The vet has given up on my 16 year old cat

[sidneykitty]

Oh I'm sorry she is still vomiting.  I'm glad you have the appointment this afternoon - let us know how it goes. Write down any questions or concerns you are thinking of now and bring it with you so you don't forget. Its hard to remember everything when you're in the appointment. It could really be any number of things making her sick. Wishing you both the best.

 

[white shadow]

 
Can you bring all the medications you have for Sadie, with you. That IV bag, also.

And all the paper work, too.

So this lady vet can see them, and not have to repeat any of the recent tests, and also be able to contact the vet hospital by the medication bottles, or paperwork.
Write down everything she says, and take your time, in getting the answers.

 

[sadiesdad]

 

 
Can you bring all the medications you have for Sadie, with you. That IV bag, also.

And all the paper work, too.

So this lady vet can see them, and not have to repeat any of the recent tests, and also be able to contact the vet hospital by the medication bottles, or paperwork.

Later on tonight, see if any of those links that @sidneykitty posted above, would help with vet care expenses.

Worth it to ask the vet, too, about any financial assistance plans. Never hurts to ask.

Write down everything she says, and take your time, in getting the answers.

Something in Sadie's body is preventing her from keeping down her food, I hope this lady vet can tell you why...and give you suggestions to try.

 She doesn't have any medications, except the stuff they gave me when we left Thursday, for parasites, if she quits vomiting. The IV bag is from when they thought they had things under control, but they did not, so the IV bag was another useless cost.... The vet I called this morning got the name of both vets/hospital, so they could call them and get her records sent over... 

 I looked over some of the links yesterday, I wrote one place, but some of the others are for pets with cancer, heart condition etc... I will look at them again later....

 

[sadiesdad]

 Heck, I really liked this lady vet, she is prolly a few years older than me, but not much... They had trouble deciphering the reports from the animal hospital, so I had to tell her everything, my side and the animal hospital's side. Right away, she said, "I am thinking along the lines you are, it's something in the throat or esophagus." So they gave her barium and took some x-rays and sure enough, you could see the lesions in her throat.

 She said that Doxycyclene is WELL KNOWN for causing ulcers in the throat/esophagus of cats. They always tell their patients to get the cat to drink water or eat something after they give them Doxy, or give them water with a syringe to clean out their throat.

 So I had to learn how to give fluids with an IV, because Sadie will have to have them every day, then every other day, then one or twice a week. She said I did great with the Pepcid because it won't hurt cats, and she wants me to keep giving her that, and a anti-vomiting/pain reliever Cerenia. She told me I was doing good with the chicken porridge, or use turkey, that tuna could upset her stomach some or her throat.... 

After the old vet tried to tell me she was fixing to cash in Saturday!!! Just wish I had found this lady two weeks ago!!

 

[LTS3]

 
 She said that Doxycyclene is WELL KNOWN for causing ulcers in the throat/esophagus of cats. They always tell their patients to get the cat to drink water or eat something after they give them Doxy, or give them water with a syringe to clean out their throat.

Was the doxycyclene a pill or liquid? Pills can cause something called erosive esophagitis if it is not taken with food or water. http://catinfo.org/?link=pillingcats Liquid doxycyclene and other liquid medicines don't generally cause erosive esophagitis but it's a good idea to follow up the medicine with food or water. I've given liquid doxycyclene before without water or food and my cat was fine but it may be different for every cat.

As already said, the porridge is fine for now but try to get your cat to eat regular cat food of any kind for the nutrients she needs. You can ask the vet for suggestions on how to transition your cat off the porridge back to cat food. FortiFlora works great if you can get that. Have you tried non-pate canned foods? Sometimes those are more appealing to a cat. Some good brands to try are Weruva, Soulistic, and Tiki Cat. These brands look good enough for a person to eat

You can find Soulistc at Petco. It's similar to Weruva and  made by the same company. Weruva and Tiki Cat are found at independent pet stores.

 

[sadiesdad]

 It was a liquid... they wanted us to give it to her for 21 days, but I stopped at 12 days because that is when she started getting sick more and more often.

 Yeah, I didn't ask her how long it would be before she could go back to her regular food... and we tried giving other stuff to her, but if it's pieces or chunks, she will lick off all the juice or gravy and leave the rest. But she did say right now we have to keep her hydrated so she can heal, first of all, and bland foods, acid reduction....

 

[sidneykitty]

I'm so glad you have an answer and that this vet was helpful. If you have questions about feeding her, I'm sure you could call them up to ask what they recommend. You might try adding some porridge on top of the wet food to kind of get her started. To get her more hydration, add some water to the wet food. Fortiflora is a good idea, too as is Weruva food, that stuff is really amazing.

Any idea if the initial blood infection (that seems to have sort of started all of this) has gotten better?

 

[sadiesdad]

 The blood infection was gone awhile back... I think they gave her the transfusion and let us take her home the next day (Sunday) and we had to bring her back Monday for a checkup and her blood count was way up, the vet was happy.... then in the last couple of weeks, she has had her blood checked once or twice more and everything looked good every time....that's what I didn't understand, the ultrasound, the x-rays all showed no problem, but she was still getting sick.

