My cat is sick...need advice

[queenof3]

@quiet, im going to look at the paw and toes as soon as i get home. Thanks!

 

[queenof3]

@red top Rescue, thank you so much for your detailed input. You guys are really awsome. I have found a lot of support in you guys. I cant thank you enough. Especially you, Red, because you led me to a really really good vet at the AAHA hospital. Im taking Odie to see her tomorrow morning at 9. I will keep you guys posted. Thanks so much again.

 

[red top rescue]

Let's hope it's nothing more than a slight sprain of his leg from when he jumped down.  I had a bad sprain from falling off a horse once, heard the ankle pop, it hurt blindingly for a moment and I walked it out and was fine.  So I thought.  Later that day as I stepped down a short flight of steps it kind of collapsed under me, and by that night it hurt a lot!  I was on crutches for several weeks.  Sometimes a sprain hurts more than a break.  Praying for him to have a simple sprain and nothing neurological and no blood clots!

 

[queenof3]

@red, that sounds awful. Does that ankle still give you trouble sometimes? It's possible Odie hurt himself when he jumped down from height few days ago. I checked his paw when i got home an hour ago, and it's not cold. I checked both hind paws. When i touch the right one, he starts fidgeting and wants me to let him go, but when i touch the left one, he really starts growling and hissing. Ive never seen him like this. Few years ago, two to be exact, he had complete urinary blockage. He didnt urinate all night. I called the ER to ask when should i bring him in, and they said when he 'starts howling.' By the morning he was listless so i just took him to the hospital and they told me, it was good that i brought him in because he was completely blocked. All this time, he didnt howl or growl a single time. So for him to actually growl and hiss at me, he must be in immense pain.

I'll let you guys know what the vet says tomorrow. Thanks for all the prayers and good vibes. Odie is very lucky to have all of you chime in to help him

 

[red top rescue]

I can't believe the ER people didn't tell you to bring im in right away and say wait until he starts howling!  He could have damaged his kidneys and/or ruptured his bladder and died.  Your AAHA doctor would never have said that.  It probably was not a vet who said that.

 

[stephanietx]

I have no words of advice or anything, but wanted you to know that I'm so sorry you and Odie are going through this. 

 

[queenof3]

@red, yep, can you believe that? One of my cats died this past december (im still aching from that especially because it couldve been prevented had i taken her to a hospital rather than a vet, who opted to keep her in his basement clinic unattended overnight rather than directing me to a hospital; she had pyothorax!), and since then im scared to take any chances. I know that many vet techs are highly trained and have a lot of knowledge, but ive had too many bad experiences to do this anymore. Not that all vets are right in their opinions either. You just have to be very alert and very much informed...this is what im learning. The local vet where i was taking Odie initially was treating him over a month and she didnt think to do any diagnostics testing. Instead she told me that if i wanted to take him somewhere else, she'd understand. We tried baytril, clavamox, convenia, back to baytril, then erythromycin ointment for the eyes and still no improvement! When i think about this roller coaster we've been on since May 18, i get angry. We've been suffering physically, emotionally, and financially and in the end, his treatment was delayed by a whole month and the vet had no clue what was going on. Instead she insisted he had fever of unknown origin! Im very grateful that in the end i was able to find some answers and hope was reinstated.

Odie could be better but he's not that bad. His appetite is increasing and the head tilting episodes i described to you guys earlier are gone. So he's making progress. But now this new paw thing has surfaced. Hopefully we get some answers tomorrow.

 

[queenof3]

@stephanietx, Hi! How are you? How is your cat feeling now? Better, i hope.

Thanks for your concern. Please keep dear Odie in your good thoughts.

 

[stephanietx]

My Hannah is much better.  She's still sneezy, but it's much less frequently and she's back to her normal self.  I'm considering adding lactoferin to her diet to see if that helps with the sneezing. 

Know that I look for daily updates on Odie and his progress.  I so feel for you and know you're doing all you can to help the little guy.

