Suddenly walking wobbly, lethargic, help!!!

[alibali]

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]

My 6-yr old cat Cooper has been having a terrible time. He was recently diagnosed with epilepsy, and had a bad seizure in hospital and tore out his back claws and then got MRSA.

Yesterday he woke up walking all weird and wobbly. I took him to the vet and they did an exam and blood test, showed nothing. Brought him back today and they have no clue and want him to go back to the neurologist but sadly I am getting to a point I just can't afford much more. I've spent $5000 in the last 3-4 weeks and that's basically all my savings. I don't know what to do. I don't even know what tests there are left to do. We've done MRI, spinal tap, million blood tests, x-rays, abdominal ultrasound....

Also his eye membrane was showing, and he is smacking/gagging a lot. He hasn't eaten since yesterday morning. He is super lethargic and has just slept all day yesterday and today.

Any clues what could cause this?????

 

[denice]

Poor guy.  I take it they  have found no evidence of anything like a tumor.  Has he been given a steroid?  There could be some kind of residual inflammation.

 

[margd]

I'm so sorry to hear that Cooper is having such a difficult time.  The video of him is heartbreaking -  he's such a trooper pushing on despite the wobbling.  I don't know what is causing his problems but I think your vet is right that he needs to go back to the neurologist.  I completely understand the financial issues, believe me.  Not everyone would clean our their savings for him, the way you have.    And I also understand that you're wondering what other tests can possibly be run at this point.  The neurologist is the one who can tell you that, but he may be able to help even without new tests, based on all the ones he already has.  You should at least discuss everything and where to go next with the neurologist - that doesn't commit you to more expensive tests.

One big concern is that he's not eating.  You do need to get some food in him or he will come down with hepatic lipidosis, or fatty liver disease, which can be terminal.  Cats can only go a very short while without food before liver problems begin.  For now, try giving him some chicken or turkey baby food (no garlic or onions), slightly warmed up to tempt him with the aroma.  Many cats can not resist this.  You might have to feed him by hand, or use a syringe (available at pharmacies.)  Did the vet give him anything for nausea?  That might help as well.

What about water?  Is Cooper drinking?  If not, he could become dehydrated very quickly so again, you might need to syringe the water into him.  

Sending you many good vibes that Cooper feels better soon.  

 

[Caspers Human]

I'm going to start off by saying that I am not a vet...  I don't claim to be an expert but I've been around animals since I was a kid and I'm only going by experience.  Take my comments with a grain of salt until you have consulted with a vet or some other expert in animal health.  Okay? 

It looks like your kitty might have had some kind of a stroke or, maybe, some kind of vestibular problem.

("Vestibular" = that which relates to the parts of the inner ear which controls the sense of balance.)

Since you have already been to a vet, I assume that you have been told to make him comfy and keep an eye on him.  Yes?  That's the best advice I can think of, as well.

Keep him comfy.  Make sure he has enough food and water available if he wants it.  Be sure he can get to the litter box when he needs.  Keep an eye on him and let him know that you love him.

If it's an inner ear problem like an infection, it might clear up with time.

If it was a stroke, he might get better with time but he might not.  There really isn't any way to tell for sure.  Only time will tell.

BTW:  Strokes and ordinary seizures can look alike when they happen.  (i.e. He might have had a stroke which causes a seizure.)

The thing to do is take it one day at a time.  (ODAAT)

Keep an eye on Kitty to see if he gets better on his own.

Make sure he eats, drinks and goes to the litter box.

Make sure he's comfy and isn't in any pain.

If he stops eating, drinking, using the litter box or seems to be in pain, you might have to make some decisions.

But, at this point, the best medicine you can give Kitty is to let him know that he is loved.

My prayers are with you! 

 

[catpack]

You mention having an MRI done. Was this before or after the onset of the wobbliness? Were mages of this entire body done?

The neurologist can definitely look at things from a different prespective and very likely can offer a diagnosis, or at least a treatment protocol, without doing further testing.

