Question: X-ray Sedation For Chronic Vomiting + Heart Murmur (long Post)

[WinterLunaCheese]

My cat Winter is 6 years old domestic medium hair, 16 lbs and I was going to get an abdominal x-ray done because he persistently vomits food immediately after eating, not always but enough that it's a concern, he's done so for the 6 years I've had him. He does sometimes keep the food down, doesn't always vomit. The vomit has had hairballs in it which I told my vet and he was never concerned but it definitely doesn't always have hairballs in it. It's also for sure vomiting and not regurgitation, as he moves his head back and forth, and his abdomen contracts. It doesn't matter what food I feed, grain free or non-grain free, I've tried various brands, always transitioning slowly but that has changed nothing. I cannot afford to feed a solely wet diet, please no going on about dry food/it being bad etc. dry is currently my only option with wet supplemental feedings (Friskies is all I can afford to feed a lot more wet per day). However, he has a heart murmur, I don't remember the grade/#, the woman vet I saw at that time wasn't concerned at all (I go to the same vet facility but got a different person the last time I was there).

Tried a slow feeder for dogs which reduced the amount of vomit (as in it was smaller amounts of food thrown up not less times) but did not stop it. So, I scheduled the abdominal x-ray appointment but was told cats need sedated more often than dogs do for x-rays. How safe is it to sedate a cat with a heart murmur? Also, is an abdominal x-ray the best place to start investigating chronic vomiting with no other symptoms present? Another issues he does have is an umbilical hernia but I thought the vet I saw at the time said it was "closed" and mentioned other cats needing surgery but researching it I'm unsure because he still has a bulge where a belly button would be. He has no other symptoms of being sick he has an appetite/hasn't lost interest in food or eating, isn't depressed, plays a lot/active, hasn't lost any weight since I've had him/has remained a similar weight and he has no signs of a food allergy: no itching/scratching, no hair loss, coat deterioration, no skin lesions. I'm very low income BTW. So, am I wasting money on an x-ray when I should be finding someone that does ultrasounds? And, I'm guessing sedation would still be needed for that?

I don't want to have to have him sedated multiple times, if it's not that safe for a cat with a heart murmur. I'd love to have his heart murmur looked into as well but most things like chest x-ray, echo etc I'm guessing would require sedation as well. I don't know if the risks of sedation outweigh the benefits.

 

[denice]

If you can afford it I would get an ultrasound. They are really only as good as the person reading it but a more can be seen with an ultrasound. Things like inflammation can be seen on an ultrasound but not an xray. I don't know anything about heart murmurs. I have had one cat that had a number of ultrasounds over several years. He never needed sedation but he was a very laid back easy going cat. They don't use anesthetic it is a tranquilizer. They have to stay still during the ultrasounds and some cats do need a sedative. I would ask your vet. I know there are different grades of murmur, some more serious than others.

 

[WinterLunaCheese]

If you can afford it I would get an ultrasound. They are really only as good as the person reading it but a more can be seen with an ultrasound. Things like inflammation can be seen on an ultrasound but not an xray. I don't know anything about heart murmurs. I have had one cat that had a number of ultrasounds over several years. He never needed sedation but he was a very laid back easy going cat. They don't use anesthetic it is a tranquilizer. They have to stay still during the ultrasounds and some cats do need a sedative. I would ask your vet. I know there are different grades of murmur, some more serious than others.

I've looked at prices from the lowest to highest cost of an ultrasound done on a cat (based on estimations on websites, though old), me affording it depends on if it's in a low range. If it's in the higher/highest range, I couldn't do it this month which is what I was planning. I am going to have to shop around I guess. I'm going to call to get the #/grade of the heart murmur too and ask if it's a concern.

 

[Antonio65]

An x-ray is like a photo, it takes a fraction of a second to be done, so I don't think that a sedation is needed to get a sharp image. It is just necessary that the cat stands still for 1 or 2 seconds, the time the tech needs to aim the point to be checked. Should the image get blurred, thet can take another one right away.
If the cat is particularly nervous, a second person can help the tech to hold the cat in position.
I myself have been the second person during some x-rays. The vet would give me a lead vest to protect me.

An ultrasound scan wouldn't need a sedation either, because the probe can move and follow the area to be scanned even if the cat moves a bit. Even in this case, the tech might have someone to help them, the owner could do.
My cat has been having several ultrasound scans lately. We were the three of us: the tech, a vet and me to hold and keep the cat calm.
And only 6 days ago she had an x-ray done, without sedation.

I wouldn't let a vet sedate my cat just for an x-ray or a scan!

 

[maggiedemi]

I don't know anything about heart murmurs, but I might be able to help with the vomiting. What helped my two cats is to give them hairball paste or treats every other day. Also, it helps when I move their dinner a little later or give them a late night snack before bed. They tend to throw up if their stomach is empty for too long over night.

 

[lacy2000]

If he can stay calm, they won’t have to sedate him. Is he an easygoing cat? You could try giving him feliway before he goes to the vet to calm him down.

 

[WinterLunaCheese]

Antonio65 didn't even cross my mind that the tech or vet could hold the cat still or in place. I'd much rather try that than sedate for an x-ray or ultrasound.

M maggiedemi I've read the vomit produced from going to long without food over night is usually/typically white foamy or yellow/bile, it can also be other conditions too but Winter's vomit contains completely undigested food thrown up only after eating. I've tried a paste for hairballs before but none liked it, even put it on my finger for them to lick off per suggestions. I'll look into treats though.

lacy2000 Yeah he's very easy going in my opinion but who knows how he'd react to being shaved for an ultrasound if they use something noisy. I'm hoping like Antonio65 said that they'd use multiple people to do the x-ray or ultrasound, so he doesn't have to be sedated at all.

 

[WinterLunaCheese]

Called my vet, no ultrasound machine. Called 2 others that said they do them on their website, one wants to do x-ray first anyway to look for a mass before doing an ultrasound. *shrugs* It'll take me awhile to be able to eventually do both as of course when I'm wanting to take my cat to the vets my furnace had to also break during a really cold month. Thankfully I own 2 infrared heaters for emergencies. So I'm focusing more on using my expenses for Winter's issues. I forgot he also has chronic epiphora that I need to investigate, despite his eye isn't bothering him. So that'll be last on my list to investigate!

 

[Antonio65]

Antonio65 didn't even cross my mind that the tech or vet could hold the cat still or in place. I'd much rather try that than sedate for an x-ray or ultrasound.

Furthermore, the x-ray machine is operated by a foot button placed under the table.
Normally, the vet holds the cat belly down or on a side, holding the cat's legs with both hands (say, left hand holds the front paws, the right hand holds the hind legs), with his foot the tech make the photo and in a few seconds the image is on the monitor. If it is not satisfying then they take another one.

The shaving machines that vets use are generally rather silent
I have also met some vets that don't shave the cat, they soak their coat (if it's not too thick) with lots of alcohol, then put that green gel on the probe and at the end of the scan they rub the cat clean and dry

 

[Antonio65]

Called my vet, no ultrasound machine. Called 2 others that said they do them on their website, one wants to do x-ray first anyway to look for a mass before doing an ultrasound. *shrugs* It'll take me awhile to be able to eventually do both as of course when I'm wanting to take my cat to the vets my furnace had to also break during a really cold month. Thankfully I own 2 infrared heaters for emergencies. So I'm focusing more on using my expenses for Winter's issues. I forgot he also has chronic epiphora that I need to investigate, despite his eye isn't bothering him. So that'll be last on my list to investigate!

I have no idea what the costs for both tests are in US, and from what I have read in the last months on this forum, it seems to me that US vets often tend to prescribe more tests than necessary.
Over here in Italy an x-ray is between 40 and 60 euro, an ultrasound scan is between 80 and 100 euro.
In my little experience, an ultrasound scan is more accurate in finding small anomalies in a cat's abdomen, but a very good ultrasound vet is the main requirement.

 

[WinterLunaCheese]

X-ray at my vets would be 100 or so euro according to Google, it's $125 USD. The other place I called it was $200 roughly 160 euro. Ultrasound the one place said $190 but I'm not sure if that's full abdominal pricing. All these prices don't include exam fees either. My vet said they do use multiple people to hold the cat down and I'm pretty darn sure that'll be enough and no sedation will be needed. So I might start with that.

 

[Antonio65]

That's fine, so!
Hopefully an x-ray will tell yo more about this issue and you can start with the right therapies.
When can you schedule it?

