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- Apr 5, 2014
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My first post, and I wish it wasn't such a desperate one. I am really hoping some kind souls out there could lend their expertise and advice. Please bear with me, this will be a lengthy post but I just want to give as much information as possible in the hope of receiving the most informed and accurate advice in return.
Daisy is a British Shorthair, about to turn three later this month. She came from one of the most reputable breeders in Beijing, and I got her when she was five months old. When she came home, she had ringworm and also tested positive for the coronavirus after I took her to the vet for a bout of diarrhea.
Other than those initial issues, Daisy has been a fairly healthy cat for most of her life. She'll have soft-ish stools every now and then, and a couple of instances of slightly bloody/mucus-covered stools, but it always stopped before I could get a sample or take her to the vet.
In June 2013, my fiance and I relocated from Beijing to Singapore. Part of the reason was because we wanted eventually to move back to Australia (where I am from) and the only way we could take Daisy under the current quarantine rules is via a six-month period in Singapore. So Daisy arrived in Singapore in June, did a month on quarantine, and happily came home to our new apartment. Between the months of June to December, she had no health issues.
In mid-December, she was treated for a case of conjunctivitis. Maxitrol eyedrops cleared up the problem within a couple of days. Then at the end of December, she had the first flare-up of what would become a repeated issue. It starts with her incessantly licking her hindquarters - her bottom, the underside of her tail, and the surrounding area. It got to the point where the skin became swollen and inflamed, and the fur turned yellow. The vet said it was likely an allergic reaction to any number of things, or an anal gland issue. He expressed her anal glands, but said there wasn't actually that much in there. He put her on a course of Clavamox and gave her a Dexafort injection. That cleared up within a few days, and Daisy was right as rain.
In February, under the strong recommendation of our cat sitters, we started Daisy on a half-raw diet. Previously, she'd been on a combination of good dry food (Royal Canin and Wellness) and a number of different wet foods (Applaws, Addiction, Merrick Purrfect Bistro, and the occasional Fancy Feast/Dine). We started her on hormone-free chicken breast, frozen for three days and then defrosted the night before. The vet has since told us that this could have been a source of bacteria, especially given the warm weather in Singapore and the fact that she doesn't always finish her meal in one go. We stopped the raw diet entirely towards the end of March.
In early March, Daisy's bottom issue returned. The vet gave her another Dexafort jab, prescribed a course of Metronidazole, which helped for a few days. He also started her on a course of Drontal in case it was a worms/parasitic issue (1.5 tablets every two weeks, which she has now completed). At this point, I also started her on Revolution again (stupidly, thinking she was an indoor cat, I'd stopped giving her deworming/parasite treatment for nine months). He recommended using the Epi-Smoothe Shampoo once a week, which seemed to help somewhat for a while. At this time, he tested her for FIV/FELV which turned out negative.
We were away between March 23-26, and during that time the cat sitters advised that they were finding a yellowish residue when they wiped Daisy's behind after going to the toilet. It had small dark specks on it too. When we got back to Singapore, Daisy quickly fell back into the constant licking, and her behind was looking very sore.
This is where the nightmare of vet visits and uncertain diagnosis starts.
In the afternoon of Sunday March 30th, I took Daisy in to the vet, after making an appointment with one of the most senior vets in the hope of getting another opinion on her bottom inflammation. He once again said it was likely an allergy, and advised us to change to the Hills Prescription Z/D dry food, gave her a steroid injection for relief, and another course of Clavamox. He gave her a heartworm test upon my insistence (there are major mosquito issues in Singapore), which was negative. He also gave her the Fel-O-Vax vaccination, for which she was out of date.
The following evening (Monday), Daisy started getting diarrhea, very much liquid. The vet said I could bring her back in, for a complete blood test and fecal analysis. The blood test was normal for everything, and the fecal smear showed no indication of parasites. Again, he said it could have been something from the raw chicken. The vet put her on Metronidazone Syrup for the diarrhea, plus Ranitidine Syrup and Benebac probiotics for her tummy.
Over the next couple of days, we really struggled to give her the medication (Clavamox tablet, Metro and Ranitidine Syrup, probiotics two hours later). It seemed to really traumatise her, and our apartment was covered in cat drool from her reaction. Whether it was because of the difficulty of getting the Metro down or otherwise, her diarrhea did not improve.
