Poppy Rapid Breathing - Have to take to ER - Heartworm?

[raintyger]

I came home and Poppy is breathing rapidly, even with her mouth open. She didn't greet me like usual and tried to vomit 2x. The regular vet advised me to take her to the ER vet. I'm scared she has heartworm, which showed up in her blood test a couple years ago.

 

[vball91]

Oh no! So sorry to read this. Fingers crossed that it isn't heartworm.

 

[goholistic]

OMG...my heart dropped when I read this! 

   I'm so sorry.  

  
 

I'll be praying for Poppy tonight that she will be alright.  Mega vibes!  

     

  

 

[raintyger]

They are running diagnostics. We were told a couple hours, so we went home. The ER vet says she felt a mass that did not feel like normal.

 

[goholistic]

This is very distressing and so unexpected. Were they able to stabilize her?  Where did they feel the mass? Oh, poor Poppy.  

I imagine you're not sleeping well tonight, nor will I.

Continued thoughts, prayers and lots of vibes. 

 

[raintyger]

Thanks for your vibes.

She was not too bad, the open mouth breathing was only 2x in the 1.5 hours before we took her to ER. They put her in an oxygenated incubator.

Mass was in her colon area, I think, because the vet said it could be a large amount of stool (but said that it was unlikely). She also said Poppy's gums were less pink than ideal.

She seemed fine until yesterday, when she had to be coaxed a little for her food. She also wheezed like she was going to vomit, but nothing happened. I've been noticing that she does that more often, but even that wasn't too often, about once every 1.5 weeks. Each time I saw some hairballs in her stool and thought maybe it was that.

 

[goholistic]

Let's hope her stools are just really backed up and that it's nothing serious. 

Any time either of my light-colored cats aren't feeling well, the color seems to drain right out of their nose and gums to where they look white. (Sebastian's are always black.)

I remember you were just saying that her appetite has been off and you've had to coax her to finish her food. The breathing does have me worried.

 

[raintyger]

 
Let's hope her stools are just really backed up and that it's nothing serious. 

Any time either of my light-colored cats aren't feeling well, the color seems to drain right out of their nose and gums to where they look white. (Sebastian's are always black.)

I remember you were just saying that her appetite has been off and you've had to coax her to finish her food. The breathing does have me worried.

I don't think it's stool, she just went yesterday, early--sometime when I was at work, and 24 hours would've been at 10 PM.

I've been reading about lymphoma, and a lot of the symptoms the ER vet mentioned fall under that. She just had ultrasound in July where they looked specifically for lymphoma, how ould everything go so wrong in 3.5 months?

 

[goholistic]

Ugh...I don't know.  

  It's incredibly frustrating and sad. Are they doing an ultrasound tonight?

Hang in there. 

  Vibes and prayers for Poppy!  

 

[raintyger]

No, no ultrasound tonight. X-rays, blood, urine.

 

[raintyger]

There is a mass in her liver. Liver enzymes are off the chart. She's getting pain meds, anti nausea meds, sub-q. I think next thing will ultrasound, but it sounds like cancer.

 

[raintyger]

Poppy has not eaten since last morning and shows no interest in her food, even with FortiFlora. I even offered her a few kibble and nothing. And I saw her drink from her bowl, something that I have not seen her do ever since we switched to 100% wet with additional water. The water bowl has gone down a little over the past few weeks, but I wrote it off to the bowl sometimes being kicked around. I just don't get a good feeling about this. Unfortunately the palliative treatment is prednisolone, but when we tried it earlier in the year, she got really constipated. The mass was supposed to be big (6-7 cm), and I don't think Poppy will enjoy life at all in chemotherapy because she's high strung and doesn't even like going outside. So if it is lymphoma, I don't think the 6-9 months that chemo would buy her would be worth it.

 

[katluver4life]

I'm so sorry to hear this! 

I just got home from work. My heart goes out to you and Poppy!

's is all I can offer.

 

[AbbysMom]

I'm so sorry you are dealing with this. Sending many and for you and Poppy.

 

[goholistic]

There is a mass in her liver. Liver enzymes are off the chart. She's getting pain meds, anti nausea meds, sub-q. I think next thing will ultrasound, but it sounds like cancer.

This is terrible news and just breaks my heart.  

 

 

[jcat]

Oh, no. I'm so sorry to read this and am sending you and Poppy mega

 

[ldg]

Oh noooooooo! I'm just seeing this. Please know I'm surrounding you and Poppy with light and love. Sending mega healing vibes.

And !!!!!

(Large cell lymphoma can be very aggressive, and cats are masters at hiding their discomfort. :heart2: :grphug2:

 

[peaches08]

Lots of vibes sent your way!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

OMG, I'm just reading this and  having a hard time believing it!  So what are the next steps besides the ultra sound?  Don't they need a biopsy to determine anything for certain?  Gosh, I'm so sorry you are going thru this. 

 

[raintyger]

Right now I am waiting for the vet to call about the x-rays the ER took. I had a conversation earlier with him today, and he thought lymphoma or something else like cancer (I must admit I wasn't paying that close attention. If he can tell anything from the x-rays the ultrasound may not be necessary because I'm afraid I'll have to take her to the bridge tomorrow. Lymphoma treatment is very intensive, something that would make Poppy miserable, and the average lifespan is only 6-9 months if successful because of remission. Prednisolone for palliative use would not be fair, either, because it gave her big time constipation, which would make her hurt since the mass is squishing other body parts. I also do not think it would be fair to wind up giving an enema because she got too constipated, those are stressful. Plus I would like her to go with dignity, not with a bunch of stool all over her beautiful fur.