The vet has given up on my 16 year old cat

 My cat's name is Sadie... she is in pretty good health, she has hyperthyroid is her only issue.

 About 3 weeks ago, she all of a sudden got real sick and was throwing up and had diarrhea. I took her to the vet and they ran some test and at first couldn't find it, then said she had a blood infection. They gave her a transfusion and antibiotics (Doxycyclene) and she was great the next day, so we brought her home. At first she ate like a hog, then started tapering off after 3 or 4 days, and I noticed her eating grass. Also as soon as she came home from the vet, she couldn't eat any dry food or dry crunchy snacks, they would come right back up, so we stuck to her canned food. Then she started throwing up the canned food, and then wouldn't eat or drink. Also I learned they didn't give her, her thyroid medication while she was in the hospital for 3 days... when she tried to eat, it would come back up in 15 minutes or less, and she kept swallowing a lot, when I gave her the antibiotic and vitamins they gave her... finally I stopped the antibiotics and called the vet, and she said well since I couldn't bring her back in, to just follow with that and see what happened....that's when she wouldn't eat or drink, so I took her back. The reason I didn't take her back at first is because I have been out of work since Jan., and had to put the $1200 bill for the 3 days on credit.

 Well, they ran more test, and said her thyroid level was high.. when I brought her to them the first time, her thyroid level was perfect, they told me to keep giving her the medication like I had been doing. Then they did x-rays, ultrasound, pancreatitis test and nothing, everything looked fine, but she kept throwing up in the hospital.... finally they said they didn't know what else to do, so she might do better at home. One doc kept saying it could be a hairball, he had seen some take a while to come out... oh and they had gave us some hairball meds which I have given her about 4 days now.

 So when we got home yesterday, she acts fine, except I know she is hungry poor girl. So I thought I would try giving her liquids first in case her stomach was upset. I took a can of tuna and strained the juice out, she lapped it up immediately, oh, and I didn't give her but a small amount until I saw how she would do. It immediately came up, she went back later wanting more, and I gave her a little more and it came up. This morning I took a syringe and gave her about a teaspoon of chicken stock and it came up. Then I gave her one of those "stew" pouches and she just licked all the liquid up and it came back up.... What I don't understand is, when I give her the hairball medication and the dropper of vitamins, they don't come back up.

 I think she has some kind of obstruction in her throat, be it swelling because of her hyperthyroidism, or a hairball. She starts swallowing a lot before she gets sick, and the first week she was home and I gave her the antibiotics and vitamins, she would keep gulping and swallowing afterward. Now I'm afraid if I can't get something in her soon she will get fatty liver, or if she gets too dehydrated, she may have kidney failure.... right now she has peed and doodied a little in her box, but that could be because of the fluids they were giving her in the hospital. I am at my wits end and scared I'm going to lose my girl.... who is in good health except for this curse that's upon her...

@SadiesDad   Did your vet not prescribe any type of 'anti-nausea' medication such as cerenia, or even suggest pepsid AC?

Or give you a possible diagnosis or prognosis for Sadie ?  They should have also told you what the blood infection is called, and if the blood transfusion was for anemia, or something else.

It seems really strange that if they took x-rays and ultrasound that nothing would show up concerning a blockage of some sort even if a hairball, or a suspected obstruction or swelling in her throat, as you were thinking.

My guess would be that the only other test would be an Endoscope of some kind, but I would have thought that they would have suggested this to you.

Is this your regular vet? Or is it a hospital ER setting.

I would suggest calling the vet back up and explaining to them that Sadie is constantly vomiting, and not being able to keep regular food down.

Ask them if they have a high nutrient paste called Nutrical and if that would help Sadie, or even Critical care A/D food.

Would any other medications help her.

Write all your questions out, ahead of time, and get them answered, since they should have given you options for follow-up care after doing the transfusion, giving the antibiotics and hairball meds.

You should be able to get copies of her bloodwork, x-rays, and ultrasound, too, and have every right to ask another vet for a second opinion.

People have suggested that going to a cat-only vet sometimes helps, but hopefully you find one that you can feel confident in, and who will give you options to try, or a concrete medical opinion.

I've not had to deal with hyperthyroid, so don't know if any of Sadie's symptoms are related to her illness.

You may have to syringe feed Sadie but if she cannot keep the food down that is very critical, and does need further vet medical assistance.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/227858/syringe-feeding-lucky-video-if-your-cat-is-not-eating

If you live in the States or Canada, I think some clinics also take "Care Credit" which some people use to help with vet costs, but then some say it has high interest rates after a certain time.

There may also be other places to find some help, depending upon where you live.

 [article="32915"]No Money For Vet Care How To Find Help And Save Your Cats Life​[/article]  

I really hope that you can get to the bottom of whatever is causing her to vomit constantly.