On Thursday morning (3rd), I woke up to two piles of vomit - one on my slippers (looked like there was quite a bit of saliva) and another on the bathroom mat (a couple of small furballs, but it didn't resemble the solid furball vomits she had done in the past). Worried, we took her back to the vet straight away. She did a bunch of other tests - pancreatic snap test came back negative, her blood glucose and T4/Cholestrol came back normal as well. She gave her some shots (Cerenia, Metomide, Ranitidine) and prescribed Metro tablets for Daisy, as well as Baytril tablets. They had a lot of trouble getting a vein, ended up shaving her neck (and nicking her in the process) and using the jugular. It was a very traumatic experience for her.
When I got home that afternoon, I noticed Daisy was experiencing very irregular breathing (up to 60-70 breaths per minute). I took her back to the vet that same evening to see the vet that seemed most popular with their clients. He listened to her heart, which he said was a bit muffled, and decided that warranted an x-ray. That showed nothing - no fluid in the lungs, or congestion in the heart. He put her on a different type of probiotic, LactoGold, to help firm up her stools, and said that the breathing could have just been due to stress.
On Friday morning (4th), I woke to a frightening sight of Daisy having trouble walking. She could still walk, but her movements were laboured and she would occasionally stumble. The previous night, she had tried to jump on the coffee table and failed. That morning, she had difficulty getting onto a box that she usually liked sleeping on (about the size of a small step). She would walk a couple of steps, and then have to lie down. She was still eating and drinking fine though, having had a full meal the night before. Her eyes, her gaze - it didn't look right. Her eyes were listless and hooded.
I took her back to the vet AGAIN. They were initially concerned about the possibility of a blood clot, but the vet ruled that out after confirming a pulse in both her legs. He also made her walk around a bit, and she actually seemed to improve - definitely looked more alert and mobile, perhaps because of the adrenalin.
At this point, the vet very honestly told me that he was a bit stumped, and that the best course would be for me to either hospitalise her with fluids, or take her home and monitor her. He thought the latter might be better, because keeping her in hospital would add to her stress levels. He was encouraged by the fact that she was still eating and drinking well. He also said I could stop giving her all the other drugs except the Metro, if it was too stressful for her.
So I took her home, and it's now Saturday night. She spent most of yesterday seeking out and sleeping in dark places, under my bed etc. Foaming at the sight of me, presumably a psychological response to thinking I would give her medication. In the evening, she seemed to improve a little - I managed to play with her with her favourite mouse-on-a-string toy, and she ate half a can of wet food. She slept in the lid of a box (her favourite thing, even though she's too big for it) and I heard her getting up to chomp on dry food throughout the night. This morning, she jumped up on the sofa (where I had slept to keep an eye on her), and her eyes looked bright and normal again. She seemed to have a good appetite, eating wet food and then continuing to snack on dry food throughout the day. She also started to groom herself again this afternoon, and her breathing back to normal (between 25-30 at rest). She's moving around and walking as per normal, albeit a little slower and weaker than when she's at full health.
HOWEVER, I have noticed that a) her diarrhea is still happening and b) she is drinking a lot. She would maybe visit the water bowl once every 20 minutes (with some longer periods in between if she's napping). She'd paw at the surface before drinking. Initially, she'd go to the litter box and do a tiny little pee - about a quarter of the size of the clump she usually makes when she's urinating. And for the past 2-3 times, she's gone into the litter box, pawed around but never manages to produce any urine. In the meantime, she's gotten sleepy and lethargic again, after coming out and eating her dinner.
I called the vet this morning to report the new drinking/urinating symptom, and he said that normally it would be diabetes or kidney issues - but her tests seemed to rule out all that. He said it could just be because she's dehydrated by the diarrhea and fever (she's had a slight temperature for the past few days, but her ears are now cool).
When I asked whether we could rule out FIP, the vet said I should keep it "at the back of your mind"...which is incredibly distressing. If she has it, I guess it would be the dry form...because the x-ray didn't show up any liquid in her abdomen. I'm also worried that the stress of multiple visits to the vet could have brought on the FIP...I'm kicking myself for not restraining myself from taking her all those times this past week, especially when it hasn't seemed to help her symptoms at all.
