- Joined
- Mar 10, 2019
- Messages
- 7
- Purraise
- 35
We got our little tabby boy, Dillon, from a farm near in Yorkshire, UK on 12th January 2019. He had lived in the barn with access to farmyard. Only other resident cat was his mum.He was around 5 months old but looked more like 3.
I just thought he was a small cat as he seemed perfectly healthy - Nice nature. Bright eyes. Glossy, thick coat. Lively. No obvious snot or other discharges.
We have 2 other cats, Pookie (m 17) & Bella (f 13). Both are relaxed & made no objection to the new arrival.
For the first week he was quiet, weighing us all up, but otherwise fine.
By the 2nd week he had blossomed into a friendly & playful cat who seemed happy in his new enviroment.
The only clue that something might be amiss was a lack of appetite. He never ate more than a teaspoon full at a meal.
After 2 weeks on 28th Jan I took him for his first vaccination. He was pretty stressed & lively on the way to the vet (a short walk) but calm in the consulting room. He was seen by a lady vet, & I was present the whole time. She was gentle with him. She checked him over & the only thing amiss was a very slightly raised temperature (I think was just .1 over what it should've been).We went ahead with the vaccination (I've been told he had a 'dead' vaccine of Nobivac, Tricat & FelV)
Within 20 mins of getting home he was sitting oddly with his tail tucked tight under his body & he would shift position several times to get it right. I actually laughed because he had had his temp taken anally for the first time & it was as if he was thinking 'How dare she!'
The next day (Tues 29th) he was VERY quiet. He didn't eat, drink, didn't want to be touched & wouldn't purr. He stayed hunched up all day. By evening I was concerned & contacted the vet via email.
Wed 30th I woke to find him not using his right back leg & doing a shuffling hop around the lounge, but 'in himself' he was brighter.
By the end of that day he wasn't using either back leg & had both legs & his tail tucked under his body whilst he dragged himself around.
It was really alarming how quickly it all went downhill.
'In himself' he seemed quite bright from Wed onwards, purring & wanting to play, but his rear body was not responding.
Thurs 31st - back to vet: It happened that I was able to see the same vet who had vaccinted him on Monday & she was both alarmed & very puzzled. She felt his anal glands, one was ok but the other shot something out past her ear.
She said she'd never seen this sort of rapid paralysis in a young cat. After checking various things she put him on the floor & he proceeded to go back & forth like some sort of auto dust mop!
At this point she took him to get the opinion of an older vet (2nd vet)..... she was also stumped.
They said I had to leave him & they would do X-rays & bloods. (I think they thought he'd been fighting & had injured his back but the other cats have been very calm & accepting of him & he hadn't yet been out to fight with anything else)
When I picked him up later that night they'd called a 3rd vet (even more experienced) to take a look - but still no diagnosis.
Anyhow - the bloods showed a low count on both red & white cells. Liver, kidneys & heart all seem fine. The X-rays look fine too, no breaks & all the vertebrae of the back & tail are nicely shaped & spaced. So their best guess is some underlying infection with swelling that is pressing on the spinal cord. They mentioned toxoplasmosis as a 'possible'.
I was given broad spectrum antibiotic liquid for 7 days, Metacam & internal parasite killing liquid. I delayed giving the latter but diligently gave the course of AB & painkiller.
After about 5 days he was showing signs of using the left leg again & after 7 days he was using both & running around normally.
GREAT!
BUT - he still wouldn't eat much, & towards the end of the week he had succumbed to some sort of cat flu virus. (I blame myself for this as I had completely forgotten that our old male has a low-level cold all the time now that he is on steroids for asthma, so Dillon probably got it from him.)
He was choked with snot, his nose bled intermittently & his eyes watered all the time. Also sneezing. No coughing.
After another week the snot was abating a little but he had an infected right eye. Due to the difficulty he had breathing during this 'flu' week we weren't able to continue with any more of the liquid antibiotic as he couldn't swallow it & breathe at the same time.
He was due to have his 2nd vaccination the week beginning 18th Feb, & I saw the 2nd vet on the 22nd Feb. He had lost a little weight as he still wouldn't eat. He wasn't well enough for his 2nd vac.
She gave him AB drops for his eye. Also a 2-week antibiotic injection to help combat the flu. She had a look at him walking & pretty much signed that off as being fine again.
THEN - 5 days later on Wed 27th I noticed a slight 'wiggle' in his walk. Next day it was a real sway - the paralysis was coming back again.
