Toby vomiting and losing weight, fine otherwise

[barbb]

Ha ha well I forgot it was only Thursday when I posted yesterday (John's "friday" is thursday so I go back and forth between real time and psychological weekend time) and I could still call the vet today, so I did. 

PLUS I noticed that Toby has a very slight cough and it was reason number 2 to contact them. He does just one small cough, not a throw-up cough or anything. And it is very infrequent (I saw one cough yesterday and then one today) but we have never ever seen him cough before like that. 

The oncologist told me that the water thing was probably nausea. 

On the cough she said he just had a cardiogram at his last visit and they did not notice anything. She asked if he had normal energy and I said yes, everything else is normal. 

They are going to put it in his chart and if necessary they will do another x-ray. She said it could be weather related asthma but I said we are in a closed air conditioned house. 

If anyone else has had an ill cat that developed little coughs like this, let me know!

 

[violet]

Our girl who had megacolon developed a cough from one of the medications that was supposed to help her with that. We had to stop that medication. After that there was no more coughing.

So, I'm wondering if Toby's cough could possibly be caused by something - anything. It can be difficult to figure these things out. Could any medication he's getting possibly have that particular side effect? What about foods or treats?

If you can't make any progress figuring out what might be causing the cough I agree, an X-ray will be in order. (In my experience they always do these X-rays with particular attention to the lungs but of course they look at the heart as well.)

Coughs are scary and confusing problems and sometimes the reason can be an unexpected allergic reaction to something we would normally never suspect in a million years.

I really hope this cough will not mean bad news for you and Toby.

 

[barbb]

Thank you for that info Violet! I don't know either what it could be. I am keeping an eye on him until his next visit, and hope he doesn't cough again :-(

 

[ldg]

Holy moly what busy week!

Well, let's hope that it was just a transient thing, that cough. Even indoor people in air conditioned homes can develop seasonal allergies. :lol3: The goldenrod was out REALLY early this year.

Barb, please try to think positive! :heart2: Lazlo's tumor only shrank 40% in the first two months of treatment, and the oncologist wasn't happy. We started calling him Dr. Gloom, and because of it, we stopped getting x-rays after that, because we were going to go the full six months anyway. I didn't want Dr. Gloom bringing us down with what WASN'T happening. Then he was throwing up blood again three months into the treatment, and I remember the feeling of that loss of hope, but trying to stay positive even though I didn't FEEL positive. We put him back on treatment for the ulcers in addition to everything else, and that cleared up the anemia he'd suffered again.... and he looked terrible throughout with that mangy, dry coat and his whiskers falling out....

But in the end, he did go into full remission. :nod: The end of July was his six-month mark post-treatment, and his coat is now soft and glossy again, and his whiskers have all been back for a while now. Chemo is a strong, strong poison in their system. Even though it's used at a reduced amount relative to body size than when used in people, their bodies do have to deal with it, and the quality of his coat is affected. But IMO, what that means is that the chemo is doing it's job.

 

[barbb]

Hi Laurie, thank you so much for that info! I didn't know if Lazlo got immediately better or if he lagged through his treatment. This really does help to manage my expectations. I don't take Toby for his chemo when all the other animals go, so I don't have other chemo moms to compare notes with. All the dogs I see look healthy, even fat from the prednisolone. 

I realize none of this promises that Toby will be better at the end of it all, but it helps to know that he may not look better for a while. You probably know, all those days when you look at your pet and try to figure out- is he worse? better? Augh! I wish medicine were more predictable, that's for sure. 

In the past couple days we relented and got a small bag of our kitties' former crunchies, only because I ran out of the other ones and I had to get more at the grocery store, so they got Iams weight and hairball control. Of course now Toby sits at the crunchies bowl crying. I have to give him a tiny amount and then do my best to divert him over to his wet food. I'm successful about 20% of the time when he is in his first 12 hours after his prednisolone, and 90% of the time during the last 12 hours. That stuff really makes him hungry and hyper!

 

[ldg]

:lol3: Yeah, I continued to give Lazlo kibble throughout his treatment. He got pretty much whatever he wanted to eat. I figure spoiling the heck out of him is PART of the treatment! :nod:

Toby's coat will not improve until after the treatment is over. I don't know about dogs, but I suspect that cats reflect illness more through their coats than dogs do. :dk: But Lazlo's coat took longer to improve than it took for his whiskers to grow back in. !!

And I COMPLETELY and TOTALLY know EXACTLY what you mean about looking at Toby and wondering - is he better or worse?

Carolina will attest - I was so convinced his cancer wasn't in remission that I didn't even want to know where things stood. I debated about not getting that final ultrasound. In fact, I'd decided not to do it, and Carolina talked me into doing it. :lol3: The vet had suggested two weeks after the final treatment. I think we ended up going closer to three weeks later. Mind you - Lazlo had been acting like he wasn't sick with anything for a while at that point. The chemo (other than that last week of the cycle treatment) didn't really seem to affect him much, and all that had happened throughout the treatments was that he seemed to get better and better. But Lazlo was so sick at the beginning, he lived under a chair. And slowly he moved out from under the chair, and became a little more and a little more active. He started sleeping in the bed again - and I was SO happy when he started "beating up" Sheldon again. :lol3:

But we can't see what's happening inside of them, and you can't help but wonder (I still do!!!). Anyway, Carolina convinced me to get that x-ray. And the whooping and hollering that went on when the vet said "there's no detectable mass to measure" was crazy. I almost squished the vet (she's smaller than I am :lol3: ).

