Anemic, not eating & can't find a reason why

[frankthetank]

Haven't posted in awhile but my oldest kitty is having an issue.

He is about 13, was a shelter cat rescue when he was adopted by my husband as a young cat so no full birthdate is known.

He loves dry food and has always been a little chunky.
More solid than fat.
Last month he stopped eating dry food as much. We supplemented with more wet food thinking he was just getting older and needing softer food

He started losing weight so we supplemented more wet food. We bought various kinds and he liked to lick broth more than eat. We thought maybe he had a tooth issue but didn't see anything. Made a vet appt tested a for tonight bc he stopped trying to eat more than a few bites.

They tested for feline leukemia and FIV, did blood tests, urine tests. Negative on the leukemia and FIV. His kidney levels are fine, his liver fine, glucose levels slightly elevated but urine doesn't show signs of diabetes.
The only thing they found was he is VERY anemic. Red blood cells are at 13% and should be over 30% (I think im explaining that right... )

But they don't know what caused the anemia and the anemia alone shouldn't cause him to not eat.
The vet was about to close and aren't open tomorrow. They said they couldn't do further testing there but suggested the emergency vet nearby to run more testing, give a blood transfusion and fluids.

The vet called the emergency vet to fill them in on the tests and I called after. I basically asked for a base price quote for the things the vet suggested. The on duty vet at the emergency place said with a feeding tube, fluids, transfusion, and overnight stay before he can even see an internal medicine specialist for more testing...we are looking at $2000-$3000 to start. She said it could be more or less but they won't know until they do more testing

At this point we don't even know what's wrong and to find out we are looking at a huge bill and it could still end up being nothing.

We are calling two other emergency vets tomorrow and we have copies of his blood tests from today. I am basically posting to see if anyone has had anything similar or has and advice.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Did your Vet check for internal parasites?  This can be a cause of anemia,along with a lot of other reasons such as trauma (internal bleeding), toxins, cancer, even a long term infection .  And Anemia can definitely cause loss of appetite.

Before your regular Vet sent you away, did they at least give him a B12 shot or anything?  Sadly, Emergency Vet's are extremely expensive

  Is there another regular Vet in town that's open today?  Wonder why your Vet isn't open today?  Tomorrow (Christmas) I can understand, but today is just another day for most of the country.  Do you have the test results that you could take with you anywhere you choose to go? 

It's really almost impossible to say what's causing the problem, but I'm passing along those famous TCS vibes that one of the local Vet's can figure it out. 

 

[frankthetank]

No the vet did NONE of that. He told us that anemia shouldn't cause loss of appetite.
We researched a TON last night and realized he could have done a lot more than he did (the vet). I think it's because it was almost their closing time that they just didn't delve into things more. Honestly I was pretty unhappy with the vet.
It was our first time there.

I volunteer/foster with a local rescue. The owner brought me IV fluids, and we gave him those. We also got b12 and gave him a b12 shot.
The vet printed out the blood test results so we can take them wherever we go. A LOT of offices are closed here today also, even the mobile vet that works with the rescue I volunteer with and does house calls. We are taking him to another vet that the rescue works with on Friday.
Currently he is licking at food and we are keeping a continuous amount of wet food out for him as well as giving him syringes of chicken and beef plain baby food mixed with plain pedialyte. When we take him in on friday we are asking them to run more tests to try and figure out what is going on If he gets any worse we will do the 24hr emerg vet but if he stays as active as he has been and is still trying to eat even of it's not as much as he should be eating, we will wait til Friday to go to the recommended vet.
Thanks for the vibes.