I hoped that by taking him in to the vet quickly the paralysis could be averted - he was wobbling very badly when the 3rd vet saw him on Friday 1st Mar. She thought the difficulty was in his lower back & gave him an antiimflamatory injection. She said she'd think about it & to talk to her the next day (Sat 2 Feb) but by then he was off both back legs again.
I did talk to her again & she said there were expensive tests that could 'possibly' rule various things in or out, but she said there was nothing much that could be done even if we got an ID. She gave him a 5 day course of broad spectrum AB tablets (with no enthusiasm). She gave me euthanasia as an option..... I felt she had given up on him very quickly & really didn't want to treat him. (The 'put him down & get another' attitude).
Last week he finished his antibiotics, (both injection & tablets) & there was still no improvement in his legs.
The 3rd vet thought the problem was his lower back, but I am not convinced of that. He will let you touch his back, but is very sore around his hips/pelvis/anus/testicles & when I try for a better look/gentle feel, he bites me. He is NOT a 'bitey' cat, so it must hurt him.
Interestingly, the first time he was paralysed his tail wasn't working either (or he wasn't allowing it to move) - This time his tail is moving normally, & he uses it in all the natural cat movements.
The first time his legs were both tucked up underneath him, this time they're flopping out at the side.
He is peeing ok & he can poo if I support his rear gently. His stools are very small & hard.
His appetite has improved. 3 weeks ago he was barely eating anything. Now he eats several small meals a day. I am doing as the vet recommended & trying to give him 'whole' foods with skin & even soft gristle to get more varied nutrients as he won't take cat food - altho he will eat a few (half a dozen) 'munchies'. (He wouldn't touch the £3 tin I bought from the vet!)
He has suddenly (in the last 2 days) begun eating cat litter whenever he is in the tray. NO idea why. It's 'Bentonite' clay type.
He still has the cold/flu virus but is nowhere near as watery/snotty as he was. Altho his upper respitory area still sounds wheezy sometimes.Nose still partly blocked & bleeds if I try to unblock it. I feel he is slowly coming thru the cold.
His right eye is improving, altho not fully well yet. The infection spread to the other eye & I'm using AB drops on both.
He has small ulcers on his eyes & around his mouth. Not on his palette. He eats with difficulty both picking the food from the plate, & chewing it with many dropped bits as if he can't chew/swallow
'In himself' he is fairly happy. He drags himself about when he needs to get to the litter tray (altho he struggles to get in) & comes to the kitchen for food when he smells something good.
He is happy to cuddle & will readily purr - esp after the Metacam pain meds have kicked in. He seeks us out for affection & will even try to play with his 'front half'. He likes warm places, not cool ones.
The best guess seems to be - reading between what I've been told by all 3 vets - is that
1. he was carrying some virus when we got him from the farm.
2. Then he picked up a cat flu virus from our old male, Pookie, (who since he's been on steroids for asthma has a low-level cold all the time).
3. Then something happened when he got his first vaccination. I know I'm not supposed to say that, but within 20 minutes of getting home he was sitting oddly, & that's when the first paralysis started.
I don't want to keep bringing him in unless something can be done for him, (& I can't afford to), but neither do I want to give up on him. He's a nice natured little cat. In between the 2 paralysis' he was behaving normally - walking, jumping, playing & went outside, supervised on a lead, once.
A friend who knows a lot about natural remedies has persuaded me to try colloidal silver liquid & MSM granules. I started these when his antibiotics finished on Thurs 7th.
I have also given the homeopathic remedies Hypericum & Hepar Sulph.
On the same day (Thurs 7th) he somehow (I didn't see it) fell/jumped off the sofa & onto a hard footstool. He cried out in pain afterwards & has been crying out in pain ever since.
By Sat 9th I took him back to the vet (1st vet) because I was worried about the increase in pain & that he could've broken something. He is no longer easy to handle & will lash out & bite because of the pain. She could not find any obvious breaks or dislocations, but could not X-ray due to the flu compromising his breathing. She also re-checked his anal glands & testicles & found nothing wrong. She gave me 3 doses of opioid painkiller.
I have been giving Arnica 3 times daily since Sat.
On the plus points - His appetite has improved a lot in the past 2 weeks & he seems to be 'getting through' the flu. His eyes are slowly clearing up.
Bad points - he still can't use his back legs & I AM concerned about the amount of pain he's in since he fell off the sofa 3 days ago.
If any of you have any idea what is going on or what more can be done for him, please let me know. I don't want to give up on him. He's only 6 1/2 months old & hasn't even had a life yet. I have been advised to report a possible adverse reaction to a vaccine.
