Vet completely stumped...any thoughts? (long)

UPDATE: Rambo's eye is still swollen, but slightly less today then yesterday. He isn't keeping it open very much though, and it's tender to the touch.

I had a chat with the vet last night, and we've decided to try him on an antihistamine to see if that relieves the eye swelling and might indicate an allergy. I've struggled to get the pill into him though, since his eye is sore and swollen and i have to be very careful holding his face. I'm going to have to see about getting it compounded or finding someway to hide it. It seems to be a bitter tasting pill since he froths at the mouth when i struggle to get it into him.

I'll ask the vet when the blood panel showed about his WBC etc. She said all came up normal. My vet is also going to post Rambo's case on a vet forum to see if anyone has seen these symptoms before. She was very interested to hear what responses I got on this forum as well. I'm going to print out this thread to give to her when we go back in.

The confusing part for me about the allergies though is why the eye swelling would appear, disappear 2 days later and not reappear for 5 weeks. And the throat issues the same. I am going to change out their litter box....but I'm using Feline Pine and I'm not sure what to switch to to rule things out.

The mince i'm thinking of is Rabbit, so I'll check that that has bone in it. If it does, what other supplements do i need to make sure he's ok?? The other problem is keeping him away from the food of the other cats. Since i've been doing home renovations all of the doors have been taken off and I can't keep Rambo away from the other kitties food.

UPDATE: Rambo's right eye is still swollen, no change there. I've been putting BNPH ointment (antibiotic/steroid) in it. It seems to look better, but then gets worse again. I'm having no luck getting the antihistamine or the lysine into Rambo. It's gotten to the point where he sees me coming and takes off...last night it took me over an hour to find his hiding spot. I really hate having my cat scared of me.

I just don't know what to do now.

Just wanted to say I'm so sorry I know how it is to have to give meds to your cat that don't seem to be helping and they start hiding from you. how frustrating this is for you. Also if by chance this eye problem is Feline herpes steroids will aggravate the herpes and make it worse not better.

For the pills, see if you can get some empty gelcaps. I don't know how big the antihistamine is, but usually kitty pills fit into small capsules. The capsule is inert and hides the flavor of the pill so it's easier to get it down the hatch. For the lysine, see if it dissolves in water. When I was giving it to Spot, I used to dissolve it in a little water and then mix it in his food. If Rambo won't eat it mixed in food, it may still be easier to suck it up with a small syringe and squirt it in his throat than it is to try to make him swallow the pill.

We got some Pill Pockets treats at our pet store, wrapped 1/2 tablet of Drontil (for worming) in each treat and gave Mika her 3 and Bijou his 5 "treats". Easiest pilling we've ever done!

Thanks everyone. I have the Viralys stuff that I got for some sick fosters, but it will be going back with them to the rescue. I might ask my vet for some of my own.

The vet wanted to try the antihistamines as a shot in the dark for his swelling eye, but since it's connected somehow to the blisters/ulcers she's stumped. I'm going to try him on the lysine for awhile and see what happens. The antibiotic ointment is helping marginally, and the little antihistamine i did get into didn't show any noticable effects except that he was dopey and lethargic. I think i'll put in another call to the vet and get some viralys.

Has anyone ever gotten their pills compounded?? where can you get that done and how much does it cost???

Hi - very, very sorry about your baby. I am sending Reiki healing energy.
I don't know where you live, but here in Tulsa (OK) we have a place called The Apothecary Shoppe. They compound my Sage's asthma medicine for about $10, but tsince I do a lot of herb-mixing, I just bought my own mortal and pestle and I grind them up myself and then mix the right amount with a little organic broth (to cover the taste - Sage froths at the mouth sometimes and I hate to think it tastes that bad) and use a syringe.
I don't know if you have any place like that where you are, but look in the phonebook for pharmacies and find one that specifically says it is a "compounding pharmacy."
Hope that helps in some small way!

~Sangria

I have had Rxs compounded for Kandie.. I used Medicine man but I know most of the big chains will compound also

CVS Pharmacy compounds. I know the one in my area does. Also here is a link from the feral cat thread about getting her cats to eat medication for Chlamydia.

I am so happy I just had to chare this by Malena dated today at 808 a.m.

Originally Posted by MNJULZ

CVS Pharmacy compounds. I know the one in my area does. Also here is a link from the feral cat thread about getting her cats to eat medication for Chlamydia.

I am so happy I just had to chare this by Malena dated today at 808 a.m.