 

[frankthetank]

Went to a different vet clinic today. She checked him out and unfortunately said he needed a transfusion and while she had a couple ideas of what may be causing the anemia, she'd have to send out the blood for tests and it would take a few days for results and she didn't think he had a few days. She called a nearby emerg clinic for us and got a price quote and explained what was going on. We headed over there. Bc we had seen the vet and been referred, the initial exam cost was discounted which was nice. They wanted to examine him before doing a transfusion. After we again went over what had been going on with him with both a vet student and than one of the vets, they said they'd like to try to find the cause of anemia before doing a transfusion. So they wanted to draw blood again to check levels and do an ultrasound. They thought an ultrasound would tell them more about the cause of anemia.
They said it would be about 2-3 hours and to leave and come back. We headed home and had been home twenty min when they called to say they had ultrasound results and wanted to go over them so we headed back.
The results were bad.
His small intestine is being pulled into his large intestine. His stomach is full of food that he can't digest/discard.
To fix it he needs surgery. They don't know of surgery would even help though because they can't tell if he even has enough healthy intestine to fix his intestines. Also, the issue could be caused by a mass on his intestine (cancer) or infection...both of which couldn't guarantee to be fixed by surgery. That combined with how weak/anemic he is-which makes him a bad candidate for anesthesia, they don't think he would make it through surgery/anesthesia.
So the options were surgery that would most likely kill him and /or not fix the problem...euthanize...or bring him home on painkillers to let him pass in peace.

We opted for bringing him home on painkillers. They expect him to pass away within a couple days.

We are heartbroken. He is the sweetest cat. He is on painkillers and wobbly...just laying on the couch. We want him to be able to be peaceful and surrounded by us and our other cats for his last couple days.

 

[forrestmeows]

I'm so sorry Frankthetank! When my girl had emergency surgery to remove a furball obstruction, my vet told me that her intestines were very fragile. My vet thought she might have cancer. Fortunately, she did not. Sometimes, things can appear worse than they actually are.

Have you considered calling another vet to ask what they think? I'm not sure whether the answer would differ, but it might be worth checking into. Maybe you have already done so.

I'm really sorry. Sending lots of love. :heart4:

 

[misterwhiskers]

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Very sorry to hear this.

 

[petunia42]

So very sorry! Frank is a beautiful and sweet kitty and you are giving him the most loving and compassionate last few days. Your poor hearts must be broken. Much love, pats and hugs to you all.

 

[frankthetank]

Jake went to a vet Tuesday, and two on Friday.
The two Friday, one a regular vet and another an emergency vet, both agreed anesthesia with his weakened state wasn't a good idea. He needs surgery no matter what and I honestly just can't put him through another car ride and vet visit to get more tests to have the same results. I don't think another opinion would be any different.
At this point we are trying to decide if we think he is in pain and we should try to get a mobile vet to come to put him to sleep or if we think he will pass on his own. The vets didn't think he had more than a couple days left but it's been heartbreaking watching him. It's also heartbreaking to have to euthanize so really either way it's a hard situation.

Here is a picture of Jake, our sick kitty.

image.jpg

• frankthetank
• Dec 27, 2014

My profile picture I believe is still my kitty Joey from when he was at the emergency vet three years ago getting treatment for a kidney blockage. (He recovered and is still with us).

 

[petunia42]

My heart breaks for you and Jake. You love him dearly and you have no options left unless to let him pass compassionately and with dignity. I will be there with you shortly with an older diabetic cat with a multitude of other problems. Know your poor heart is breaking but the most loving thing you can do is allow him to pass gracefully. You and I would not want our loves prolonged if we were falling apart and in pain. Wishing you love and sending many hugs at this devastating time.

Jake looks like a sweet, beautiful, loving kitty. Sending him love and strokes of his beautiful fur.

 

[misterwhiskers]

Poor baby. He really is having a tough time of it. Sending you hugs and prayers for guidance.

 

[frankthetank]

We are calling a couple mobile vets in the morning to try and see if we can get someone to come to our house to put him to sleep.
We want to stop his suffering. I am not sure any of them work Sundays but I hope so. He is definitely nearing the end which we expected by tomorrow anyway. We just don't want to keep him suffering. We have done continuous pain meds but think he is ready to go. We are looking for someone who can come here because we worry about the stress of another car ridevet visit with how weak and such he already is.

 

[petunia42]

Sending you love and hugs at this difficult time.

 

[andieg]

My heart goes out to you and your family. Watching our loved ones go through illnesses is difficult.  My prayers are with him for peace.

 

[forrestmeows]

I'm so sorry about Jake. You have done all you can do for him. You're a wonderful kitty parent. I'm sure Jake loves you very much for taking such great care of him.

Sending lots of love to you. :heart4: :heart4::heart4: