About to go into vet again - please help with some advice!

Hey everyone, 

My 4yo Maine Coon cross, Buddy, has been throwing up bile since Saturday. It started with a hairball and hasn't stopped with the bile. Loose stool Sunday. Diarrhea started on Monday. All the while he was behaving normally and playing, appetite lacking, didn't seem to be drinking so I was syringing water which he was ok with. Yesterday, the vet ruled out pancreatitis and put him on Metronidazole and Cerenia - both pill form. He gave one pill of the Metro and an injection of the Cerenia while Buddy had an empty stomach. Prior to this he had an interest in food but was obviously nauseous (walked up to food, smelled it, walked away smacking lips), after getting him home though he was way more lethargic and had zero interest in food anymore. I ended up having to force feed him some baby food and watered down AD - he hated me but swallowed the food and kept it down through the night. 

This morning, although he didn't throw up (usually would always happen between 5am-7am) he was still laying in his same spot, didn't sleep in bed with me like he usually does and still had no interest in playing. I called the vet and he said to give him one day unless things get worse. When I came home from work I found that he had thrown up - not bile - but a thicker yellow substance. Perhaps the food discoloured by meds? Didn't freak out. Then, about a half hour later he threw up more of the thick yellow substance and bile, immediately followed by another vomiting fit with bile. So I called the vet and they asked me to come in in an hour and a half. 

I would really appreciate your advice before going in so I'm not a frazzled, overwhelmed mess. I've read all sorts of things about Metro and am wondering if that's what's causing this reaction, especially being given on an empty stomach. When a similar situation happened over a year ago, Buddy was seeing another vet who just put on Cerenia, another antibiotic (can't remember exactly), and Pepcid which had him feeling better within a day. Am I jumping the gun here? Should I wait a little longer? I love my fur babe and want to do everything I'm able but I also don't want to fork out a bunch of money for exams if I don't need to. I've had bad experiences with vets not recognizing financial stress is a very real stress and suggesting that we run all sorts of exams which makes me feel awful when I say no. This morning, the vet suggested getting a full blood profile done but even that has me concerned because if something comes up he said he will want to do ultrasounds, etc, to get to the bottom of it which I know is what would need to happen but I really can't afford right now...but I can't have my cat suffering just because I'm a single income...but I don't know if that will even be the case. BAH.

Basically I'm just panicking all around...help

I am really sorry to hear this is going on. With signs like these the best thing to do is blood work and/or x-rays. Believe me, I tried the basic route first when my cat was lethargic and hiding out and not eating and I wish I had gotten the x-ray sooner because it turned out he had fluid build-up in his lungs and that was the reason he was not wanting to eat and had been so lethargic, but the fluid build up turned out to be the result of his heart murmur and now the diagnosis is likely HCM. Now I don't want to scare you by any means but if he can't hold down his food and is throwing up and lethargic I honestly would not wait anymore longer and get him in because it could be serious and crossing my fingers that it is not. But yea do blood work or x ray because these will tell you the most instead of them sending medicine that may be making it worse.

My cat has the same symptoms. They have kept her in. She is also 4. Bloods show very high crea and urea levels. So her kidneys are failing. I'm devastated. Prognosis does not look good. I would advise you do the bloods

Thank you kayleemarie90

It's possible the blood workup will begin to tell you what is wrong withOUT an ultrasound.  At least it's a beginning and might be able to at least rule out certain things.

So sorry Zuli, sending love and light your way.

I did end up getting a full blood profile done which lead to the looks of a viral infection or toxin that needs to be flushed out. After talking to vet at length, he pointed out that with the timing of Buddy's vomiting yesterday, it's likely that the cerenia was just wearing off. As of last night he's back to snuggling with me and sleeping in my bed despite the ongoing forced feeding. No more vomiting. Just hoping his appetite returns soon.

I hope he continues to get better. Sending vibes your way. 

salem89 said:

So sorry Zuli, sending love and light your way.

I did end up getting a full blood profile done which lead to the looks of a viral infection or toxin that needs to be flushed out. After talking to vet at length, he pointed out that with the timing of Buddy's vomiting yesterday, it's likely that the cerenia was just wearing off. As of last night he's back to snuggling with me and sleeping in my bed despite the ongoing forced feeding. No more vomiting. Just hoping his appetite returns soon.

