Bubba has had a relapse

[roxie]

Bubba, my cat that was recently diagnosed with FIA is sick again. I just posted last night that he was doing great. Today he has just laid around. No playing with his toys or running with his sister. He feels like he's burning up with a fever. His gums, nose, and paw pads are white again. He has still been eating today, just not as much. I gave him some pedialyte a little while ago. Trying to give his system a boost. I don't know if I can go through this again so soon. He almost died just a few short weeks ago. He was so anemic even the vet didn't think he would make it through the night. It seems like a couple of days after he finishes the antibiotics he starts going downhill again. He can't take antibiotics forever! I can tell he's getting weak. He can only stand up for about 3 minutes and then he has to lay down. I've got another day before the vet opens. How do I keep his strength up until then? I'm just so frustrated. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[jcat]

No suggestions, but I know how you're feeling, having gone through the ups and downs, hopes and fears not so long ago. for Bubba, and for you!

 

[roxie]

No suggestions, but I know how you're feeling, having gone through the ups and downs, hopes and fears not so long ago. for Bubba, and for you!

Thank you. He's still trying to eat. He only ate about a fourth of his wet food. He usually eats the whole bowl. His sissy can't understand why he doesn't want to run and play. She was cleaning his head earlier. I think they can sense when something's wrong. I hope your ups and downs have leveled out now. I gave him some more pedialyte today. I'm going to buy some liver tomorrow. I'm not sure which is better for him, chicken or beef? His body is attacking his red blood cells and I need something to help build them up.

 

[dan32]

Wasn't Bubba taking Clavamox for his FIA?  Did you say above that you finsihed all of your medicine?  You had said in your original thread that Clavamox was not the usual remedy for FIA.  Maybe he needs to be on it longer. 

Anemia is a very scary condition.  When my Kinney had the bad episode with anemia, he had to get a transfusion which is usually given in a hospital type of environment.  I don't think a regular vet's office keeps blood around in all the various types.

 

[dan32]

I was just looking up FIA and was reading that the usual medicine is Doxycycline for 3-4 weeks, so this is not an easy illness to stamp out.  Looks like they sometimes give steroids in addition to the antibiotics.  http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_feline_infectious_anemia.html

 

[roxie]

He took the clavamox the first time when we thought his tail was broke. He got anemic right toward the end of his dosage. Then he put him back on it for the FIA. He was doing good, but again he got anemic when he had only two doses left. Doxycycline and prednisone is the normal treatment for FIA. I'm going to see if I can get the doxycycline from my regular vet tomorrow without having to take him in. I feel like it might work much better than the clavamox. He finished all of it even though I felt like it was making him sicker. Just really frustrating. When I went to clean the last litter box tonight ( actually last night, 3 am here) there was runny poop all in the tub. I have a litter box in that bathtub because the tub/ shower is never used and the shower curtain keeps it hid. I do shower, just in another bathroom! Anyway, the smell was so bad I got sick. He almost made it to the litter box. This is the first diarrhea he's had. He definitely doesn't need to lose anymore nutrients.

 

[ldg]

FIA = Feline infectious anemia. He needs to be on the proper antibiotics to kill the parasite causing the problem. This is very different than Feline Immune-mediated Hemolytic Anemia in Cats (IMHA).

The steroid may help: but ultimately the antibiotics are necessary.

Have you changed his food or added anything to his diet? If you tried to feed him egg yolk, that might have been the culprit.

 

[roxie]

The vet called in some prednisone and doxycycline to my pharmacy today. They have to compound it so it will be later this afternoon before its ready. I hope we're on the right track now. I just want Bubba back like he used to be. He's lost so much weight since this started.

 

[dan32]

 

[roxie]

Bubba has been on the Doxycycline and Prednisone for almost five days now. It's supposed to be a ten day supply, but it doesn't look like its going to last that long. The vet has him taking 2 ml of both meds twice a day. He doesn't like it at all! It must taste nasty. I tried giving him water in the medicine dropper afterwards, but he wasn't hanging around for that. I do good just to get both meds down him before he gets away from me. I'm giving them to him at the same time. The vet didn't say anything about waiting a while before I gave him the second medicine. The good news is he has a little pink color on his gums, nose and paw pads! Yea! I hope this means its killing the parasite. He gets in a really rowdy mood after he takes his medicine. I don't know if that could be a side effect of the prednisone or not. I just hope he keeps improving.

 

[dan32]

I had the prednisone made up into a chicken flavored suspension.  Kinney has been getting this for over a month and doesn't seem to mind it too much, although I have heard that pred is bitter.

When Kinney was taking Doxycycline, that I had made into a topical that I put on his ear.  Just to say that Doxy can be delivered as a topical.  Kinney never got that orally, so I am not sure how that one tastes.

Just to say that there could be other alternatives if taste is an issue.

 

[roxie]

Dan32 I didn't know you could get them flavored. I do remember seeing on Kinney's page where you did the topical. I'm not sure if my pharmacy could do that or not. He seems to dislike, (a mild word for how he feels), the Doxycycline more than the Prednisone. He doesn't fight quite as hard when he gets the prednisone. Does it make a difference if I give him the doxycycline first and then the prednisone? I didn't know if I was supposed to wait a certain amount of time between the two meds. If I had to wait I'm not sure I would be able to catch him again! I've been giving him a treat after he gets both of them down. Either temptations or greenies. I'm hoping that will make it a little more tolerable.

 

[roxie]

Bubba is back to 100% finally! He's gaining weight and looking healthy. Since he has trouble with posting he wanted me to thank everyone. Thanks to everyone that answered my cry for help. Thank you for all the helpful advice and information. I was so scared I was going to lose him. You all helped me get through it.

 

[roxie]

Bubba's says

 

[roxie]

That's supposed to just say Bubba, not Bubba's. My phone changes words for me. I should have previewed it before I submitted it!

 

[goholistic]

This is wonderful news! So glad to hear Bubba is back! 

 

[dan32]

So, is his script for doxy finished?  What is happening with the pred dosing?  Is he still on it or tapering off?

 

[roxie]

He finished the doxy. The pred lasted a couple of days longer. It has 2 more refills on it. I haven't refilled it since he's been doing so well. I didn't know it had any refills until I was fixing to throw the bottle away. I kept the bottle just in case. Maybe I should call the vet and ask if he wanted him to continue it longer. He just said to give him the doxy and pred until they were gone. Should I have kept him on it longer?

 

[dan32]

I don't think you can stop pred cold turkey.  They usually taper them off to every other day, then cut the dose.

 

[roxie]

I didn't realize that. He was only on it for 12 days. He didn't seem to have any bad side effects when he stopped taking it. The vet had him on 2.5mg twice a day. Is that a high dosage? Maybe he wasn't on it long enough to have the withdrawal problems.