Other testing would include a CT scan and EMG/nerve conduction test.

My initial thoughts in watching the video would be a stroke, damage to his cerebral cortex (like cerebral palsy in people) from a seizure, lack of oxygen and/or stroke, or perhaps persistent mini seizures (could be the case in epilepsy.)

At the very least, I would have Cooper's medical records, test results and any videos you may have (like the one posted here) sent to the neurologist for a consult. Your vet can request this at no charge to you.

 

[sweetdz99]

What medicine is he taking for his seizures?  Is this a side effect from that medication?   In really bad cases, seizures can cause brain damage so I would definitely ask a neurologists' opinion.  I know how expensive caring for our babies can be.   If you wanted to go the route of care credit, it is an option.  It is just like a credit card only for Vet Services.

The video is hard to watch.  I just want to scoop him up and kiss him all over.  He looks like when they just are coming off of anesthesia so it could be the empty stomach, medicine groggy feeling.  

The eye membrane showing could mean that he is dehydrated.  If you grab the scruff of his neck and pull the skin upward, then let it go.. it should bounce back quickly, if it goes back slow he needs fluids.  Dehydration can cause many many things.   Smacking/gagging could be nausea... either from medicine or dehydration.      If he is in need of hydration, once you take care of that he should start to feel better.  If he isn't dehydrated, i would try to offer him some warm stinky food.  The stinkier the better.  Fancy Feast Chicken and Liver classic always works for me.   If that doesn't work.  There are liquid meals you can buy fairly cheap at the pet store that you can syringe into his mouth.

My 20 yr old cat takes Keppra to control her seizures and it works wonderfully.  The only side effect I notice is that she sleeps more.  

Sending good vibes and prayers for Cooper

 

[alibali]

Thanks everyone. I'm waiting for the neurologist to call me back but she always takes forever!

They didn't find anything on any of the myriad of tests, so they diagnosed epilepsy (diagnoses of exclusion). He wasn't on steroids but he was on an anti-inflammatory for his toes for a few days. His toes look pretty good now though.

I did ask my local vet about hepatic lipidosis and she said he can't go more than 3 days without food. But he lost half a pound since yesterday which is scary. (He only weighs 7 lbs 4 oz so he doesn't have much to lose!)

I have been trying to syringe feed him but he gags and spits so bad. He even does that with water in the syringe, and only giving drops at a time! The vet gave me high calorie food but I will try some baby food, good idea!

I'm just so worried about taking him and leaving him overnight there - I don't want him to die scared and alone in a cage, I'd rather him be home sleeping on my lap (his favorite spot) :'(

I'm so heartbroken about this and don't know what to do.

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• alibali
• Mar 10, 2016

 

[catpack]

With the way his third eye lids are on his symptoms, I would be very concerned about head trauma/brain damage.

Does he have a temp??

 

[sweetdz99]

Did you check for dehydration?  Infections cause this too, what is happening with the MSRA?

 

[Caspers Human]

Awesome idea! 

When Casper barfed up a load of worms, I took a digi-pic with my iPad and brought it with me to the vet.

The vet took one look and she knew exactly what to do.  We got him cleared up in no time! 

I also took a nice digi-pic of Casper, printed it out and gave it to the vet to put with his medical records.

Not only do we have a positive ID on Casper, the vet has something to compare with when Casper looks normal.

In these days of digi-cams and iPhones, having a picture of your pet on file with his vet records should be de rigueur.

So, YES!  Send that video of your kitty having trouble walking to the vet/neurologist!  You never know!  It could make the difference! 

 

[alibali]

No temp, he could have brain damage from the seizures.

The MRSA seems under control, his white blood cell count is back to normal.

Neuro has no idea what is wrong but says he needs to be seen.

I am taking him to the ER now. He is shaking and can barely move. My poor baby.

 

[catpack]

Sending lots of vibes to you and Cooper! Please update us when you can.