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See to be fair, I've had to take Metronidazole and as a human - it made me feel so, so ill, and so lethargic. So I'm not surprised he wasn't his normal self after being given that stuff. It works, but it's so nasty.

Hope he continues to improve and get better. When people throw up bile, it's because our bodies are desperately trying to evacuate something that it doesn't like, so the chances are it's the same with your boy.

If only they could talk to us and tell us what is wrong!

My 4 year old cat has kidney failure too - so heartbreaking when they are so young. Thoughts are with you xxxx

We had a cat at two had complete kidney failure this was two summers ago sept three days at vet on fuids to see if it would kick start it fuction no luck we were very sad but two weeks before our 9 month old cat also had vomiting , lack of appetite so the had tested him for viruses so skipped that with 2 year old although there symptoms were the same it seemed unlikely that he had also eaten a button... My point is just very hard to decide what test are important first and knowing when to say goodbye with love helps to have a Vet you trust ! We lost our sixteen years old to complete organ failure in the week in between . So by the trid cat the Vet knew we were broken hearted and broke thank god the credit card had room.
On Vet's behalf it must be hard to know when people want to here what can be done but might not work and when to tell them they have done enough[emoji]128549[/emoji]Good luck to all the sick cats!

Dear @catspyjamas1 - what happened to your 4 yr old cat ? Mine is on a drip but they are telling me to prepare for the worst. I'm absolutely gutted. It seems she has one very enlarged kidney and the other is almost non existent. The large one has been doing all the work and is no longer functioning well. She was probably born this way. I'm so devastated to see her so ill. She was my first ever cat and she's so very affectionate. I have her brother too and have been advised to bring him in for screening too. Hope things are better with your cat!

My 4 year old cat has kidney failure too - so heartbreaking when they are so young. Thoughts are with you xxxx

zuli said:

Dear @catspyjamas1 - what happened to your 4 yr old cat ? Mine is on a drip but they are telling me to prepare for the worst. I'm absolutely gutted. It seems she has one very enlarged kidney and the other is almost non existent. The large one has been doing all the work and is no longer functioning well. She was probably born this way. I'm so devastated to see her so ill. She was my first ever cat and she's so very affectionate. I have her brother too and have been advised to bring him in for screening too. Hope things are better with your cat!

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• zuli
• Jun 23, 2016

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Hi lovely

I lost Bruno in the end (as you can see from my thread) - but what I have learnt from reading other people's stories is that you must not be disheartened when it's bad news for them as it might not be for you. Every cat is different. It is helpful to read up on things but sometimes you do get false information. Bruno had a brother Leo, who we lost 2 years ago (he was even more beautiful!!!) so the anaemia was more than likely genetic. We didn't have Bruno screened as we didn't think we had to but it wouldn't be a bad idea to have her brother screened just for peace of mind as Bruno's anaemia may well have been picked up sooner. Wishing her a speedy recovery. Bruno's care was second to none and I had piece of mind knowing he was on IV fluids and being looked after 24/7.

Here is Leo Bruno's brother!!!

Thank you for support. Unfortunately we lost Fiona today. Although her bloods had improved she wasn't presenting well and the vet believed it would be kinder to let her go. It was very painful to watch her suffer this week. You feel so helpless. I was able to hold her during the process and it was very peaceful. I'm absolutely gutted. The house is filled with her memories and it's really tearing at my heart.
I have an appointment for tomorrow to have her brother tested. catspyjamas1

catspyjamas1 ps your cats are beautiful.

howmany said:

We had a cat at two had complete kidney failure this was two summers ago sept three days at vet on fuids to see if it would kick start it fuction no luck we were very sad but two weeks before our 9 month old cat also had vomiting , lack of appetite so the had tested him for viruses so skipped that with 2 year old although there symptoms were the same it seemed unlikely that he had also eaten a button... My point is just very hard to decide what test are important first and knowing when to say goodbye with love helps to have a Vet you trust ! We lost our sixteen years old to complete organ failure in the week in between . So by the trid cat the Vet knew we were broken hearted and broke thank god the credit card had room.
On Vet's behalf it must be hard to know when people want to here what can be done but might not work and when to tell them they have done enough[emoji]128549[/emoji]Good luck to all the sick cats!