I know Toby doesn't have that same kind of "measurable" thing to let you know whether the chemo is working or not. And it's hard not to wonder, or have those periods of doubt. But if he's eating, playing, and acting well.... you just have to trust that the chemo is working. And when it's all over (November?), his coat will improve back to normal, and his whiskers will grow back in. :nod:



:heart3:

 

[ldg]

Barb, how's Toby doing? :cross:

 

[barbb]

Hi! I am so sorry I have not updated anyone on Toby!!! 

toby by my pc.jpg

• barbb
• Sep 11, 2012

I just took this picture of him this past weekend. And he is in the exact same spot right now, beside me as I type. He is doing well, and he just had a chemo treatment today. I notice he drools more on the way home after each treatment and the oncologist said all the cats do that, and it may be because they are already anticipating it at this point in their chemo cycle. 

The oncologist at the last visit also took Toby down to 1/2 of his usual 5mg prednisolone, and at today's visit she said he lost a little weight but that it is probably because he is on less prednisolone.

Overall I think he is doing well. He has not changed throughout this entire saga as far as being active and eating. He has mostly stopped vomiting, but I have still seen vomit, albeit infrequently. I think it has been when he is hungry at night and eats crunchies, and then eats a full breakfast on top of it.  I don't usually leave crunchies out, but until the oncologist lowered his prednisolone, I sometimes put out a bunch out of sheer desperation, after his non-stop crying wears me down and after I have opened five different cat foods to no avail (Ace and William who live outside are especially happy those days LOL as they don't discriminate LOL).

I haven't been in touch bc I've been doing consulting and hit a hard and fast deadline, so had to be downtown every day for a while. Wore myself out, had to get another iron infusion, just tried to fit too much in and now I have a raging cold and cough.

Back to Toby- we leave this Sunday for a trip out east to visit my father and my brother/sister and their spouses. Returning Saturday. This will be the longest we have gone. Toby is used to being next to me all the time. Should I start distancing myself a little bit in the next 5 days? Also does anyone have any advice for getting the cat sitter to pay special attention to finding a food he likes? Just today I opened a can as soon as we got back from chemo. He tore into it but 5 minutes later was crying. I went downstairs again with him and fluffed up the same food and he ate a bunch more. I did that 4 more times with him following me and crying each time I went back upstairs. After I was satisfied that he ate enough, I picked him up and got him settled beside me here on the desk. I'm open to suggestions! I want to make sure my boy eats and is ok. We will put a web cam in the kitchen or bedroom this week too. Haven't decided which yet. 

I would love to hear from anyone who had had to leave while their cat is undergoing chemo or treatment like this. It is nerve wracking but I am equally nervous to see my dad who is 85 and to give my husband a much needed break. 

Thank you everyone with putting up with my silence, I have been wanting to post but truly got to the point where I cut out everything that was not essential to just getting thru each day. Now that I have iron in me again I am doing better, still a little ways to go and hope I can beat most of this cold before we head out for the Jersey shore :-)

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

Barb, I hope your cold and cough will get better quick.  I have a home remedy that works miracles for me and that is mix up one half honey to one half vinegar in a jar beside your kitchen sink.  Take it by the tablespoon whenever you think about it.  It works very well for me when I get a cold. As for the cat sitter, I would just have a heart to heart and explain how things are and how important it is that Toby eat.  I have to do the same thing with Muffin's food, stir it two or three times to get him to eat it.  Muffin and Mattie eat in a cat carrier on the porch.  I have to separate them they won't eat each other's foods.  Muffin has to have a urinary food from the vet.  I wonder if Toby would go ahead and eat if you confined him.  I don't think I would try that until you get back from your trip though.  Here's hoping that you will find your Dad in good spirits and that you will have some sweet time with him while you are visiting, as well as with the rest of your family.  Hugs.  We will miss you.

 

[ldg]

Oh Barb, PLEASE do no apologize for being BUSY. Toby seemed to - overall - being doing so well, I just wanted to make sure nothing had changed. :heart2: :rub:

I wish I had a suggestion for the pet-sitting situation. Does the vet have anyone they recommend? I think perhaps a chat, a webcam, and some extra money for the extra time needed may be what's in order... :cross: I do hope you'll be able to have a worry-free visit.

 

[barbb]

Yeah maybe I will talk to her and give extra money too. After all, she is feeding my 4 cats plus two fosters and my two outdoor ferals. I already pay $15 per visit and have her do two visits daily. Maybe I can add another $10 for Toby's special circumstance. I don't know if it will make her stay longer tho, LOL. 