Ask the vet if Mannitol would be an option in this situation. It helps reduce brain swelling (not sure if this is the problem or not.). I have used it on a cat that sustained head trauma from being hit by a car.

 

[margd]

Fingers crossed that something can be done for him.

   Poor little guy.

  Sending best wishes and many vibes.  

 

[alibali]

The neuro he saw before was really unhelpful over the phone. I sent all the videos and explained everything but she just kept saying "I can't diagnose him over the phone." Well duh. What I was asking was what she would test for now.

Hopefully this new doctor is a little more helpful. I'll report back afte he's seen.

And I'll ask about the Mannitol - thanks!

 

[Caspers Human]

The neuro he saw before was really unhelpful over the phone. I sent all the videos and explained everything but she just kept saying "I can't diagnose him over the phone."...

That kind of thing peeves me off, too!

We're not asking the doctor to diagnose and treat the cat by looking at a video and talking over the phone.

We're trying to describe the cat's symptoms so that the vet can get a better idea of what we're talking about.  Instead of playing "Twenty Questions," the vet can actually see what's going on.  A picture is worth a thousand words.  Right?

The kind of response I want from a vet, after looking at pictures and videos, is to say, "Yes, I understand what you are talking about.  Can you bring Kitty in so I can get a better look at him?"

I took the pictures of Casper's wormy barf to the vet and she knew exactly what to do.

I did collect a stool sample, too, but because I had the pictures, she was able to practically jump right to the next step of helping Casper get better.  The microscopic analysis of the stool sample ended up just being a confirmation of the diagnosis that had already been made with the help of my picture.

I applaud you for taking that video of your kitty when he is sick and I'm glad you found another vet/neurologist who is more helpful.

Fingers crossed!  Keep us up to date!

 

[sweetdz99]

I keep thinking about this guy. I hope he's okay

 

[alibali]

Finally got home. The ER visit uncovered nothing. They didn't do much, just ran some more blood tests but everything was normal.

They gave him fluids and an anti-nausea shot in hope that he would eat, and he did eat a little when we got home.

He is still very wobbly and lethargic. They want internal medicine to see him next since neurology is out of ideas.

Thanks for all the good vibes!

 

[Caspers Human]

If the neurologist thought that your kitty had a stroke he'd tell you.
If the blood tests showed evidence of drugs or toxic substances, they'd tell you that, too.
If there was some kind of traumatic injury that could have caused a concussion or similar, you'd probably know about that, as well.

I'm not an expert but I'm trying to think logically. What do you think? Are my thoughts reasonable?

So, what's left? Some kind of infection?
Again, strictly shooting from the hip but it seems to me that there might be some sort of infection at play, here.

It is possible that Kitty has an inner ear infection that is affecting his sense of balance.
That could cause him to be wobbly and uncoordinated. Basically, Kitty feels seasick even though he has never been on a ship.
How would you feel if you were constantly seasick for some reason you don't understand? You'd be dizzy and nauseous and you wouldn't be able to eat. Right?
The ER vet gave him some anti-nausea medication and he was able to keep some food down. Right?
Fingers crossed but I hope that is a good sign.

Casper and I are pulling for you guys!

 

[misterwhiskers]

I am so sorry you are going through this. When you say MRSA, where was it? In his blood? In his feet?

Abs of course this is a shot in the dark, but can you ask the vet or neurologist if there's ANY chance it could be toxoplasmosis?

(((Hugs)))

 

[alibali]

I guess it could be some disease or "syndrome"... If he had an ear infection it would show on his blood tests, right? Like his white blood cell count would be elevated. Plus he's already on antibiotics.

I guess he could have a viral infection tho? Or a parasite?

I'm pretty sure they tested for Toxo - I know they mentioned it at his first visit for seizures last month. I'll double check tho!

The MRSA was in his feet, he had an abscess that they cultured. There was another resistant staph too but idk the name.

He is less lethargic today! Still wobbly but at least he got out of bed on his own, and he ate a little from his "kitty buffet!"

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• alibali
• Mar 11, 2016