My cat is sick...need advice

[queenof3]

I have a 6 year old male cat, Odie, who developed a fever of 104.6 degrees about three weeks ago. His eyes were watering to the point he couldn't keep them open! The vet ran some blood work on him and everything seemed normal except the presence of high white blood cells and bands. He tested negative for FIV and Felv. She took some x ray views. Here's the strange part---one view showed the presence of something strange around his lung area. The dr couldn't figure out if it was in the lung or around the area so she took an additional view of the lungs. In the frontal view, she didn't see anything strange. She collected his urine for culture but that later came back negative. Odie was sent home with a week supply of clavamox. He didnt like the med but I think he was making good progress. However there was an interruption in his treatment bec the dr's tech decided to play dr and told me to stop the antibiotics when I told her odie had soft stool (not diarrhea!). Two days later they called and told me i can't stop the abx and that I should restart him. Odie was totally repulsed by the restarting of this medicine. He spat, foamed at the mouth--it was not a good experience for him. I calked the dr, and again the tech told me to stop the medication, which I did. It went downhill from there for odie. I'm sure there was some surviving bacteria which decided to wreak havoc again.

I took him back to the vet and this time she decided to give him a shot of convenia. I asked her about side effects and she told me minor to none. But I'm now finding out about how controversial this abx shot us! Ppl have lost their pets to it! I've read it's really for skin infection and stays in the system for 65 days! My odie sleeps all the time, has no interest in playing with us or the other cats. He's eating and drinking fine and using the bathroom but he was nauseous for a day or two. This evening i noticed a white discharge from one of his eyes. Last night when I picked him up he was unhappy when I touched the area closer to his chest, which leads me to think about the strange thing the vet noted on one of the x ray views.

I dnt know why he's sick. I keep my house very clean and pet safe. I don't even use air freshness or fabric softness in fear that it might harm my cats. I have two other cats, one of them is a 3 month old kitten. He's the only change in the house. He was a rescue orphaned kitten. When I brought him in the house, I did keep the cats isolated until he was tested for FIV and Felv. He was negative for both.

I'm bringing him back to the vet but I don't know what direction we're heading in now. I feel so lost as to what's going on. Odis's spirit has been shattered. I dnt know if it's the convenia or what, but he used to be so playful and active. He just sleeps now...all the time! What do you guys think? Any advice?

 

[quiet]

Hi,

I don't have much time so I will be blunt and to the point.

His white blood cell count is high. He had a very high fever. There was something that looked like something in one view of his chest films. You were sent home with a very basic antibiotic. in the ampicillin family. After a couple of days that antibiotic was stopped and then a few days later he was given an injection of Convenia (cephalosporin family).

I don't say this often, or ever. but....

Time to pick up your records and your xrays and see another vet. Sorry unless I am missing something, it sounds like your vet is just trying to put a band aid over a serious problem. High white count with the bands, serious, Need to find out what is causing it. Not just throw antibiotics at it and hope one of them works,

Where did the kitten come from? What is the kitten's history? How about the other kittens in the litter? Has any of your other cats acted at all off? How old are your other cats? How many cats all together? How are the other cats treating he sick cat? Are your other cats vaccinated? is your cat that is ill vaccinated? Was there any testing done on the eyes? were they stained to check for a corneal ulcer or did they look for dilated tortuous retinal vessels, retinal hemorrhage? She would have used a magnifying glass and a bright light. Do any of the cats have fleas?

Honestly I think that what is going on is not being taken as seriously as it should be. Of course I don't know for sure because I am not a vet, and I have never seen your cat etc, But if it was my cat I would be getting a referral without delay.

I am not trying to scare you. I don't think it is the Convenia but of course I don't know. You sound like a really concerned loving mom for your guy. And he looks like a super cat if he is your avatar. I am sorry he isn't feeling well.

Have you checked his temperature since the vet visit?

