help! in Russia w/ sick kitty

I live in Russia with my two cats--one from the US and one a rescued street kitten.

My US cat is sick! She's got really loose stools--occasionally with mucas or blood. The vets here are not very helpful. They finally put her on an antibiotic(cefloaxim) that I have to INJECT twice a day. They also have her on an iv cocktail that I'm going to stop unless someone here can tell me otherwise. It has riboxin, cocarboxilasi, acidi ascobilici, B12 and essentiale. The first two seem to be for a heart problem. She doesn't have a heart problem.

I'm just worried and in a strange country. I know people can get Ghirardia from drinking the water here, so I've been giving her bottled water. Do you think she could've licked the bathtub and picked up a parasite?

Russian kitty is fine.

Thanks for your help!!

Is there a good way?

Last night she was so relaxed that it was (relatively) easy--apart from my butterflies. Today she was fed up after a morning at the vet and her injection was much harder to give. I don't want her to start running away from me!

I did give her lots of loves and a few pieces of her friends' lamb and rice food (a treat after her diet of Hills WD and ID...).

Thanks again for your help!
Kate

Kate i've merged both your threads so when more members start coming on in the next couple of hours they can see them both together

Thanks. Now I'm just hoping for more members with answers!
Kate

However, I'm wondering if people with advice on giving injections will be led to read a post on sick cats in Russia. (That was my reasoning for posting separately.) Is it possible to separate them again?

Of course, as moderator, you'd know people's reading habits...

Kate

Do you have somebody who could hold her while you inject? Or could you wrap her in a towel, hold her on your lap with one hand, and inject with the other?
Did the vets test for giardia?

THANK YOU for answering, jcat! I'm feeling alone and bewildered on this one--and so worried for my cat! I even blogged about it last night, so now the world knows.

The vet won't test for giardia (my guess as well) because he's a macho Russian who doesn't believe that the water here poses any danger. He mocked me for bringing in a stool sample.

There's no one here but me. She's really pretty good about the injections, but I don't feel like I'm doing them properly. I'm just getting a handful of scruff and then injecting. (It takes more force than I'd thought to get the needle in!)

I'm going to take out the catheter myself today. I think the iv treatments are pointless--and no one here has said otherwise.

It's scary being responsible for another life!

kate

Hi Kate

I am so sorry to hear that your kitty isnt doing so good and that the vets arent being very helpful. I can only imagine how frustrating this is for you.

I personally can not offer any advice (sorry) but bear with us... hopefully someone will have some advice soon. Sometimes people read but then dont post if they dont have anything to add.
I will pm a few members that I think might be able to help.

GOOD LUCK - please keep us updated on how your going. We can all do our best to help you with anything you need

Thanks. I appreciate the help--and the pm effort! I'll keep checking back. It's nice to have some english-speaking help!

kate

Sorry I can't offer any constructive help, I'm sure when the US wakes up you will get some. Just sending best wishes to let you know you are not alone.
Anne

Kate, I'm not familiar with the IV or medication "cocktail" you mentioned - is the vet trying to keep her hydrated? Injections are easier to give than pills in most cases, so if you can scruff her and inject, that's good. If she really fights you, you'll have to wrap her up in a big towel to keep her immobilized, hold her down with one hand, expose a flank or shoulder, and inject with the other.
How about trying another vet, meaning one who'll test for giardia, etc.? If you call the U.S. Consulate, British Council, or even the German Consulate (most will speak English there), perhaps a pet owner can refer you to a more agreeable vet.
A lot of people here at TCS recommend plain, canned pumpkin for diarrhea, but I kind of doubt you're going to find that in St. Petersburg supermarkets. Cottage cheese, chicken and rice, quark, or the like, might give her "plumbing" a rest if she's getting picky about the prescription diet.
I hope somebody who can give you more constructive advice will come along and see this thread, but know that you're not alone, and many of us are sending for your cat.

Originally Posted by imogen

THANK YOU for answering, jcat! I'm feeling alone and bewildered on this one--and so worried for my cat! I even blogged about it last night, so now the world knows.

