Eclampsia: No Iv Treatment Available

[Masha1983]

Hi everyone.
My queen is suffering from eclampsia. Her legs are motionless etc. I only have access to 2 Vets and both just prescribed some multivitamins+ minerals. But from the web I understand that calcium IV is necessary or else we may lose her. I talked to both doctors again and again but none is willing to do IV claiming that it will be too risky. I was wondering if you think these pills can help? I just find it unbelievable that supplement pills can cure such a life threatening condition :-/
Your thoughts on this please?

 

[StefanZ]

I too think an calcium injection by the vet is the quickest and best, if its full eclampsia. But during the time you wait for the better alternative, till your vets come into play, you CAN give her of the home remedies, ie home sources of calcium?

They probably meant, injections into blood is quite a stressing for a cat. That is why they never do it so the owner can look, its unpleasant to see. And of course, unpleasant to endure for the cat.


The quickest and potent home remedy is eggs shells. Its almost pure calcium.

Hardboiled egg. Take the shell, peel of the inner skin on the shell, crush the shell into fine powder. sprinkle the fine powder as a salt on her food. Or her drinking water. Make sure she eats...

Goats milk, mild youghurt, some mild cheese do works too, but are slower.

OR these preparates you got recommended, if you have them at home. Of course.

Hi everyone.
My queen is suffering from eclampsia. Her legs are motionless etc. I only have access to 2 Vets and both just prescribed some multivitamins+ minerals. But from the web I understand that calcium IV is necessary or else we may lose her. I talked to both doctors again and again but none is willing to do IV claiming that it will be too risky. I was wondering if you think these pills can help? I just find it unbelievable that supplement pills can cure such a life threatening condition :-/
Your thoughts on this please?

 

[StefanZ]

Do this asap immediately!

 

[Masha1983]

Do this asap immediately!

Thank you for the messages Stefan. Yes, tried the egg shell last night. But she didn't want any. Even for these supplement pills, I have to crush them into powder and just pour it into her mouth as she almost completely has lost her appetite. :-( Separated the kittens since yesterday so at least she won't lose more calcium. I sooo hope she survives this...

 

[StefanZ]

Yes, forcefeeding of meds is necessary, if she doenst eat voluntarily. Its also necessary if there is a haste.
So you can in the same way give her of these egg shell powder. Mix it with something nourishing or even her drinking water, and give...

And of course, forcefeeding of food and fluids too if necessary.

I hope its OK for you to handraise the kittens? If you have any questions or difficulties with them, you are welcome to our Preg and Kitten Forum. We are rather good at such!

 

[StefanZ]

Its interesting to notice and know, it seems its not absolutely necessary to get injections of calcium in case of ecclampsia. It MAY be fully enough with home remedies, as long as its done quickly and forcefully... TWO different vets said so.

Good to know, we do have sometimes suspected lack of calcium in the Preg & Kitten forum, even if full ecclampsia is rare.

So I see my recommendation to give calcium rich food asap is adequate.

 

[Masha1983]

Its interesting to notice and know, it seems its not absolutely necessary to get injections of calcium in case of ecclampsia. It MAY be fully enough with home remedies, as long as its done quickly and forcefully... TWO different vets said so.

Good to know, we do have sometimes suspected lack of calcium in the Preg & Kitten forum, even if full ecclampsia is rare.

So I see my recommendation to give calcium rich food asap is adequate.

Oh I see... OK. I'd try my best with the supplement and egg shell. Hopefully, it works. If things get really nasty I'd probably have to drive her to another city and seek emergency care. :-/

Thank you for your thoughts and help Stefan. It means a lot.

 

[foxxycat]

do you have baby food in jars? Get some meat baby food and add the crushed egg shell to it or other supplements-get some larger syringes-make it kind of watery-add water and mash with a fork and use a syringe-then put some at the side of mouth where the lip is-lift the lip up and gently put the tip inside the mouth-give a pea size at a time-give chance to swallow...someone will have to hold the cat-burrito with a towel if they claw when held.