 Well, I tried some chicken stock to her wet food yesterday and it came right up... actually she got sick on the porridge about an hour ago. But I just gave her another pepcid about 2 and a half hours ago and the Cerenia about 45 minutes ago... then she ate a couple more spoons about 15 minutes ago.... poor girl is starving, every time you go to the kitchen she follows you and goes to the cupboard where we keep her food, waiting for you to get something out.

 

[kskatt]

I would love to know if the lady vet has had much experience with the e-tube. Have you checked out the web site. E-tubes are used for many lengths of time, as a brief need to long term, many are short term, just to get through a rough time. It takes energy to heal and how much energy can you have when you're hungry? I speak highly of using the tube because it made so much of a difference with Sky. I would go to the vet, Sky was staying hospitalized, and hold him in my arms, often in tears because Sky looked so awful. Once the tube was in and Sky was getting nutrition, without having a rubber tube forced down his throat, Sky got to come home, was up and exploring, climbing up onto my bed and sleeping with me. It was like he was a whole new cat.

I'm thinking the food we used was called AD, very nutrient dense, not just for tube feeding, it is used for many cats that are having trouble and need as many nutrients/calories in small amounts of food as possible. 
This is something I went through and I know it is not for everyone, please forgive me for going on and on so much. It can be hard to shut up about something you've had benefits from! I think you are doing a great job and Sadie is not in the same shape Sky was in. I will shut up now!

 

[sadiesdad]

 I don't know, maybe she thought Sadie isn't bad enough for that.... Yeah, that ad food is Hill's, for malnutrition, you have to have a prescription for it.

 It's ok, I understand... it's good to share what worked for you

Thanks... it ain't gonna be as easy as I thought though... First thing this morning, I gave her the pepcid and 5 minutes later it came back up...

But I think I figured out how to make the chicken porridge a little better, more finely ground. She was sitting in the kitchen waiting ever since we got up, she ate a little went out to use the box, came in, ate a little more and went to bed...been 30 minutes and hasn't come back up yet (fingers crossed).

 I ain't thrilled with having to giver her fluids, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do... I told the girls in the vets office, Sadie will hate me after I've poked her a few times. They say if I bring her to them they will do it for free, but I don't have gas for a 45 minute drive to and from every day....

 

[rubysmama]

I still have no suggestions or advice, but wanted to let you know I'm still following this thread and hoping Sadie can beat this illness/condition. 

 

[Geoffrey]

It seems that your cat is dehydrated and the best way to deal with this is for her to have an intravenous drip if you cannot rehydrate her orally.  Once re-hydrated her gastro-intestinal tract and oesophagus can be rested and if things settle down, after a few days, then oral fluids can be tried again and  investigations for the cause of her vomiting can be instigated. 

I know this means putting her in a hospital setting but, after reading through all  these comments, I can see little alternative.  (Please be aware that I am a human doctor, not a feline one, but the problem is common in both humans and animals and the use of a drip is often the only way to relieve dehydration.)  Incidentally, intravenous drips are tolerated much better than oesophageal tubes (from personal experience I can tell you that the latter are most uncomfortable!)

I know this will be very expensive, but there may be little alternative. In Australia every vet runs his own animal hospital at their clinic and drips can easily  be used.  Is it the same where you live?

With best wishes,

Geoffrey.

 

[sadiesdad]

 
I still have no suggestions or advice, but wanted to let you know I'm still following this thread and hoping Sadie can beat this illness/condition. 

Thank you so much.... I think she can, it's just slow going....

 

[sadiesdad]

 
It seems that your cat is dehydrated and the best way to deal with this is for her to have an intravenous drip if you cannot rehydrate her orally.  Once re-hydrated her gastro-intestinal tract and oesophagus can be rested and if things settle down, after a few days, then oral fluids can be tried again and  investigations for the cause of her vomiting can be instigated. 

I know this means putting her in a hospital setting but, after reading through all  these comments, I can see little alternative.  (Please be aware that I am a human doctor, not a feline one, but the problem is common in both humans and animals and the use of a drip is often the only way to relieve dehydration.)  Incidentally, intravenous drips are tolerated much better than oesophageal tubes (from personal experience I can tell you that the latter are most uncomfortable!)

I know this will be very expensive, but there may be little alternative. In Australia every vet runs his own animal hospital at their clinic and drips can easily  be used.  Is it the same where you live?

With best wishes,

Geoffrey.

Thanks, yes, I have an IV bag of fluids, they told me to only give her 50ml because she is so small. I don't like doing it at all, because I don't like needles and I don't like having to stick Sadie either. I had to do it twice today because she moved and it came out the first time...oh that was after I stuck the needle in my finger also.   This is the only way she is getting fluids and with the chicken porridge I am making her, I haven't seen her drink water since Saturday or Sunday... I don't know why that is, I even put ice in it, the way she likes it.

