Cat Distemper (panluekopenia) Survivors: Help!!

[buddyblue]

Thanks Denice, 

Will definitely ask about that. Not sure what the equivalent here in Spain would be ~ but hopefully she will know what that is. 

 

[catwoman707]

Great, I am anxious to hear the blood results!

 

[buddyblue]

UPDATE on Buddy: Day 6 ~ We are home!!

As if Buddy knew we were waiting for a sign that he was recovering, he ate a little today (with no vomit) while we were visiting. This was enough of a positive sign for the vet to send him home without a blood test. 

Without further delay, here's a photo from today: 

BUDDY1.jpg

• buddyblue
• Nov 5, 2013

He has lost about 10% of his body weight and is still weak, but is happy to be home, purring, and resting quietly in his sunny room. I'm showering him with TLC, which is making Bastét jealous but she is as healthy as ever. 

We're not in the clear yet. I have to hand-feed him and he only takes very little at a time (sometimes doesn't want any food), and am syringe-feeding him water because he doesn't drink on his own. We are also keeping a close eye on Bastét but so far it seems that she has a subclinical infection (is asymptomatic) or is a survivor from a previous infection. 

We will take him back to the vet tomorrow for another shot of antibiotics, and sub-q fluids, if necessary.

Here's another photo of him striking a pose with his battle wounds (one leg bandaged, one leg shaved) ~ he's always been a big flirt 

Buddy2.jpg

• buddyblue
• Nov 5, 2013

 

[denice]

He is a handsome boy.  Feeding him a little bit several times through the day is best anyway.   His system could well have problems handling more than just a little food at a time.  It's a real good sign that he voluntarily ate a little bit.

 

[buddyblue]

He just ate some dry food. The vet told us to give him canned food at the beginning, so his digestive system can get used to it, but he just went straight for Bastét's dry food and ate some... no vomit! He looks tired now, but great that he went for the food on his own and is able to hold it down. 

And here is Bastét, looking totally normal: 

bastet.jpg

• buddyblue
• Nov 5, 2013

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Things are sounding good!

    

    

 

[catwoman707]

I am beyond thrilled to see he is home and looking pretty darn great considering this enormous strain on his little self, and it's looking pretty good there missy!!!...

No, I wouldn't feel it is safe to say he is on his way/or well in to recovery until he is a bit stronger and eating and drinking on his own. When he does get to that point, it is only a matter of time/weeks for him to regain his strength, inside and out, but it's looking quite promising.

Amazing, and yes, Buddy's ordeal will definitely one to go on my books and will be the first success story I know of personally.

You did good, I am more than sure it was your fast vet action, getting him diagnosed and on support fast, as well as his age that has allowed him to likely beat this awful, unstoppable tough virus.

If I am as happy as I am right now, you must be overjoyed. Eating just a bit even is an excellent sign! Woohoo!!

 

[buddyblue]

UPDATE on Buddy ~ Day 7: Eating well but not drinking water

Good morning!  Thank you for your encouraging words, everyone. It's so wonderful to be able to share this experience with other cat lovers. I know that all of you can understand the feeling of seeing one of our beloved felines fall ill, and your support, advice, and encouragement has really helped me through this week. I feel a lot of gratitude for The Cat Site. Thank you!  

Buddy is doing much better today. I am loving & trusting our new vet more and more by the hour, who had the instinct to send him home without even looking at his blood analysis. Bastét is still a happy, healthy little kitty and has been a great help in making him feel better. We gave up on trying to keep them apart since there is absolutely no way she doesn't have the virus already (they share everything) and they were both unhappy to be separated. She has not left his side, giving him a lot of love, and encouraging him to play. Watching her seems to give him motivation to get better, even though he is still too weak to play with her. He did run around a little this morning, though ~ 

Buddy is eating on his own (still only dry food ~ will not touch the canned food for some reason). My only concern now is that he is still not drinking on his own. I'm syringe-feeding him water in small quantities every 30 minutes or so ~ any advice on how much water? Is that too much? Too little? 

