I knew this would happen...

catonetwo

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I've grown very wary of drs cause of personal experience, and now vets.

After researching I've learned that my story is the same as everyone's and the fate may be the same but I'm in denial.

I had been away for a while and left my cat with a family member and came back to see that my cat has been having nasal discharge and at first the trusted vet we've been going to thought it was URI. Which i understood. Everytime he gave her a steroid shot she seemed fine. But the problem wouldn't go away and he kept saying this is weird. When we x-rayed, we misdiagnosed her with FIP but now that I think about it, I think that was mucus she'd ingested over a few months.

The FIP tests came back negative but we just continued to give her shots whenever there seemed to be a flare up but her breathing always sounded a bit weird. Keep in mind throughout all this, my cat had NEVER lost her appetite. EVER.

Well, the 'snoring' sound began and i always took her and the shot along with the clavamox antibiotic she got always helped her. This time it didn't last long and when they x-rayed her face there seemed to be some kind of mass next to her eye. He said there wasn't anything we could do. I was devastated and refused to believe it because the steroid always seemed to work.

I went to another vet. I felt safe in the place and everyone was nice, and seemed to really want to figure out what was wrong. They took their own x-ray and just saw 'mucus' and 'no mass' and radiology report stated no cancer but not to rule it out. I thought the new medication she was prescribed would help. It turned out to be Piroxicam which I've come to hate so much.

We also started nebulizing her with sterile water and two other agents I can't think of the name now. One is to break up mucus the other was an antibiotic.

They said it 'might be allergic rhinitis' and was told to keep her on Piroxicam. Lo and behold for the first time ever she lost her appetite. She stayed in bed all day. I kept calling them telling them her snoring is driving me crazy and she is also very uncomfortable and can't put her head down when she sleeps. I decided to keep monitoring and that maybe she'd eventually start eating. They just kept saying the medicine takes a couple of weeks, but I'm thinking why wait a couple of weeks when she's obviously uncomfortable now. She no longer has the will to eat. I called nearly everyday and by the weekend I said no I can't keep giving this piroxicam it's killing her. When monday came and i told them she has stopped eating and drinking water they said ok bring her in.  I also noticed on Sunday when i stopped the piroxicam, discharge began in her OTHER nostril which has NEVER happened before and the crazy thing is the mucus is drying up and i'm having to keep wiping because without that nostril, her breathing is limited. the other nostril is basically defunct where the 'mass' or whatever was 'not' found.

I had also asked to speak with the vet but they always sent the receptionists. I know she is busy and all but maybe if i talked to her one on one it would be fine. So the morning I take her to be checked cause she's not eating, she basically defecated on herself, which she has NEVER done. This is a cat of mine who has always prided herself in being clean.

I finally had a sit down with the vet and i said can we just give her something else because i don't think this piroxicam is working. can't we just go back to a steroid because that gives her immediate comfort and she's clearly uncomfortable. they said again it takes time for the piroxicam to work, just to keep using the nebulizer. they took her blood and EVERYTHING came out fine except for glucose levels but we assumed it's stress. she told me to kick up nebulizer to three times a day. i remember asking her since the discharge is coming out from the other nostril which has never happened doesn't that mean it's getting worse? she says it could mean it's finally draining.

i did the nebulizer 3 times a day, i took her back to get fed since she stil wasn't eating, she tells me she's sounding worse and they need to flush out some mucus! I was a bit irritated because that's what i said the other day! when i went to pick her up I felt like i was being scolded and told "make sure you're following the rules religiously with the nebulizer and everything the vet has told you to do" i got so frustrated because i'm thinking, if i'm this concerned about my cat calling you almost everyday i realize something isn't right, don't you think i'm doing everything i've been asked?!

i also asked when she was getting the mucus flushed, can we PLEASE put her on something else other than Piroxicam because I don't see what's going on. And when I picked her up they said something is blocking the bridge of the nose...which was not there when I first brought them...which means the Piroxicam isn't working...and they say well like we said it will take a couple of weeks.

the cat is finally getting around and almost acting like her old self. but she doesn't sound like her old self and will only eat chicken sometimes if i feed her. i've started feeding her via syringe so that she can take the piroxicam...then last night i was devastated to find that the mucus had blood in it...but then she also seems to be slowly acting like herself. and today morning she finally drank water on her own for the first time since last week. she has the will to eat and will get excited if i open a can but as soon as i set it in front of her she loses interest. whenever i sit down to eat she comes to sit in front of me...which she NEVER used to do. and i'll try feed her chicken which she will only eat if i feed her.

I feel like carrying on with the Piroxicam was a mistake and has changed her forever. She was also on antibiotics but the vet said maybe we should stop that because of her apetite and i explicitly said i have been giving her clavamox and she has not had problems since Piroxicam but i read maybe those are the side effects.

