Having a bad reaction to medication?

BluOnyx

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My cat was put on Piroxicam back in June of this year for Transitional Cell Carcinoma (tumor on the bladder). He had been handling it just fine and it has kept him eating and pain-free. The recent refill was in bigger capsules. We contacted the vet about this and they said it was the same medication, just from a different manufacturer. We started giving him those on Friday and he has not been the same since. He had his last dosage at 6PM yesterday and I will not be giving it to him today (in case this is what the issue is).

He has labored breathing, he was panting and drooling, he feels cold but is acting warm/hot. He is drinking water but doesn't want to eat. This morning I found him laying down in his litter box.

I have tried to contact all hospitals in the area to take him but they are all completely full other than one hospital which I do not trust (they have a terrible reputation of overcharging people and neglecting (even killing) people's pets. I have tried finding any vet open today as well, nothing.

In the event he is having a bad reaction, is there anything I can do? How long does medication last in a cat's body?

We are likely going to have to wait to get him into a vet tomorrow (and hope someone will take him).
 

babiesmom5

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I have had two cats with Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the bladder, but neither case was treated with Piroxicam as the vet said there is a greater risk of side effects, usually GI distress and kidney function. What your cat is experiencing does not fit the typical side effects of Piroxicam, but as you say, perhaps the formulation was different?

If this was my cat, I would be taking him to the ER. Labored breathing, panting and drooling, feeling cold etc are serious symptoms. It may be unrelated to the Piroxicam, but should be evaluated today.
 
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BluOnyx

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We found someone who will see him. They won't treat him however unless it is an emergency. They will at least take a look at him.
 
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BluOnyx

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He didn't make it. I lost my friend last night.
 

babiesmom5

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Oh, I am so terribly sorry! I know this is a very emotional time for you, but may I ask what did the vet say was the cause of this reaction? It did sound serious; hence my urge for him to be seen by a vet. I hope he did not suffer. You have my heartfelt condolences.
 
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BluOnyx

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He was put on oxygen right away but there was a long wait. Once the vet saw him, she did an ultrasound and a general check-up. Found out his tumor had grown more since his last ultrasound 6 weeks prior, it was taking up most of his bladder. She believed there may have been a small amount of fluid in his lungs. She said he wasn't in need of urgent care so we could have x-rays done and do a few tests there (would have been several thousand) or we can wait and take him to his vet tomorrow. She thought it may have been cancer that spread to his lungs but was not certain. He died on the way home in the car. The vet was wrong about it being an urgent care situation. Had I known, I would have gotten everything done there. I miss him so much.
 

silent meowlook

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I am so sorry to read this. I know it doesn't make you feel better, because nothing will,. I think the chances are it had probably gone into his chest and there wasn't anything you could do. A cat in respiratory distress is always at high risk of death. If I were you I would still look up the pyroxicam pills that you got just to make sure it was pyroxicam. There is a website that will identify the pills by their makers mark. Or if you aren't up to it, post a picture and I will look it up for you. It is just kind of odd it all started to go down hill after the medication difference that was supposedly just a change in manufacturer.
 
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BluOnyx

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I am so sorry to read this. I know it doesn't make you feel better, because nothing will,. I think the chances are it had probably gone into his chest and there wasn't anything you could do. A cat in respiratory distress is always at high risk of death. If I were you I would still look up the pyroxicam pills that you got just to make sure it was pyroxicam. There is a website that will identify the pills by their makers mark. Or if you aren't up to it, post a picture and I will look it up for you. It is just kind of odd it all started to go down hill after the medication difference that was supposedly just a change in manufacturer.
I feel like he was taken from me. He was fine Thursday and then Friday evening after the pill he had a stress seizure and just declined from there. It is heartbreaking.

I already threw the pills out already. I couldn't keep them sitting with the cat food with all the syringes and stuff out, it was too hard to keep seeing them.