Sorry this is so long but I wanted to put all the info down.
Many thanks.
I just thought he was a small cat as he seemed perfectly healthy - Nice nature. Bright eyes. Glossy, thick coat. Lively. No obvious snot or other discharges.
We have 2 other cats, Pookie (m 17) & Bella (f 13). Both are relaxed & made no objection to the new arrival.
For the first week he was quiet, weighing us all up, but otherwise fine.
By the 2nd week he had blossomed into a friendly & playful cat who seemed happy in his new enviroment.
The only clue that something might be amiss was a lack of appetite. He never ate more than a teaspoon full at a meal.
After 2 weeks on 28th Jan I took him for his first vaccination. He was pretty stressed & lively on the way to the vet (a short walk) but calm in the consulting room. He was seen by a lady vet, & I was present the whole time. She was gentle with him. She checked him over & the only thing amiss was a very slightly raised temperature (I think was just .1 over what it should've been).We went ahead with the vaccination (I've been told he had a 'dead' vaccine of Nobivac, Tricat & FelV)
Within 20 mins of getting home he was sitting oddly with his tail tucked tight under his body & he would shift position several times to get it right. I actually laughed because he had had his temp taken anally for the first time & it was as if he was thinking 'How dare she!'
The next day (Tues 29th) he was VERY quiet. He didn't eat, drink, didn't want to be touched & wouldn't purr. He stayed hunched up all day. By evening I was concerned & contacted the vet via email.
Wed 30th I woke to find him not using his right back leg & doing a shuffling hop around the lounge, but 'in himself' he was brighter.
By the end of that day he wasn't using either back leg & had both legs & his tail tucked under his body whilst he dragged himself around.
It was really alarming how quickly it all went downhill.
'In himself' he seemed quite bright from Wed onwards, purring & wanting to play, but his rear body was not responding.
Thurs 31st - back to vet: It happened that I was able to see the same vet who had vaccinted him on Monday & she was both alarmed & very puzzled. She felt his anal glands, one was ok but the other shot something out past her ear.
She said she'd never seen this sort of rapid paralysis in a young cat. After checking various things she put him on the floor & he proceeded to go back & forth like some sort of auto dust mop!
At this point she took him to get the opinion of an older vet (2nd vet)..... she was also stumped.
They said I had to leave him & they would do X-rays & bloods. (I think they thought he'd been fighting & had injured his back but the other cats have been very calm & accepting of him & he hadn't yet been out to fight with anything else)
When I picked him up later that night they'd called a 3rd vet (even more experienced) to take a look - but still no diagnosis.
Anyhow - the bloods showed a low count on both red & white cells. Liver, kidneys & heart all seem fine. The X-rays look fine too, no breaks & all the vertebrae of the back & tail are nicely shaped & spaced. So their best guess is some underlying infection with swelling that is pressing on the spinal cord. They mentioned toxoplasmosis as a 'possible'.
I was given broad spectrum antibiotic liquid for 7 days, Metacam & internal parasite killing liquid. I delayed giving the latter but diligently gave the course of AB & painkiller.
After about 5 days he was showing signs of using the left leg again & after 7 days he was using both & running around normally.
GREAT!
BUT - he still wouldn't eat much, & towards the end of the week he had succumbed to some sort of cat flu virus. (I blame myself for this as I had completely forgotten that our old male has a low-level cold all the time now that he is on steroids for asthma, so Dillon probably got it from him.)
He was choked with snot, his nose bled intermittently & his eyes watered all the time. Also sneezing. No coughing.
After another week the snot was abating a little but he had an infected right eye. Due to the difficulty he had breathing during this 'flu' week we weren't able to continue with any more of the liquid antibiotic as he couldn't swallow it & breathe at the same time.
He was due to have his 2nd vaccination the week beginning 18th Feb, & I saw the 2nd vet on the 22nd Feb. He had lost a little weight as he still wouldn't eat. He wasn't well enough for his 2nd vac.
She gave him AB drops for his eye. Also a 2-week antibiotic injection to help combat the flu. She had a look at him walking & pretty much signed that off as being fine again.
THEN - 5 days later on Wed 27th I noticed a slight 'wiggle' in his walk. Next day it was a real sway - the paralysis was coming back again.
I hoped that by taking him in to the vet quickly the paralysis could be averted - he was wobbling very badly when the 3rd vet saw him on Friday 1st Mar. She thought the difficulty was in his lower back & gave him an antiimflamatory injection. She said she'd think about it & to talk to her the next day (Sat 2 Feb) but by then he was off both back legs again.
