Help, my cat is very ill and at the hospital.

[mer636]

oh my goodness i'm just starting to read this thread i'm soo sorry to hear your cat is soo sick but i'm glad to hear she's improving a little at a time. I have no advice to offer but I will put you both in my thoughts and lots of for you guys!

 

[mews2much]

It might be the clavamox causing her not to eat.
My Coco can not have clavamox because it makes her have stomach problems and throw up.
Meeko gets clavamox when she is sick and it works good for her but she dosent really eat much when she is on it.
I would ask the vet why she has teh pain meds.
My cat had Buprenex for her bladder pain and arthritis last Nov.
Did the Er fax all the papper work to your vet yet?
There is also a shot for pain.
Coco got the Buprenorphine shot for bladder and kidney pain last Sept.
I hope you can find out what your cat has so it will be easier to treat.

 

[jamey]

Originally Posted by the_food_lady

Hi Jamey,

When I had to assist feed my old CRF kitty (for months!), she'd often make a grinding noise with her teeth/mouth, don't know why.

You may want to talk to the Vet about your plan to give her 100cc's of subq fluids until she's up and about; for a cat who doesn't have kidney failure, that's an awful lot of fluids and there is a risk that you could overhydrate her; overhydration puts a great strain on the heart, can put a cat into congestive heart failure, cause fluid build-up around the lungs, etc. Even with a kitty who has kidney failure, you don't give fluids unless the "fluid pouch" from the previous session has all been absorbed (meaning: when you give fluids, it falls with gravity and usually settles in a leg or down their side). Also, your kitty's potassium was definitely on the low end of normal while in hospital. The more fluids you give, the more she will lose (pee out) and low potassium causes lethargy and profound muscle weakness and can negatively impact the heart.

If you're getting a full day's worth of canned food into her via assist feeding, she shouldn't really require extra subq fluids, definitely not more than 50cc's per day.

Thanks for the heads up. I called Tucker's regular Vet today, and they said that I can check if she is hydrated by pulling on her skin and see if it snaps back. I guess they are talking about on the back of her neck where you can scruff her? They said that if it doesn't snap back, she is dehydrated, and I should give her the full 100ML. If you could elaborate on this for me, I would greatly appreciate it, as I am a little lost with it. But yes, I think I am at the point where she is getting a full can's worth of food a day, and she drinks just a little bit of water on her own. When I mix the food I assist her with, I add just a little bit of water with it in a coffee cup, and than I sit the cup in a pot of hot water to warm it slighlty.This morning she almost ate on her own. She sniffed and licked some hard food I offered her, and took a couple of little licks of some rice pudding I offered.
I decided to take her off of the pain medication, and she seems a little more alert without it. She spends most of her time sleeping, but will occasionally lay with her head up and stare at us. If I take her off the bed and put her down to her litter tray, she will use it, but is anxious to get back up on the bed and lay down, or maybe sit for a few minutes. All in all she is looking less sick, has a little more energy, but sleeps alot. Hopefully things just keep getting better through the weekend, and I can take her back to her normal Vet next week to get her checked out, and maybe have her bloodwork done again to see whats going on.
Again any more advise would be greatly appreciated. I am so happy that I came to this forum, as it most likely saved Tuckers life.

 

[laureen227]

here's a link for testing for dehydration: http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/howto8.html

[font=verdana,arial][font=verdana,arial] To evaluate for dehydration, feel your cat's gums. They should be moist and slippery. Lift the skin over the nape of his neck or scruff; it should fall back down right away. In the dehydrated cat, the gums will be tacky and the skin over the neck will stand up like a tent or fall very slowly back to normal. Weight loss of a pound or two over a day or so also signals dehydration.[/font][/font]

 

[ktlynn]

Hi Jamey -
I was very glad to read that you see signs of improvement in Tucker.

Please give us an update when you get a chance.

 

[carolina]

Hi Jamey,

Good job - he is going to be fine... I would never take her back to the hospital though - it seems to me all they wanted was your money... I am so sorry you needed to go through that! I am so glad you took her home; there is no better medicine for a pet than love... Keep us posted!

 

[carolina]

Hi Jamey, any updates? How is Tucker?? Hope he is alright....

 

[addiebee]

Wow! Just now reading this thread. How is Tucker doing? Sounds like that e-vet was out for money only... And that vet care varies from excellent to lousy ... just like human med care.

Anyway - vibes for your baby to make a full recovery!

 

[jamey]

Thanks everyone! Tucker is doing great. She is still very thin, but she is getting stonger, and is eating and drinking on her own now. The hard part now is getting her to take her pills. We also have to keep her confined to the bedroom, as she still can't stand to have Andy anywhere near her, and I don't want her to become stressed, stop eating, or stop using her litter box again. Any advise on how to get her to tolerate Andy would be greatly appreciated. She will sit in the same room with him, but he constantly gives her a sneak attack when she isn't looking, and she will growl and hiss at him. He is just trying to play with her, and will lay there submissively some times, but she wants nothing to do with him.
Thanks for everyones input here. I can definately say that the members here had a huge part in saving Tuckers life. Hopefully she continues to improve. I will keep everyone here posted!

 

[carolina]

YEYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fantastic news!!!!!!!! Made my day!!!!!!!!

 

[jamey]

Here's some faces to go with the names of Tucker and Andy. I put captions below each picture
Here Goes:

This is Andy, He's our little Pork Chop. Andy is only 5 months old. He never deny's food. I think he eats more than me some times. He loves to be handled, and I think we can dress him up and take some christmas photos for some cards.

This is Tucker. I took these photos tonight, so you can see how thin she is, and the bare spot on her one leg from the IV. Luckly we noticed when her little paw was all swollen up the day after we left the hospital, and removed the bandages before it was too late, and cut of her circulation. They never told us when to remove the bandages.
Here's some more pictures of them both at a more peacefull moment. Tucker is waiting for my wife to feed her some shrimp, and Andy, well, he will eat anything.

 

[mews2much]

I am glad she is better.
You have nice looking cats.
My Coco and Oreo are both black and white also.

 

[mnjulz]

Hi Jamey - Glad to hear Tucker is feeling better. Maybe once she feels 100% again she'll accept Andy a little more. It'll just take some time for her to build her strength back up. Good job getting her out of that hospital. Sorry Tucker (and you) had to deal with that.

 

[krz]

They are both beautiful cats and it is easy to tell that they are very much loved and well taken care of. I'm glad Tucker is getting better and I am sure she will be able to tolerate Andy when she feels herself again. Good luck!!

 

[threecatowner]

Hi, I've read this thread from the beginning, and from my standpoint I am simply impressed that a "dad" is writing with such concern. Seems it's usually us "cat moms" that take on the care of the kitties. Glad Tucker is doing better, and, you go, guy!