He has a dark green diarrhea, which I guess is his system getting rid of the virus. The vet did tell us that he will continue to have diarrhea for a few days and we shouldn't be alarmed. He goes to the litter box every two hours or so, and was peeing a lot yesterday, which is why I am trying to give him water often. 

It's definitely looking good!

 

[irinasak]

Hello, I have been following your thread and I am happy to read he is home and doing better. Appetite is always a good sign. A while back when one of my kittens had diarrhea and high fever and the vets thought he might have panleukopenia - which he didn't - I came across this video (ignore the music, the info and the photos are very informative):


The case presented in this video seems a lot worse than Buddy. I do not have any advice, other than to ask your vet about the proper amount of water he should drink and about different types of wet food you could try.

 

[buddyblue]

Thanks IrinaSak ~ 

First, I appreciate your input. I think all information is valuable. I watched loads of videos (including this one) and have read a range of articles / reports / forums on this virus since Buddy was diagnosed. I have to say that most information out there conflicts, and 98% mortality in kittens is not consistent across the board (in fact, it's the highest estimate I've seen). I will share some of those articles on a post I plan to write on "lessons learned," once Buddy's health has improved significantly. 

As I'm seeing with B&B, it's not impossible to beat (panluekopenia does not = a death sentence). And while there is a LOT of information out there that makes it seem like it is a death sentence (and like this video, plays heavy on the shock value), I don't think this is necessarily helpful without a balanced perspective. My primary advice:  DO NOT give up on your cat if s/he is diagnosed with panluekopenia, recognize the symptoms, and act fast. 

More later. 

Taking Buddy to the vet for a checkup now. 

 

[denice]

I don't think you can give him too much water, especially with the diarrhea.  Keep trying to given him the wet food that will also increase his water intake.  You could try crushing up some kibble and use it as a topper on the wet food.  He will probably still eat mostly the kibble topper but he may eat a little of the wet.  I think wet food is usually more easily digestable  but cats definitely have a mind of their own.  We can only do what we can to try to change their minds.

 

[buddyblue]

UPDATE on Buddy ~ Day 8: 98% recovered!

The title for today's update is a reference to a previous post in which the mortality rate for kittens with panluekopenia is estimated at 98%. 

Buddy started drinking water on his own yesterday afternoon (one day after coming home from the vet). His appetite has grown significantly, and his diarrhea is no longer a dark green (a sign of a sick liver). He is now running and playing, and has ripped off the bandage on his IV wound like the strong, life-affirming cat that surviving this disease has made him. 

Buddy.jpg

• buddyblue
• Nov 7, 2013

Bastét is as healthy as ever. Our conclusion is that either she is a survivor from a previous infection and passed the virus to Buddy, or that she had a subclinical infection (meaning she was asymptomatic). 

My hope is that this thread will be an inspiration and beacon of hope for anyone whose cat is diagnosed with panluekopenia. 

While panluekopenia is a deadly virus, It is NOT a death sentence, and I trust that this thread will become one of the few resources out there outlining the steps one can take to ensure our beloved feline friends get the help they need to pass through the illness and recover fully. 

With gratitude to everyone who sent us good wishes and The Cat Site for hosting this supportive community,

Kim, Buddy & Bastét

B&B.jpg

• buddyblue
• Nov 7, 2013

Bastét says, "Good Luck!"

 

[denice]

He looks so much better.  You and your vet deserve the credit for him getting through this.  Your little girl kitty looks like she has a lot of personality.  I am sure Buddy's personality will shine through as well now that he is getting over this nasty virus.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

This is such wonderful  news!  And Buddy is one lucky cat

, and a handsome one at that

 

[johnnyb89]

