Booboo is confusingly not well

[snickerdoodle]

I had another quick question after reading some posts... some may remember me mentioning a couple of "Wanderers" outside. We have "rocky", whom we feed and is not neutered, just comes up to eat and leaves (Not congested, may have fleas) Then we have two new wanderers which we believe live a couple houses down, I'm not very sure. I am thinking of going and asking. Anyway, question: The gray tabby has had bad congestion and sneezing. I can hear her breathing from a mile away. The black bob tail friend of hers (I am not sure if it's a boy or a girl) was totally fine. THEN the Black cat started having sneezing fits and sounds congested now, too. Then, as (s)he was having a sneezing it, the Black one sneezed out this absolutely disgusting white string of snot. I thought it was a worm at first, then she licked it up and ate it off her nose.

What I'm wondering is, could this at all possibly be herpes and/or contagious? When I take Boo out for his walks he only goes in the front walk/porch, never to the back where they wander around. I'm terrified he'll catch something from them, and I'd never take him back out if I could, but I'm afraid of really depressing him. Chickster never goes out (Refuses the harness, so, tough luck chick :T) Mom left the door open and screen shut to let air in and the gray tabby was sneezing across the porch, and I freaked on her about leaving the door open like that because he could catch something!
Anyway... I don't have the money to take them to a vet, but I may try knocking on that neighbors door and see if they have any clue who owns them. they are starting to hang around more constantly now and I'm getting a little peeved. They act very wary of me, and I've sterizilized the pure-t fool out of myself because of them before I touch Boo of Chickster. They could be ferals from a colony a poor lady down the street.. "had". (Long story) Even worse, I think we may have a flea or two bouncing around the house, and Boo has started scratching himself. I have flea medication but I need to talk to the vet about how much to use, what to use, if it's safe with his CRF, etc.
*Siiiiiiiiiiiigh* Sorry for the long ramble, it's just been bothering me. Thanks guys, love ya'll

 

[snickerdoodle]

Was going to get Boo a cat bed but then Mom came up with the great idea of using one of our big hampers for him. He liked them before. So I put in a beach towel and one of my sweaters and lookie there.... instant love:



Just thought I'd share. He's been very upbeat today, though it was too chilly outside and he wasn't interested in much out there. Doin' ok, today is a good day

He is knocked the heck out in that hamper you should see him though!

 

[katkisses]

That is such a CUTE pic! Awwwww!

 

[snickerdoodle]

Woooooooooooooooo!!!

Boo's BUN level is down to 77! Still high, but it's come down! The Neo is WORKING!
I asked for a BUN and a Creatinine test, which they said OK. Then the lady came back out with his results and said they didn't do a "Creatinine" test (I am assuming this means I will have to get a CBC to see the Creat. levels)
Anyway, this is the list of results I got:

Na - 147 mmol/L (Up arrow)
K - 4.8 mmol/L (no arrow)
CI - 123 mmol/L (up arrow)
TCO2 - 19 mmol/L (down arrow)
BUN - 77 mg/dL (up arrow)
Glu - (121 mg/dL) (up arrow)
Hct - 13% PCV (down arrow, this is I believe what shows how bad his anemia is, and it was 14%, which another vet told me was very bad)

pH - 7.206 (Down arrow)
PC02 - 45.4 mmHg (No arrow)
HC03 - 18.0 mmol/L (down arrow)
BEecf - (-10 mmol/L) down arrow
AnGap - 11 mmol/l (no arrow)
Hb* (*via HCT) 4.4 g/dL (down arrow)

I have no idea what ALL of these mean but I will look them up later. He is feisty and ready to go. He was getting ready to attempt a brawl with a female boxer who was in there. Even the nurses behind the desk said "Leave Bubba alone, Miss Boxer. He may not be big but his claws sure are big enough" LOL EVERYONE knows how violent he can get when he's mad. That dog didn't do nothing but stare at him, and Boo hissed and smacked the side of the carrier super hard.
It was so funny..

But I am glad his BUN levels are down at least. I will try to find out how in the heck to get a Creatinine level or if something in this test results can hint at it.
Off for some more errand running, but thanks guys, and if anyone can help decipher these test results I'd really appreciate it.
The vet tech was pretty excited about them, said most everything was down and it looked good.
Love ya'll!!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Well, I checked his labs against Sven's, and I can't tell anything, because each lab has different standards that they use. For example, Sven's TCO2 was also 19, but no down arrow, because they show the normal is between 13 and 25! So just go with what the tech said, that things are looking good, especially the BUN.