 

[red top rescue]

We are all waiting hopefully for the results of today's vet visit.  The reason I always direct people towards AAHA hospitals with cat specialists on the staff is because to keep up that accreditation, they have to have continuing education etc.  Also, vets have to know a little about a lot of different animals -- dogs in particular have so many breeds and sizes that it is challenging.  A cat specialist can focus on learning more and more about feline medicine, behavior, etc.  The great thing about The Cat Site is that we have so much COMPOSITE knowledge, most of it from direct experience.  I'm always a little surprised when I have experience with something that few other very experienced people have never run into before, and so much of what I learned in the past, before internet, was from older, more experienced rescuers.

 

[goholistic]

 
We are all waiting hopefully for the results of today's vet visit.

  Yes, waiting! 

 

[queenof3]

Hi, guys. Unfortunately I'm still waiting to hear from the hospital. I called first thing in the morning and told them i really needed to bring him in and described the problem to them. The receptionist told me if was up to their manager to ok the visit and that she can't allow me to walk in. I haven't heard anything from them. If I don't take him today I'd have to wait until Friday and i really don't want to do that. They leave at 5 so chances of seeing the hospital vet are slim. I'm preparing to take him to the local vet this evening to perhaps get some X-rays and/or ultrasounds done. I hate to take him there because I really don't trust them but I don't know what else to do?

I checked his hind paws again. They 're not cold to touch. I examined each and every toe and he has nothing stuck in between. He growls and hisses when i touch his left paw. I don't see him limping or dragging his leg. He's his usual self...resting the same, eating/drinking the same and using the bathroom regularly. I don't know what it is but I know something is not right

 

[red top rescue]

I'm sure that if he was an emergency, i.e. dragging the leg, or the paw pads were cold, or anything clearly indicating saddle thrombus, you could walk in.  NO vet would turn you down with something life threatening.  The desk people are always the guardians of the vet, but I've never yet had a vet turn me down with a walk in, but then I don't walk in unannounced with anything, it's only emergencies, and the last one I even called from the car to let them know I was coming.  I didn't ask permission, just said I was on the way with a rescue kitten that MUST be seen today and could not wait until tomorrow.  I've been going to this vet hospital for 10 years though, and I do get special privileges -- like carrying a balance.  I only recently discovered that they are not generally allowing this!  Only one of the partners can OK it, but my primary vet is one of the partners and my secondary vet is a partner too, so no problem.

His foot is obviously very sore and tender, which is why he shows the guarding behavior, but he's not dragging the leg or falling over so that sounds very good.  He might even have more than a sprain, he might have cracked a bone or dislocated one, but he's not acting like he has a clot.  Yes, it's something to check, and you MIGHT be able to get them to let you talk to the vet (between other clients).  Monday is always a bad day at vets' offices, and mondays after holiday weekends are awful.  You should probably reserve a Friday appointment, offer to come sooner if she has any cancellations, and if anything changes for the worse, use your local vet.  The longer he goes without the leg getting worse, the better I'm feeling about it.

 

[queenof3]

@stephanieTx, you're so sweet. All of you guys are! Thank you so much for all your support and good wishes. I'm grateful for your knowledge and support. I wish you and your fur-babies all the best and keep you guys in my good thoughts and prayers. Thanks again.

 

[queenof3]

@red, I've just made an appointment for Friday morning and begged the receptionist to let me just speak to the vet so I could tell her what's going on. I hope she calls me back soon.

I'm sitting right beside Odie. He was in the living room and saw me in the bedroom so he walked over to me and lied down beside me. I don't see him limping or dragging his leg at all. I'm going to wait to hear from the hospital vet and if she tells me to take him to the local vet or the hospital then I'll do just that. Otherwise, his behavior is normal.

 

[goholistic]

I'm so sorry you're getting a little bit of pushback from the hospital. 

  Hopefully it's nothing serious. The fact that you did not see him limping at your last observation makes me feel a little better. 