Not to dig up an old thread, however my cat last week presumably got Cat Distemper as well. He went from running around one minute to not eating or drinking and sitting in the "praying position". I honestly thought poison, but I just don't have anything in my home that he could have gotten into.    He was moving slowly and sickly when he had to , about 2 hours later from the last time I noticed him. He appeared to be have pain in his midsection, and could not be picked up without emitting a vocalization. His had mild diarhea with tapeworms in it (apparently the crappy citric something  wormer I was using only targeted roundworms).    I did not carry him to the vet for a variety of reasons, out of town christmas day,  figured absurd bills and I am currently unemployed, and I wasn't sure moving him to a vet wouldn't kill him. He became ill dec 22nd.  I started syringe feeding him the day after as I was worried about dehydration and fatty liver disease (I am a bit of a hypochondriac).   He is about 5 months old, so I didn't have to feed him much, fortunately. I strived for at least 100 calories. I fed him a 1 egged  mixed with milk at first, then lactose free muscle milk, then some kitten formula after I located some nearby (rural area). I also mixed some congealed fat into the mixture from his usual wet cat food. I wanted to feed him his regular food, but the syringe kept getting stopped up, not to mention he seemed like he couldn't swallow well. I left to go to a family function christmas morning.  I returned christmas day afternoon (day 3) expecting the worse, but  to find that he hadn't passed away, but was getting lighter and remaining deathly ill.  The saddest part was that he didn't have good balance and was extremely weak , but would still drag himself to the litterbox I had prepared and placed near his bed. The only time he appeared even the slightest bit lively was when he was resisting my feeding him, where after I had fed him for a couple of minutes he would climb onto my shoulder as he likes to do, as a means to get away.  I bought him some muscle milk as all the stores were closed, but it was lactose free. Day 4, no improvement, still had not voluntarily ate or drunk anything, however thanks to the forced feeding his skin elasticity seemed normal and only mildly exposed eyelid . I Noticed he seemed in more pain, and after researching it decided that he might possibly have a bacterial infection in the gut based on where he seemed sensitive (apparently a secondary symptom of distemper).  So I found that amoxicillin can be prescribed for that, so I determine his dosage based on his weight and used some from I had left over from an inner ear infection, and mixed it with his usual syringe food.   I went to town and bought some kitten formula and beef broth that didn't have onions in it (hard to find) and began using it with my egg and now beef broth and tuna water mixture. I was feeding him every couple of hours now, as I figured out cat stomachs were only so large and that he was more receptive to many small meals, than couple of  large ones.  I also gave him some praziquantel I had bought to treat his worm burden . During that time he  never vomited , however I noticed yellow mucus coming out his nostrils. I also have him a small dosage of b12/b6, as I read uncooked eggs can cause a b12 anemia, and that was apparently already something that cats with feline distemper struggle with.    Day 5 monday, I found he seemed a little better, purring a lot and seemed happy to see me , rather than detached and someplace else.  i gave him another dose of amoxicillin and his kitten formula/egg/cat/broth mixture.   Later that day he seemed worse, less engaging, it could just be that I was feeding him so much (again against his will). However I blamed it on the amoxicillin as its side effects are loss of appetite and lethargy, which is something he already had in spades. I decided not to give him any more. Day 6 He started to act like a cat, occasionally licking his dirty paw (I never washed him, even though he decidely needed it after much dribbling, I thought the stress and cold might not be good for him).   This led me to try tricking him into eating some wet cat food, which resulting in him eating for the first time in 6 days.  I could only get him to eat by putting it on my hand and waiting until he is licking his paw and putting it in place of his licking. It took forever but he ate much more than I could force him to.  Day 7 he is walking around, but he falls down a lot, he is eating by trickery, but hasn't drank any water. I just mix his food really thin so he gets some regardless. Day 8 he looks regular and is beginning to become playful, however his balance is still decidedly uncatlike, he is eating by himself, and has even drank a bit of water.  His midsection still hurts him a bit when picked up.  He cannot accurately jump on the couch due to extreme vertigo .  He is scarfing down food. Day 9 He seems almost normal, runs around, eats by himself, but he still hasn't got great balance. occasionally falling down when darting into a  opened room .   Today (Day 10)  he has almost fully recovered, but his balance isn't 100 percent. I sort of wonder is how long does it normally take to fully recover from distemper? Does balance issues usually occur during FLV or this due to his likely anemia of various vitamins and the like the like from not eating enough for 5 days?