That's looking very good (compared with before). What did they said, though, about the HCT going down? It needs to be going up. That's the one affiliated with anemia. Did they say to add anything to his diet (vitamins?) I'm no expert at all, but usually people with anemia need more iron, but I have absolutely no idea what cats with anemia need, particularly when they are CRF kitties. Maybe when you talk to the other Vet, you could ask her?

 

[katkisses]

I am still following this. No idea bout the levels, there should be a "normal range" on your results... ?

Glad that the BUN is down though! that it keeps going down!

 

[snickerdoodle]

I am really worried about the HCT, which the last test showed to be 14%, (This new vet said "Ohhhh that's not good.") so 13 is not good at all. I will do some research and ask about the flea treatment (He -may- have fleas, not many yet, but we wanna nip that in the bud) My friend had an anemic kitten so I will see what I can find out. Now my dumb butt just woke him up because I thought he was in a coma or something *rolls eyes* he wouldn't wake up then boom! "Ma! What the heck! Geesh!"

aaaaaaah ... anyway... Thanks guys. More researching to do!

OH. Bonus: Bought a new laser light, and he actually chased the thing today. He's never done that before, even before his CRF. It was amazing

 

[icklemiss21]

According to Autumn's bloodwork, 24%-45% is normal for HCT (which is Hematocrit or the amount of red blood cells in the blood), lower is anemic and higher usually shows dehydration

Do the arrows show above/below normal or change since last bloodwork, because several of the ones with arrows are within or close to the normal values my vet uses

http://home.gci.net/~divs/disease/lab_tests.html
This is a great link for working out what the labs are testing for - simple descriptions of each (and their idea of normal values at the bottom)

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Wow, playing with something that he never showed interest in before seems like a GREAT sign!! Woo hoo!!!! He MUST be feeling better than ever!!!!!

 

[snickerdoodle]

Thank you SO MUCH for the link for the lab work. They have always put those arrows there, and I think I may be the only person in that place to ask for a copy of his tests. Everytime I ask they look at me like.. um...wow, weird, but OK. They don't say anything except *thumbs up* "It looks great! Pretty much everything has come down! Keep doing what you're doing!" Then I was so excited I almost forgot to get a copy.
But I can work em out now on this page. The up and down arrows I ASSUMED meant UP was still too high or had gone higher, and DOWN meant it was too low or had gone lower. See I'm not even sure. And this is printed out on a little bitty receipt like you get from a convenient store, so there is no normal range printed on them. What I really want is that first copy of the test the Vet Doc did, with his Creat and everything. I'll work that out.
UPDATE: Boo is still grooming, he is meowing (not yowling) to wake me or Mom up to get him something, his fluids are going great, his skin is not sticking straight up like a tater chip when you pull on it, though it still doesn't snap right back into place, but it sure doesn't STAY UP like it did when he was sickest. I caught him sneaking onto the dining room table (he does NOT jump on the dining room table for nothing) to get to a bowl of Cat Chow my mother thoughtlessly left there to get it in out of the rain. He is not very interested in his Neo now, I wish it came in different flavors. Maybe I can email them (Emailed Hill's 2 or 3 times asking them to come up with different flavors or more gravy in their stuff) He's eating it, but once he gets a whiff of anything else he's all over it like white on rice. He REALLY wants some dry food, I think he's tired of his wet, which is a shock to me, but I've got to find something within reasonable range for him to eat.
I am NOT buying the Blue Buffalo anymore for Chickster. I will switch her to Purina One or Wellness (all I could find at my pet store was Purina Pro Plan and Wellness) I am NOT paying 21.99 for a 3 lb bag of food, that is more than the C/D. Can't do it.
He has been playful and rather spunky today, wanting to go outside even though it's raining and what not. I'm happy, but I'm worried about him not being so interested in his Neo. Especially when he is scampering around for other food. After finally getting his BUN level down to 77, the lowest it's been since this all started, I do -not- want it to go back up because of something I've done.
Anyway. He's doing great, loves the fresh bag of cat nip (soft catnip, I love it) and he's doing pretty well. He's just not gaining weight. He's not losing either, but he still weighs 7.6 lbs. I miss the days where he weighed 10-11. But can't have it all!
Thank you guys so much for your support, advice and assistance. I'm so serious, I can't say it enough, without this site, my Baby Boo might not be here right now.