Thank you both for your kind words, I am totally stressed and I need to chill. I did all this work for the adoption center today after taking Toby to chemo and you know how it is, sometimes people don't appreciate it or they tell you how to do your job, or they don't tell you critical information and you just want to say REALLY? ARE YOU FOR REAL? Just ludicrous behavior. Ok I am going to just let this go for now. Thanks for listening. I will be fine tomorrow. :-)

 

[barbb]

To answer your other question, the vet and oncologist are both 25 miles away so there is nobody they could recommend for doing home visits. I pretty much know every group in the area, and my cat sitter is the best one who services my area. There is one other but the owner of it is new. They actually don't service my area either, but said they would cat sit for me because the owner's elderly parents live across the street. I met her and her sister and they both seem extremely nice and very responsible, but I don't think they have a huge amount of experience, not the kind I would need between my FIV+ kitties, the feral ones, and the one with cancer- whereas, my cat sitter has a ton of experience, has been sitting for my kitties for at least about 4 years now or more even, and was a vet tech too for several years. I am just a bit nervous because she has a newborn baby and is just now returning to cat sitting, as in, I will be her first foray back into the petsitting arena after her maternity leave. Now that you mention it though, there is one person I am thinking of and maybe I will ask her to stop in during the week and just spend time with him and pamper him. She also does pet sitting and stopped servicing my area bc her daughter was having babies and she decided to cut her business back to spend time with grandkids. But she will help if she can. Thanks for bringing this up, I would not have thought about it if you hadn't raised it!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I am SO glad things are going ok.  I think of you and Toby often, but figured you were really busy, then when I think about asking, I'm not near a PC. 

I'm going to be away next week myself, and even though I don't have a sick kitty, I worry too

.  But my petsitter tells me she never has any problems getting even my pickies to eat, and I've got one that definitely needs special "treatment", at least when I'm doing the feeding

.   Maybe he'll realize she's not you and will eat just because of that.  That's what I'm hoping will happen here, and if that's the case, I'm going to change what happens around here upon my return.  (start practicing a little tough love

)

Have a great trip! I'm sure as long as your pet sitter understands the situation, she'll make sure Toby gets his nurishment.

 

[barbb]

I just wanted to update on Toby- we went out of town to visit my family out east from Sunday the 16th and returned Saturday morning the 22nd. My father is fine and it was great to see my sister and brother and their families. We used our regular cat sitter who is a vet tech. And we put web cams in the kitchen and master bedroom so we could check on kitties while away. All in all Toby was fine. Yay! Yay! Yay! 

I have to say that the web cams are really great but also vexing because there is nothing worse than seeing your cats just lying there and you cannot pet them or talk to them or play with them. And then if they walk out of the room you wonder where the heck are they going, and why. So i'm not sure I can keep doing that LOL. But still it was somewhat comforting to look at them. But also stressful!

Toby also went to the vet today for his 12th chemo treatment, it was doxorubicin, the hard one to take, but the vet tech said he is such a sweet boy and a real champ, bc he started to doze off during his treatment. He also got benadryl and cerenia. He did not drool in the car afterwards which was incredible, and as soon as he got home, he ate an entire 3 oz can of natural balance chicken/liver. His appetite continued through the day and he ate another 3 oz can of fancy feast chicken around dinner, plus he nibbled on some fancy feast appetizers skipjack tuna. And he ate some crunchies, PLUS he was still begging for food at bedtime so I opened another can of Fancy feast chicken which he nibbled on as I went upstairs. 

The oncologist gave him a body condition score of 3/5. His weight now is up to 14.94 lbs so he has gained somewhere between 1.5 and 2 lbs. since the beginning of April. I just hope it keeps up. And so far he is not vomiting which is most important. 

Toby has four more chemos, the next one will be two weeks from today and so on, with his last treatment on November 20th. Here's hoping our boy just keeps improving. He still looks like a big furry mess, but he is very happy and that is what matters to me. 

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

;Yay Toby.  Keep it up boy.  I am glad your visit went well with your family and that Toby was okay during the time he was alone.  Years ago I had a house cat named Betsy.  We took a two week vacation out west.  My dad came over twice a day and took care of the cat.  I had an answer machine hooked up in the house where she was and I would call home every day and talk to her on the phone.

 

 

[ldg]

Barb, SUCH great news! I'm sorry the webcam was frustrating, but GREAT that things went so well while you got in a much needed family visit! :heart2:

I'm so pleased he's doing so well! :lol3: :rub: After the treatments are done, his coat will improve, and you'll have your soft, silky kitty back! And if his whiskers have fallen out or fall out, they'll grow back in! :nod:

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Great report!

 

[carolina]

OMG Barb, that's just a dream, just a DREAM!!!!!!!! :9:

 

[feralvr]

OMG Barb, that's just a dream, just a DREAM!!!!!!!! :9:

:9: Barb, catching up here!!! I am TRILLED to hear that Toby is doing so well right now AND that you had a great trip. Keeping you and Toby in my prayers, hun. Continuing the vibes too

 

[barbb]

Thank you! I am very relieved too! He has not eaten as much in these subsequent days but he is still eating really well. Here is a picture of him back from the vet, you can see the orange bandage around his right front leg from his chemo, he jumped up on the counter before I could even take it off LOL.

toby eating after chemo.JPG

• barbb
• Sep 29, 2012