GI issues 4 month old kitten

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Linsey

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Thanks Mrsgreenjeans - so sorry you’ve had so many sick kitties - it’s so so hard. We have not had a great Christmas. Woke up to Auggie vomiting. Looks like she threw up her wet food from night before, was very watery though. She ate some dry food immediately after and went back to bed. She seemed to be okay this morning, ate a little bit more and played but then something happened this afternoon and she hasn’t eaten anything since 11am and she’s back to laying/sleeping and meat-loafing for the past 8 hours. She did have a good looking poop today, nice logs, still soft, but not pudding, probably the best looking one she’s had in a month. I’m so worried about her. the only thing we did differently was the b12 shot yesterday, but surely that could not have caused her to vomit 20 hours later and then kill her appetite. I gave her the zofran around 3pm but it hasn’t seemed to help at all. 😔 I’m getting so scared that she has intestinal lymphoma. I feel like we’re back at square one and am so discouraged. Was putting all faith in this antibiotic and now seems like it’s not going to be the answer to all my prayers. 🥺😢
 
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Linsey

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And she threw up again. she ate a little bit of the dry food Round 10 pm and then threw it up 2.5 hours later. Gave her another dose of zofran. I’m beside myself, no idea what to do. And of course it’s now the the weekend and my vet is closed.
she barely had any food today. Will try mirtaz tomorrow morning along with another does of zofran. But am so scared she won’t eat tomorrow and if she does it’ll just be vomited. 😭 why is this happening???
 

mrsgreenjeens

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How is she doing today? Any change from yesterday? Poop still pretty good? If she is still vomiting, maybe try feeding her plain meat baby food, or some plain poached chicken (no onions, garlic, that sort of thing) to see how she does with it. I honestly don't know what else to advise other than give your regular Vet a call on Monday about it,unless you want to take her to an emergency Vet if she's unable to keep ANY feed down even with the Zofran on board. Hoping things are actually a little better today.

:vibes: :vibes: :vibes:
 
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Linsey

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How is she doing today? Any change from yesterday? Poop still pretty good? If she is still vomiting, maybe try feeding her plain meat baby food, or some plain poached chicken (no onions, garlic, that sort of thing) to see how she does with it. I honestly don't know what else to advise other than give your regular Vet a call on Monday about it,unless you want to take her to an emergency Vet if she's unable to keep ANY feed down even with the Zofran on board. Hoping things are actually a little better today.

:vibes: :vibes: :vibes:
Things have been a little better. After the zofran last night she did not throw up again. I gave her another dose 8 hours later and she ate a little bit of dry food - a few bites. I made her wet turkey, she refused, so I made her some freeze dried rabbit and she ate that. But then wouldn’t eat it again 4 hours later. Did another dose of zofran (8 hours later) and made her more rabbit which she said no to again. Tried the ziwi venison, nope. put a little mirtaz in her ear and she ate a few licks of wet turkey about an hour later. She has not thrown up at all but has been very lethargic, just sleeping all day. We gave her the last dose of amoxicillin this morning and am now hoping that once that’s out of her system she might start feeling better. I googled today that amoxicillin can cause appetite loss, nausea and vomiting Along wit diarrhea and gas. Maybe her system is just now having reaction after it built up in her system for 8 days. Maybe it killed what it needed to which made her feel better but then then after there was nothing left to kill, it just upset her tummy by being constantly nuked. at least she’s not throwing up. Tomorrow I hope we wake up to a kitty with an appetite. How long does it take for antibiotics to leave their systems. It’s been nearly 12 hours since her last dose.
 
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Linsey

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She ate about half of her dry food during the night and no throwing up! Tried to get give her wet turkey and she acted excited but then only had a few licks. She’s been very playful this morning which makes me happy. She hasn’t pooped since yesterday morning which I’d be more concerned about if #1 she had eaten enough yesterday to even have a poop and #2 not having 2-3 poops a day might be a good thing - maybe this next one won’t be so soft. Also the gas seems to have gone away or at least significantly lessened. Haven’t been blasted by noxious fumes since last night. :yess:

Tried to give her some of the rabbit about an hour after the turkey and she ate 1/3 and walked away. I’m giving her very small amounts too, like 2 tablespoons or less. Really need her to eat all of it so she can get the probiotics in her system. When she doesn‘t clean her plate it becomes hard for me to figure out how much she’s had and how much she still needs. Ugh. After the antibiotic, I really want to get her microbiome back on track with the probiotics. I have not given her zofran since yesterday at 4pm or the mirtaz Bc she seems to be doing better. Wondering if I should, just to get her to eat more???