They looked like this but didn't come in this packaging (just in a vet pill bottle):
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The newer ones were slightly bigger with more powder in them. Both were 10mg pills. I am going to see if the vet can tell me the manufactory differences between the two, if she knows.
 

babiesmom5

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While I know there is nothing anyone here can say to remove your pain, I tend to think it was not a reaction to the pills, but something else. The labored breathing, panting, drooling and feeling cold are symptoms suggestive of a cat "throwing a clot". This can happen to any cat, at any time. It happened to one of my cats who had bladder cancer. She had been seen by her vet that day; the tumor was stable. We brought her home and that night she threw a clot. She died in the car on the way to the ER. Same thing happened to a friend's cat with intestinal cancer.

I can just tell you also that when the tumor takes up most of the bladder, it is not long before a very painful blockage occurs and the cat has to be put down.

I know you must be in shock with this sudden turn of events. I can well relate. We go along knowing our kitties have one issue, treating them for that, and something comes along out of the blue to take them away from us. It's not right. It's not fair.

Again, I am so very very sorry.
 
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BluOnyx

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While I know there is nothing anyone here can say to remove your pain, I tend to think it was not a reaction to the pills, but something else. The labored breathing, panting, drooling and feeling cold are symptoms suggestive of a cat "throwing a clot". This can happen to any cat, at any time. It happened to one of my cats who had bladder cancer. She had been seen by her vet that day; the tumor was stable. We brought her home and that night she threw a clot. She died in the car on the way to the ER. Same thing happened to a friend's cat with intestinal cancer.

I can just tell you also that when the tumor takes up most of the bladder, it is not long before a very painful blockage occurs and the cat has to be put down.

I know you must be in shock with this sudden turn of events. I can well relate. We go along knowing our kitties have one issue, treating them for that, and something comes along out of the blue to take them away from us. It's not right. It's not fair.

Again, I am so very very sorry.
I never heard of this before. It sounds possible given he had cancer, was older, and had two bouts of pancreatitis when he was younger. It just happened so fast. It is so painful looking around the house and not seeing him here. I would just hate to think he was in pain when he passed. He was given a buorphanol injection at the hospital and I was convinced that is what killed him but I will never know.

His cremation box will be getting delivered today. I am trying to keep it together, it is just so hard. My last cat that passed away in 2018, I was able to spend time saying goodbye to him. He went on his own and I helped him through the final hours. It hurt but I was able to accept it. He was 17 mostly blind and had a spinal stroke and was unable to move, and stopped eating. This is hitting me worse because I just wasn't prepared for it. The first cat I had growing up was found dead when I was at work, I believe I was 19 when this happened. It is that same deep sadness where I am having so many regrets, blaming myself, wishing I had done more and feeling such a deep pain for not being able to say goodbye. It was too fast.

He was such a huge part of my life, especially when he was younger. He went everywhere with me. I used to take him for walks at the park. He loved when I would put the harness on and he would do a happy walk to the door because he knew it meant he got to go for his walk. I did it less as he got older and I regret that. I would have liked to let him have one last walk and have his favorite treat once last time. I just didn't have enough time for anything. I feel like I let him down.
 

babiesmom5

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While it is natural to feel like you let your boy down, I don't think you did. You did everything you could to get him some help when you saw him in a bad way Friday evening after that "stress seizure". This event no doubt started a downhill trend from which he could not recover. If anyone let you down, I would say it is the vet who, although put him on oxygen, did not deem him an emergency and released him. I am no vet, but it seems from his respiratory symptoms, need for oxygen, he was in no shape to be released.

The Buprenorphine injection, a painkiller at least gave your boy some easing of pain in his final hours. In my opinion, this drug was not the cause of his death. This should at least provide a measure of comfort to you.

I, along with many here, know the heartbreak of losing a beloved cat quite suddenly, unexpectedly without knowing the exact cause, and not being able to say good bye. It hurts...a lot!

For sure, your boy was given the best home with lots of love and attention from you. I am sure he knew how very much he was loved.

When you are able, please consider sharing his story and photos with us on the "Crossing the Bridge" forum. You will find a great deal of support and empathy here from those of us who have loved and lost. May you find peace, comfort and healing.
 
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