 

[quiet]

Sorry, Odie is 6 years old and you have three cats all together. right? I really don't know why she didn't just give you the pill version of the clavamox. What the vet tech did is highly illegal in any state. She cannot prescribe or tell you to discontinue medications. she really should have checked with the doctor first. Also that they didn't notice that for a couple of days is alarming

 

[queenof3]

Hi, thanks so much for replying. The cat in the avatar is Luna. She died this past December. An ex vet neglected her while she was admitted to his clinic hospital.

Before the convenia, I had the vet repeat his CBC, and everything was normal. His lymphocytes were very slightly low and she attributed that to stress. She told me there might be bacteria remaining in his system so she wanted to give him the antibiotic. He got convenia and now he sleeps all the time.

The kitten, Iggy, was rescued from the street. He showed up in front of my house one night and was screaming. I don't know where he came from. He looked about 3 weeks(couldn't see well; eyes were still blue). I brought him up but kept him separate from Odie and Baby until he was tested for FIV and Felv. Iggy is fine. No signs of any illness. He hasn't had any shots yet. He's due to be fixed, but now odie is sick so I'm distracted

I have another female cat, Baby. She is 10, and perfectly healthy and normal. Odie and baby have some vaccines, not the FIV and Felv. They are strictly indoor so i didnt get those shots. Odie used to get sick after vaccination so I stopped. This decision was justified by my fear of possible cancers developing at injection sites etc. I had read so much about that. Also, odie is a flat faced persian, and he's sensitive to just about everything. His eyes are generally watery but when he's sick, the discharge increases.

Odie was hospitalized at age 1. One day he started throwing up yellow liquid. I took him to this same vet I'm with now. She did his blood work and said his potassium was high. The repeat potassium was also high so I took him to the hospital. They just stabilized him and the dr in ER concluded maybe it was irritation of the digestive tract because there was nothing else she saw that should make him sick. She did say that on the x rays she noted something strange in the abdominal or thoracic area (i can't remember now) but wasn't sure what that was. She said he was still young so it could be nothing or maybe birth defect. I am trying to get that record so I can put the entire record together and take my baby somewhere else.

I felt horrible when I realized the mistakes of the techs, and as much as I want to dish it out to them, I'm being patient. When Luna died, I had a heated argument with the vet and I'm sure he altered her record before giving it to me. There were things in the record he never charged me for or mentioned to me. I'm sure he was trying to cover his end. I went through the court to get the surveillance footage and he gave up nothing. I don't want the same thing to happen again. I'm going to keep my cool and obtain all the record so I can try to give Odie the best possible care.

 

[queenof3]

No testing was done on the eye discharge. I haven't checked his temperature lately, but he's not warm to the touch. I know it's not a good way to gauge temperature, but he's eating, drinking, bathroom habits are good. He's just inactive and has no interest in us or in the other cats. He comes around but only to be fed or drink or to clean his box if it's dirty. I feel sad and heartbroken...he's my baby and I feel like the vet has no clue what she's doing and she's just trying anything to see what works. That doesn't work for me. I have spent over a thousand and I'll spend more but I need to know what direction I'm heading in with this.

 

[red top rescue]

 Obviously the vet chose Convenia because after the Clavamox was discontinued prematurely, he wanted to make sure the next antibiotic was not discontinued. The good and the bad about Convenia is that once it's given, it stays in the system for 65 days.  It has antibiotic action for the first two weeks only, but it hangs around a very long time.  Thus if there ARE side effects, you cannot just stop the drug, you are stuck treating the side effects until the drug has cleared.

I have never understood why vets don't just prescribe the Clavamox pills and if your cat is hard to ill, have you crush them up and put in some tasty food (ie. roll it up in a piece of turkey bacon) because Clavamox in that form has very little taste.  The liquid Clavamox vets prescribe tastes terrible!