Really hoping to see her belly shrink now that the antibiotics are done. Fingers, toes, eyes crossed! :lovecat:
 

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I'm so glad she's perky again :cheerleader:. Since she isn't eating enough yet, you might continue with the Mirtaz and see whar happens. I wonder if the probiotic has a funny taste that she doesn't like? How much are you giving her at one sitting? Maybe try giving her a little less and see if she'll eat more food? I know with some probiotics you have to start slowly until they get used to the taste of it.
 
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Well I tried rabbit with zero probiotic and she refused. she finally pooped around 5:30 and it looked great (beautiful logs) except the very end was pretty soft and had a little mucus/blood. About the same amount she had to begin with. I am beyond frustrated. Energy also dropped this evening. :bawling: What is this??? I’m going to call vet tomorrow and see if we can see specialist soon than Jan 5th. I just can’t take it anymore.
 
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My husband had a great idea to mix the probiotic with some of the beef broth and syringe feed it to her - worked! So doing this a few times today. At least we figured out how to get the full dose in her now. She still is not eating much - maybe a quarter to third of what she should be eating. Luckily she hasn’t vomited since Xmas day. And I’m anxious to see wher next poop - please please no blood/mucous!! She will play when probed otherwise she just sleeps/meatloafs all day. Waiting to hear back if we can see specialist sooner. And I think I may be going bonkers - her belly seems a little smaller to me, like 10-15% smaller. But maybe I’m seeing things??? Or she’s just losing weight. still feels very round and firm to the touch but I swear its a smidge smaller or I am just over analyzing and seeing what I want to see. sigh, the saga continue...
 

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Glad you are getting the full dose of probiotics into her. What does your hubby think about the reduction of her tummy? Does he agree that perhaps it's decreasing in size? Which rabbit food are you feeding her? I'm sorry, I can't remember WHY they wanted her on a special diet in the first place. Was it because of her lose stools? The problem is, she really needs to eat (of course I know you know that :alright:) It's no wonder she's not very energetic, she has no reserves to work with. Are you feeding her only wet food, only dry, or a combination? Have yyou tried giving her some meat only baby food, just to get more in her? I wonder if ham or beef might work. Ham is harder to find, but I've used it before, when necessary. And some folks use pork for limited ingredient diets. It's really had to come by, but again, it's available in freeze dried raw. You probably don't want to switch up too much though, before her upcoming appointment. I know that can't come soon enough. I wonder if she'll at least drink some KMR or if there is anything else you can give her for nutrients? You might ask your Vet if they are aware of anything you can give her.

Hang in there :hugs: OH! did we discuss Bone Broth? I can't remember from thread to thread. I know I discussed it with someone, just can't recall who at this point. Homemade bone broth is wonderful and so very nutritious.
 
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Yes on the bone broth! Mixing up half batches of Nature’s Logic dehydrated beef bone broth and adding 1-2 teaspoons to all her wet food. Plus using this to syringe feed the probiotic. I was giving her Vital Essentials rabbit patties but she‘s turned her cute little nose up to it lately. I bought Stella & Chewy rabbit after I read it was great for sensitive tummies and easy to digest. Reviews for kitties with digestive issues and IBD on chewy.com were very positive too. So I busted that out today and she ate two rehydrated nuggets around 11am and another two around 3pm. We are also free feeding RC baby cat dry and trying to slooooowly transition to Dr. Elsey’s Dry clean protein chicken, bc the RC baby cat food ingredient list is garbage - really surprised with all the junk these big companies put into pet food, unbelievable. Vet wanted to keep her on same food just to not upset her system with diet changes, but what do you do when she won’t eat the same food?!?! I will look into the baby food and KMR - thank you!