 

[WinterLunaCheese]

It's already scheduled. My vet has an online appointment form. They have you choose 3 best dates. I did February 8th, 14th and 21st. They picked February 14th. I'm praying it's not a mass or something requiring surgery, as I definitely cannot afford that. Would take me 1-2 yrs to save for such a thing. Although he's still pooping perfectly fine, he's not constipated and does not have diarrhea. So he's not fully blocked if anything. It sucks too that getting any sort of pet insurance here in the US wouldn't help because all his conditions are pre-existing which they don't cover.

 

[Antonio65]

It's Saint Valentine's day.
Your lovely cat will give you the best gift and will prove he's fine

 

[WinterLunaCheese]

Here's to hoping! I'd die without my Winter. I love all of my cats but don't think it'd be easy to ever find another like him. He spends all day on me/in my lap laying in my arms like a baby when not playing, follows me from room to room, sleeps on me at night and can play fetch (I haven't in a long while so it seems he had to relearn) but if I say "Give me a kiss" he'll often head bump me. I've never had a cat like him before.

 

[WinterLunaCheese]

Doing more research because he only throws up dry food (not always though) but does not vomit wet unless he eats too much (ie when I used to not seperate and he'd eat the other cats portions, now I separate), small portions don't get vomited at all. I could possibly do an all Friskies wet diet, though it'd still be expensive to feed solely to three cats. I'd stick to the few ones without wheat, corn, soy etc. I'm reading it COULD be a possible obstruction though, so x-ray might be good. Could be allergy/food intolerance (though he has no other symptoms of one), IBD, parasites and could be something as simple as eating too fast. Do blood allergy tests in cats test for food allergies? I'm starting with the x-ray though.

 

[Antonio65]

It can be anything. An x-ray or scan will tell you more.
In my case it was IBD.

 

[WinterLunaCheese]

I'm going to switch to a wet only diet as a precaution since he doesn't vomit that (although he has vomited fish flavors and beef but if I stay away from those he doesn't), because a website says this about IBD "Some cats with inflammatory bowel disease seem to tolerate canned wet food better than dry food. Choosing a high quality, high protein, and grain free canned food can also help.". I can't afford to feed a soley grain free wet diet, it's beyond expensive. I also realized Friskies wet isn't as expensive as I thought which would make it so some months I could buy different brands as supplemental/treats, ones that use different protein sources so they don't get bored. Still doing x-ray though, of course. I just want to do everything I can. I plan to buy raised bowls too, I found ones specifically for cats that aren't raised way too high like some dog ones.

 

[Antonio65]

I can't afford to feed a soley grain free wet diet, it's beyond expensive. I also realized Friskies wet isn't as expensive as I thought which would make it so some months I could buy different brands as supplemental/treats, ones that use different protein sources so they don't get bored. Still doing x-ray though, of course. I just want to do everything I can. I plan to buy raised bowls too, I found ones specifically for cats that aren't raised way too high like some dog ones.

The raised bowls are good for cats who are prone to regurgitate right after meals. The crouched position on the bowl doesn't allow an easy transit of the food from the mouth to the stomach, and when cats are voracious they tend to regurgitate.
IBD gives vomit, that is half-digested food, or stomach processed food if IBD affects the upper tract of the GI system.
It seems that grains in cat food are likely to trigger inflammations.

I don't know if in US things are different, but over here Friskies is at the low end of the quality range for pet food. The meat is scarce and most of the ingredients are by-products and other scraps... It's no surprise if cats and dogs get food intolerances, allergies or other issues.

 

[WinterLunaCheese]

His vomit isn't half digested, it's completely undigested. I'm researching motility issues now. Mine eats grain free and still vomits. I've tried 4 different grain free brands and one LID (limited ingredient).

Friskies is low end but is all I can afford doing only wet. I read on one website once the worst wet is better than the best dry and "by product" can actually consist of things a cat would eat in the wild tissue/skin, organs etc. There's probably some not so great things in by products but again if I'm to feed solely wet OR wet as the main diet it has to be Friskies. I'm only going to buy the few Friskies here that are wheat, corn and soy free.

And, oddly enough Winter doesn't vomit any brand of wet I've ever offered unless he eats too much of it, if it's some kinds of fish (unsure of which) and or beef. So I stick with chicken and turkey.