Your cat's lethargy could certainly be a side effect of the Convenia, but it could also be from whatever his illness is. and it' hard to tell.  It is one of the classic negative side effects that Convenia can cause, however.   If you have not yet read Dr. Lisa Pierson's article on the drug, here is a link to it:

http://www.catinfo.org/?link=convenia

There is a page on Facebook dedicated to Convenia reactions,too.  It was taken down for awhile, but now it is back up again.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Conv...n-catsfelines-and-dogscanines/118697391502152

Convenia does not cause problems for most cats, but in the cases where it does, it's important to stay on top of it, get blood counts for instance to make sure there is no bone marrow suppression, and make sure the cat does not stop eating which can cause secondary problems with the liver.  The thing I've heard recommended the MOST is that the cat should be put on daily probiotics for the entire 65 days because that antibiotic also kills the normal intestinal flora which can interfere seriously with digestion and other health.  Certainly it can't HURT to add probiotics, so if I were you, I would start immediately.  You should also report the lethargy to the vet and mention it could be a side effect of the Convenia.  OR if you do want to change vets, try to find an AAHA Approved animal hospital that has a Feline Specialist on staff.  AAHA requires ongoing training to maintain the certification, so vets there should have knowledge of new things, medications like Convenia, odd cat illnesses etc. more than at a regular animal hospital.  Also, a feline specialist will have focused on everything cat and does not have to keep up with all the general knowledge vets have to keep up with involving all the different species they treat.  In short, YOU are your cat's advocate and you need to stay on top of all the feline knowledge you can.  Most of us (not certainly not ALL) have "No Convenia" written on our cats' charts at the vet because we just don't want to take the chance of a bad reaction.

 

[queenof3]

Hi, Red to the Rescue!
Thank you for replying. I am angry at the vet and her staff because odie and are suffering because of her staff's incompetence. I am not an irresponsible parent. The antibiotic was discontinued because of them. i have ALWAYS followed all the instructions from the vets especially concerning medicine. if she had offered me the pill i would have done what yr recommending. I dont know everythig but i go to whatever lengths to take care of my cats. They are my world. Odie had a cbc on the day he was given convenia, which was last week. I'd like to take him back for another one but im not sure how far apart they should be? He's eating, drinkink, using the bathroom..just not so active and sleeps more. I spoke to the vet and expressed my fears about convenia and she said most cats who react badly have other underlying health issues. Regardless, i dont want this antibiotic ever given to him again and i told them to place NO CONVENIA sticker on his chart and my cats's charts.

I have read through the website you listed and have also visited the facebook page. That's where my fears started from. After reading through both sites, i called the vet and started asking her questions. I dont want to take him back to her. Im trying to gather all his record so i can take him somewhere else. I just started thinking abt his eye discharge. I duno if it's a problem on its own or due to some other underlying issue. Either way, i think the discharge should be tested.

 

[queenof3]

So i've started Odie on probiotics and ill be bringing him to the vet tomorrow to look at his eyes. I dont recall the vet really looking at his eyes...he's having the watery eyes. Im cleaning them with a sterile gauze. Sometimes i see the white discharge from one eye. Other than that, he seems ok, just more resigned. The other cats want to play with him but Odie is not interested.

 

[stephanietx]

I have had 2 cats get the Convenia injection and they both reacted the same way, very lethargic for about 10 DAYS!!  I freaked out!  They ate and pottied, but that's all they did other than sleep.  I, too, later learned of the seriousness of the medication and now have it on my "Never Give" list at the vet's along with Ketamine (an anesthesia) and Metacam (pain med). 

I would also recommend a second opinion as well as reporting the vet tech. 

For medicating, ask if the medication can be compounded into a treat.  There are several compounding pharmacies that make medicine treats.  Here's a link to the one my vet uses in Houston.  http://www.bcpvetpharm.com/products_vetchews.htm   It's the best way to give medicine, if the treat form is available. 

 

[queenof3]

Hi, stephanietx, thanks for your input. I have asked the dr to put 'NO CONVENIA' on his chart. I've read the horrific stories about metcam so i will ask her to place a 'NO METCAM' sticker as well. Thanks for pointing this out to me.

