Pumpkin was suddenly panting and lethargic after taking his medicine....I thought I was going to lose him

[dianajune]

A couple of hours ago I gave Pumpkin his usual medicine - Laxatone with Miralax and his antacid - and had to put it on his paws because he didn't want to take it. He's been giving me a very very hard time about this as of late. A few mnutes after this, he ran in the living room, hopped on his couch and started to pant and got very lethargic.

His bottom and tail were wet too but it definitely wasn't urine. He either threw up water or walked through my walk in shower which always has standing water in it. It's not properly sloped.

Less than 30 minutes after this, Pumpkin snapped out of it. He ate like crazy and went back and forth between his dry and canned food, but no water.

He washed himself too and acted like nothing happened,

What do you make of this? I'm desperately trying to reach his vet but they don't have an answering svc and I left a message for them on FB Messenger and emailed them too,

I am in a wheelchair and have no car. If he takes a trip to the vet, I will have to either let my next door neighbour in my building take him or I would have to beg the bus company to take us. They usually require two days notice for rides

What do you make of this? I am scared. I thought I would lose him this evening but he snapped right out of it. Pumpkin is about `14 or 15.
Thanks.

 

[maggie101]

I cannot drive either. Besides friends I have asked on nextdoor about needing help. Uber will allow pets

 

[Margot Lane]

Where I live there are so few vets there’s a 3 year waiting list…BUT, there’s a traveling vet that does home visits like James Herriot. I wonder if there is something like this in your neighborhood.

 

[FeebysOwner]

How is Pumpkin doing now? Unless this event repeats itself, I would guess he may have freaked himself out by whatever he did to get wet. Once the initial shock was over and he groomed himself, he went back to his normal self.

Has he had panting issues before? If he has any sort of heart condition and has had bouts like this before, at a minimum, call the vet and let them know. Perhaps, they may want to see him, but maybe it won't have to be done as an emergency so you can make proper arrangements to get him taken in.

Miralax is tasteless and can be mixed with food to avoid forcing it on your cat. Laxatone does have a taste to it and I have heard it isn't a nice one. Is he taking both because one or the other isn't enough to stop constipation?

Any meds he gets, if they can be mixed with food or lickable treats is a better option that wiping it on his paws. I don't know what antiacid you are giving him, but that might also be able to be mixed with one of the above as well, or if pill form perhaps you can try pill pockets or pill masker.

 

[dianajune]

Where I live there are so few vets there’s a 3 year waiting list…BUT, there’s a traveling vet that does home visits like James Herriot. I wonder if there is something like this in your neighborhood.

I'm going to find out from his vet if there's a traveling vet in this area. He's doing much better today. So far I haven't heard back from the messages I emailed them and on their FB page.

 

[dianajune]

How is Pumpkin doing now? Unless this event repeats itself, I would guess he may have freaked himself out by whatever he did to get wet. Once the initial shock was over and he groomed himself, he went back to his normal self.

Has he had panting issues before? If he has any sort of heart condition and has had bouts like this before, at a minimum, call the vet and let them know. Perhaps, they may want to see him, but maybe it won't have to be done as an emergency so you can make proper arrangements to get him taken in.

Miralax is tasteless and can be mixed with food to avoid forcing it on your cat. Laxatone does have a taste to it and I have heard it isn't a nice one. Is he taking both because one or the other isn't enough to stop constipation?

Any meds he gets, if they can be mixed with food or lickable treats is a better option that wiping it on his paws. I don't know what antiacid you are giving him, but that might also be able to be mixed with one of the above as well, or if pill form perhaps you can try pill pockets or pill masker.

Pumpkin is doing much better. After he snapped out of this, he ate like crazy and had water. He used his box overnight.

The only time I saw Pumpkin pant was about 7-8 years ago during a trip to the vet in Dad's old truck. He had no a/c in that truck and Pumpkin was panting a little, Opening the window helped. I wouldn't take him anywhere now w/o a good a/c or heater in whatever vehicle we ride in.

He has an arthymia but so far he hasn't been prescribed medication for it. His vet and I discussed possible side effects and we decided to hold off on it for now. I took him for a weight check a little more than a week ago and he's doing very well. He put some of his weight back on.

All of the medications I listed were prescribed by his vet. The Laxatone was the vet's first choice for constipation issues when I adopted Pumpkin over 11 years ago. That didn't seem to help, so he was prescribed a nasty tasting and smelling medicine - can't remember the name of it and he just flat out refused to take it. Then he was put on Miralax and his antacic (Pepcid A/C orig. strength).

I just tried to reach his vet again and can't get through. I think this can wait until Monday but will keep a close eye on him.

Someone suggested I use Vet Triage.com. Are they any good? Should I reach out to them now or see how he does over the weekend?

This happened so fast, so it's a mystery to me. He never reacted to his meds like this before. I had to sneak up on him to give it to him because Pumpkin's been having an attitude about his meds lately. He never used to be like this. I'm hoping this is all it is, that he just disagrees with it and doesn't want it anymore

Are there alternatives to the medications I listed? Btw, re the Laxatone, he usually likes it if it's by itself without the other stuff added. I always get him the tuna flavour.