Can anyone shed any light on what might be wrong with my sweet Daisy? Could it just be a serious case of gastro? Or should I brace myself for something more sinister? I have spent the past two days bawling my eyes out, we have been through so much to get her to Singapore and I just can't even fathom the idea of losing her now.
Daisy is a British Shorthair, about to turn three later this month. She came from one of the most reputable breeders in Beijing, and I got her when she was five months old. When she came home, she had ringworm and also tested positive for the coronavirus after I took her to the vet for a bout of diarrhea.
Other than those initial issues, Daisy has been a fairly healthy cat for most of her life. She'll have soft-ish stools every now and then, and a couple of instances of slightly bloody/mucus-covered stools, but it always stopped before I could get a sample or take her to the vet.
In June 2013, my fiance and I relocated from Beijing to Singapore. Part of the reason was because we wanted eventually to move back to Australia (where I am from) and the only way we could take Daisy under the current quarantine rules is via a six-month period in Singapore. So Daisy arrived in Singapore in June, did a month on quarantine, and happily came home to our new apartment. Between the months of June to December, she had no health issues.
In mid-December, she was treated for a case of conjunctivitis. Maxitrol eyedrops cleared up the problem within a couple of days. Then at the end of December, she had the first flare-up of what would become a repeated issue. It starts with her incessantly licking her hindquarters - her bottom, the underside of her tail, and the surrounding area. It got to the point where the skin became swollen and inflamed, and the fur turned yellow. The vet said it was likely an allergic reaction to any number of things, or an anal gland issue. He expressed her anal glands, but said there wasn't actually that much in there. He put her on a course of Clavamox and gave her a Dexafort injection. That cleared up within a few days, and Daisy was right as rain.
In February, under the strong recommendation of our cat sitters, we started Daisy on a half-raw diet. Previously, she'd been on a combination of good dry food (Royal Canin and Wellness) and a number of different wet foods (Applaws, Addiction, Merrick Purrfect Bistro, and the occasional Fancy Feast/Dine). We started her on hormone-free chicken breast, frozen for three days and then defrosted the night before. The vet has since told us that this could have been a source of bacteria, especially given the warm weather in Singapore and the fact that she doesn't always finish her meal in one go. We stopped the raw diet entirely towards the end of March.
In early March, Daisy's bottom issue returned. The vet gave her another Dexafort jab, prescribed a course of Metronidazole, which helped for a few days. He also started her on a course of Drontal in case it was a worms/parasitic issue (1.5 tablets every two weeks, which she has now completed). At this point, I also started her on Revolution again (stupidly, thinking she was an indoor cat, I'd stopped giving her deworming/parasite treatment for nine months). He recommended using the Epi-Smoothe Shampoo once a week, which seemed to help somewhat for a while. At this time, he tested her for FIV/FELV which turned out negative.
We were away between March 23-26, and during that time the cat sitters advised that they were finding a yellowish residue when they wiped Daisy's behind after going to the toilet. It had small dark specks on it too. When we got back to Singapore, Daisy quickly fell back into the constant licking, and her behind was looking very sore.
This is where the nightmare of vet visits and uncertain diagnosis starts.
In the afternoon of Sunday March 30th, I took Daisy in to the vet, after making an appointment with one of the most senior vets in the hope of getting another opinion on her bottom inflammation. He once again said it was likely an allergy, and advised us to change to the Hills Prescription Z/D dry food, gave her a steroid injection for relief, and another course of Clavamox. He gave her a heartworm test upon my insistence (there are major mosquito issues in Singapore), which was negative. He also gave her the Fel-O-Vax vaccination, for which she was out of date.
The following evening (Monday), Daisy started getting diarrhea, very much liquid. The vet said I could bring her back in, for a complete blood test and fecal analysis. The blood test was normal for everything, and the fecal smear showed no indication of parasites. Again, he said it could have been something from the raw chicken. The vet put her on Metronidazone Syrup for the diarrhea, plus Ranitidine Syrup and Benebac probiotics for her tummy.
Over the next couple of days, we really struggled to give her the medication (Clavamox tablet, Metro and Ranitidine Syrup, probiotics two hours later). It seemed to really traumatise her, and our apartment was covered in cat drool from her reaction. Whether it was because of the difficulty of getting the Metro down or otherwise, her diarrhea did not improve.