Talked to vet - can’t see specialist any sooner, she tried several options, but with the holiday week, Jan. 5 is the soonest. I emailed a pic of her poop yesterday and vet thought it looked better aside from the blood/mucus. Going to start sending her regular pics of poops and her body so she can start seeing if there is any changes in her belly size. Hubs also thought her belly looked slightly smaller. Also continuing Mirataz and hopefully it’ll build up in her system and kick in. will be weighing her on kitchen scale daily and tape measuring her belly (as best I can). Today 3.1 lbs. and ~12” belly.

I bought some Fish Oil to hopefully help with the inflammation and a new unflavored digestive enzyme supplement as the last one was too overpowering in smell/taste. I tried it and I don’t blame her for not wanting to eat it either. Side note: I left a negative review about it on chewy.com and they emailed: read my review, reimbursed me and offered alternatIves! I freaking love chewy!

Something I asked the vet about and she was going to do some research and consult with another vet, was if her first round of vaccinations could have triggered an immune-mediated response. Oscar had this happen 7 days after a vaccination and it was awful and in the form of poly-arthritis - a few weeks on steroids solved it completely. She had vaccines on 11/10. We brought her home 11/14. Even though she had diarrhea with blood since day one (we thought stress from the move), she didn’t really start to go downhill until 11/21 (vomiting, lethargic, not eating) and we were at the vet 11/23. Any thoughts on this? vaccines can due weird stuff in my experience.

Hopefully tomorrow is better and I can get her to eat a little more. At least no vomiting, knock on wood.
Still waiting on poop today - it’s been over 24hrs since her last one - should I be worried about that?? I hope we haven’t over corrected on the probiotics, can too much actually cause constipation?

Otherwise, going to try to be patient, but 1/5 cannot come soon enough.
 

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Chewy IS fantastic! I've done reviews too where they contacted me and gave me a refund. Who'd have thought THAT would ever happen. Anyway, I thought your Vet said to wait on using Digestive Enzymes. They changed their minds I guess. Hoping she likes the new one. I've heard of cats gaining weight quickly if they are given too much! If I remember correctly, I used one of my teeny tiny measuring spoons that was called a "dash". Maybe it was a 16th of a teaspoon or something like that :wink: But I might not be remembering correctly either. Haven't used them for years now.

Cats eating raw will poop less often and smaller stools. I know she is eating a combination, but that might account for no poops now for 24 hours. Can't be sure. I wouldn't think probiotics would constipate her, but it's just hard to know. Does she seem more uncomfortable than usual? Hoping she goes soon and it's "normal".

Your theory on the vaccination could hold water. Stranger things have happened.

Hoping she takes to the Fish Oil. Both of mine hate it, so just be aware she might not like it and you may need to syringe that into her as well.

You've only got one week to go until the specialist! I know, I know, right now that sounds like a lifetime
 
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Linsey

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Mrsgreenjeans! The baby food worked!! cor chicken, turkey, beef and ham. Gave her a spoonful of the chicken and she gobbled it up, so gave her little more and she gobbled that up. ended up eating half jar over a few hours this evening. she also worked her way through 2 tbsps of dry food so gave another 2 and hoping she eats it through the night.

I jinxed her last night tho and she vomited around 10:30 pm, gave her zofran but she vomited again at 3am. So now I’m just giving her zofran every 8 hours and mirataz everyday until our appt. you are correct about the digestive enzyme, vet did not say to add it but I’ve been racking my brain on how to get her to eat. my Thinking is that she may like the taste of the food but then it makes her tummy hurt and puts her off, so maybe the digestive enzymes would help not make her tummy hurt??? It’s sorta a moot issue now with the baby food. So not going to use it unless i get desperate. I’m so happy because she got some calories/energy and has been playing and running and being a kitten. :loveeyes: Just want it to last. Hate the rollercoaster. Oscar didn’t go for baby food so I wasnt sure what to expect - but she freaking loooooved it!