Thank you!

 

[FeebysOwner]

I don't know anything about Vet Trage com, and doubt they would really be of much help, tbh. I would monitor him closely and just have an emergency vet contact on hand, just in case. I am going to guess he will be OK.

Maybe don't give him all the meds at once. I have no idea what they would taste like when mixed together. If he likes Laxatone, give it to him by itself, and maybe mix the Miralax into some of his food. Sometimes, cats just need to have their med administration changed up from time to time in order to help reduce the chance of building a resistance to getting them.

 

[catloverfromwayback]

Would it be worth trying giving him the Miralax in a little water? I do that for Daisy - she has 1/4 teaspoon twice daily (it's branded Osmolax here, but it's the same stuff) and is mostly keen to drink it. It's supposedly flavourless, but the one time I had to use it, it had a very mild hint of salty flavour.

 

[fionasmom]

I mix Miralax with Hartz Delectables. It is liquid enough that no water is even needed and I don't think that the cat in question even knows that she has ever taken it. Probably any liquid food or any of those kinds of treats would work.

 

[dianajune]

I don't know anything about Vet Trage com, and doubt they would really be of much help, tbh. I would monitor him closely and just have an emergency vet contact on hand, just in case. I am going to guess he will be OK.

Maybe don't give him all the meds at once. I have no idea what they would taste like when mixed together. If he likes Laxatone, give it to him by itself, and maybe mix the Miralax into some of his food. Sometimes, cats just need to have their med administration changed up from time to time in order to help reduce the chance of building a resistance to getting them.

After I asked about Vet Triage, I ended up going to their website and had an online consult with a vet. He didn't think this was cardiac-related and seemed optimistic about how Pumpkin is doing given he's back to his normal self.

The only thing with Pumpkin today is that I didn't find a poop in his litter box. I'll see what his vet says tomorrow. Maybe I should split up his meds and give them separately. I can give him his antacid in one of those pill pocket treats. I wish that Mitralax came in pill form but it doesn't.

One alternative to Miralax he suggested was Benefiber, which I didn't know cats could take. I'll ask his vet about that tomorrow.

 

[dianajune]

Would it be worth trying giving him the Miralax in a little water? I do that for Daisy - she has 1/4 teaspoon twice daily (it's branded Osmolax here, but it's the same stuff) and is mostly keen to drink it. It's supposedly flavourless, but the one time I had to use it, it had a very mild hint of salty flavour.

I could try that but I would have to count on Pumpkin drinking all of that water to get the full dose. He has four large water bowls scattered around our apartment. One of his vets suggested I provide multiple water sources to get him to drink more. I also have multiple food dishes around the apartment too. He's surrounded by food and water. He can be a picky eater. Pumpkin might like canned food one day and not eat it for the rest of the week. He used to like the Friskies Lil Gravies (turkey flavour) but now he turns his nose up at it. He seems to be tired of it.

 

[dianajune]

I mix Miralax with Hartz Delectables. It is liquid enough that no water is even needed and I don't think that the cat in question even knows that she has ever taken it. Probably any liquid food or any of those kinds of treats would work.

I've seen the Delectables but didn't think he'd like it. I will ask his vet about that tomorrow. Tx!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Benefiber is similar to giving plain pumpkin to a cat - it can work on both constipation and diarrhea, again depending on the cause of either. Metamucil is another product like Benefiber, but both slow down the intestinal tract as they are a fiber supplements generally meant to bulk up stool.

That is not the case with either Miralax or Laxatone. However, Laxatone is primarily flavored petroleum jelly, its main goal in cats is to lubricate the intestinal system to facilitate the passage of hair. Miralax contains polyethylene glycol 3350 (PEG 3350) and is classed as an osmotic laxative, drawing water into the intestines to soften stool for easier defecation.

I don't know why you think Pumpkin wouldn't like Delectable Squeeze Ups. It is just one of a number of lickable treats on the market. But if you think he wouldn't like it because of its consistency, then perhaps he wouldn't like any of them. You won't know unless you try. All of these lickable treats come in varying flavors too.

 

[catloverfromwayback]

I could try that but I would have to count on Pumpkin drinking all of that water to get the full dose. He has four large water bowls scattered around our apartment. One of his vets suggested I provide multiple water sources to get him to drink more. I also have multiple food dishes around the apartment too. He's surrounded by food and water. He can be a picky eater. Pumpkin might like canned food one day and not eat it for the rest of the week. He used to like the Friskies Lil Gravies (turkey flavour) but now he turns his nose up at it. He seems to be tired of it.

Yes, I should have said I don’t rely on Daisy drinking it from a bowl - especially as I don’t want Phoebe drinking it. I mix it in a spoon and she drinks it from that. “Look what I’ve got for you, your special drinkies!” It usually works, and if she isn’t interested, I use a syringe.