I did talk to her again & she said there were expensive tests that could 'possibly' rule various things in or out, but she said there was nothing much that could be done even if we got an ID. She gave him a 5 day course of broad spectrum AB tablets (with no enthusiasm). She gave me euthanasia as an option..... I felt she had given up on him very quickly & really didn't want to treat him. (The 'put him down & get another' attitude).
Last week he finished his antibiotics, (both injection & tablets) & there was still no improvement in his legs.
The 3rd vet thought the problem was his lower back, but I am not convinced of that. He will let you touch his back, but is very sore around his hips/pelvis/anus/testicles & when I try for a better look/gentle feel, he bites me. He is NOT a 'bitey' cat, so it must hurt him.
Interestingly, the first time he was paralysed his tail wasn't working either (or he wasn't allowing it to move) - This time his tail is moving normally, & he uses it in all the natural cat movements.
The first time his legs were both tucked up underneath him, this time they're flopping out at the side.
He is peeing ok & he can poo if I support his rear gently. His stools are very small & hard.
His appetite has improved. 3 weeks ago he was barely eating anything. Now he eats several small meals a day. I am doing as the vet recommended & trying to give him 'whole' foods with skin & even soft gristle to get more varied nutrients as he won't take cat food - altho he will eat a few (half a dozen) 'munchies'. (He wouldn't touch the £3 tin I bought from the vet!)
He has suddenly (in the last 2 days) begun eating cat litter whenever he is in the tray. NO idea why. It's 'Bentonite' clay type.
He still has the cold/flu virus but is nowhere near as watery/snotty as he was. Altho his upper respitory area still sounds wheezy sometimes.Nose still partly blocked & bleeds if I try to unblock it. I feel he is slowly coming thru the cold.
His right eye is improving, altho not fully well yet. The infection spread to the other eye & I'm using AB drops on both.
He has small ulcers on his eyes & around his mouth. Not on his palette. He eats with difficulty both picking the food from the plate, & chewing it with many dropped bits as if he can't chew/swallow
'In himself' he is fairly happy. He drags himself about when he needs to get to the litter tray (altho he struggles to get in) & comes to the kitchen for food when he smells something good.
He is happy to cuddle & will readily purr - esp after the Metacam pain meds have kicked in. He seeks us out for affection & will even try to play with his 'front half'. He likes warm places, not cool ones.
The best guess seems to be - reading between what I've been told by all 3 vets - is that
1. he was carrying some virus when we got him from the farm.
2. Then he picked up a cat flu virus from our old male, Pookie, (who since he's been on steroids for asthma has a low-level cold all the time).
3. Then something happened when he got his first vaccination. I know I'm not supposed to say that, but within 20 minutes of getting home he was sitting oddly, & that's when the first paralysis started.
I don't want to keep bringing him in unless something can be done for him, (& I can't afford to), but neither do I want to give up on him. He's a nice natured little cat. In between the 2 paralysis' he was behaving normally - walking, jumping, playing & went outside, supervised on a lead, once.
A friend who knows a lot about natural remedies has persuaded me to try colloidal silver liquid & MSM granules. I started these when his antibiotics finished on Thurs 7th.
I have also given the homeopathic remedies Hypericum & Hepar Sulph.
On the same day (Thurs 7th) he somehow (I didn't see it) fell/jumped off the sofa & onto a hard footstool. He cried out in pain afterwards & has been crying out in pain ever since.
By Sat 9th I took him back to the vet (1st vet) because I was worried about the increase in pain & that he could've broken something. He is no longer easy to handle & will lash out & bite because of the pain. She could not find any obvious breaks or dislocations, but could not X-ray due to the flu compromising his breathing. She also re-checked his anal glands & testicles & found nothing wrong. She gave me 3 doses of opioid painkiller.
I have been giving Arnica 3 times daily since Sat.
On the plus points - His appetite has improved a lot in the past 2 weeks & he seems to be 'getting through' the flu. His eyes are slowly clearing up.
Bad points - he still can't use his back legs & I AM concerned about the amount of pain he's in since he fell off the sofa 3 days ago.
If any of you have any idea what is going on or what more can be done for him, please let me know. I don't want to give up on him. He's only 6 1/2 months old & hasn't even had a life yet. I have been advised to report a possible adverse reaction to a vaccine.
Sorry this is so long but I wanted to put all the info down.
Many thanks.