has had Blue for ever, I did cut out the tuna though. I can brush him, and pet his back without causing any episode and I have read that most FHS cats cannot have their backs touched so that is definitely different with Wallee.

He is a bit of a wonder, he is not a cuddled, doesn't like sitting on laps, he is pretty much his own little bugger, which I love!!

So, thanks for checking in on the little guy, I need to remember to check this site as it has wonderful information about kitties!

Thanks so much, Ann

Hi! Sorry, work has been nuts...Wallee has been having less and less episodes, he hasn't had a bad one for over three weeks. Not sure it is the Prozac or not, he still seems like he doesn't have a memory of where he had been the day before, still super cautious around his food dish that he has been eating out of for year and a half...He has had full work up, she put a video of him during an episode up on the vet website and three vets agreed it was FHS but now sure why he has it. The allergens have been incredibly bad this Spring and Summer so perhaps it is that. 

We are going to try the Prozac for 6 weeks and then titrate him down and she what happens.

I am very picky about his food, he has had Blue for ever, I did cut out the tuna though. I can brush him, and pet his back without causing any episode and I have read that most FHS cats cannot have their backs touched so that is definitely different with Wallee.

He is a bit of a wonder, he is not a cuddled, doesn't like sitting on laps, he is pretty much his own little bugger, which I love!!

So, thanks for checking in on the little guy, I need to remember to check this site as it has wonderful information about kitties!

Thanks so much, Ann

Hi! Sorry, work has been nuts...Wallee has been having less and less episodes, he hasn't had a bad one for over three weeks. Not sure it is the Prozac or not, he still seems like he doesn't have a memory of where he had been the day before, still super cautious around his food dish that he has been eating out of for year and a half...He has had full work up, she put a video of him during an episode up on the vet website and three vets agreed it was FHS but now sure why he has it. The allergens have been incredibly bad this Spring and Summer so perhaps it is that. 

We are going to try the Prozac for 6 weeks and then titrate him down and she what happens.

I am very picky about his food, he has had Blue for ever, I did cut out the tuna though. I can brush him, and pet his back without causing any episode and I have read that most FHS cats cannot have their backs touched so that is definitely different with Wallee.

He is a bit of a wonder, he is not a cuddled, doesn't like sitting on laps, he is pretty much his own little bugger, which I love!!

So, thanks for checking in on the little guy, I need to remember to check this site as it has wonderful information about kitties!

Thanks so much, Ann

Thanks for the update. Ritz' FHS episodes remain sporadic. I have reintroduced turkey and pork into her rotation (I fed prey model raw). I wanted her to have more variety than chicken/beef, and the occasional rabbit/quail/goat. I'll see if the pork/turkey trigger any episodes. An animal communicator--who I do trust--indicated Ritz might be sensitive to pork/turkey.

Update; question.
Ritz hasn't (hadn't....) had an FHS episode for several months.
Saturday I come home around 4 p.m. and found what I suspect was anal sac fluid in front of my kitchen. Didn't think much about it, cleaned it up. I fed prey model raw, and Ritz has a slight tendency to get constipated and get her anal glands manually expressed (by the vet) once or twice a year.
Then about two or three hours later, shortly after Ritz ate, she had a bad FHS attack: ears back, running up and down the short hallway, twitching, chasing tail, etc. Lasted about five minutes. Just spoke calmly to her as I always do now.
Early the next morning I went into the 2nd bedroom to vacuum (don't go in there much) and smelled something bad: Ritz had pooped on the small, soft throw rug (my mother made, 50 years ago). I couldn't tell how long ago, though the feces was not hard or dried out, normal consistency and size. She has never, ever pooped outside the box.
My question is: could an FHS episode precipitate unusual bowel behavior?
In the past two to three weeks she has been more cuddly than usual and somewhat more interested in playing. Appetite normal. Pee normal.
She is due for another bowel movement today or tomorrow (she usually has one the day after I fed bone) and hopefully there won't be a surprise waiting for me.
Thanks.

You know, it's interesting that you bring this up. I have my theories about bowel movements / colon health as it relates to FHS and other weird episodes (at least from my Boo). I made a lot of changes all at once in a desperate attempt to quickly address some of his issues. One result is that his FHS episodes completely stopped. Who's to know exactly what helped or if it was a combination of things. He used to get constipation something terrible. I changed his diet so that he has regular, softer BMs. Even with a diet change and Miralax, his stools can still get pretty hard, but it's definitely an improvement.

He no longer gets the FHS episodes, but he does still get this other type of episode of body trembling and focal twitching as though he's having some kind of pain. It only lasts for a few minutes and seems to happen when his colon is full because he'll usually have a pretty decent sized BM soon after, which may or may not be accompanied by some minor straining. My theory is that perhaps he has nerve pain or sharp spasms in his colon when it is full. Or that the full colon is pushing up against his spine / spinal cord and causing nerve pain (he does have intervertebral disc disease).    I don't know enough about feline anatomy to know if this is physically possible.

I am not a vet, but from my experience and reading your post, I do think one possibility of FHS could have something to do with what's going on in the colon.

Unfortunately, I think she may be developing a UTI. I think she peed on a throw rug, and there hasn't been any pee or poop in her litter box for over 24 hours. She is prone to stress induced UTI and has been diagnosed with FLUTD.
I'm going to switch her back to her old litter box and hope that solves the issue.
If still no pee/peeing-pooping inappropriately, then off the vet. And NOW would be a good time to take her to the holistic vet. I found one much closer to where I live.

You could also help avert one by following the instructions for using d-mannose here: http://www.vetinfo.com/d-mannose-for-cats.html

And I give 1/8th teaspoon to Spooky once a day as a preventative, because she was developing chronic UTIs - I add water and the d-mannose to one of her meals each day, it just melts right in there.