cat may have hemobartnella!!!

tewing84

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So we took Elsa to the vet again this morning. Unfortunately we couldnt take her to our usual vet, but they recommended me to one. I did not like them at all. They were extremely rough with her and scared her to the point where she acted in a way i have never seen her act before, especially towards my vet. But anyways, after a brief exam they said she may have a blood parasite called hemobartnella, and that we could only give her some medicine, doxycycline. Said antibiotics wouldnt work and no point for a blood test because this type of blood parasite is hard to determine. He called 2 pharmacies and basically gave up and said we will have to wait until after the holiday. Which is not what im going to do, i have a really sick cat and i need to get her some medicine like yesterday. This guy pissed me off. But luckily he at least sent a prescription to cvs who didnt have it, and said to have them order it. So i called around and found a different pharmacy who had it and told them to transfer it. So im getting it now!

My question is has any of you heard of this or know anything about it? Also is there anything further you would recommend doing after this medication, whether it works or not? Im reading online about it and its kinda scarring me. Im seeing if they get severily ill it kills 1 in 3 cats.

Here is her background and symptoms for those who didnt read my last post. This all started about 3 weeks ago. She devolped a really raspy meow and was sleeping a little more than usual, other than that perfectly normal. Made an appointment with my vet but couldnt do it for a few days because of work. So about 4 days after it started her meow was almost back to normal by the time we took her to the vet. They just determined it as a URI. After that she was fine and meowed normal, and during this time we got a new kitten. Well a week after the visit and got the new cat, she stopped meowing all together and became lethargic. After 4 days shes devolped a cough, which was yesterday, and she threw up once. She also started hiding and sleeping under the couch yesterday. So definitely not herself
 

the3rdname

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Oh dear.  Is your cat anemic?  There' s no reason to suspect mycoplasma (what all the cool vets call it these days) if your kitty isn't anemic.  She had a CBC?  And we're positive she didn't swallow a string?  Because only an x-ray/ultrasound can diagnose a blockage.  

Btw, a mycoplasma PCR can definitively diagnose an infection.  It costs a pretty penny (Rumi's was a little over $100), but it's worth it if a vet who knows what they're doing has reason to suspect an infection.
 
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tewing84

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CBC? She did eat some string. But it was a few weeks before all this started. She has been sleeping a lot lately, not eating as much, lost a little weight, and she had a 107 fever. Is that what you mean by anemic? She is usually really playful but all she does now is sleep. This morning she was sleeping under the couch, which she never does, and didn't eat her breakfast. She didn't eat till after the vet, and even then doesn't finish it. She was coughing yesterday a bit, but hasn't today until we gave her the medicine we got her, doxycycline. But it was just a few coughs and then done. It's so sad to see her like this. There will be moments where she plays but hardly does anything, I can tell she really wants to get her toy but she doesn't have the energy.

Now all the major symptoms and things that worry me have been going on for the last 5 days. It's been 7 days since she stopped meowing. But when we got her in the car to take her to the vet her meow came back, but still muffled. I'm gonna see how this medicine does, the vet today said I should see some improvement within 2 days of taking this.

If this doesn't work im gonna take her to the vet I usually go to. But regardless, if it works I'm gonna most likely take her to my vet. I just wanna make sure she's ok. Is there anything I can do for her at home? Does this sound like anything else serious?
 

mrsgreenjeens

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CBC is a blood test.  Hemobartonella can be diagnosed with a blood smear, but it's better to do a PCR as the above poster mentioned, as it's more conclusive.  If, indeed, it IS hemobaronella, then doxy is one of the preferred antibiotics to use. 

Had Elsa been exposed to fleas and/or ticks?  This is the only way to contract this, as far as I am aware.  IS she anemic?  High fever does not mean anemic.  Anemia would show up in a blood test, but you should be able to tell also if she has extremely pale gums, white nose, that sort of thing.  Also, if she is licking anything clay is a big signal that she's anemic,,, even eating litter is a sign. 

If he's not treating her for anemia, then that wold mean he thinks she is still in the early stages, which would be good, according to this article:  http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/cardiovascular/c_ct_hemotrophic_mycoplasmosis

Let's hope he's right and the doxy kicks in and she feels better soon
 

the3rdname

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As MrsGreenJeans has said, you'd need a CBC (Complete Blood Count) to confirm anemia (the HCT, or hematocrit, value would tell you if she's producing enough red blood cells).  Vets generally only suspect mycoplasma infection when anemia is present, which is why I wondered if she'd had a CBC.  There are so many viral/bacterial infections that could cause her particular symptoms, it seems logical to me to test first and go from there.  It sounds, frankly, like this vet picked his favorite go-to diagnosis and decided that was that.  