I have started Odie on probiotics today, and i will be taking him for second opinion, im just trying to gather all his medical record from the various vets he has had over the years. Today i was able to get his record from the hospital he was in back in 2008. The strange thing i mentioned in my first post that his vet noted on the lateral view of the chest x ray was present in x rays taken in 2008 also. I read the reports and the ER vet at the time thought it was just his intestines scrunched up to the side. So if it was present then and is still there it's probably nothing alarming unless it looks different in size etc.

His lethargy and excessive sleeping may be due to convenia but there is definitely something going on with his eyes. They're more watery than usual and sometimes there is a white discharge. He squints his eyes.

 

[red top rescue]

We do understand that the stopping of the Clavamox was not your idea, @QueenOf3, and we know it was the suggestion of the vet tech you spoke with, nobody is blaming you. He was doing well on the Clavamox, other than hating the liquid form of it.  Restarting it would have been fine if your cat had not hated the taste so much.  The fever and high white count definitely warranted an antibiotic and Clavamox is usually well tolerated and has a wide range of applications, i.e. it's a really good antibiotic to start with, and I do credit your vet for starting there.  The Convenia shot was probably their shortcut way of dealing with the fact your cat hated the liquid.  I would not be surprised if neither the vet nor the vet tech knows that crushed Clavamox has hardly any taste and the liquid they use tastes awful.  If you are a brave sort and want to help other animals in the future, you might SUGGEST that the vet and/or tech taste BOTH versions and see what THEY think.  It could be enlightening.  Just tell them that a friend crushes the pills, dissolves in coffee cream and gives in a syringe and ask them to compare the two.  Anyhow, let us know how the eyes are doing.  It sounds like it could be an upper respiratory infection coming on..........just like us, their eyes often water a lot when they are getting a "cold."

 

[stephanietx]

It's possible that the stress of being sick and going to the vet twice in the past week or so has triggered an upper respiratory infection or conjunctivitis.  The white discharge from the eye is a bit concerning.  I hope you're able to make an appt with a new vet ASAP as he should probably get some eye meds for the eye, or call your current vet's office Monday and explain the discharge and watery eyes and ask for something like Gentamicin or Terramycin.  I've used both successfully with my cats for various eye problems.

 

[goholistic]

I'm sorry that Odie is sick, @QueenOf3. I don't have much to add here since I don't really know what's wrong with your cat, but I would suggest to keep a journal if you haven't started one already. List out his symptoms, when they started, labs done, meds, behavior, etc. Sometimes we forget the details as we're consumed by the situation. But seeing everything on paper might help you and your vet to a diagnosis. Reacting to the Convenia shot is one thing, but don't let them forget about that lung. It sounds like the Dr wasn't sure what he saw on the x-rays, so maybe an outside specialist might want to take a look at the images.

 

[queenof3]

Hi, red. Thanks for the suggestion. I will mention it to the vet tomorrow when I speak to her. Thanks for this idea because next time that's what I'll be doing. I rather pill my cats than put shots in them. Since the Convenia, I am too scared to even let him out of my sight. He's eating but I think he's still nauseous....he does something weird with his tongue-sticking it out like he's spitting something out. Sometimes he'll lower his face to the ground like something is coming up but nothing comes out. He also paws his face when all this is happening. I read this could be sign of nausea. What do you think? The vet is asking me to give him cerenia. I have the pill but I'm scared...he doesn't tolerate anything well. He's already so stressed.

I was able to obtain Odie's hospital record from 2008. He had ultrasound of the thoracic cavity and the abdomen done there, as well as a chest x-ray. In the report it said, scalloped edges of lungs noted on lateral view, possible bunching of intestines. His current vet is saying it's likely nothing and it's probably just how he is.