 

[moggielover]

I do hope that your queen recovered from her eclampsia!
Calcium gluconate is used to treat eclampsia in animals. It can be found in some feed stores, but you MUST call your vet to get the correct dosage and infusion rate. If you infuse too quickly, your queen (or other animal companion) CAN DIE from cardiac arrest.

 

[Masha1983]

Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions. 48 hours in and I don't see any sign of recovery. She is almost totally paralyzed from neck down. I'm going to take her to another vet for calcium IV today.

 

[foxxycat]

aww geeze so sorry.

 

[Masha1983]

Ok... So... It seems that things are way worse with Max than we initially thought. I drove her to the vet today and she underwent a full calcium gluconate IV + hydration therapy. It's now been 6 hours and the poor thing is still fully paralyzed from neck down. Doctor is also puzzled and looking into possible alternative underlying reason. Going to take her in again tomorrow. Meanwhile,
If anyone has any experience or could shed a light on what is causing all this, I'd be eternally grateful to hear from you;
1 year old Queen with 4 kittens- gave birth 6 weeks ago - had some diarrhea on monday evening but it went away - Tuesday noon she couldn't walk without sitting back every few steps - Tuesday evening the hind part was completely dysfunctional - late in the evening while we were at the vet, she couldn't hold herself on her hands either - Wednesday morning onwards she has been completely paralyzed. (it's now Thursday evening here)
She has been indoors all the time since her delivery and has not been through any trauma or accident. Not even a simple jump which could have gone wrong.
Oral administration of multivitamins + minerals started on Tuesday evening, today calcium gluconate IV was added, which supposedly should have immediate results following it. But Nothing is changed. :-(
...
Any thoughts?

Thanks and love,
Masha & Max

 

[moggielover]

Wait...she had kittens 6 weeks ago? And only a litter of 4? Eclampsia is usually only seen in queens with large litters (8+ kittens) or queens who were not fed an adequate amount of kitten food (extra calcium) during their pregnancy. And it is most commonly seen during the first 3 weeks post-birth, and rarely past week 5.

It sounds to me more like some other underlying issue (massive stroke, embolus- either amniotioc or ischemic in nature, massive infection, internal hemorrhage, cardiac issue...something).

Your vet will definitely need to do some further testing.

I do hope Max recovers!

 

[catsknowme]

Oh, poor Max! You are doing everything possible and she is very fortunate to have you. Prayers and vibes that she recovers soon

 

[Masha1983]

Hi everyone!
I thought I should post an update here to share the good news!
Max started showing signs of recovery since Saturday. First, her neck came back. She started to hold her head up for a few seconds. Over the next few days, it followed by gaining back the control of her hands, then upper body, then her tail started moving, and finally today she can walk!
You can't imagine how happy we are. :-)
So here it goes to anyone who may experience acute paralysis in a cat and think that they are losing their little friend;
Do not give up! There are thousands of cases of idiopathic paralysis in cats for which there is no medical explanation, and yet, a big majority of them get reversed on their own. After the calcium IV didn't work, the vet put Max on heavy antibiotics (blood test showed infection) hoping that by curing the infection things may go back to normal, although she had no fever or any other symptom.
Either caused by the infection or some other unknown reason, Max came out of it. So if this ever happened to your cat,
DO NOT give up on her! :-)

Cheers,
Masha & Max

 

[catsknowme]

Hooray!!! Excellent news! I was hesitant to read the update but sure glad that I did.I am so happy for Max and you. How are the kittens doing - now is the time for mama cat to be teaching hunting and stalking skills but their mom is currently disabled.

 

[Masha1983]

Hooray!!! Excellent news! I was hesitant to read the update but sure glad that I did.I am so happy for Max and you. How are the kittens doing - now is the time for mama cat to be teaching hunting and stalking skills but their mom is currently disabled.

Kittens are fine and extra playful. We managed to finish their toilet training while mama was sick, so here's their new hobby :

 

[catsknowme]

Now, that is cuteness overload!
They are busy learning all about the characteristics of litterbox sand - how it behaves when pawed, how it sounds, tastes, the effects on odors....that photo is adorable.