Endoscopy recovery - how concerned should I be?

daftcat75

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Betty White had an endoscopy procedure with a couple of biopsy samples taken on Wednesday.

Yesterday she had a really good day. She was playful and feisty. She showed up to all her meals (five of them per day) and she ate very well.

This morning she's showed very little interest in eating or really much of anything else. I managed to coax her down from her sleeping blanket cloud to take 1/3 of a breakfast and her morning meds. For lunch, I practically had to wake her. She normally eats a 1 part Hills A/D to 2 parts Hills I/D mix. For lunch, I sweetened that mix and added more A/D. I got her to eat half a lunch portion with this richer mix. I mean if that's not what Hills A/D is for (getting a sick cat to eat), then I don't know.

I'm getting a couple of opinions on Betty's thread. But that's a sample size of two.

I want to know other cats' reactions and recovery from an endoscopy procedure. My sample size of two (not counting Betty) was one that bounced back in a day and another that was "off" for ten days. If your cat had an endoscopy with biopsies (not a surgical biopsy), were they "off" in the days after? In what ways and for how long? Anything I can do to help Betty get through this? Do you think there is biopsy pain? Would it be worth it to ask for a few doses of buprenorphine?
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Margot Lane

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I only have a sample size of one, and he was so relieved to get home after a 2 hour car ride, he bounced back pretty fast. THAT BEING SAID, it was a long time before I could pick him up. I was out of my mind with worry, time was a weird blur, but they held him for rest I think a day and a half. I would wait a little longer before being concerned myself. Hang in there.
 

artiemom

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I know I have replied on your thread.. sorry, but I had both large colon biopsies, and esophagus biopsies. I did not have any pain at all.
(((((hugs)))))
 

Margot Lane

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Also, don’t know if this applies but my vet’s office is enormous, with all sorts of scary barking dogs. Who knows what they are privvy to behind the scenes? Hopefully yours is small and comforting, with Muzak and catnip. Just by way of saying…maybe it takes rest to…land again.
 
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daftcat75

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Also, don’t know if this applies but my vet’s office is enormous, with all sorts of scary barking dogs. Who knows what they are privvy to behind the scenes? Hopefully yours is small and comforting, with Muzak and catnip. Just by way of saying…maybe it takes rest to…land again.
I'm just confused by why she had such a good day yesterday.

She does seem a touch better this afternoon vs. this morning. I just checked on her and she lifted her head, and gave me a grumble trill. Krista would trill hello, goodbye, aloha, shalom, and wassup. Betty's trill is more like a grumble grunt in response to being woken and moved. She's got lots of other sounds for her hellos and wassups.
 

Margot Lane

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…What a multilingual cat! :coolcat:I still think waiting is OK for now. Maybe it’s like all of us, when we recuperate: we think we’re good to go, but then it’s like, oh yeah, whoops, I need to rest up just a little bit more. But if it makes you feel more reassured, could it hurt to call your vet? Maybe she’s doing all the resting up at home my cat did at the vet’s b/c we lived so far away.:sleepycat:
 
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daftcat75

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…What a multilingual cat! :coolcat:I still think waiting is OK for now. Maybe it’s like all of us, when we recuperate: we think we’re good to go, but then it’s like, oh yeah, whoops, I need to rest up just a little bit more. But if it makes you feel more reassured, could it hurt to call your vet? Maybe she’s doing all the resting up at home my cat did at the vet’s b/c we lived so far away.:sleepycat:
I called the specialty hospital that did the endo. The internist who did the procedure was out today. But another on staff said I could give her up to half a Cerenia tonight if it seems like she's nauseated. And if she doesn't improve by tomorrow, I can bring her in to have her examined. She suggested what you had said; that maybe it took a day for it to set in and she just needed today to sleep Wednesday out of her system.
 
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daftcat75

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She’s not 100% back. But she is showing signs of rallying tonight. She came up to the kitchen counter during meal prep. She ate a half portion for dinner. She bunted and brushed me while I was doing my back stretches and exercises while dinner cooks. Betty Yoga is no joke. It’s a contact sport somewhere between wrestling and goat yoga. She didn’t have the full force she usually has behind her bunts. But she was stronger than morning. And now, despite it being really too hot to have a cat in my lap, she is parked there while we catch up on the news of the day.