 

[booktigger]

Glad his levels have come down and the vets are happy with it - I would let him have some dry food if that is what he wants, small amounts wont do his kidneys any harm, and if he enjoys it, he will feel better in himself.

 

[snickerdoodle]

OK. An overview of normal ranges suggests the following:
Sodium, Potassium, and AnGap are within normal ranges. His Anemia is pretty bad at 13 %PVC and it should be between 24 and 25. his PH is a little base I think, at 7.2, should be 6.2-6.5. his Hemogoblin (via HCT) is real low at 4.4 and should be at 9.5-15
As for the others, I can't find regular ranges for these. CI is chloride, TCO2 is carbon dioxide, PC02 and HC03 are blood gasses, but can't find regular values on those, and his BEecf is "Base Excess in Extracellular fluids" Good luck finding out what this means. This Monday I will take a trip to the new vet and talk this over with her. His Glucose is also ok, @ 121 (Normal 70-120) but I'll see what the new vet has to say. So overall, it's definitely looking better, and the new vet offered (although incredibly expensive) medication for the anemia, which is basically like blood doping some athletes do to increase red blood cells. But we'll see :T Thanks everyone!!! <3

 

[katkisses]

Just a head up, normal ranges are diff depending on the lab/vet. For my vet normal glucose is 70-150, BUN is 10-30, CRE is 0.3-2.1, ALT is 2-100. Maybe you can get a print out of normal ranges from your vet?

I know what you mean about asking for a copy of the bloodwork, lol. I got the "umm ok... " look from the receptionist, LOL!

 

[icklemiss21]

Really? My vet always brings 3 copies when she meets me, one for her, one for me, and one that we scribble all over talking about the results

 

[snickerdoodle]

That's what the New nice lady vet did with the list of questions and things I brought her when I consulted with her. She scribbled on it then apologized and asked if it was ok to write on it

Some vets, I don't know, it just changes certain people one way and some the other I suppose. I sure couldn't do it, it would break my heart too badly when there is nothing else I could do.
Boo is feeling good today. I knicked a blood vessel with the needle and was a little worried he wouldn't stop bleeding, it was just a drop but it seems like SO MUCH for a cat. I gave him a little bit of dry and boy that just made his day. He's had his Neo and his catnip. Just need to take him out for a walk after I take a quick rest. After this week I am getting some time off from work so I was wondering what fun things I could do with Boo. Any ideas? I only get as far as taking him outside or making a fort for him, (he likes to hide in places) or taking him close to the woods (used to make him quite aggressive and nutty, all those smells in the woods, and not IN the woods, where snakes and stuff might be... I dunno) ... I just want to do something new and exciting for him!
Thanks guys. Hope you and your furbabies are doing well today

 

[snickerdoodle]

Okay, something very strange just happened. I took Boo into the bathroom to gently wipe his rear with a warm wet soft cloth, which he liked at first, then it annoyed him. I had asked my vet, since it worked so well to cause a BM when the Vet did the rectal exam, if maybe I should try it myself if he doesn't go in a certain amount of days. He said that was fine, just stop if I felt any resistance. I said I would only use my pinky (Latex glove) and I did, just barely the first joint of my pinky (with just a little bit of vaseline on it) in his poor little rear

.. didn't feel anything so I stopped, wiped his butt gently again and by now he was a little more annoyed, so I set him down and he went up the steps.
Then he lays down, stretches his front feet out and I turn to look at him. He's got droplets of saliva coming out of his mouth and a drop or two of a clear fluid (Snot? Saliva?) coming out of his nose. He looked pretty blank in the eyes and his front paw was going up towards his face just barely. He wasn't shaking, did not fall over, didn't seize up, did not urinate or defecate. It was over within probably about 10 seconds, (I was freaking out silently and got a cloth to dry his mouth) It was only a few drops of saliva and a drop or two from his nose, and then he "came to" (If he was blank at all before, I'm not very sure) and was breathing sort of fast. Then his breathing slowed within about 20 more seconds and he's totally fine. No third eyelid showing, no nothing.... he's purring. He got up and walked to the sunshine on the floor at the back door and laid back down, purring still.
Was this a seizure or a stroke of some kind? Maybe I stressed him? I'm not doing the rectal thing anymore, that's for sure. Maybe I did something?
My God that scared me, I'm going to call my vet and see what they say right now. Any ideas would greatly help, but, I am watching him and he is acting completely normal. He is swallowing (Not lip smacking, more like he has a furball) every once in awhile (5-10 minutes)
That was so terrifying.