@stephanietx, that's exactly what my sister suggested. I visited his vet today to get his medical record and i was able to get erythromycin from her. Odie has had eye infections in the past and he has responded well to this ointment. I put it on him and his eyes started to water even more. But I will continue with the ointment and continue monitoring him.

@goHolistic, thanks for the great idea. I'm going to start jotting things down. I don't know why I didnt of that, especially since I'm raking my brain to recall when all this started! I am still concerned about that thing in the x ray. I made an appointment for him to see a dr at an AAHA hospital, as recommended by Red Top Rescue (thank you Red!). I've gathered his medical record for the new vet. We're going to see her Tuesday morning.

Overall, odie is still alert. He's interested in playing but too slow to come around. He's still sleeping a lot, but when he's up, he does walk around the house. He shows interest in the other cats but doesn't participate. He does what he likes--staring out the window. His inactivity and watering eyes are a big concern for me so i am going to take him to a different vet.

 

[queenof3]

Hi, guys! I have a diagnosis for Odie!

On Monday when I came home from college, he looked so miserable with his runny eyes. The erythromycin wasn't helping much. I took him to a AAHA hospital on Tuesday morning. He had a fever of 105 and he had stopped eating and drinking the night before. The vet gave him IV fluids and ordered a whole bunch of tests, including corona virus and toxoplasmosis. I brought him home and he ate a tiny bit of food that evening. He continued being miserable into the following day so i brought him to his primary vet. She wasn't in so he saw a different dr that day. She gave him iv fluids as well. He had a fever of 104 then although it was 101 that morning. I told her abt convenia and his excessive sleeping. She said she wouldn't have chosen convenia because it's not a broad spectrum drug. After checking him, she said he had enlarged lymph nodes and thought I should give him oral baytril. She gave him the first dose in his office and by the time we got home, odie was wide awake! I don't know if antibiotics work that fast, but he wanted to eat when we got home! He ate quite a bit, walked around the house etc. today I gave him dose number 3 and he seems to be making progress. He's more alert and his eyes are no longer tearing. He's eating more and drinking, and using the pottie. Still not playing at all.

Today the dr from the AAHA hospital called me with his test results. She said his blood work was fine. He didn't have corona virus. However, he tested positive for toxoplasmosis! I don't know where he got it from? My cats are strictly indoor, they have no access to the outside where they could hunt and possibly contract something like this from mice or birds. Two out of three eat dry food, including odie. I don't have mice in my house. I keep my place very tidy. Their food dishes are ceramic and washed after every meal. I keep their boxes clean. I'm very puzzled as to where he contracted this from? Any ideas?

I told his vet (at the AAHA hospital) that his local vet put him on oral baytril, once a day for ten days. She said the recommended treatment is clindamycin twice a day for two weeks, but if he's making progress then continue with baytril and repeat his titers two weeks after the treatment. What do you guys think? Should I switch his antibiotic to clindamycin or is baytril ok for toxoplasmosis? I want the best for my baby. He's making progress. He's eating now, he's more alert, discharge and tearing of eyes is gone, but he's still sleeping and doesn't want to play with the other cats. I know it takes time with drugs, but I'm just curious if he'd be better off on clindamycin than baytril? What do you think?

 

[quiet]

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/FHC/health_resources/toxoplasmosis.cfm

http://www.capcvet.org/capc-recommendations/toxoplasma

http://books.google.com/books?id=Rr...=onepage&q=enrofloxacin toxoplasmosis&f=false

Hi;

The two upper links are on the disease, the third really long link is on toxicity in cats to baytril (enroflaxin) causing blindness. It doesn't happen that often but it is the drug that causes it the most in cats. That being said I have given my cat baytril before without incident. So, read the article and see what you think.

The other articles are on the disease of toxoplasmosis. Odie isn't immune compromised, is he? Both those articles go into transmission of the disease, treatment, and the zoonotic potential. I can't tell you what I would do about the antibiotics. There is enough information in those articles that you can make an informed choice. One thing I would consider is the variation of antibiotics he has been on lately. Don't know if I would want to add an additional. Yet I wouldn't want my cat to go blind either.