Oscar also hated fish oil but I’m hoping she‘s into it. It’s a polarizing flavor, just hope she‘s one of those cats that I read reviews about that are fine with it. Who are all these cats that will eat anything, never get sick and live to be 22 yrs old??
oh and she finally pooped at 5:30 am and it was her best poop ever - no blood/mucus, nice formed logs, firm but not hard. Sent vet pics and she was happy with it. She thought she looked a little better in the belly but still distended and bulged more than normal, but better than last week.

one more weeeeeeeeek!
 

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Gosh, I'm sorry about the vomiting, but so glad she likes the baby food. Now remember, it's not 100% nutritionally complete, so IF she'll continue to eat some real cat food along with it, that would be great. You're ok to feed it all by itself if need be for a few days though and it shouldn't hurt anything. Is she still enjoying the Stella and Chewy rabbit? I wonder if there is something in the kibble causing the vomiting? You said she ate more than usual, right? I guess we should probably just wait for her appointment and let the experts do their thing in figuring it out, but the more info you can give them, the better.

:vibes: :vibes: :vibes:for good eating, good energy level, no vomiting, and good poops :)
 
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Internal Medicine Specialist did exam and ultrasound today. He is very, very concerned and wants to do a biopsy. Based on his experience with seeing other cats with same degree of inflammation of intestinal walls, he thinks it's probably one of three things (none curable):
  • Lymphoma
  • FIP
  • Fungal Infection
However, nothing is definitive without a biopsy, so that is our next step. Thinking it will be easier on her to spayed at the same time. Vets are confident that she is big enough to do it now, even though sh'e only 4.5 months old.

Feeling very overwhelmed, stressed, angry, depressed and basically just devastated.
 

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None curable? Since when can't a fungal infection be cured? AND now there is great success with curing FIP! I admit I had thought possibly FIP at one time, but since you never mentioned fever or other things that usually go with it, I put it out of my mind. And even Lymphoma is often treated, particularly small cell. We even had a member here who had a cat with large cell lymphoma that lived for about 5 years after diagnosis (with treatment), and he ended up dying of something else. I'm not discounting the fact that these are serious things, and I too would be devastated, but I'm just saying not to give up

I'm hoping they are wrong and it's something else, anything else :alright:.

When is she going in for the biopsy/spay? We'll be right her for you (and her). .
 
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So I was googling about cure for FIP and that certainly gives me hope!! :crossfingers:
The fungal Infection is called Histoplasmosis and vet said it’s manageable, but not curable. and then lymphoma, I’ve read is manageable but not curable of course just not sure about prognosis for such a young kitten, but I’ve read 8-12 months.:bawling:
Hubs and I are just in disbelief and really thinking this has to be a delayed vaccine reaction. She had vaccines 11/10 went down hill on 11/21.

Oscar had a delay vaccine reaction and it newly killed us both. I was so distraught. Specialists said cancer cancer caner, had to have a feeding tube, splenectomy and biopsy all to reveal just immune mediated response. After $5000 in tests, surgery and months of stress, a $12 Rx of prednisone cured him - in 2 weeks he was 100% back to normal! He was able to come off the prednisone months later no problem, no relapse.

Auggie is the same breed, British Shorthair, I wonder if this is common with the breed?
Biopsy is scheduled for 1/15, her 5 month birthday, but I want to see if I can get it done sooner. I don’t think I can go 8 days with all this anxiety about not knowing. Plus I want to get her the right course of treatment ASAP! Do you think it’s ok to have her spayed so young? I’d hate to make her go through invasive surgery twice.

still on baby food but eating more dr. Elseys dry food now. Also sneaking in small doses of NuVet plus feline to make up for nutrition gap in baby food. keep trying to mix in 10-20% canned wet food, but it’s very hit or miss.

Thank you so much for the support, advice and positive energy, it’s truly helping to keep me sane.:hearthrob:
 

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Auggie is the same breed, British Shorthair, I wonder if this is common with the breed?
I don't know if it is a common problem with the British Shorthair breed in particular, but I do know that cats with a higher level of inbreeding can tend to have digestive and immune system issues. Did both cats come from the same breeder? Have you talked with your cat's breeder about the problems you are having?
 
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