The IM doc said I could give her half a Cerenia. I’ve never given her half myself. So I popped a 1/4 into her repacked tic tac (size 5 gelatin capsule I use to repack her quarter pills so she doesn’t have to taste them.)

If tonight’s meals follow today’s pace, she’ll end up eating about half her calories today. And I’m okay with that. As long as she’s making progress and it seems like she is.
 

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I've had limited experiences with endoscopy, but those limited experiences have been pretty much the same. Groggy the day they come home, great the day after, and usually the day after that they are lethargic, tired, and don't want to eat. I talked to my vet on this one and they said that the surgery medications need to be metabolized and that was what I was seeing, plus, their GI tract is a little sore from the procedure so food is sometimes refused. Within 24-48 hours past that, those dogs and cats were back to almost normal. After 72+ hours, they were driving me nuts wanting treats and attention!
I had a minor procedure done about 15+ years ago. It was outpatient home-same-day stuff, and I felt great that night. That next day, I still felt pretty good but the day after? Forget it. I was so tired and felt nauseous. The area that was operated on was so swollen and sore, and I just wanted to bury myself into some covers and sleep it off, so I practically did just that. But 24 hours after that, I was back to normal. I hope she feels great in the morning and is demanding snacks and attention! :lol: I don't think she has a care in the world. I've read some of your posts and you seem like a very good caregiver!
 
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daftcat75

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I've had limited experiences with endoscopy, but those limited experiences have been pretty much the same. Groggy the day they come home, great the day after, and usually the day after that they are lethargic, tired, and don't want to eat. I talked to my vet on this one and they said that the surgery medications need to be metabolized and that was what I was seeing, plus, their GI tract is a little sore from the procedure so food is sometimes refused. Within 24-48 hours past that, those dogs and cats were back to almost normal. After 72+ hours, they were driving me nuts wanting treats and attention!
I had a minor procedure done about 15+ years ago. It was outpatient home-same-day stuff, and I felt great that night. That next day, I still felt pretty good but the day after? Forget it. I was so tired and felt nauseous. The area that was operated on was so swollen and sore, and I just wanted to bury myself into some covers and sleep it off, so I practically did just that. But 24 hours after that, I was back to normal. I hope she feels great in the morning and is demanding snacks and attention! :lol: I don't think she has a care in the world. I've read some of your posts and you seem like a very good caregiver!
Thank you! This is the first time someone has told me anecdotally (not just theoretically) that the blahs from this procedure could be delayed a day. And yes, she seems to be rallying. Maybe it was the Cerenia I gave her with dinner or the slightly larger dose of Mirataz (appetite stimulant), the extra hairball treat this morning, or just letting her sleep it off during the day. I don’t really care right now which it was as long as she keeps showing up for meals and head butts.

This was her last night without a care in the world telling me to finish washing my dishes and get to putting food on hers.

She’s sitting with me right now chirping and quacking back and forth to each other. 🐥🦆
 
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daftcat75

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Over the course of the night, she became more and more herself again. She finished all her dinners and her overnight meal (although each somewhat reduced in size because I had fattened up their appeal with more A/D to I/D.) By morning, she was back on the kitchen counter during her breakfast prep and ate 2/3 of her breakfast eagerly and readily. The final 1/3 she came back for after a power nap. Although she looked very rough for much of yesterday, she managed to rally for a final total of 70% of her daily calories. Not bad at all. It was like a hairball day without the hairball. 🤦🏼‍♂️😺 Cats!
 

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Over the course of the night, she became more and more herself again. She finished all her dinners and her overnight meal (although each somewhat reduced in size because I had fattened up their appeal with more A/D to I/D.) By morning, she was back on the kitchen counter during her breakfast prep and ate 2/3 of her breakfast eagerly and readily. The final 1/3 she came back for after a power nap. Although she looked very rough for much of yesterday, she managed to rally for a final total of 70% of her daily calories. Not bad at all. It was like a hairball day without the hairball. 🤦🏼‍♂️😺 Cats!
I'm glad she's feeling better!
 