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Here's the link:
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97193

Update: Rambo's eye was doing well this weekend, and I had high hopes that we were on the right track. When I came home on Sunday he had a bit of discharge from his eye, so I cleaned that up and not 30 minutes later his eye had swollen up till you couldn't see the eye anymore. He was going crazy with it so I gave him something to make him sleepy in the hopes that he would leave it alone for a bit. (vet was on the phone with me during this!). Then I tried (and struggled like crazy) to get a dose of antihistamine in him. This morning both eyes are kind of swollen, and one is weeping. His coughing has started up again and I'm waiting to see if the blisters reappear.

I contacted 2 pharmacies about compounding and they didn't have anything to offer. They said they could do it, but most of their bases (liquid) included sugar. I'm going to try a trick my rescue director offered to hide it inside a yogurt and cream mixture in the hopes of diguising the taste. We're still not even sure if it's allergies, and if it is....what is he allergic to that stopped for 4 weeks and then came back.

Thank you all for your suggestions and insights. My vet was very interested in what you guys had to say (as she didn't get any replies on a vet forum she posted on about Rambo).

Please continue with the prayers, and healing vibes. My poor baby is so miserable, and hates me at the moment.

Oh, Renny -- how terribly frustrating and discouraging! I wish I had something -- anything! -- to suggest, but I do have for you both. Many healing vibes coming your way. I hope you find some answers soon.

Originally Posted by rapunzel47

Oh, Renny -- how terribly frustrating and discouraging! I wish I had something -- anything! -- to suggest, but I do have

for you both. Many healing vibes coming your way. I hope you find some answers soon.

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Thank you very much for those...hugs and vibes are most welcome and very comforting right now. Just makes me want to watching my poor baby suffer. I'm on my way home at lunch to check on him.

Update: The eye swelling has diminished (though whether it's for the antihistamine or not..who knows!). He still has one eye that is weeping and the other is somewhat swollen and half closed. He's showing some signs of interest in life again.

I've tried to get him on just the mince (only meat raw) which was duck. No luck. He will eat some, but prefers his premade raw with veggies mixed. He's been on beef and chicken. My fosters are now gone so I can try restricting his food more and seeing what happens there. He's not on the lysine since if it's an allergy boosting his immune system can just make it worse. So for now i'm in a holding pattern waiting to see what happens.

I've passed on all your suggestions to the vet, and she agrees that all need to be considered. It's just going to take a while to go through each one.

For the first time in WEEKS Rambo came to cuddle last night in bed. He only stayed for a few minutes...but I think it was his way of saying that he forgave me for all I've been putting him through! He's such a forgiving soul.

Originally Posted by Renny

Update: The eye swelling has diminished (though whether it's for the antihistamine or not..who knows!). He still has one eye that is weeping and the other is somewhat swollen and half closed. He's showing some signs of interest in life again.

I've tried to get him on just the mince (only meat raw) which was duck. No luck. He will eat some, but prefers his premade raw with veggies mixed. He's been on beef and chicken. My fosters are now gone so I can try restricting his food more and seeing what happens there. He's not on the lysine since if it's an allergy boosting his immune system can just make it worse. So for now i'm in a holding pattern waiting to see what happens.

I've passed on all your suggestions to the vet, and she agrees that all need to be considered. It's just going to take a while to go through each one.

For the first time in WEEKS Rambo came to cuddle last night in bed. He only stayed for a few minutes...but I think it was his way of saying that he forgave me for all I've been putting him through! He's such a forgiving soul.

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I forget, have they done bloodwork to see what his eosinophils are?

Originally Posted by kluchetta

I forget, have they done bloodwork to see what his eosinophils are?

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He had a complete blood panel done, and the vet said all was normal. I don't have the numbers, but I can pick them up on friday when i take Lucky in for her FELV booster.

Oh my! You poor thing! I've been away all week and am just reading this now Poor Rambo!

You seem to be on top of the ball right now, and I don't have any new advice to suggest, but I'm also exhausted so I'll think on it and get back to you soon if I come up with anything that could be helpful! Hugs to the little one for me, I hope he's feeling better soon!!!

You might also consider taking him to a feline opthamologist. (If there is one near you.) That's what I finally had to do with Smudge the First. Unfortunately it was not good news, but it was nice to have an answer at last...

thanks everyone for all your advice and good wishes.

Just to update: Rambo's eyes are starting to look better. He still has discharge from one, and some swelling and redness in the other. He is squinting his eye. The doctor looked and saw no damage to the actual eye, just the tissues of the eyelid that were swelling up. He's still pretty quiet and withdrawn these days, though that might be because all the fosters have left and he's missing them.

The vet and I are debating a couple of options for ongoing treatment of Rambo.
1) lysine supplements - though this could exacerbate the condition if it's an allergy
2) anti-histamines - low dose of antihistamines on a regular basis

Either way, this is going to be a trial and error treatment...with my poor Rambo as the guinea pig. We're going back to the vet on Friday so we'll chat more about these options then.