 They gave her Cerenia in her IV, but it didn't help. Someone else mentioned the PepcidAC, not the doc. Can I get some from the store and use, or does it have to be a special kind for cats?  They actually said the transfusion was for anemia, caused possibly by a flea or tick bite, but said there are hundreds of types of these "bugs" and they didn't know which.

 We started using this vet back in Nov., when Sadie had another blood infection, on a Sunday. They are a regular vet and a hospital/ER, not cheap I might add. I haven't worked since Jan., so our money is in the -, I was able to apply for the  Care Credit, they gave me a $4000 limit, which we have about used up already. They had tried to give us some special food the other day, but Sadie is super picky. We bought special food for her thyroid and she would eat it, the dry or canned. The vet I talked to last (there are 4) said the only other thing would be to see a specialist, when i said that was out of the question because of money, he said, yeah, he probably wouldn't do it either.

 I tried giving Sadie chicken broth with a syringe this morning, but it came back up. She acts hungry, when I put tuna juice in a bowl last night she scarfed it up, but then threw it up later. I put a packet of those "Stews"" for cats in her bowl this morning and she just licked the gravy off like she usually does, later she threw up twice from the gravy.

I'm so sorry you're going through this with your girl

You need to speak to a vet today, ASAP. Stop trying to feed Sadie until you've spoken to a vet. Yes, fatty liver disease is a real and valid concern, but all this vomiting will be causing potentially equally big problems. Vomiting will dehydrate Sadie, and will almost certainly cause an electrolyte imbalance if it continues. At its worst, this can trigger cardiac arrhythmia, and even cardiac arrest. I know money is an issue, but you need veterinary guidance to be able to safely move forward.

I really hope you're able to get to the bottom of this soon, and that Sadie pulls through

I gave her some Pedialyte, maybe a tspn and she kept that down.... later I made some of that slippery elm syrup and it came back up in 5 minutes. Then she kept pacing around where her food bowl sits and meowing, so I gave her a little tuna juice, it came right back up.

 The vet gave us some antibiotics and nausea meds when we left, but said not to give it to her until she quit vomiting. Money is not an issue, we don't have any.... we are worrying how we are going to be able to stay in our home, and buy groceries until Dec 28th, which is when I am supposed to get my first disability check.

 The vet we were seeing is sharing the records with the vet we were seeing... but to be honest we decided we didn't like them, after the last couple of times I brought Sadie there, the vet kept saying, "Well, we know that time is near, it's only a matter of time." And this same vet has talked my mom into having one of her cats put to sleep, along with one of my grandmother's (my grandmother passed in 2014 and my mom took her cat), just in the last 6 months...

SadiesDad said:

 
I gave her some Pedialyte, maybe a tspn and she kept that down.... later I made some of that slippery elm syrup and it came back up in 5 minutes. Then she kept pacing around where her food bowl sits and meowing, so I gave her a little tuna juice, it came right back up.

 The vet gave us some antibiotics and nausea meds when we left, but said not to give it to her until she quit vomiting. Money is not an issue, we don't have any.... we are worrying how we are going to be able to stay in our home, and buy groceries until Dec 28th, which is when I am supposed to get my first disability check.

 The vet we were seeing is sharing the records with the vet we were seeing... but to be honest we decided we didn't like them, after the last couple of times I brought Sadie there, the vet kept saying, "Well, we know that time is near, it's only a matter of time." And this same vet has talked my mom into having one of her cats put to sleep, along with one of my grandmother's (my grandmother passed in 2014 and my mom took her cat), just in the last 6 months...

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That first vet is being a cop out, saying "it's just a matter of time".  No. He just hasn't found the problem yet and he gave up too soon.  If she didn't want to eat it would be a little different, but even then you don't give up!  It's really discouraging to know there are vets out there who adhere to their own idea of a cat's expiration date.  I hope the new vet gives you some answers! I hope the old vet retires.  

Well the old vet, we haven't went to since last summer, the new vet is the one that doesn't have any answers....

you can try baby food meat. just make sure no onion/garlic=-I use gerbers. Beechnut is good but the gerbers consistency is better,. try to give it very small amounts for the first half hour-it definitely sounds like something is wrong with the esophagus as this is not normal. chicken, ham, turkey are my cats favorites. a jar has 70 calories and you will need to get at a min of 2 jars a day into kitty. 

if vomiting occurs some vets recommend holding off on food for 3-4 hours to rest the stomach then restart-have you tried this earlier? I feel so bad for you guys and so angry at these vets. Did they palpate the throat? Can you feel a lump or anything that would make you think something is wrong? what about calling a different vet and chat on the phone to find out what else can be done? 

A anti nausea med wont help if there is an obstruction but you can try a dif one like zofran(Ondansetron), cerenia, dolasetron (Anzemet) metoclopramide (Reglan)  are other ones-most people use the ondanserton or cerenia. 

Maybe there is something on this site that could help you-I know you dont have a kidney disease kitty but maybe there is something on here that can help:

http://www.felinecrf.org/nausea_vomiting_stomach_acid.htm

I did read something about the thyroid medication can cause vomiting-is it possible the vomiting is from the meds? I really hope something gets figured out for both of you guys-too bad the vet didn't suggest a feeding tube-sounds like the stomach is irritated and needs a break but then again the stomach has been making acid which doesn't help.

Anti acid meds are listed in that above file-most are over the counter-call the vet back and tell them you need some answers. or call someone else. I hate how some vets just cut people loose and let you fend for yourself. very frustrating.

I think it's definitely time for another opinion since this vet has given up.  

Please don't give any Human medicine to your cat unless a vet says that it is ok and gives you the correct cat dosage. I know Pepcid AC (to answer your question, the same Pecid AC for Humans can be used for cats but definitely not at the same dose. Never ever use Pepcid Complete as that is toxic to cats) and others have been suggested.

Seek out another vet's opinion. It doesn't seem like either vet who has seen your cat already knows why your cat is vomiting and has diarrhea. Swallowing and lip smacking are typical signs of nausea. The exact cause of the nausea will have be determined by a vet.

You can look at this for resources on how to afford vet bills: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/no-money-for-vet-care-how-to-find-help-and-save-your-cats-life

thanks ya'll... I'm taking her to see our old vet tomorrow for a second opinion... my wife saw her drink a tiny bit of water... but I pulled on her skin and she is dehydrated. I tried to give her the liquid vitamins, she hasn't had any problem with them, but they came back up in 5 minutes.

 And as foxxycat said, I have considered the thyroid... in fact when I talked to the doc on the night shift that did the ultrasound, he said that taking them off the medication and putting them back on can give them stomach problems, vomiting... she was off for three days, then on for two then off 3 more days, because the vet didn't give her, her thyroid medication when she was there. I got her back on it starting last night, but it takes a few days to take effect I think. I also saw where thyroid problem could make her neck swell, making her vomit. But the first time we brought her to the vet for the anemia, they checked her blood and said her thyroid was perfect, keep doing it the way we were doing it. This last time, on Tues, it was double.

 I hope she can hold on until the morning, she is looking like she has lost a lot of energy since she came home last night.

 I bought the Pepcid AC and saw where it said to give 1/4 of a tablet, but I was scared to....her luck everything she eats comes up, but that would stay and make her sicker....

SadiesDad said:

 
 I bought the Pepcid AC and saw where it said to give 1/4 of a tablet, but I was scared to....her luck everything she eats comes up, but that would stay and make her sicker....

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If you're never 100% sure of how much of a medicine to give, be on the safe side and not give any medicine at all until you have talked with the vet Especially if it's an OTC Human medicine. You don't want to make your cat sicker than she already is.

It could be the overactive thyroid causing the vomiting OR the medication used to treat it. What type of medicine is Sadie on? Is it Tapazol or Felimazole or something else? In my experience, cats tend to digest, absorb and react better to Felimazole than Tapazol because it is specifically formulated for their needs. I know money is tight though, and at least where I am, Tapazol is cheaper. But you could try asking the vet about a switch.

If she is vomiting everything up, then she is not getting her pills digested and absorbed and that will not help her at all. Another option would be trying to use the transdermal antithyroid medication which is a cream you put on their ear. That way it doesn't have to pass through her upset digestive system. Again, it will probably cost more but could really help, so its an option to discuss with the vet.

Have you tried looking for a feline-only vet? I find they are much more well-versed in feline veterinary care in general, as well as in hyperthyroidism as it is fairly common in older cats. At 16, definitely do not give up on your Sadie and if a vet ever told me that about a non-terminal illness or a more understandable situation, I would honestly not ever go back.

I'm hesitant to say this but to me, it sounds like the vet messed up a bit here. To not give a cat their thyroid medication for 3 days when under their care is poor treatment. They should be able to get the cat to have the pill. Of course when you took her back after that, her thyroid level was high. She hadn't had her meds for days! I just feel like in this scenario, someone should have been able to med Sadie in hospital. I'd be very upset if my cat didn't get her medication while under the care of a vet. I just don't feel good about it. I would find another vet to take her to, and take all my copies of her records with me.

I think her thyroid issue needs to be addressed first, and maybe her vomiting will subside when her thyroid levels go back down, but she does really need to eat and be hydrated or she will get more sick. I really hope this situation improves for you and Sadie, and I am thinking of you and her. Please let us know how things go.

 We use the trans dermal medicine... but like I asked the vet the other day, if her thyroid level is high, how can we get it up to par fast? I don't remember him responding... another vet had said there was a shot they could give, but he would be surprised if they had it at that animal hospital.

 I have been leaning towards this being the problem the whole time, since there seems to be nothing else...and since it started right after the first 3 days she spent at the hospital.

 There is no cat only vets around here, but I think there is one in a town about 60 miles or more away, I have them on my facebook page.

 I can tell she is looking weak this morning... she went and ask to go out, so she can "inspect" the patio like she likes to do early in the morning. She found a dish I had some sweet potato sprouts in, that it had rained in and drank 5 or 6 laps of rain water out of it... the most I have seen her drink since we brought her home.... I will keep you updated.... we are going to our old vet today and see what they say.

I've just read through this thread. Sending vibes that your old vet can figure out what's wrong with Sadie and get her healthy again. 

thank you so much!

I don't think a cat only vet is necessary. Sure the vet may specialize in only cats but that doesn't necessarily mean they are any better than a regular dog / cat vet. Like in any pforession, there are really great experienced people and then there are the ones on the other end who aren't great and sometimes you wonder if they are even competent. If you're in the US, you can find a cat only vet here: http://www.catvets.com/cat-owners/find-vets-and-practices Outside the US, you can try this http://icatcare.org/cat-campaigns-cat-friendly-clinic/accredited-clinics

Well, just came back from our old vet... same story, "Well, we both know that time is coming. She is looking poorly (she had lost a pound in the last week, and a half a pound in the last 3-4 days). She could have ulcers in her esophagus from throwing up so much, but there is nothing we can do about that. We can give her fluids under the skin, and that should last her through the weekend. I'm afraid it's not looking good at all."

I told him about someone saying, maybe she could eat baby food, and he said, "Hey give it a try, you never know, and maybe the fluids might make her want to eat."

SadiesDad said:

 
 We use the trans dermal medicine... but like I asked the vet the other day, if her thyroid level is high, how can we get it up to par fast? I don't remember him responding... another vet had said there was a shot they could give, but he would be surprised if they had it at that animal hospital.

 I have been leaning towards this being the problem the whole time, since there seems to be nothing else...and since it started right after the first 3 days she spent at the hospital.

 There is no cat only vets around here, but I think there is one in a town about 60 miles or more away, I have them on my facebook page.

 I can tell she is looking weak this morning... she went and ask to go out, so she can "inspect" the patio like she likes to do early in the morning. She found a dish I had some sweet potato sprouts in, that it had rained in and drank 5 or 6 laps of rain water out of it... the most I have seen her drink since we brought her home.... I will keep you updated.... we are going to our old vet today and see what they say.

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SadiesDad said:

 
Well, just came back from our old vet... same story, "Well, we both know that time is coming. She is looking poorly (she had lost a pound in the last week, and a half a pound in the last 3-4 days). She could have ulcers in her esophagus from throwing up so much, but there is nothing we can do about that. We can give her fluids under the skin, and that should last her through the weekend. I'm afraid it's not looking good at all."

I told him about someone saying, maybe she could eat baby food, and he said, "Hey give it a try, you never know, and maybe the fluids might make her want to eat."

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@SadiesDad    I'm so sorry to hear this news.

I was hoping that your old vet could examine Sadie's records, ultrasound, x-rays, and be able to give you a better prognosis.

If Sadie does have ulcers in her esophagus, it would explain her not being able to eat.

(the suspected ulcers reminds me of my rainbow cat Spotty who I had to put to sleep this past November, because he was in end stage CKD (chronic kidney disease). His kidneys were no longer able to filter out blood waste products. He slowly stopped eating, and lost a lot of weight, and even with giving him sub-q fluids at home, pain meds, syringe feedings, and amphogel for the ulcers, his quality of life was just not there.)

It is so difficult to watch our beloved companions suffer, but having the option of letting them go with compassionate euthanasia, is sometimes all we are left with, when our cat's quality of life is gone.

Sending Sadie, your wife and you, all positive vibes for strength and peace.     

thank you so much.... I don't understand, she has been sleeping some, but when she is up, she is following me and my wife around the house, or wants to sit on the patio a few minutes, but she is constantly going to the water bowls and looking down at it, getting her face right over it, but she won't drink... about an hour ago, she did come in the kitchen and licked a bowl of tuna juice 2 or 3 times, and she actually ate a few licks/bites of some chicken baby food we got her, neither came back up. I just gave her half a dropper of water in her mouth and as soon as I set her down she went to the water bowl looked at it and walked away.