Cat Will Not Stop Trying To Pee After Iv Fluids Administered

[brittpatt]

Hi there - I'm having a total freak out.

I took my cat to a specialist, her creatitine level was at 3.6 and they recommended that she stay over night for two days to get IV fluids administered to get the creatitine level down. She had 1 liter administered over 2 days.

I just picked her up and she is acting sick and is obsessed with trying to pee but nothing is coming out. She did however pee during the car ride home, so there must not be an abstruction.

She did not test positive for a UTI... Does anyone know what could possibly be causing this? I took her in for a voluntary procedure and she seems 100% worse now than she was before. I feel absolutely terrible for taking her in.

 

[Margret]

If she wants to pee, there's pressure on the bladder. If there's nothing in the bladder then there's something in the abdominal cavity that's pressing on the bladder. I think you need to ask the vet whether some of that IV fluid could have somehow ended up elsewhere.

When my aunt had similar symptoms while in the hospital recovering from surgery it was caused by internal hemorrhaging, and the intense need to pee when there was actually nothing in her bladder was a big red warning signal to competent medical personnel (and the entire shift of nurses who missed that warning signal were fired for cause).

You did right taking her in, and this should not have happened as a result of this procedure. You had no way to anticipate that it would, so jettison the guilt and concentrate on getting her the treatment that she needs now.

Margret

 

[brittpatt]

Hi Margret,
Thank you so much for your reply. I see you are in Littleton - I'm in downtown Denver. I took my cat to Parker Emergency and Specialty, so far this has been the biggest mistake I have made as a pet owner.

I called them in the middle of the night with the symptoms above and they told me I must come in for UTI drugs. I drove all the way back to Parker from my house picked up the drugs and gave her the first dosage and tried to go to sleep. The cat is literally pacing around my bedroom trying to pee everywhere and I cannot sleep. I called the vet back and now the are telling me she needs pain meds (not sure how within 2 hours she suddenly has a different diagnosis).

Do you know what the procedure is for internal hemorrhaging?

Thank you so much. I'm having a terrible day and it's so good to have someone to talk to about this.

 

[Margret]

The procedure for internal hemorrhaging is emergency surgery to sew up whatever is bleeding, but I think it's more likely that she has IV fluid in her abdomen and it just needs to be drained.

As for you making a mistake, I've already told you what I think of that. You had no reason to expect something like this to happen, and every reason to take your cat in for the IV. Let the guilt go!!! You aren't God; stop expecting yourself to be omniscient.

We're actually in unincorporated Jefferson County, the Columbine area. I just looked up Parker Emergency and Specialty; that's quite a drive for you. It may be time to get a second opinion. I recommend VRCC in Englewood: Englewood, Colorado Animal Hospital - 24 Hour Pet ER Englewood - Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Hospital. It's closer to you; they're available 24/7; and it's a really good veterinary hospital. They took extremely good care of our Pretzel when she was dying of cancer.

Margret

 

[duckpond]

Sending you guys good thoughts. Hoping that she is doing better!

 

[Margret]

brittpatt , how is your cat doing today? We worry.

Margret

 

[brittpatt]

Hi Margret,

I took her back to the vet in Parker 2 AM Thursday and they gave us antibiotics for a UTI. Apparently her urinary tests were done on Monday, so they suspected she got a UTI either Tuesday or Wednesday while at the vet. Yesterday was a very rough day, but she is FINALLY starting to act more normal. She is still straining to pee a lot but she has energy and life back in her. And she is starting to eat again too!

 

[duckpond]

I am glad that she seems to be doing better! Hopefully she will be back to normal very soon. keep us updated.

 

[Margret]

Oh, good! That's a great relief!

Be sure she finishes all the antibiotics, of course, and you'll want to give her some fortiflora or other probiotic afterwards to get her gut bacteria back to normal.

UTIs are the pits. The last time I had one it ended up hospitalizing me.

Margret

 

[brittpatt]

Thanks for the info about fortiflora and probiotic! I work from home and she's sleeping a lot. It really did a number on her system.

 

[brittpatt]

Also, does anyone know if antibiotics make cats sneeze?

