Tuffy is bleeding!!

We went camping Thursday till today [tues], Tuffy went with us and he had a good time I think. I was real sad and upset to see Thursday after he used his litter box there was allot of blood still there with his poop. I called his vets office on my cell phone Friday and talked with a different vet because Tuffy's vet was gone on vacation. He looked through his file and thinks we are on the right track with what we are doing with his meds and thinks the blood is from a inflamed bowel or something like that, I forget what he called it for sure. He said not to give him anything new to eat like table scraps. He also said that stress could be part of the problem. I have had IBS for most of my life and all this sounds allot like what makes mine act up.

Tuffy most of the time seems to be so layed back and mellow I didn't think he had a problem with stress, But he must be like me and don't show it or express it externaly and gets himself all in knots inside. If stress really is part of the problem that is. I am not totaly sold on what the vets think is going on with him. I think I am going to stop in there and talk about it some more with this other vet and see if there are anything else he would do to help find out for sure.

A while back it came up that I might need to take him to someplace that can do some kind of scan to see whats going on. Just for my piece of mind and to also know that we are not missing something, I am going to ask about having this scan done.

I am sorry I don't have better news for everyone who is concerned about Tuffy.

I have some pictures of Tuffy with his harness on and leash outside at the camp site. He is getting real good at riding in the motor home, He jumps up on the front bunk and lays there and watches out the windows as we go down the road. He has got over his crying and wanting to sit on my lap on the road like the first time he went with us last year. He has a hiding place he can go and rest in the motor home if to many strangers or little kids are in there so they can't bother him.

It sounds like this guy is internalizing a lot and we bon dwith our pets in the most mysterious ways.....

My concern is his stress level. Although it sounds like he made it through camping with flying colors, he may indeed be keeping stress to himself. cats rarely show it. If you have Feliway, use it or get some, and consider taking a "time out" on all the stimuli he's going through. best wishes~!!!!!!!!

Poor guy. Thank you for the update, I'll keep thinking of him.

He seems pretty worn out from this weekend. He has been laying around or sleeping most of the day so far.

If you suspect IBD have you tried a food with a single source of protein & carb such as Natural Balance Venison and green Pea - good product and it certainly would not hurt.

I have been wondering if what he eats is part of the problem, But I have not asked the vet about it yet. A while back the vet said to try some hairball food before we figured out he is not straining to go poop. He used to eat allot of the cheap, soft, tuna flavored wal-mart stuff Missy likes but he has not had any of that stuff for a long time now. Missy's sore tooth must not be a problem right now and she can eat the dry food again and Missy also likes the iams hairball, weight control food I have been feeding Tuffy so Tuffy has a choice of the Nutro indoor stuff or the iams hairball stuff. This last weekend he ran out of the iams because I didn't bring enough along but I also had some of the nutro along but he didn't want to eat it at first, he complained when he was out of the iams, but there was no place close to us I could go get more.

I don't really know when the bleeding started, so I can't really tell if a certain food started it or what. I wonder if all the antibiotics he was on for so long could be part of the problem? But he also has been off those meds for a few months now so I would think he would have healed up by now if that was the cause.

When I talked with the other vet last friday he said not to feed him stuff he don't normally eat but he is so set in his ways he won't eat just anything offered to him, he won't even eat the good soft cat treats, he will watch the others eat them but he won't even try one.

I will let him rest up for a day or two and see if that other vet will take a look at him and see what he thinks about him. Tuffy's bleeding is making me more depressed again worrying about what else I should do to help him get better. I am so worried that something is going to open up inside him and he will start bleeding real bad one of these days. I really thought he was doing much better on the meds he is on, but I was so sad when I happend to be standing there when he used the litter box and saw the blood with his poop before he covered it up, this was back on thursday right after we got set up at the camp site.

I need to download his pictures from this weekend and post them for you all to see.

This has gone on to long.
Tuffy needs a scan & to be scoped.
Biopsy's need to be done.
The source of his bleeding needs to be found...now!

It this vet won't do it...find one who will.

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post Tuffy's camping pictures. He has one of the harness's on for real small dogs but it is hard to see in his fur.

Awww! Those are great pictures!

I would have thought that what he eats would be one of the first things your vet would have looked into, if it's not an infection of some sort. I'd ask my vet about trying something like a cooked chicken and rice diet for a little while, and see if it helps. If it is the problem, he may take to a new food if you switch it VERY gradually. I hope he gets to feeling better soon!

Love the pictures, btw!

Originally Posted by Tom W

I am so worried that something is going to open up inside him and he will start bleeding real bad one of these days.

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Why aren't you insisting on further tests to find the cause of Tuffy's bleeding?

I have to leave with Tuffy in a few minutes to be seen by a different vet. I am going to basicaly tell him I want to know what is going on with him for sure and I want it looked into with a scan or whatever it takes. I am getting to stressed out worrying about Tuffy all the time, and Tuffy can't be feeling very good either. I will post when I get back what happens.

Tom, I am very happy to hear that you are getting a second opnion. Tuffy has been bleeding since May 20th, and that is far too long to not have at least a few answers. Gool luck and let us know how you make out

Good luck, hopefully you both get an answer and find it's nothing that can't be resolved relatively easily.

I just got back with Tuffy, He looked at his file on what has been done with him since day one, and checked him over good. He also took some blood again and he is still anemic.

I asked about getting a scan done and he said he was just about to say that would be the next step and he gave me information on a real good animal referral center/hospital about an hour from us. He said it will be expencive to take him there but they are good about setting up payments or what ever it takes.

This vet also thinks he has inflamed bowel disease I think he called it but don't understand why the meds are not fixing it. He said they will probably do a ultra sound and worst case have to operate and do a biopsy to find out what is going on.

He at first thought stress was part of the problem but after working with Tuffy today he said he seems so layed back, He sat there real nice for him and he didn't even cry out when they stuck him to get a little blood. He even listened to his heartbeat after taking the blood and it was the same as before so it didn't hardly bother him. When he got done with Tuffy he sat there and cleaned the stuff off his leg where they stuck him and was talking to us. The vet asked if is always so mellow and talks allot and I told him yes thats how he is at home to.

He also talked about some special food to try but it would take 3 weeks or so to see if it helps, It is some stuff called Feline ZD and it is not cheap either and I don't even know if he will eat it.

I said I will call this other place and see when he can get in, I don't want to mess around another month with a different food and probably still be in the same boat. So he said to let them know and they will copy all his files and either fax it up there or I can pick the file up and take it with us.

So I need to get on the phone and see when they can see him. I will post more when I know more.

I am so relieved that you have decided to take Tuffy to a specialist.
I'll watch for his appointment date.
Let it be soon.

He is a beautiful boy.

I'm relieved to hear this too. Hills Z/D is what Joshua was on for the last several years of his life, it was the only thing that worked for his IBD.

Tuffy is a lovely, snuggly looking kitty...love red or cream boys

I hope this food will help you ...

Tuffy goes to the hospital on the 18th at 2:45. The internal med DR is only there on certain days. So I guess I will just have to watch him close and hope nothing bad happens till then. I was hoping for next week for him to be seen. They did call his vet to get a little history on what is going on with him which I though was nice of them to do.

The vet has a small bag of that special food there, I wonder if I should go get it and start to switch him to it? But with all the other cats I don't know how I am going to do it.

I would not make any significant changes in Tuffy's diet, except for discontinuing human food, unless you discuss it with your vet.
He needs to know that you have an apt with the specialist.
Then find out what he suggests.

You do not want to confuse the issue.