 She isn't going to have to be in the hospital, they took x-rays after they poured barium down her throat. Good thing, the vet was $400 that I had to put on credit, and we have to go back at the end of the week to see how she is doing... if it wasn't so far I would bring her to them and let them give her the IV...they said they do it for free, but wouldn't make sense to drive for 40 minutes, the IV only takes about 5 and then 40 minutes back home... Sadie didn't like me for a little while after I stuck her with the IV needle.

 I don't think this lady has her own hospital, it's a small place, but she specializes in cats and small animals like gerbils and things.

 I still worry, she is throwing up some, but it's not as much as she was...she is hungry all the time... in fact I think when she threw up at lunch time, she was trying to wolf it, down too much at once. She is going to pee regular, but no poop yet...

Thank you...

 

[kskatt]

I hadn't researched the part that it seems like a cat could throw up when tube fed, that comes up from the tummy. The tube would by pass lesions in the throat, but not fix the tummy upset. 

Isn't there a lot of nutrition that can be given through IVs? Anything to get nutrition in there! A big concern of mine is the fatty liver disease that comes from not eating (enough).

 

[sadiesdad]

 I don't really know about the IV's...yeah, I was worried about liver disease too... but the vet never mentioned it, I might have mentioned it to her, I don't remember... But she told me to just keep feeding her like I am... It's weird there are times she will eat 2 or 3 times and everything stays down, then all of a sudden, the next time she may eat (way later) it comes back up....Poor girl is in the kitchen pacing the floor now, wanting something else to eat...

 She ate a little of the porridge left from last night this morning, two or three times, then the last time, some of it came back up, in her bed...luckily we put a towel in her bed, so I got to wash towels today....

 

[rubysmama]

Speaking of porridge, I just remembered we had a cat once that loved oatmeal.  We watered it down quite a bit, but she would lap it up. I wonder if that is something that might help Sadie.

 

[kskatt]

Was Sadie keeping anything down at all in the beginning? If I'm remembering right, she's keeping way more down now than she use to. That, in it's self would be huge! 

 

[sadiesdad]

 She was eating at first after the blood transfusion, but that's when the Doxycyclene starting messing her up, she started getting sick more and more. Then she wasn't able to keep anything down at all. Well, we started back this morning, poor girl tried to eat twice this morning and it came back up, and then about 12:30, same thing.

 I called the vet to tell her and see if I was supposed to get an appointment for Friday. The vet said she thinks her throat is sore so when she swallows that's what makes it come back up, and Monday, she had the barium and she ate three or four times when we got home and it stayed down. So she told me we could give her a little barium to coat her throat, and she ordered some liquid famotidine which should be here by Friday.

 I just came in the door and gave her the barium, she was already wanting something to eat, so I gave her some and she ate a little and went out on the patio... I just went and checked on her and she is just sitting out there watching the lizards and critters....

 

[sadiesdad]

Why is it every time we think we have found a solution, because it works to start with, then it doesn't work? The barium isn't doing so well sometimes... Yesterday morning I gave her the barium at 9am, then waited and gave her the pepcid and Cerenia ground up in water at 10am, and she threw it up. She really didn't want much of anything to eat after that. Then last night I was going to give her the barium right before we went to bed, but when I went in there she was drinking water, I was shocked and pleased.. so I waited about 15 minutes to give her the barium and it came back up.

 Then this morning, she hadn't had any barium but wanted to eat, I gave her the chicken porridge and it came back up. I decided I couldn't give her fluids with the IV, after sticking myself twice with the needle and then the first time, the needle came out when she moved and I had to stick her again, then yesterday evening, my wife was going to help me hold her, I stuck the needle in, and fluid started leaking from somewhere all over Sadie, so I pulled it out and gave up... I couldn't stick her again, I just feel like I am hurting her. So I took her to the vet today and let them give her the fluids.

 Not good news from the vet, she was in surgery, so a young vet/asst. came in and said how poor Sadie looked and we had to get some weight on her. She mentioned we could try a feeding tube through the neck, which I don't like the sound of, probably can't afford etc... They went and talked to the vet and came back and said they wouldn't do the one through the neck because she would need anesthesia, and she is too old and weak. then they said there is another one that is a small tube through the nose and she would have to be fed liquids... it was $320. I told them I don't know, let me think about it and talk to my wife...I still want to try myself... they are supposed to get the liquid famotidine tomorrow and I hope I can find something else she can eat...the vet pretty much said there is nothing else they can do, except the feeding tube.

 Does anyone know of a food that is like a paste, that is highly nutritious that you don't have to order and can be found in the backwoods of Georgia? We have a PetSmart, that's about the only pet store I know of around here. I am getting really desperate here, my wife is getting upset because Sadie is literally starving and we can't find what to do.... I tried taking some of her pate canned food and mixing with a little warm water and it came right back up... but I notice it is in like little tiny pieces that won't mash with a spoon. Later my wife took a tiny bit of her regular canned food on her finger, and Sadie ate it and then chewed on her finger a little, it didn't come back up.

 She was a real good girl today, I didn't put her in her carrier, I just put a towel in the passenger side floor of my Nissan Frontier and she stayed right there. I had the carrier to put her in when we went inside, but I didn't put her in it on the way there or home and she was fine.... I would look over at her and she would be looking at me giving me those soft blinking/winks.