Drinking LOTS of water/bloated belly

[catnapt]

any news on Rupert?
the poor baby
i dont know anything about this FIP but it sounds really bad
i hope he can get fixed up soon!!

 

[barblynnp]

The vet left a message saying that the FCV exposure titer came back POSITIVE. This doesn't mean that he necessarily has FIP, which now, I don't think he has. Many, many cats that come from shelters and multiple cat homes, test positive for the corona virus. There are many different strands of FCV which never mutate into FIP.

As far as his bloated belly, I think it is gas/intestinal related because it is not consistantly large. He will have a bowl movement and his belly feels normal.

I talked to the vet tech who was fostering him when I got him and she talked to her vet who specialized in FIP and they both do NOT think that is if FIP. She said one of her foster kitties was diagnosed with Giardia and Rupert may have gotten that. She also said that the high level of phosphorus was the rusult of Rupert growing....she said growing kittens often have higher levels of phosphorus.

My vet want to do an ultrasound on Rupert's kidneys....I cant afford to pay for anymore diagnostic testing. He is acting completely normal......he does not seem sick at all.

What do you guys think I should do?

 

[gingersmom]

My personal opinion is, if you love your cat the way I love mine, you'll go into debt to have whatever tests done that are necessary.

I can't tell you, as worried as you have been, that it's ok to let this slide because you're in over your head when it comes to vet bills.

My cats are like my children, and I'll do whatever it takes to ensure that they are healthy and happy.

 

[catnapt]

Originally Posted by Barblynnp

The vet left a message saying that the FCV exposure titer came back POSITIVE. This doesn't mean that he necessarily has FIP, which now, I don't think he has. Many, many cats that come from shelters and multiple cat homes, test positive for the corona virus. There are many different strands of FCV which never mutate into FIP.

As far as his bloated belly, I think it is gas/intestinal related because it is not consistantly large. He will have a bowl movement and his belly feels normal.

I talked to the vet tech who was fostering him when I got him and she talked to her vet who specialized in FIP and they both do NOT think that is if FIP. She said one of her foster kitties was diagnosed with Giardia and Rupert may have gotten that. She also said that the high level of phosphorus was the rusult of Rupert growing....she said growing kittens often have higher levels of phosphorus.

My vet want to do an ultrasound on Rupert's kidneys....I cant afford to pay for anymore diagnostic testing. He is acting completely normal......he does not seem sick at all.

What do you guys think I should do?

thats such a relief that it doesnt seem to be FIP!! i read a bit about it and its just awful!
my boy Sheldon scares me sometimes, he only poops about once every 3 days and he will get so bloated looking
then suddenly it seems like he lost wt over nite, come to find out he finally pooped (and when he does finally go, he really goes LOL)
he gets a lot of gas too, esp when he is nervous (he has a nervous disposition so it doesnt take much)

now keep in mind that i havent seen your cat and i am not a vet, but personally i think the ultra sound is probably not warranted at this point, i would ask the vet flat out, how will that affect his treatment? can we wait and see how he does, and if he continues to do well, great.
if he has a problem down the road, deal with it then.
i have spent a small fortune on diagnostic tests that were never needed in the first place. they didn't change the treatment my cats needed and they didnt change the prognosis nor course of their illness.
they were just interesting to the vet, in most cases.

now as i said, i'm not a vet and i havent seen you kitty but i've been worried half to death about mine only to have whatever it was resolve itself and then they are fine

just recently i was so afraid my new girl had asthma, because of her cough, i was all set to go in and have an ultra sound done, and two days before the appt she hacked up 3 of the biggest hairballs i have ever seen!!

needless to say i cancelled the ultra sound.
and she is just fine.


anyway i am so glad he's doing better. hope he continues to do well as he probably will

sounds like he's in very good hands

edited to add, i read back thru the thread to see if i missed something. did the vet do a urinalysis?
that would be the next step, not an ultrasound (an xray will show if his kidney are enlarged or smaller than normal, my vets have always been able to tell just by feeling them - although my cats were not crazy about that much fussing with their undersides LOL)

you'd want to know what is creatinine, BUN and total protein are.

and from above, one reason given for drinking a lot: "many viral infections can result in increased thirst."

he has a viral infection- until his body fights it off, its reasonable to expect him to be thirsty

for his sake, i hope you will continue to feed canned (wet) food, its better for cats anyway, here is a link that tells you why:

http://www.catinfo.org/

its even more important for boy cats who are more prone to urinary tract problems.

i'd still ask the vet how doing an ultra sound will affect his treatment- and if there is a cheaper alternative, and also what is wrong with the wait and see approach.
all that stuff is stressful to a cat, so why put them thru it unless its truly necessary, you know?

ordinarily if a cat looks ok and seems ok and acts normally ,he is more than likely ok.