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daftcat75

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Update: she took a downturn once more on Saturday night and Sunday. At first I thought she was having a hard time with the heat. But I took her in for fluids and a checkup and they found she has a fever. They were not able to determine what’s causing it from blood work alone. After talking to three different doctors at three different hospitals, her regular vet suggested that she may have had a complication or a bad reaction to the endo procedure. The team as a whole agree that more imaging (ultrasound and X-rays) is the next best step here. The internist who did the endo will do the imaging tomorrow. She continues to sleep a lot and mostly avoid food and water. But I have been able to get her to eat some A/D and she does show some interest in wanting a little attention and affection. But I also see a lot of nausea. 🤢😿

So yeah. Friday’s rally was short-lived and it’s looking like her recovery is not nearly so straightforward. 🤦🏼‍♂️😿
 

Margot Lane

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Attention and affection and just being there, as you have been, can go a long, long way. Even just conversation or cat music….I’m so encouraged that you have a team. As an owner, time can be the hardest part but healing takes time. She knows you’re on her side. Good luck and sleep well.
 
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daftcat75

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Attention and affection and just being there, as you have been, can go a long, long way. Even just conversation or cat music….I’m so encouraged that you have a team. As an owner, time can be the hardest part but healing takes time. She knows you’re on her side. Good luck and sleep well.
Sleep? Hah! I barely sleep well on good nights. I sleep in sprints because I’m up at least once in the night for another Betty portion. I’m also up because Betty goes to the bathroom. Or I go to the bathroom. We’re both semi-nocturnal. 😹 We both sleep in shifts. At least Betty doesn’t dance on top of me when she’s hungry like Krista used to do. Betty is too good at letting me sleep in that I have to set a breakfast alarm for her that I have never had to set for another cat before. 🤦🏼‍♂️😹
 

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Update: she took a downturn once more on Saturday night and Sunday. At first I thought she was having a hard time with the heat. But I took her in for fluids and a checkup and they found she has a fever. They were not able to determine what’s causing it from blood work alone. After talking to three different doctors at three different hospitals, her regular vet suggested that she may have had a complication or a bad reaction to the endo procedure. The team as a whole agree that more imaging (ultrasound and X-rays) is the next best step here. The internist who did the endo will do the imaging tomorrow. She continues to sleep a lot and mostly avoid food and water. But I have been able to get her to eat some A/D and she does show some interest in wanting a little attention and affection. But I also see a lot of nausea. 🤢😿

So yeah. Friday’s rally was short-lived and it’s looking like her recovery is not nearly so straightforward. 🤦🏼‍♂️😿
Poor little girl. If she is eating some and wants attention, those are good signs and probably good that you're having this dealt with now rather than later. A/D is pretty calorie dense so that's great she's at least interested in that!
 
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daftcat75

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Poor little girl. If she is eating some and wants attention, those are good signs and probably good that you're having this dealt with now rather than later. A/D is pretty calorie dense so that's great she's at least interested in that!
She has her moments. So we just completed second dinner and her last food for the night since we’re doing imaging tomorrow. She took a second slightly smaller dinner— her preference, not mine. Yes she’s been eating A/D. But not enough. She ate only 50% of her calories today. 🤦🏼‍♂️😿😔

She came out of her bed for a bit of fuss earlier. But now that I’m finally horizontal—her favorite time of the day—she would rather lay in her poof than come snuggle up to me for an inning or two of the ballgame. 😔
 
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daftcat75

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How has she been today? I hate it so much when they don't feel their absolute best. :(
She's doing well this evening because she had fluids to perk her up. We saw this on Monday afternoon too. Tomorrow may be another down-in-the-dumps day.

Imaging and lab tests still don't reveal a cause for this. We're going to start her on antibiotics as a precautionary measure since the next recommended step would be immune-suppressing steroids. Before we potentially make matters worse, let's see if the Veraflox helps her feel better. Dr thinks we should see improvement within 1 to 2 days. Otherwise, we'll probably start the pred this weekend.
 

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She's doing well this evening because she had fluids to perk her up. We saw this on Monday afternoon too. Tomorrow may be another down-in-the-dumps day.

Imaging and lab tests still don't reveal a cause for this. We're going to start her on antibiotics as a precautionary measure since the next recommended step would be immune-suppressing steroids. Before we potentially make matters worse, let's see if the Veraflox helps her feel better. Dr thinks we should see improvement within 1 to 2 days. Otherwise, we'll probably start the pred this weekend.
Nothing is more frustrating than not knowing what is causing problems like this. I really hope the antibiotics help.
 
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