 

[catwoman707]

 
Not to dig up an old thread, however my cat last week presumably got Cat Distemper as well. He went from running around one minute to not eating or drinking and sitting in the "praying position". I honestly thought poison, but I just don't have anything in my home that he could have gotten into.    He was moving slowly and sickly when he had to , about 2 hours later from the last time I noticed him. He appeared to be have pain in his midsection, and could not be picked up without emitting a vocalization. His had mild diarhea with tapeworms in it (apparently the crappy citric something  wormer I was using only targeted roundworms).    I did not carry him to the vet for a variety of reasons, out of town christmas day,  figured absurd bills and I am currently unemployed, and I wasn't sure moving him to a vet wouldn't kill him. He became ill dec 22nd.  I started syringe feeding him the day after as I was worried about dehydration and fatty liver disease (I am a bit of a hypochondriac).   He is about 5 months old, so I didn't have to feed him much, fortunately. I strived for at least 100 calories. I fed him a 1 egged  mixed with milk at first, then lactose free muscle milk, then some kitten formula after I located some nearby (rural area). I also mixed some congealed fat into the mixture from his usual wet cat food. I wanted to feed him his regular food, but the syringe kept getting stopped up, not to mention he seemed like he couldn't swallow well. I left to go to a family function christmas morning.  I returned christmas day afternoon (day 3) expecting the worse, but  to find that he hadn't passed away, but was getting lighter and remaining deathly ill.  The saddest part was that he didn't have good balance and was extremely weak , but would still drag himself to the litterbox I had prepared and placed near his bed. The only time he appeared even the slightest bit lively was when he was resisting my feeding him, where after I had fed him for a couple of minutes he would climb onto my shoulder as he likes to do, as a means to get away.  I bought him some muscle milk as all the stores were closed, but it was lactose free. Day 4, no improvement, still had not voluntarily ate or drunk anything, however thanks to the forced feeding his skin elasticity seemed normal and only mildly exposed eyelid . I Noticed he seemed in more pain, and after researching it decided that he might possibly have a bacterial infection in the gut based on where he seemed sensitive (apparently a secondary symptom of distemper).  So I found that amoxicillin can be prescribed for that, so I determine his dosage based on his weight and used some from I had left over from an inner ear infection, and mixed it with his usual syringe food.   I went to town and bought some kitten formula and beef broth that didn't have onions in it (hard to find) and began using it with my egg and now beef broth and tuna water mixture. I was feeding him every couple of hours now, as I figured out cat stomachs were only so large and that he was more receptive to many small meals, than couple of  large ones.  I also gave him some praziquantel I had bought to treat his worm burden . During that time he  never vomited , however I noticed yellow mucus coming out his nostrils. I also have him a small dosage of b12/b6, as I read uncooked eggs can cause a b12 anemia, and that was apparently already something that cats with feline distemper struggle with.    Day 5 monday, I found he seemed a little better, purring a lot and seemed happy to see me , rather than detached and someplace else.  i gave him another dose of amoxicillin and his kitten formula/egg/cat/broth mixture.   Later that day he seemed worse, less engaging, it could just be that I was feeding him so much (again against his will). However I blamed it on the amoxicillin as its side effects are loss of appetite and lethargy, which is something he already had in spades. I decided not to give him any more. Day 6 He started to act like a cat, occasionally licking his dirty paw (I never washed him, even though he decidely needed it after much dribbling, I thought the stress and cold might not be good for him).   This led me to try tricking him into eating some wet cat food, which resulting in him eating for the first time in 6 days.  I could only get him to eat by putting it on my hand and waiting until he is licking his paw and putting it in place of his licking. It took forever but he ate much more than I could force him to.  Day 7 he is walking around, but he falls down a lot, he is eating by trickery, but hasn't drank any water. I just mix his food really thin so he gets some regardless. Day 8 he looks regular and is beginning to become playful, however his balance is still decidedly uncatlike, he is eating by himself, and has even drank a bit of water.  His midsection still hurts him a bit when picked up.  He cannot accurately jump on the couch due to extreme vertigo .  He is scarfing down food. Day 9 He seems almost normal, runs around, eats by himself, but he still hasn't got great balance. occasionally falling down when darting into a  opened room .   Today (Day 10)  he has almost fully recovered, but his balance isn't 100 percent. I sort of wonder is how long does it normally take to fully recover from distemper? Does balance issues usually occur during FLV or this due to his likely anemia of various vitamins and the like the like from not eating enough for 5 days?

