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I had my sweet kitty Gracie PTS on July 23 - a little more that 2 weeks ago now. I'm torturing myself with questions, doubts, fueled by internet searches seeing as how her illness was still a mystery to all the different vets I took her to, seeking answers. In the URI thread, now closed, one poster suggested I get a culture, which I had already asked for, and then asked another 3 different times only to be told each time by different vets that it would do no good. Could I have forced them to culture her? Even if I had, would they have complied? What would it have shown? When you are already scared and trying so hard to make all the right decisions and most cost-effective decisions, you tend to not want to rock the boat. She even saw an internal medicine vet who said the same thing about the culture, although he did remove a small amount of hard black material from her left ear and put it under the microscope. That result was negative for answers.
The other day I entered a google search about URI's. I just had to do it. One of the first things I came to was a brief article suggesting that if antibiotics had been tried without complete resolution of symptoms, a fungus might be suspected as the cause. That torments me. I had been giving her Forti-flora, a probiotic powder on her food opposite the antibiotic time during the first 2 months because she was on a broad-spectrum antibiotic called Orbax, which is known to kill off good as well as bad bacteria in the body, particularly the gut where, at least in humans, at least 75% of the immune system resides. The good bacteria there are necessary for a well functioning immune system. I had to ask for this because her main vet didn't think it was necessary even though he was the one who first put her on it and then a few weeks later on Azithromax.
For better or for worse, I did not give Gracie her Forti-flora that last week, just trying something different than what I had done before. Could that have caused a rapid decline?
I also called the internal med vet's office and spoke with one of his techs. I wasn't interested in starting an argument. I just wanted to know why anti-fungal med wasn't tried. She told me there were serious side-effects. I'm sorry but that answer is just not sufficient. I have a kitty named Nat who has seizures and is on phenobarb twice a day, which can cause liver enzyme elevations, yet they didn't hesitate to put him on that despite its side effects. I am a nurse (I didn't inform that tech) and I already know that any and all medications on the market have side effects. Like I said, I was not interested in starting an argument, but I was not at all satisfied with the answer.
Maybe she would have suffered severe side effects, or maybe she might have gotten better, but the fact is we will never know now. It wasn't tried. It wasn't even offered. In case you are wondering, each new vet I saw had the faxed records (X-rays/labs, exam findings and medication regimes) from the previous vets she saw, so it's not a case of not having all the information.
I realize no good will come of this because it's too late to save her now. My mind is always asking questions. I want to know, up to a point I guess, even if it hurts. And it does. View media item 290013
Here she is in happier times 4 years ago taking a sunbath above left with Nat, (her son) whose seizures are under control for the time being. He loved his mama.
The other day I entered a google search about URI's. I just had to do it. One of the first things I came to was a brief article suggesting that if antibiotics had been tried without complete resolution of symptoms, a fungus might be suspected as the cause. That torments me. I had been giving her Forti-flora, a probiotic powder on her food opposite the antibiotic time during the first 2 months because she was on a broad-spectrum antibiotic called Orbax, which is known to kill off good as well as bad bacteria in the body, particularly the gut where, at least in humans, at least 75% of the immune system resides. The good bacteria there are necessary for a well functioning immune system. I had to ask for this because her main vet didn't think it was necessary even though he was the one who first put her on it and then a few weeks later on Azithromax.
For better or for worse, I did not give Gracie her Forti-flora that last week, just trying something different than what I had done before. Could that have caused a rapid decline?
I also called the internal med vet's office and spoke with one of his techs. I wasn't interested in starting an argument. I just wanted to know why anti-fungal med wasn't tried. She told me there were serious side-effects. I'm sorry but that answer is just not sufficient. I have a kitty named Nat who has seizures and is on phenobarb twice a day, which can cause liver enzyme elevations, yet they didn't hesitate to put him on that despite its side effects. I am a nurse (I didn't inform that tech) and I already know that any and all medications on the market have side effects. Like I said, I was not interested in starting an argument, but I was not at all satisfied with the answer.
Maybe she would have suffered severe side effects, or maybe she might have gotten better, but the fact is we will never know now. It wasn't tried. It wasn't even offered. In case you are wondering, each new vet I saw had the faxed records (X-rays/labs, exam findings and medication regimes) from the previous vets she saw, so it's not a case of not having all the information.
I realize no good will come of this because it's too late to save her now. My mind is always asking questions. I want to know, up to a point I guess, even if it hurts. And it does. View media item 290013
Here she is in happier times 4 years ago taking a sunbath above left with Nat, (her son) whose seizures are under control for the time being. He loved his mama.
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