Demedrol and activyl side effects

anni7

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I took my cat Snowy to the vet yesterday for his flea treatment Activyl that he has had before more than once. He also received depo medrol shot to stop flea skin allergy. We are doing flea control like spray bomb at home and even purchased a steamer for carpets but we find it difficult to eradicate fleas as the come from under the door and on us from the outside as there are many animals where we live at the moment many of which arent treated probably.
A few times the cat had the depo he was off his food and a bit lethargic not as playful or active. Yesterday i again told the vet how he was off his food for 24 hrs after his last treatment. Twice the vet said it shouldnt be happening and the depo does the reverse- make him eat and drink more.
So after he came home he seemed ok but didnt ear dinner and shortly after started to vomit. This was over 10 hours og getting the flea skin treatment and depo. He started to vomit and vomited hair ball and then more hair. In about 40 minutes Snowy vomited about 8 times. He grew weak and had a hard time walking. He couldnt jump up to get to his water bowl on the kitchen counter.
When he vomited again he sort of screamed and we assumed it could be the vomit itritated and burnt his throat. It was 2 am and we were half asleep and didnt know what to do. He had fast unusual breathing and his head was drooping he couldnt walk much so just stayed in one spot.
Then within the hour we took him to an emergency vet close by by taxi. The nurse looked at him and said his vitals were normal apart from incidental finding of heart murmur. He initially had "weird breathing" she said but then it calmed down. It would have cost us a lot if the vet was called and the nurse said there was no necessity but make appointment with regular vet which we did and are taking him in now. Its now 1 am so all this took less than 12 hrs. He ate a bit this morning and is stronger and playful a bit as well.
Did anyone ever have a similar experience?
I want to know what could cause this- this def was not hairball aloen causing this. Coupd this be the Activyl which he had before that the vet applied?
Since he previously was off food before when he received flea treatment i think it could also be the depo medrol.
 
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anni7

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Meant to say 1 pm not am
 

margd

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I've never had this happen but was curious so searched for side effects of depo medrol.   From what I read,  lethargy does occur in some cats as does vomiting and loss of muscle control.  I also read it shouldn't be given to cats with cardiac issues.   http://www.petmd.com/pet-medication/methyl-prednisolone   Anyway, it might be worth asking your vet about it.

 By now you have probably been and are back from the vet - what did (s)he say?  And how is Snowy?

Welcome to TCS, by the way.  I wish it were under better circumstances.  
 
 
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anni7

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We went to our vet who said that it was a reaction possibly allergic to Activyl flea treatment carrier ie the active ingredient was not what caused it but the solution did. They said all these treatment solution carriers are similar so there is not much we can give our cats. Our other cat Tabby is Snowys litter brother and he had bad reactions before to two treatments for fleas one on the neck and one a tablet.
We were told they never had a fatality but these things can happen in various degrees so he cant have these treatments again.
So it was not Depo Medrol causing it.
Because other times he had been off his food it was both flea treatment and depo that were given. So this confused me.
The cat is better today.
Yesterday he was weak. The vet said that the weakness was from spasm in his oesophagus or somewhere there in his throat it automatically closes to prevent aspiration of vomit and as he vomited 7-8 times in just 40 or so min his throat closed and it made him weak.
 
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anni7

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So weakness was likely from lack of oxygen due to spasm in throat to close airway from vomit. It looked dreadful. We were really scared.
What was not good is that we argued sort of at home and when my partner spoke to the nurse on duty i was crying sort of hysterical as the cat was screaming several times during vomiting and my partner must have told me to be quite or something and the nurse on duty put it all i to record saying we argued on the phone and all the time we were in the reception.
We did argue but not all the time we just didnt know what to do and at times i was crying and generally it was agitated conversation. The nurse also said that my partner told her that we didnt have the money which was not true we would just not that night but in 2 hours the money would be there.
So she said that the entire time we were there we spent in the reception arguing. As if we didnt want to come inside with the cat to the treatment room. This was not true- i have a heart problem so i wanted to stay outside in case i get sicker. It isnt dangerous heary issue but it makes me a bit sick and also at times cranky. So all i have read about our problem was that the nutse wrote how we argued on the phone and in person. This may mean the next time it will be a problem if we have another emergency going there. This vet is just next suburb away and it is a good thing to have 24 hr emergency so close. So i al concerned they put all this on out record. We did argue but part of it was i was crying, out of breath due to my heart and things like that.. My fiance did offer to go in with cat but it was the nurse who said wait here.
I dont know what to do about the story that she placed on out record..
 

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I'm glad you know what caused it.  And thank heavens he's feeling better today.  
  That must have been scary, though.  Interesting about the oesophagus shutting down after so much vomiting.  

Does this mean you can't treat Snowy for fleas any more?  
 
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anni7

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Yea it looked prob worse than it was. The vet said that also vocalising during vomiting is a normal thing too some cats do this. Snowy is a loud vocal cat normally as is.
We cant give him flea treatments again not of the same or related type.
 