Anyway I called them to say there is blood in her mucus but she seems to be in better spirits. their response? well if there is blood it might be a tumor and there's nothing we can do but continue with the meds she's been taking.

i understand vets can be stressed out when you have desperate customers like me. but i'm a paying customer and the fact that you wont and have refused to consider other options is baffling to me. i know long term steroid use isn't good but why not for short term? i know piroxicam and steroids can't be used at the same time but why not give the steroid for short term then as it weans off start the piroxicam? why does it have to be piroxicam? i feel now the swelling in her nose has grown to the point where even a steroid wont fix it. i feel like i've ruined my cat. i don't want to let her go.

i'm not really expecting anyone to respond with suggestions. i just need to vent because i'm so tired and disappointed. i even felt that the staff sometimes got annoyed with me, maybe it's all in my head. i guess they are also stressed. i wish i could afford a private vet to just really focus on getting my cat better and actually listen to me. i don't know. now looking for a new vet is stressing me out. i feel i wont be listened to. i know the vet is the professional but why can't i have a say? i'm so tired and it's hurting me to see my precious baby suffer like this for something i feel can be dealt with a bit differently.
 
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catonetwo

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i know for a fact if anything happens to this cat i'm never getting another one. but i don't think i'll ever be as attached to another cat as this one. she just seemed more different. i have another cat but i'm not as emotionally attached as i am to this one. i'm basically done with pets after this. the past few months have been very depressing for me and she was the main living thing i was around everyday. i'd rather be alone than go through with this grief and people looking at you like you're crazy 'cause it's just a cat' but this cat is like my baby and friend oh well.
 

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First, I am so sorry you are having these issues! It is very frustrating when you don't have a good vet that you can trust and work WITH you.

I did a quick scan thru your first post. My initial thought is that your cat may have Feline Herpes Virus. This is s chronic virus that presents with different upper respiratory symptoms. If this is what she has, steroids are counterproductive. Steroids can offer some initial relief; but, this is short term and symptoms can come back much more aggressive.

Many (if not most) vets are not up to date on their feline medicine practices. These vets often treat cats in the same manner they would a dog and this does not work.

Are there any cat-only vets I your area? This doesn't always equate a good cat vet; but, it can be a good place to start. A clinic that is AAHA certified is also a good place to start. (https://www.aaha.org/pet_owner/about_aaha/hospital_search/default.aspx)

Medications often used to treat feline URIs and Herpes flare ups are:
Famciclovir (an antiviral)
Clavamox (antibiotic)
Doxycycline (antibiotic)
L-Lysine (a supplement)

While it is more expensive, a certified veterinary ophthalmologist would be another way to seek a proper diagnosis. My ophthalmologist is honestly the only person I trust when my cats have URIs (and I even see her for non ocular related issues when I am having a difficult time getting a diagnosis.)
 

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Also, if you can provide a general location where you are, a member here might be able to suggest a vet.
 

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I don't blame you a bit for your frustration.  I'm sure you're feeling completely helpless and although you are trying so hard to get help for her, you cannot seem to get it.  You condensed a lot of what must have been agony for both of you into that post.  What I gathered most from it is that you don't really even have a diagnosis that you trust.  I have not had a cat with the symptoms yours has, but I do know what it's like to try to find the right diagnosis over and over again.  My daughter went through much the same thing when it was a difficult diagnosis.  And she too felt that if it wasn't an easy and quick diagnosis with cookie-cutter treatment and meds to be given, they didn't want to deal with it.  There are members of this forum from all over the country.  If you could let us know where you are trying to find a decent vet, I'm sure someone could help you with that.  Please don't feel like you're alone in this.  I feel that now we all have to be our own advocates as patients ourselves, as well as for our pets.  Hopefully, you will post again and let us know what area of the country you're in.  I'm so sorry you're going through this.  
 
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catonetwo

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Ironically the vet i took her to is cat only. She wont hear anything about giving her immediate comfort. Insists on Piroxicam and i dont understand why even when i said she has had adverse effect as to it. When i told her she has no relief and cant lay her head down to sleep, she said "it takes a couple of weeks". When i told her she stopped eating she said bring her in and well feed her but keep her on the piroxicam. A week later there is a growth like never before on her nostril which is making discharge and blood come out of her healthy nostril that is now defirmed. and her response is "oh well nothing i can do. Keep nebulizing and piroxicaming". Im annoyed because even if i understand they have other patients they seemed annoyed with me for asking valid questions. Ive never heqrd "it takes a couple of weeks to work" when a cat has loud unnatural breathing, cant eat or sleep comfortably. I know i can panic and do too much but i feel i have a right.

