3 Weeks Post Intussusception Surgery, Still Vomiting

[tresblackcats]

I have an almost 8 month old rescue kitten that had surgery for an intussusception that resulted in the removal and resection of nearly 10 inches of her intestine over Thanksgiving. She remained hospitalized for 5 days with IV fluids and medications. There were no parasites or foreign objects found and it is believed a birth defect was responsible. She never grew properly and only weighs a little more than 5 pounds currently. The intussusception was especially bad as the portion of intestine had already died, turned black and according to the emergency vet, had the most horrific smell he’d ever experienced. Her recovery has gone well, she began eating with no difficulty less than 24 hours after surgery. Within 3 days she had finally had a bowel movement with no issue. No infection developed. She is quite active though not 100% back to normal.

Now, nearly 3 weeks post surgery and she is still vomiting after nearly every meal. She has a very good appetite and is only being fed canned food and we feed small meals about 4 times a day over 24 hours. We have tried a half dose of Cerenia which works for the 24 hours or a little longer, but once it wears off the vomiting continues. The vet has now prescribed a motility medication, Metoclopramide, to see if faster emptying of the stomach will help.

Anyone with experience that could offer any suggestions or help?

 

[mservant]

No experience but hope you get some advice from someone who has as it sounds like you and your cat have been through a lot together. She must be very precious to you having fought through all this with her.

Can you feed any more regularly and in smaller amounts or does that not help at all?

 

[KittyChaos]

That's a big surgery for the little one. Try what your doctor recommends if it doesn't work then go straight back to the vet and don't hesitate, get it under control as quickly as possible.

Did they take xrays of her chest? If it has congenital defects there may be something wrong higher than the abdomen- such as her esophagus. We had a rescue kitten that we managed to get to a year old due to a congenital defect causing megaesophagus with a narrowing at one point right before her stomach. She regurgitated and vomited often. I'd go back to the vet if the

 

[tresblackcats]

No experience but hope you get some advice from someone who has as it sounds like you and your cat have been through a lot together. She must be very precious to you having fought through all this with her.

Can you feed any more regularly and in smaller amounts or does that not help at all?

Thank you. She is 1 of 11, but each one is precious to us. They are family. We have tried all kinds of things. It’s not after every meal, so it’s difficult to pin point which foods cause her to vomit. What she eats this time, may not cause it next time. It’s very frustrating and I feel terribly for her.

That's a big surgery for the little one. Try what your doctor recommends if it doesn't work then go straight back to the vet and don't hesitate, get it under control as quickly as possible.

Did they take xrays of her chest? If it has congenital defects there may be something wrong higher than the abdomen- such as her esophagus. We had a rescue kitten that we managed to get to a year old due to a congenital defect causing megaesophagus with a narrowing at one point right before her stomach. She regurgitated and vomited often. I'd go back to the vet if the

Definitely getting the prescribed meds and trying that. We have a VERY good relationship with our vet. We’ve been there 3 of the last 5 days and spoken on the phone the other 2 already. She has had at least 6 sets of X-rays and a couple unltrasounds. The US I’m confident we’re only of the abdomen. The X-rays were basically neck to tail. They were looking for obstructions pre surgery then X-rays after to make sure things were going well. Nothing with the esophagus was mentioned, so that is something I can definitely mention when I talk with my doctor tomorrow.

Now, she had exploratory surgery, which is how he found the intussusception, and he did say he found no other issues or defects. Would he have just been speaking of intestinal? This is our first experience with anything like this, so I’m not sure what all they look at during exploratory abdominal surgery.

Thank you both for your replies!!

 

[KittyChaos]

Thank you. She is 1 of 11, but each one is precious to us. They are family. We have tried all kinds of things. It’s not after every meal, so it’s difficult to pin point which foods cause her to vomit. What she eats this time, may not cause it next time. It’s very frustrating and I feel terribly for her.