Pathogen panel, CBC, FIV and FeLV tests: I think these are the best place to start.  I wouldn't want to unnecessarily give my cat antibiotics (they can develop a resistance to them, making future treatment more difficult), but it's a highly personal decision.  

I hope she starts to feel better very soon 
  It would be great if vet's diagnosis du jour turned out to be right and the doxy does the trick!
 
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tewing84

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Oh i dont know if shes anemic then or not. And he didnt do any special tests at all, he just did a quick look over and took her temperature, and that was it. I think thats exactly what he did, @the3rdname. Just went with what he see's the most or knows the most about. But now he has me all worried. I called my vet after i left there immediately and they requested to get the report. Although all they are going to get is what this vet "suggests". So im gonna wait and see if she gets better. If she does, im just gonna wait a week or two so she can calm down, then take her to my vet and get some tests done. That visit was pretty tough on her, and probably twice as bad on me.

Mrsgreenjeens, Elsa does have fleas. Weve been trying to get rid of them for a few weeks. Im not sure if our older cat Sven has them or not, he is darker and they are harder to see. Elsa is white so they stand out and are easy to spot. Now, Sven did get some of these same symptoms a few months ago before we got Elsa. His appetite went down a bit, he got really lethargic, he slept in the same spot for 12 hours. So we took him to the vet and they said he had a 107 fever, and gave him antibiotics and put some fluids in him, and he was back to normal in 24 hours.
 
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tewing84

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Are there any tricks to get her to drink some water? I havent seen her drink any water today
 

the3rdname

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Are there any tricks to get her to drink some water? I havent seen her drink any water today
If you have canned tuna or salmon, you can mix a little juice with water.  Chicken stock (without onion, garlic or salt) might be tempting.  Adding water to wet food is a good way to increase intake, and, if worse comes to worst, you could get extra water into her using a syringe (I like the larger sizes meant to be used with needles- they make the best oral syringes IMO).  I've given unflavored Pedialyte to sick, mildly dehydrated kitties mixed with Gerber 2nd Foods chicken, turkey or ham to entice them.  

Does she like running water?  Some cats like it straight from the faucet.  

Btw, do you know if Sven was given doxycycline? 
 
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tewing84

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No, back when Sven had these symptoms they determined it as an URI and gave him fluids and antibiotics. That was the only time he has really been sick. Every now and then he sleeps a little more than usual and doesnt eat as much. But Sven used to be an outdoor cat, we rescued him one winter when he was hiding under a car during a snow and ice storm. So i wonder if he is the original carrier.

She does like running water, just not from the sink. I bought them a small drinking fountain which recently broke. So i went and bought a new one yesterday for her but she hasnt tried it yet. Its a little bit different and louder. Thank you tho...ill try the tuna water :)

Elsa seems to be doing better today. Just after that first dose yesterday, i woke up to her in the middle of the night, in my face meowing with a toy in front. So as annoying as that usually is, i was so happy to wake up to that. She did that a few times. Its still not her usual meow, but ill take it :) how long should i continue the medicine for? The pharmacy said no more than 10 days
 
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tewing84

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Will do! Thank you so much. The first dose was easy, but they are getting harder and harder as we go lol, she keeps trying to wiggle out of our arms
 

crimmie

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Crimmie had haemobartonella a couple of months ago. She was very sick and ended up needing a feeding tube inserted into her esophagus. She recovered. and is back to herself now!
I don't know how this vet can say it's haemobart without doing a blood smear. I would take her to another vet. That makes no sense to me.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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I thought the typical dose of doxy for this issue was a minimum of 3 weeks. You definitely need to get the instructions from your Vet, but I agree that you may need a different Vet, because why give an antibiotic if not needed?  (although if she is feeling better, certainly sounds as if she did have some sort of "bug". 

Yes, pilling a cat once they start to feel better gets harder and harder.  I take that as a good sign
.  There are many threads here on TCS about pilling cats. Here is just one:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/301313/wet-food-for-cat-after-uti-crystals

If she doesn't chews things to death, it should be possible to hide her pill in food, like a special soft treat.  Use anything,choose, salmon cream cheese, soft cat treats smooshed and wrapped around it, , raw meat, even a piece of hot dog.  Anything.  And you may have to change it up so she doesn't suspect.  I always give some "unloaded" treats, then toss in the "loaded" lone, followed by another "unloaded" one.  But now I have a cat whe chews everything really fine, so she finds the pills and spits them out.  Pill time is when you need gulpers
.  And with antibiotic, you absolutely need to make sure she takes it. 

Anyhoo, glad she seems to be feeling better.  A toy in the face in the middle of the night is a good sign
 
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