Im a bit confused because this place has one of the highest ratings in the area so maybe they r being truthful but its a lie. Its also a small town so i know if i go to another place they will know i did.

I tried to take her to a different vet and have called twice but the second time i called they said they are not taking any new patients.

I will respond to the other comments later thanks for the support guys
 
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catonetwo

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First, I am so sorry you are having these issues! It is very frustrating when you don't have a good vet that you can trust and work WITH you.

I did a quick scan thru your first post. My initial thought is that your cat may have Feline Herpes Virus. This is s chronic virus that presents with different upper respiratory symptoms. If this is what she has, steroids are counterproductive. Steroids can offer some initial relief; but, this is short term and symptoms can come back much more aggressive.

Many (if not most) vets are not up to date on their feline medicine practices. These vets often treat cats in the same manner they would a dog and this does not work.

Are there any cat-only vets I your area? This doesn't always equate a good cat vet; but, it can be a good place to start. A clinic that is AAHA certified is also a good place to start. (https://www.aaha.org/pet_owner/about_aaha/hospital_search/default.aspx)

Medications often used to treat feline URIs and Herpes flare ups are:
Famciclovir (an antiviral)
Clavamox (antibiotic)
Doxycycline (antibiotic)
L-Lysine (a supplement)

While it is more expensive, a certified veterinary ophthalmologist would be another way to seek a proper diagnosis. My ophthalmologist is honestly the only person I trust when my cats have URIs (and I even see her for non ocular related issues when I am having a difficult time getting a diagnosis.)
sorry i thought i had quoted you:

Ironically the vet i took her to is cat only. She wont hear anything about giving her immediate comfort. Insists on Piroxicam and i dont understand why even when i said she has had adverse effect as to it. When i told her she has no relief and cant lay her head down to sleep, she said "it takes a couple of weeks". When i told her she stopped eating she said bring her in and well feed her but keep her on the piroxicam. A week later there is a growth like never before on her nostril which is making discharge and blood come out of her healthy nostril that is now defirmed. and her response is "oh well nothing i can do. Keep nebulizing and piroxicaming". Im annoyed because even if i understand they have other patients they seemed annoyed with me for asking valid questions. Ive never heqrd "it takes a couple of weeks to work" when a cat has loud unnatural breathing, cant eat or sleep comfortably. I know i can panic and do too much but i feel i have a right.

Im a bit confused because this place has one of the highest ratings in the area so maybe they r being truthful but its a lie. Its also a small town so i know if i go to another place they will know i did.

I tried to take her to a different vet and have called twice but the second time i called they said they are not taking any new patients.

I will respond to the other comments later thanks for the support guys

i dont know why a vet would ever tell you to stop giving antibiotics for a cat that has discharge.

i do have clavamox and doxycycline and wonder if i can give both at the same time. i'm wary of going to a new vet cause i don't think they will be sensitive and help especially after i trusted this one. she is seemingly worse now.

i understand asking where i'm located but i'm such a stickler for privacy. this is such a small town i'm even wondering if i go to another vet if they already know me and just disregard me cause they dont want to deal with this.
 

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if you tell us what state you are in-we may know another option.

what about a teaching vet school?

if you are in the northeast in mass maine nh area I recommend Angell hospital in boston-or that teaching college tufts.
 
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catonetwo

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catonetwo

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i also found it interesting how they've never actually tested the discharge to see what kind of bacteria it is. i feel i've been too trusting with the vet but when i ask questions i get shut down or just ignored. i'm real nervous about finding a new one. even if 'there is nothing that can be done' why aren't there steps just to make the cat comfortable

i don't expect a response to everything. i'm just venting
 
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catpack

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I will say, if this is herpes, which it sounds like, there isn't a "quick fix". Depending on severity, it can take a few days to two weeks to really feel like the cat is improving.

There is a PCR test that can be done by taking swabs from inside the nose, eyes and mouth. It tests for Mycoplasma, Calicivirus, Rhinovirus (herpes), Clamydia, and a few others. Not many vets do this, and I can't remember the reason now. But, I have done this with two very sick cats that were not responding to our regular courses of treatment.
 

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i also found it interesting how they've never actually tested the discharge to see what kind of bacteria it is. i feel i've been too trusting with the vet but when i ask questions i get shut down or just ignored. i'm real nervous about finding a new one. even if 'there is nothing that can be done' why aren't there steps just to make the cat comfortable

i don't expect a response to everything. i'm just venting.
We all want to trust our vets to do the right thing with our animals, but you know that baby better than anyone.  If she isn't responding to this treatment, you need to get another opinion and other treatment options from another vet.  And yes, those options should most definitely include seeing to her physical comfort.  In my opinion, this vet seems to have treated you badly if you feel that you get shut down or ignored.  Vets realize that when they treat pets, they have to deal with the pet's owner.  Some are better at it than others, some are magnificent.  You don't have to settle for this.
 