Definitely getting the prescribed meds and trying that. We have a VERY good relationship with our vet. We’ve been there 3 of the last 5 days and spoken on the phone the other 2 already. She has had at least 6 sets of X-rays and a couple unltrasounds. The US I’m confident we’re only of the abdomen. The X-rays were basically neck to tail. They were looking for obstructions pre surgery then X-rays after to make sure things were going well. Nothing with the esophagus was mentioned, so that is something I can definitely mention when I talk with my doctor tomorrow.

Now, she had exploratory surgery, which is how he found the intussusception, and he did say he found no other issues or defects. Would he have just been speaking of intestinal? This is our first experience with anything like this, so I’m not sure what all they look at during exploratory abdominal surgery.

Thank you both for your replies!!

Megaesophagus shows up on x-ray like a giant blinking neon sign that says HERE I AM so if they got a neck to tail (what we call a cat-o-gram in humor) they would have seen it. I can't say what he meant by that but if he said it after the surgery in the context of the definition of exploratory surgery then he means that he checked all of the major organs in the abdomen which is per-usual for those kinds of surgeries anyways. He would have investigated all abdominal organs by sight and/or feel which is why the incision is usually much larger than a spay surgery. The diaphragm blocks the ability to enter the chest cavity (otherwise the lungs would not inflate on their own during abdominal surgeries) so the chest cavity is more often and more easily examined using x-rays which works well since it's full of air and more easily defined than the abdomen.

 

[mservant]

Great that you have a good relationship with your vet and can keep in regular contact with them. Hope the prescription meals make a difference.

 

[tresblackcats]

Sorry for no replies, I am not getting alerts to responses, maybe going to my spam folder.

Anyway, we started the Reglan as instructed by our vet. The vomiting improved, though has not stopped completely. She had not gained even n ounce in the month since surgery. Barely 5lbs at 8 months old. The light colored, loose stools have also returned. I have been pouring over the internet looking for newest and may have found some. I believe she may be suffering from exocrine pancreatic insufficiency or EPI. She has every single symptom listed and has had them her entire life.

My vet has been closed during the Christmas break and will reopen tomorrow and I’m going to have a discussion on what I’ve found. I happened to have a bottle of ProZyme on hand and began putting that into her food on Sunday. I weighed her last night and she has already gained 1/2 a pound. Her stools are beginning to take shape again as well. She also seems more satisfied after eating. We have never been able to feed her enough food and she always acts completely starved. If EPI is intact her problem, I want to change the enzymes to Bio Case Plus since it also includes Vitamin B12 and it animal based enzymes. Anyone have any expierience with EPI?

 

[mservant]

I don't have any knowledge of the things you are trying now, or the condition you think it might be, but I am glad your vet is continuing to be supportive and talk things through. It's good they will be open again soon so you can check this EPI out. She does sound tiny and must be very cute - some cats do stay very small, esp when they have had health issues as little kittens even if they then gain good health as they mature.
Let us know how you get on chatting with the vet again about this.

 

[tresblackcats]

I don't have any knowledge of the things you are trying now, or the condition you think it might be, but I am glad your vet is continuing to be supportive and talk things through. It's good they will be open again soon so you can check this EPI out. She does sound tiny and must be very cute - some cats do stay very small, esp when they have had health issues as little kittens even if they then gain good health as they mature.
Let us know how you get on chatting with the vet again about this.

Thanks, will do!

 

[tresblackcats]

UPDATE: We are currently on day 12 of NO vomiting! This beats the last record of 4 days. The Reglan was not working and actually seemed to be making things worse. So after much trial and error, we have a new regimen that appears to be working wonderfully. We are now doing 4mg Cerenia every other day, Prilosec every day, porcine Enzymes at every meal and vitamin B12 added to her food a few times a week. Since beginning this new treatment plan, Hope has gained over a pound and a half, her hair has grown back, her stools are completely normal her activity level is through the roof and no vomiting.

 

[mservant]

Sounds like things are improving, so long may this continue.