On Thursday morning (3rd), I woke up to two piles of vomit - one on my slippers (looked like there was quite a bit of saliva) and another on the bathroom mat (a couple of small furballs, but it didn't resemble the solid furball vomits she had done in the past). Worried, we took her back to the vet straight away. She did a bunch of other tests - pancreatic snap test came back negative, her blood glucose and T4/Cholestrol came back normal as well. She gave her some shots (Cerenia, Metomide, Ranitidine) and prescribed Metro tablets for Daisy, as well as Baytril tablets. They had a lot of trouble getting a vein, ended up shaving her neck (and nicking her in the process) and using the jugular. It was a very traumatic experience for her.
When I got home that afternoon, I noticed Daisy was experiencing very irregular breathing (up to 60-70 breaths per minute). I took her back to the vet that same evening to see the vet that seemed most popular with their clients. He listened to her heart, which he said was a bit muffled, and decided that warranted an x-ray. That showed nothing - no fluid in the lungs, or congestion in the heart. He put her on a different type of probiotic, LactoGold, to help firm up her stools, and said that the breathing could have just been due to stress.
On Friday morning (4th), I woke to a frightening sight of Daisy having trouble walking. She could still walk, but her movements were laboured and she would occasionally stumble. The previous night, she had tried to jump on the coffee table and failed. That morning, she had difficulty getting onto a box that she usually liked sleeping on (about the size of a small step). She would walk a couple of steps, and then have to lie down. She was still eating and drinking fine though, having had a full meal the night before. Her eyes, her gaze - it didn't look right. Her eyes were listless and hooded.
I took her back to the vet AGAIN. They were initially concerned about the possibility of a blood clot, but the vet ruled that out after confirming a pulse in both her legs. He also made her walk around a bit, and she actually seemed to improve - definitely looked more alert and mobile, perhaps because of the adrenalin.
At this point, the vet very honestly told me that he was a bit stumped, and that the best course would be for me to either hospitalise her with fluids, or take her home and monitor her. He thought the latter might be better, because keeping her in hospital would add to her stress levels. He was encouraged by the fact that she was still eating and drinking well. He also said I could stop giving her all the other drugs except the Metro, if it was too stressful for her.
So I took her home, and it's now Saturday night. She spent most of yesterday seeking out and sleeping in dark places, under my bed etc. Foaming at the sight of me, presumably a psychological response to thinking I would give her medication. In the evening, she seemed to improve a little - I managed to play with her with her favourite mouse-on-a-string toy, and she ate half a can of wet food. She slept in the lid of a box (her favourite thing, even though she's too big for it) and I heard her getting up to chomp on dry food throughout the night. This morning, she jumped up on the sofa (where I had slept to keep an eye on her), and her eyes looked bright and normal again. She seemed to have a good appetite, eating wet food and then continuing to snack on dry food throughout the day. She also started to groom herself again this afternoon, and her breathing back to normal (between 25-30 at rest). She's moving around and walking as per normal, albeit a little slower and weaker than when she's at full health.
HOWEVER, I have noticed that a) her diarrhea is still happening and b) she is drinking a lot. She would maybe visit the water bowl once every 20 minutes (with some longer periods in between if she's napping). She'd paw at the surface before drinking. Initially, she'd go to the litter box and do a tiny little pee - about a quarter of the size of the clump she usually makes when she's urinating. And for the past 2-3 times, she's gone into the litter box, pawed around but never manages to produce any urine. In the meantime, she's gotten sleepy and lethargic again, after coming out and eating her dinner.
I called the vet this morning to report the new drinking/urinating symptom, and he said that normally it would be diabetes or kidney issues - but her tests seemed to rule out all that. He said it could just be because she's dehydrated by the diarrhea and fever (she's had a slight temperature for the past few days, but her ears are now cool).
When I asked whether we could rule out FIP, the vet said I should keep it "at the back of your mind"...which is incredibly distressing. If she has it, I guess it would be the dry form...because the x-ray didn't show up any liquid in her abdomen. I'm also worried that the stress of multiple visits to the vet could have brought on the FIP...I'm kicking myself for not restraining myself from taking her all those times this past week, especially when it hasn't seemed to help her symptoms at all.
Can anyone shed any light on what might be wrong with my sweet Daisy? Could it just be a serious case of gastro? Or should I brace myself for something more sinister? I have spent the past two days bawling my eyes out, we have been through so much to get her to Singapore and I just can't even fathom the idea of losing her now.