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catonetwo

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changes noticed today. i put her in the nebulizer and it seems to have loosened her mucus. but she is drinking water OBSESSIVELY. i don't know if this is a good sign or a bad sign. i'm nervous about going to new doctors cause i hate calling my old vet to ask them to send their documents. i'm just so drained.
 
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catonetwo

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We all want to trust our vets to do the right thing with our animals, but you know that baby better than anyone.  If she isn't responding to this treatment, you need to get another opinion and other treatment options from another vet.  And yes, those options should most definitely include seeing to her physical comfort.  In my opinion, this vet seems to have treated you badly if you feel that you get shut down or ignored.  Vets realize that when they treat pets, they have to deal with the pet's owner.  Some are better at it than others, some are magnificent.  You don't have to settle for this.
well the vet was really nice when i spoke to them one on one. but any time i said please let's just do something else other than piroxicam there was an insistence to keep using it.





as a customer and someone that hasn't gone to veterinary school i didn't want to look like i was a professional so i just followed along. now i wish after the first sign of her not eating i should have left.





even if medication 'takes weeks' to work how is that even a good thing when the swelling and 'growth' keeps growing? i'm not a vet so i don't know. i'm trying to avoid the cat now cause i can't look at her and i need to be proactively calling vets but the way the receptionists are sounding just makes me want to give up.
 
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maggiemay

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We all want to trust our vets to do the right thing with our animals, but you know that baby better than anyone.  If she isn't responding to this treatment, you need to get another opinion and other treatment options from another vet.  And yes, those options should most definitely include seeing to her physical comfort.  In my opinion, this vet seems to have treated you badly if you feel that you get shut down or ignored.  Vets realize that when they treat pets, they have to deal with the pet's owner.  Some are better at it than others, some are magnificent.  You don't have to settle for this.
 
well the vet was really nice when i spoke to them one on one. but any time i said please let's just do something else other than piroxicam there was an insistence to keep using it.
  
as a customer and someone that hasn't gone to veterinary school i didn't want to look like i was a professional so i just followed along. now i wish after the first sign of her not eating i should have left.
  
even if medication 'takes weeks' to work how is that even a good thing when the swelling and 'growth' keeps growing? i'm not a vet so i don't know. i'm trying to avoid the cat now cause i can't look at her and i need to be proactively calling vets but the way the receptionists are sounding just makes me want to give up.
Don't give up, and don't avoid the cat.  She needs to know that you love her more than she needs anything else.  You keep calling vets until you find a place where you feel that you and your baby are valued.
 

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Is Piroxicam the only medication your cat is on? Not being familiar with this I looked it up and this is an NSAID. Is she on any antibiotic or antiviral? Have you used any saline nose drops to help breakup the mucus in her nose?
 
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catonetwo

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it's yellow. She was on Piroxicam and Clavamox but I was told to stop the Clavamox.
 
Don't give up, and don't avoid the cat.  She needs to know that you love her more than she needs anything else.  You keep calling vets until you find a place where you feel that you and your baby are valued.
thank you i will try not to give up. i'm gathering myself back up now.
 
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catonetwo

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she was on piroxicam and clavamox but i was told to stop the clavamox and just use the piroxicam. her appetite has never been the same since then. i was told it will take weeks for the piroxicam to work but the snoring sound of her breathing was making her so uncomfortable i asked if there was anything we could do for immediate relief and told to just stay on the piroxicam.

her mucus varies between clear but mostly light yellow. now it is tinged with red/pink. the blood started two days ago as the swelling that's making her left eye deformed is getting bigger.

today she is drinking so much water and even started drinking from the bathtub which she has never done before. and now when she drinks water she has to tilt her head some kind of way and gets herself really wet. initially i was happy she was finally drinking on her own for the first time since last tuesday, but now that i see she's drinking at high capacities i'm wondering what could be going on

i put her back on the clavamox because i found it weird for her to have colored snot but not be taking antibiotics. i have Doxycycline from the previous vet but was advised to stop giving it to her in place of clavamox which has worked wonders in the past. the newer dosage seems smaller though and i dont know if it's just not taking effect in her anymore.

i have not used saline nose drops but was told to put the following into nebulizer to help break up mucus:

3ml sterile water

2ml acetylcysteine

1ml gentamicin

her mucus has been very tacky and hard to separate, so today after using the nebulizer it was a bit looser. i had reverted to using shower steam since the last time i nebulized 3 times a day as instructed i walked into the vet the following day only to be told she sounded worse. i might put her in nebulizer again but i'm wondering if doing all this stuff is just making her more stressed which is making her have more flare ups? i dont know
 
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