I don't think anyone on this site thinks you have wild rodents running through your house and that you never clean your litter pan.

If he was my cat, I would become hyper vigilant in regards to checking his temperature. I would check twice a day. Just get a digital and lay it in his arm pit or under the fold of skin where his leg meets his abdomen when he is laying down. Just get a ball park number from that. But if the temp there is 102 then I would actually take it. I think someone on this thread already went into detail on how to do a rectal temp in a cat.

Usually cats with a fever won't eat.

I sure hope your kitty  is back to his normal self real soon,

 

[goholistic]

I'm glad you have a diagnosis so that you can move forward with treatment! Based on the first link that @Quiet provided, the treatment is usually with Clindamycin. That said, we can't really advise you on what medicine to use. I would suggest that you get a hold of your primary vet (and maybe the AAHA vet again) and discuss the best course of action.

 

[queenof3]

@quiet, thanks for those links, I'm going to look through them. I am also afraid of the variation in antibiotics. In the past month, he went from a shot of baytril to clavamox to convenia and now he's on oral baytril. He's a trooper. He's been holding up really well through all this. His eating habits have only been erratic this past week...I don't know if it's actually because of toxo or the frequent vet visits (3 this week). He's using the bathroom, drinking water, and eating but not as much as he usually does (only this week it's been this way). His weight is still normal. His activity level is down...he walks around here and there but no play. He hisses at the other cats when they try to engage him. He just wants to rest. Today was day four on baytril.

@goHolistic, I'm going to contact his AAHA vet because she seems more experienced. When she called me with the news, she asked me how he was doing on baytril. I told her i thought he was ok because his eyes are not tearing as much and he's starting to eat, even though it's little. She told me the choice of treatment is clindamycin but if he's ok then continue. I will call her Monday and ask if it's better to switch him? I do want what's best for him and as soon as possible. I did read up on the treatment for toxo and I found an abstract that said based on their study, baytril could be used as an alternative drug for toxo and that it actually presents less side effects compared to treatment with clindamycin.

 

[stephanietx]

I went through a similar situation with one of my kitties.  She didn't have toxoplasmosis, but she had a very severe upper respiratory infection that would've killed her had she not gotten medical attention.  She spent a week at the vet's getting well enough to come home.  It took her another 6 weeks to get totally well.  In that time, we went through many different antibiotics, especially in the first 2 weeks of her recovery.  I think I was at the vet's office or calling them on the phone every other day.  I would stick with the medication this second vet gave you for now.  Then, call them on Monday and explain how he's improving or not improving and ask if they'll prescribe another medication.   You might find that he'll do well with a longer treatment on the medicine. 

Your kitty is sick and he needs lots and lots of rest along with the medication.  (BTW, my kitty is sick again and has been on meds since Tuesday.  I've just started to see a real improvement today and it's not a huge improvement, but it is an improvement.)   He's sleeping because his body is not well and that's how a cat recovers.  He's hissing because he doesn't feel well and doesn't want anyone to bother him.  He won't play until his body is feeling much, much better.  It takes the body too much energy to play.  Look for small improvements like you've mentioned above, grooming himself, eating okay, using the box, coming to sleep in normal places, things like that. 

 

[queenof3]

Hi, Stephanietx, your reply made me feel so much better and hopeful for the future of Odie's health. Thanks for your advice and kind words. I am relieved that we're finally moving towards happier days. I'll be more patient with him and give him time to recover. In the meantime, I'll definitely call the vet at the hospital to talk about his treatment options. I guess what I'm really afraid of is the toxo parasite damaging his tissues and brain, but his chest x ray did not show any abnormality and his latest CBC and biochemistry came back perfectly normal.

I am really sorry your cat is sick. It's very taxing in many ways taking care of a sick cat. I wish you well, and your kitty a speedy recovery. Keep me posted.