I have my doubts that he had panleukopenia simply due to the lack of vomiting/diarrhea that is so classic, if not the diarrhea always the vomiting.

However I don't doubt that he was gravely sick and on the verge of dying by the description of his recovery, so congrats on an excellent job of saving his life!

 

[elizabethkay]

I am caring for my very sick Rainy (Persian) and have finally found a wet food she likes. I feed it to her on my fingers--Nutro Kitten Chicken Pate. I found it at Pets Mart. I hope your precious Buddy keeps improving. You are a good cat mother!

 

[raina21]

The oldest of my 3 cats, Zazzie had Feline Distemper when she was 10 weeks old. Her entire litter (6 including her) was born with it. The mother was a semi-feral and was asymptomatic and the kittens didn't show signs of illness until a few days after they had already been adopted out. All 5 of the other kittens in the litter died. Zazzie was the lone survivor.

Being that I have helped my uncle at his vet clinic before- I've seen distemper and I know the symptoms quite well. So, when I noticed Zazzie's behavior (laying in the "praying" position, lethargy, yellow vomit, diarrhea) I immediately called my mom to tell her that Zazzie needed to go to the vet ASAP! I remember Bawling my eyes out while I was on the phone because I was so afraid my little Zazzie was going to die [emoji]128546[/emoji][emoji]128557[/emoji]

We got her to our normal vet just in time (after getting a "free visit" to the vet at petco who was completely incompetent and said she just had some kind of "bug" and gave her fluids and sent her home).

Her WBC was EXTREMELY low. The vet tested her for Distemper and it came back positive.

Our vet was SO NICE and agreed to take her home and quarantined her and gave her around the clock care. Zazzie had to stay at her house for almost 2 months before she finally got to come home to us, but she survived! She does have cerebellar hypoplasia though, but that's okay. She's just a little uncoordinated/wobbly. It isn't severe so you wouldn't really notice she has it unless you really pay attention to the way she walks. Otherwise, she is completely normal [emoji]128513[/emoji]

20161127_205942.jpg

• raina21
• Jan 2, 2017

 

[johnnyb89]

 
I have my doubts that he had panleukopenia simply due to the lack of vomiting/diarrhea that is so classic, if not the diarrhea always the vomiting.

However I don't doubt that he was gravely sick and on the verge of dying by the description of his recovery, so congrats on an excellent job of saving his life!

I honestly didn't expect him to live. I appreciate the kind words .  I wouldn't doubt he had any number of alternate maladies.  Apparently anything that effects a cats nose, sense of balance, or digestive ability appear to cause them to clam up and not eat, which apparently is a quick slide to death if my understanding is correct, because of their inability to efficiently break down fat.   Guess it is no wonder, you hear of  anecdotal stories involving cats eating their deceased owners, given their quick downturn without food.  I am just happy he is feeling  better.  

Elizabethkay, that is what i had to do, too lol .  Somehow the cat preferred it on my hand versus offering it on a small cup plate.  After a bit, he got where he deemed it no longer necessary as long as I lifted it from the plate on a spoon.  Weirdly he didn't like the wet food, or the kitten milk I bought , but he would eat it blended together and heated, go figure. Thinks he's people. lol Hope your Persian does well. 

 

[di and bob]

I don't doubt at all he had distemper, some cats do survive. We had a whole litter and their mother die one by one, despite emergency vaccinations and vet care. Then two. one year old brothers we had contacted it,vomiting, hanging over the water bowl, lethargy, one survived, one died.  A mother and her three kittens, not vaccinated at all because they were feral, lived on with no symptoms, and all the older cats never got the disease, they had most likely built up an immunity from earlier exposures. It was such a heartache, I still remember burying all those tiny kittens. Any one who pulls their cat through this horrible disease is very blessed.