The vet won't test for giardia (my guess as well) because he's a macho Russian who doesn't believe that the water here poses any danger. He mocked me for bringing in a stool sample.

There's no one here but me. She's really pretty good about the injections, but I don't feel like I'm doing them properly. I'm just getting a handful of scruff and then injecting. (It takes more force than I'd thought to get the needle in!)

I'm going to take out the catheter myself today. I think the iv treatments are pointless--and no one here has said otherwise.

It's scary being responsible for another life!

kate

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I'm so sorry that you are going through this - maybe find another vet (a lady vet this time, might be less "macho"). In any case, I don't trust your vet's attitude.

ETA: I am sending good vibes, I hope things work out soon. Please keep us updated.

I'm going to second the idea that you call the US or British Consulate and see if they can refer you to another vet. If you know any other cat owners in St. Petersburg, ask them who they use. You need a second opinion.

I remember hearing in my college Russian class that cats are not very highly valued in Russia and are often thought of as pests. This may be a gross stereotype, but if that is the case with this vet, or if he doesn't like foreigners, that may be contributing to his attitude. Regardless, I would find someone who is more caring and thorough, to take your cat to.

удача!

Thanks everyone. I played supermom and took out the catheter myself. I've continued with the cefotaxime injections. She's actually really good about it--I just don't like doing it.

Her symptoms have not yet cleared up. The vet said 7-10 days on the antibiotic, so I'll persist. She's eating Hill's IB right now. Do you think I should change her food?

There is a good vet in this practice (who is a woman, btw) but she hasn't been working. I've tried to find out when she'll be back, but no one seems to know. This is the only vet within walking distance--and enjoys a good reputation. They care for the animals at the St. P Circus. I just didn't find him very helpful.

Hopefully, a full course of antibiotics will clear this up. If not, maybe the nice vet will be back.

If anyone has had experience with ghirardia and the antibiotics used to treat it, would you please post? I may be able to get it at the local pharmacy. (That's where I bought the antibiotic powder, the novacaine solution to mix them with , the syringes, etc. Not much requires an Rx here.)

Thanks again for your concern.
Kate

Kate, I'm relieved to see that you've updated, and aren't having trouble with the injections. I'd probably leave her on the Hill's for the time being. I can't imagine that there's a great variety of cat foods there, and Hill's might be the best available there.
I really hope the antibiotics do the trick. Good luck, and keep us up to date.

Well, the broad-spectrum antibiotic didn't really help at all. So, I went online and found the drugs most often used to treating ghirardia (I really think that's what this is...) and the correct dosage. What a blessing that was! This morning I went to the pharmacy and bought it (It's basically Flagyl)--with enough to treat both cats for 10 days. I think my Russian kitty must be a carrier so want to treat her, too.

I paid under $4.00 for meds for them both!!

As far as food goes, we can get IAMS and Hills. And I think the Hill's IB is our best bet and might be the easiest on her digestive system. I'm also giving them each a spoonful of plain yogurt daily to help with anitbiotic troubles that can occur.

Let's hope my intuition is right and that this clears things up. Thanks, all, for your help and support!
Kate

I have dealt with giardia before as it can be picked up in various US water supplies as well. We have used metronidizole for treatment (they flavor it in the liquid form but it must still taste nasty).

Metronidazole is what I'm giving them. I will say that Beazy has seemed much perkier since we started it, but that her stools are still soft.

Online it said to continue for at least seven days...I'm thinking ten.

Did you do multiple courses of treatment? Did you use the same drug or switich to Furox (fenbendazole)? How long did you wait between treatments?

Fingers crossed this clears up in one course of treatment!

I have no advice - just wanted to say thank you for the update, and I hope your baby is better soon.

Originally Posted by Satai

I have no advice - just wanted to say thank you for the update, and I hope your baby is better soon.

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I am the same. Although I have no advise to offer I have been following your thread since the beginning. I can only imagine how hard and frustrating this is for you especially feeling all alone. I am glad you have come to us and although we might not be able to offer much advise we can always offer lots of support