 

[snickerdoodle]

Okay. Called the Vet, explained everything. He says he is fairly sure it was a stress reaction to the finger up the butt. I told him I only put the tip of my pinky up there, but he says from what I've described I should've seen muscle seizing, or falling over, loss of bladder control or other loss of control. He said since it lasted such a short duration that he would feel safe to say it was a stress reactions. No more of the finger up the butt for Boo. Not from me, anyway. He'll poop when he poops, I'll give miralax every other day or every couple days, but never again with the finger. He's absolutely fine now! Begging for more food and being very vocal. I think even Chickster noticed something was amiss though, she went to him when he sat on top of his carrier and he moved away, she looked after him with big wide eyes as if she were saying, "What just happened, dude?"
Anyway. All is fine now. Will keep an eye on him, if it happens again it's an immediate vet visit. *takes a deep breath* I am praising and praying thank you's right now because it scared me so bad. I can't imagine what I'll be like if I ever have kids!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Wow, first of all, you are very brave to have tried that, especially since he's prone to biting, right? Don't you (or didn't you) have to muzzle him to give him fluids? We used to have to give one of our other cats enemas for her constipation (long before we learned about Miralax...probably before Miralax was invented!) and I felt so sorry for her, but she was a trooper, and I don't recall whether or not she ever salivated during or after. But what you describe sounds almost like he went into a trance. Anyway, I'm just glad he came out of it quickly and seems no worse for the experience!! Whew!

 

[snickerdoodle]

Well, he's less prone to do something to me than some big man with fingers the size of Ball Park hot dogs (Dude has huge fat fingers) and yes I did put the muzzle on him. Since it was only mostly the tip of my pinky, that is why I figure all he did was kind of meow in an "EW mommy that doesn't feel real good"
But yeah, it was kind of like a trance. He's done fine for the rest of the evening so far, except he's kind of staying away from me and doesn't seem to feel too good right now.
If I ever continually do something to annoy Boo, the worst he's done is put his teeth over my finger and barely, barely bare down on them. That's at home. At the vet or with a stranger, he can go nutso, obviously. Anyway. Not trying that anymore. I'm worried about his not feeling well, but looks like he's gone pee a couple of times within the last 6 hours. He ate well this morning. We will just see if he perks up tomorrow. Tried to get him to drink some water from the tub, he was purring but not interested. Keeps swallowing like he has a furball.
I hope that never happens again, so scary.
Edit: I am still muzzling him for fluids, less so because he gets mad or anything, now just so he won't wander off because if can't see he won't move around.

 

[snickerdoodle]

I took Boo out for a little walk a little while ago. It's 55 degrees outside with a slight breeze so maybe a little cold? He wanted to go out, he ran to the back door. He's been hiding underneath Mom's bed today, not in his hamper and didn't even come see me when I laid down (Usually gets scritches before I pass out) he DID poop, and I know it was his because it had a small streak of grass in it.
But the problem is now that I picked him up a little while ago (He was sitting on top of his carrier) and he was trembling. Not constant, but every 30 seconds or so like he does after I give him a bath. Think he might be cold? Or is this a cause for worry? Otherwise he was purring a bit, "fighting" with Chickster over the scratching post and wanting some cat nip. I'm confused. Going to research trembling real quick.

Thanks guys.

Update: I think it may be because I picked him up and/or he was cold. Since it's chilly here and we've got some rain showers, maybe he's got some arthritis.. His ears are cool and his nose is cool, and now he's curled up under Mom's bed so I'm going to leave him be. He was eating earlier, pooped, ... I think maybe I am over-worrying. Will keep a check on him.