 

[quiet]

Having worked 30 + years in vet hospitals I will tell you this. Veterinary Receptionists and Technicians are not the vets and they have no right to make a decision about whether you come in or not. You have paid good money for that vet to see your cat. You have a veterinary client relationship established and he or she had better respect that. Some little Receptionist with her managerial counterpart both suffering from delusions of grandeur have nothing to say about it. They need to step down and do their job. This makes me so angry. If they don't like animals they should get another job. I cannot tell you how many times I have had to interrupt a little tin God on wheels running off at the mouth saying they can't get a patient in. What the fluff are they there for anyway??

Sorry, this is probably why I don't work and play well with others and am currently unemployed.

When the vet calls you back make sure she knows what you were told word for word and how concerned you are. My motto always was "If it is an emergency to the client, it IS AN EMERGENCY". I truly think your cat needs to be seen and if your vet can't get you in ask her or him where they would like you to go since you do feel there is something very wrong.

There is a story I will never forget when I was very young at one of the first vet hospitals I worked at. There was a lady who was maybe a little eccentric, but she did love her kitties. She would always bring in one cat and say he wasn't right. The cat was always "fine" as the vet would put it. They would all get a chuckle about it when she left. Nothing mean but really kind of making fun of her love for the kitty. I would keep my mouth shut after I realized that standing up for her only made it worse. (yes I finally quit that job too) Well, this went on for a year. One thing I will say is they always got her in with her cat even if it meant missing dates etc. or staying late. The cat honestly never looked right to me but I was very inexperienced then. One day she brought the cat in and they all expected the same thing where they would find nothing wrong with him and have their chuckle. I was in another room when I heard them call a code. CPR couldn't bring him back. He did die instantly and nobody ever knew what was wrong with him but the lady was right. Nobody ever said a word about it again. I used to house sit that cat allot and it was upsetting to say the least. I bit my lip and put on my brave face and went with the vet to talk to the lady afterwards. It wasn't my "patient" but I did care allot about that cat and felt so bad for the woman. It is such a sad story and I have seen it repeat over and over. Vets must be made to understand that you know your cat more than anyone else. They have to trust you in order for you to trust them.

I am not saying that story has anything to do with your cat other than just the attitude of the vet staff at the hospital.

Next time they say they cannot get you in ask them if they know of another AAHA certified hospital that they recommend so your cat can be seen and ask if they can transfer the records. They will get you in that day. the vet has to approve all record transfers so at least you will get by the front lines.

Sorry for the rant and the not spellchecking and my sad stories.

I am not telling you what to do, these are all just suggestions and I certainly mean nothing but the best for you and your kitty. I just kind of go a little crazy with this kind of rudeness from vet hospitals.

 

[queenof3]

Sorry for the late reply. My life is very crazy at the moment. I've just rescued another feral kitten so i kind of got busy trying to arrange for a home for him.

So the vet did call me back. I described all the symptoms to her and she said it sounded like a neurological issue. I'm not sure if that's the case, but I don't think it's a clot. I've checked his paws again and they are not cold. I check them twice a day (he hates me so much!). She mentioned something about x-rays that she might want to do them. Today Odie used the bathroom and i didn't see any blood in his stool at all. It's still soft but no blood.

@Quiet, thanks for sharing your experience. I must say i have to agree with you. I'm generally a shy person and I tend to trust too easily. However, since the death of my beloved Luna, I'm coming out of my shell. I love my cats to death and I'm realizing that I'm the only one who has their best interest. I understand them better than the vet or any vet tech. And I find it really annoying that each time i called the local vet here about any concerns regarding Odie, they always put the head tech on. Last time I had to tell her that I didn't want to speak to her, especially since one of them gave me ill advice (discontinue the antibiotic). It's very hard to get past them. Some of them are very experienced and have the patient's best interest but if the patient is specifically requesting the dr, why not just let them talk? I really don't want to bring my cats to this vet but the hospital is more than an hour away from me so I'm just using her as a back up vet in case of emergency.