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So weakness was likely from lack of oxygen due to spasm in throat to close airway from vomit. It looked dreadful. We were really scared.
What was not good is that we argued sort of at home and when my partner spoke to the nurse on duty i was crying sort of hysterical as the cat was screaming several times during vomiting and my partner must have told me to be quite or something and the nurse on duty put it all i to record saying we argued on the phone and all the time we were in the reception.
We did argue but not all the time we just didnt know what to do and at times i was crying and generally it was agitated conversation. The nurse also said that my partner told her that we didnt have the money which was not true we would just not that night but in 2 hours the money would be there.
So she said that the entire time we were there we spent in the reception arguing. As if we didnt want to come inside with the cat to the treatment room. This was not true- i have a heart problem so i wanted to stay outside in case i get sicker. It isnt dangerous heary issue but it makes me a bit sick and also at times cranky. So all i have read about our problem was that the nutse wrote how we argued on the phone and in person. This may mean the next time it will be a problem if we have another emergency going there. This vet is just next suburb away and it is a good thing to have 24 hr emergency so close. So i al concerned they put all this on out record. We did argue but part of it was i was crying, out of breath due to my heart and things like that.. My fiance did offer to go in with cat but it was the nurse who said wait here.
I dont know what to do about the story that she placed on out record..
I'd already hit the send button before seeing this.  And I have to say I'm appalled that the nurse wrote anything at all about you.  You weren't the patient.  Snowy was.  And I bet there have been plenty of very upset people in reception before, worried about their beloved pet and how they were going to pay for whatever needed to be done.  It's an emergency vet, for heavens sake.  People are scared when someone they love has to be raced to the emergency room, whether four legged or two legged.  And since it's an emergency and unexpected, they rarely have the funds just sitting there.  Anyway, I'm sorry you had such a bad time.  It sounds like a nightmare.  Hopefully there won't be a problem if you have to go again.  I mean it's not like you threw a chair through the window or socked the nurse in the nose!  You were just upset.  And reasonably so!  
 
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anni7

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I am really worried about this because this entry went to our normal vet. Yea i have a tendency to blame people when things go wrong and i did tell my fiance off for telling me to go back home when we were waiting for a taxi while the item was on me... So yea i was not the patient and was confused as i woke up to all the commotion (my fiance was up at 2 am doing something as he often sleeps weird hours)... It is a bit concerning what such story may mean to any other vet or person who we may go for help to at that emergency vet).

Thanks i also felt it was normal to be upset and maybe it looked like we were arguing but half of the time it was just the confusing about not being able to know what to do and my partner making some sarcastic comments not as he often does, not necessarily arguing or angry
 
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margd

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it really does sound like a horrible experience.  Nerves get frayed at times like these and being human, people sound off.   I would think a vet would understand that.  Plus, they want your business.  Just be cool and collected next time and this probably won't have any impact at all.  I still have to say, though - I've never heard of a veterinary nurse keeping notes on the human half of the cat/human partnership.   Maybe I'm naive but it just seems highly inappropriate.  
 

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I'm sure your vet has seen it all before. People are not themselves in these situations, those who work regularly with people in these situations, don't take it too seriously. I wouldn't be overly worried about what your vet might think of you. You were woken up to an urgent situation that you didn't know what needed to be done about it, it was sudden and unexpected. It is normal to be cranky, upset, not have it all together in those circumstances, and you were worried about your baby.
 
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anni7

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My vets do know us and they did see us argue on and off but we dont do it in the room but reception. We occasionally surely do annoy people with arguments but it is not all the time and not to degree the nurse said. I think in case of emergency vet the nurse on duty has some sort of procedure where they must write an account of events. Because we were well especially i was so agitated it maybe to cover themselves for any responsibility and just get the idea what is going on. I know that my fiance did say he will have the money but he made a sarcastic comment that he is not brining many animals just one when she told him of the price of consult without any treatment $220 just to examine the cat by vet. The nurse checked him for free and said his vitals were ok so we can wait for our normal vet whose fees are much cheaper. My partner is on disability pension and doesnt have a lot of money sitting around and beither do i. So hopefully they will understand its just disappointing she wrote clients argued and argued about the price and things like that- it seems we argued all the time even when it was a sarcastic comment or me crying hysterically and my partner trying to tell me to put myself together
 
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margd

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Actually, I think your partner's comment about only bringing in one animal is kind of funny.
  The ER vets are expensive and I'm sure you and your partner are not the first ones who have had something snide to say about the prices they charge.  They should be used to it.   And you're definitely not the first person to cry at the vet's office.   You need to be gentle with yourself over this.  I am willing to bet your regular vet, who knows you, will not have his opinion changed by anything a nurse at another clinic wrote about you.   
 
 
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walkingrock

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It added unnecessary stress to an already stressful situation for you. I'm sorry you had to experience that. {{hugs}}
 
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anni7

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Thanks for your comments it makes me feel sort of better. Of course my vets know me for close to 10 years and know what i am like. They occasionally did see us argue but it also was during emergency situation. I dont know what other vets wrote about us but i also never saw anyone vets or nurse write such detailed account of what went on.
The nurse was correct as we did argue but made it look in my opinion exaggerated as to how much the argument went on.
Also she did help us by checking the cat herself and determining if the emergency vet is needed for our cat or not.
The prices are really high though.
I dont know if there will be any issues with the emergency vet or with our vet but modt likely its only the emergency vet that is the issue as the usual vet knows us for such a long time.. Its all just words and i wasnt being mean to her or doing anything physical of course so hopefully it will be ok
 

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Hi.  I just happened on your blog because I wanted to get kitty's reaction to our kitty's (new to us) flea treatment.  Have you ever tried Fleabusters?  If they are not in your area, you can go online and order the Fleabuster powder an DIY.  When we have it done, it is guaranteed for one year and it doesn't matter if he fleas come from outside.  It dries them up.  It's non toxic.  Love it and have used them for many years.  Only trying the activyl because we may be moving and don't want to spend $300 for the Fleabusters.  Good luck to you.
 
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anni7

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I will have a look. We live in Australia though
 
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anni7

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Thanks!!
 
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