 

[Margret]

Thanks for the info about fortiflora and probiotic! I work from home and she's sleeping a lot. It really did a number on her system.

You're quite welcome. And, yes, it would have.

Also, does anyone know if antibiotics make cats sneeze?

No, they shouldn't. Perhaps her recent travels have exposed her to some dust or pollen that she's never encountered before? Pollen season is getting well under way in Colorado right now, and the weather's been extremely dry.

How much is she sneezing? Is it interfering with her sleep?

Margret

 

[brittpatt]

She is sneezing a lot, but it's not affecting her sleep.

I regret ever taking her to the vet for the fluid therapy. She was happy and was not acting sick. I did this as a proactive measure to lower her creatinine so she would continue to feel well. Now, she's acting sick and miserable. She was acting better this morning but now all she will do is sleep and I have to feed her with a spoon. I'm terrified she's dying. The vet keeps telling me to calm down and I need to give her one more day to recover.

 

[Margret]

If she isn't better by morning get a second opinion. A vet visit for I.V. fluids should not lead to a UTI. Try VRCC this time, or some other emergency vet clinic; do not go back to Parker!

For now, keep giving the antibiotics as ordered, but your cat should be getting better, not worse, and you have every right to be unhappy about things. If you see any further sign that she's getting worse, call VRCC immediately, tonight if necessary; they're open 24/7. The number is 303-874-PETS, which comes to 303-874-7387.

Don't let anyone talk you into doubting your perception of how well she is; you know her best and if you think she's seriously ill then she's seriously ill.

I'll PM you.

Margret

 

[brittpatt]

Great news - She's eating! Granted in might be from a spoon but still we'll take what we can get!

 

[Margret]

Very glad to hear it!

She's such a beautiful girl. How old is she? What's her name?

Margret

 

[brittpatt]

She's 13. Her name is Ming.

 

[brittpatt]

I think she's doing better, but I'm still scared. She is no longer straining to pee and going to the litterbox every 5 minutes which is a HUGE win. Now she goes to the litterbox every few hours and has a substantial pee each time. She's eating now WITHOUT a spoon! She's not eating as much as I would like her too but we're getting there. Heating up her food a bit has really worked.

Bad news is she has a cold. I think the stress of being hospitalized really messed up her immune system. She sounds congested and sneezes a lot. I've tried putting her in the bathroom with the shower on so she can get some humidity - we'll see if that helps.

She also seems incredibly depressed. I think she probably feels really rotten. She was NOT acting this way at all before I took her to the vet for the IV and I still feel terrible she had to undergo that treatment. It definitely was not the right choice for her.

She's still on her antibiotics - this is day 4. I'm wondering if she feels bad due to the UTI and the cold... She wants nothing to do with me and wants to sleep a ton. I really hope she starts to improve more over the next day or so.

 

[catlover73]

Since Ming is eating and going to the bathroom good for right now. I would just let her have a day to rest. She has been through a lot in a short amount of time. Perhaps tomorrow you could try doing a steam treatment for the cold. Run the shower as hot as possible to steam up the bathroom. Take Ming into the bathroom and sit with her in the steam room for 15-20 minutes 2x-3x a day. This may help her feel better by breaking up some of the congestion. I would also call the vet and ask if the antibiotics she is currently on will also treat her cold. If the sneezing starts getting worse, her eating habits change again or you notice yellowish or greenish discharge from her eyes then please take her back to the vet because she may need a different antibiotic to treat a URI (Upper Respiratory Infection). If her sneezing and appetite are stable you can run things by your vet over the phone. Sometimes minor colds can be resolved with steam treatments as long as your baby continues to eat, drink and go to the bathroom in a normal pattern. If you notice green or yellow eye discharge that is a sign of a possible eye infection. My vet prescribed antibiotic eye drops years ago for my Casey when he got an eye infection with his URI. The eye drops got rid of the infection pretty quickly and were not expensive. You are doing an excellent job managing Ming's health.

 

[brittpatt]

Update: She was acting totally normal for two days and now is very lethargic again and seems kinda miserable. She is not eating much at all.

I'm leaving for an international trip tomorrow for 10 days. I found a vet tech pet sitter to take care of her but I'm still terrified to leave her.