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Same with my cat with acute renal failure. He was 4, on IV fluids and just wasn't responding to any treatment. I agree with all points here it's very difficult to know when its time to just say no more and let them go in peace. We did everything for my cat and would've have done so much more but just looking at him before he died I could tell that he had had enough prodding and poking and just wanted to be at peace. The connection you have with your cats will allow you to know when it's time to say goodbye, so please don't anyone worry about whether they are doing the right thing or not.



Xxxxx

zuli said:

Thank you for support. Unfortunately we lost Fiona today. Although her bloods had improved she wasn't presenting well and the vet believed it would be kinder to let her go. It was very painful to watch her suffer this week. You feel so helpless. I was able to hold her during the process and it was very peaceful. I'm absolutely gutted. The house is filled with her memories and it's really tearing at my heart.
I have an appointment for tomorrow to have her brother tested. catspyjamas1

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I am so so sorry to hear about Fiona. A terrible day for you I know. We lost Bruno on Tuesday so I am still constantly thinking he is behind me. I found a lot of comfort in knowing that I was there with him during his last hours, and as I've just mentioned, the connection we had during that time made me realise how close we were because I could tell this was his time. I am also glad in a way that the suffering is over, and I felt okay being at work today. How old was Fiona? Sorry if you have already said. The kind words from everyone on these posts have helped me immensely and shown that you and I are not alone in this nightmare. Cherish the memories of Fiona and it will ease the pain a little. All my love to you on this sad day.

Xxxx

@zuli  So sorry about your loss!!

salem89 , I'm glad to hear your kitty seems to be doing better. It can take awhile for the appetite to come back, so just keep at it. Keep offering different things - go out an purchase a can or two of a bunch of different foods, and don't focus on whether they are good or bad. You want you baby to eat, period. After going through acute renal failure, it was FF Fish & Shrimp that got Sara to finally eat on her own. Horrible for kidney cats because of the high phos, but I didn't care, she ate it. And guess what? We fed it to her for the next week or so until she started getting an appetite for other things.

zuli said:

My cat has the same symptoms. They have kept her in. She is also 4. Bloods show very high crea and urea levels. So her kidneys are failing. I'm devastated. Prognosis does not look good. I would advise you do the bloods

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Catspyjamas1 said:

My 4 year old cat has kidney failure too - so heartbreaking when they are so young. Thoughts are with you xxxx

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howmany said:

We had a cat at two had complete kidney failure this was two summers ago sept three days at vet on fuids to see if it would kick start it fuction no luck we were very sad but two weeks before our 9 month old cat also had vomiting , lack of appetite so the had tested him for viruses so skipped that with 2 year old although there symptoms were the same it seemed unlikely that he had also eaten a button... My point is just very hard to decide what test are important first and knowing when to say goodbye with love helps to have a Vet you trust ! We lost our sixteen years old to complete organ failure in the week in between . So by the trid cat the Vet knew we were broken hearted and broke thank god the credit card had room.
On Vet's behalf it must be hard to know when people want to here what can be done but might not work and when to tell them they have done enough[emoji]128549[/emoji]Good luck to all the sick cats!

Click to expand...

This absolutely breaks my heart. I lost two of my babies in the last 8 months to kidney disease. I hate it so much. They were older but trust me, that didn't make me feel any better about it. I'm so sorry for those of you who lost kitties or are taking care of very sick kitties. And I agree, pick and choose your tests. Talk it out with your vet. Tell them if you are hard up financially. They probably WILL work with you, and help determine what should be done and what isn't worth it. When Sara was sick (she had SO many problems), our rule of thumb was that if we wouldn't change the treatment, regardless of the test results, then we didn't do the test.

She was also 4. I have had since she was a few weeks old. I adopted her twin brother when he was 1 as the owner could no longer take care of him. He misses his sister. Hasn't left my side today. Thank you once again catspyjamas1