Lillie poisoning advice please....

[Tink84]

Hi all,

Hope everyone is OK.

Its with great sadness that I'm posting today but I could really do with all your help, advice, support and prayers.....

Our beautiful 4.5 year old furbaby became ill out of the blue a week ago today. He was walking slowly and low (if that makes sense) squinting his eyes, being sick with just bile, laying down and then began to have seizures.
I phoned the vet right away and took him straight up there, they checked him iver and said they would keep him in and run bloods and vitals.....I got a call after hours later to advise his creatinine kidney failure levels were very high with they knowis consistent with poison and so he needed to stay in on an iv with fluids flushing him out for next 48hrs and bloods repeated daily.
The severe levels kept rising over the days despite treatment.

On Sunday (the one just gone) they called me at 7am and said his blood results were off the scale and the machine was unable to compute the levels they were so high! They advised us they couldn't do anymore so to bring him home and make him comfortable. I was made to believe he only had hours left

Its now today and hes been gradually getting more and more energy and is still going by the back door to go out (we've not letvhim out as we want to keep an eye on him and keep him safe!) Hes drinking and weeing. Not ate a lot but is nibbling on ham, tuna and treats. He will have a little short play with string with me and is sleeping otherwise in intervals.
I called the vet yesterday to explain this and they said there's not much they can due as the levels were so high and damage done is irreversible so to just keep him comfortable and keep and eye on him and enjoy the time we can spend with him.

My question is, has anyone seen this and got any advice, support or experience who can comment with these and maybe advice on anything I can do at home for him!?

So sorry for the essay. I wanted to give the full situation. Thanks in advance xx

 

[Furballsmom]

HI!
This website may be of use to you if you aren't already familiar with it - the website also has a support group:

Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat

 

[fionasmom]

What do you think that your cat ate? If it is truly poison, and I have had ER vets use that as a dx initially when nothing else added up, especially with dogs, you have to make sure that it does not happen again. If the cat seems to be getting better, which hopefully he is, it can't happen again.

 

[Tink84]

HI!
This website may be of use to you if you aren't already familiar with it - the website also has a support group:

Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Everything You Need to Know to Help Your Cat

Thank you I will have a look at it x

 

[Tink84]

What do you think that your cat ate? If it is truly poison, and I have had ER vets use that as a dx initially when nothing else added up, especially with dogs, you have to make sure that it does not happen again. If the cat seems to be getting better, which hopefully he is, it can't happen again.

I'm not sure what he's ate. He literally just became poorly last Thursday, he had been out abd came in st lunch time, walked into the living room, curled up on his bed abd just dudnt seem right then had a few seizures and I called the vet.

First we thought maybe rat poison but when they tested his urine they said there was nothing in it that would be if it was.
They said its likely lilly or anti freeze poisoning. Its just horrible that they won't give me anything for it! X

 

[daftcat75]

If he seems like he's improving, keep his nutrition and especially his hydration up. Maybe give it a week and have him retested. Or get a second opinion if this vet says hospice is all you can do for him now. Kidneys don't heal themselves. But I would expect him to be doing much worse, not improving, for what they told you. Don't let him out anymore. He's an indoor cat now.

 

[Tink84]

If he seems like he's improving, keep his nutrition and especially his hydration up. Maybe give it a week and have him retested. Or get a second opinion if this vet says hospice is all you can do for him now. Kidneys don't heal themselves. But I would expect him to be doing much worse, not improving, for what they told you. Don't let him out anymore. He's an indoor cat now.

Thank you for your reply.
Hes not really eating a lot which does worry me! He has ate bits of stuff but no where near as substantial fill abd hes not pooped only weeing. Hes drinking good though which i am glad about.
Our vet has said to keep him comfortable, try him on a reanal diet if we think he will eat it and to just keep an eye in him. The vetinary hospital didn't really give us much hope at all so our vet is a bit more supportive than them!
Yes il definitely keep him s an indoor cat now no matter what, although I do worry if that will depress him and won't help his diagnosis?

 

[daftcat75]

Thank you for your reply.
Hes not really eating a lot which does worry me! He has ate bits of stuff but no where near as substantial fill abd hes not pooped only weeing. Hes drinking good though which i am glad about.
Our vet has said to keep him comfortable, try him on a reanal diet if we think he will eat it and to just keep an eye in him. The vetinary hospital didn't really give us much hope at all so our vet is a bit more supportive than them!
Yes il definitely keep him s an indoor cat now no matter what, although I do worry if that will depress him and won't help his diagnosis?

I would try highly appealing foods like Friskies, Fancy Feast, and Sheba. Some consider these junk food. But it's better to eat well at McDonald's than starve at Whole Foods. You may also ask your vet about an appetite stimulant. Does he appear to be nauseated? Does he approach food, sniff it, and simply walk away? You may also ask about Cerenia (or similiar) for anti-nausea. Eating a high moisture, a wet food only diet, will be best for him right now.

 

[FeralHearts]

Some very good advice in this thread XOXO

I am so very sorry you and kitty are going through this. Without knowing there could be a lot of things going on. If it is poison, flushing out the system as quick as possible is best chance. Atm lots fluids and wet food are the best options. As daftcat75 suggested a appetite stimulate could help and very smelly foods to get him interested.

Out of left field here - but could there have been any internal trauma? I've had friends with cats that were hit by a cyclists that showed no signs of outward injury but internally were bleeding and damaged. Kidney injury would explain the high levels too. Left field but being outside that is a possibility -yes?

Having a cat that, best guess by everyone, was accidentally poisoned by a neighbor myself - I can tell you that Feral is now retired and will never see the outside again unless I make a catio.

 

[daftcat75]

He needs to eat to poop. I wouldn't worry about him not pooping until his eating improves.

I'd be more worried about dehydration while he's not eating well. As far as drinking, he could be thirsty because his kidneys are compromised. But cats are meant to get their hydration from mostly diet or diet alone. If he eats 6 oz a day of 78% moisture (typical) wet food a day, that's nearly 5 oz of moisture. So unless he's drinking nearly 5 oz of water a day, which he probably isn't, he runs the risk of dehydration. I don't remember the signs of dehydration in cats other than how quickly the scruff of the neck snaps back when gently lifted and released. There are other signs that can be looked up easily enough. The important thing is that if he's not eating enough, you will most likely need to supplement his water intake. You can use a needle-less syringe to slowly squirt water into the side of his mouth taking care not to go faster than he can drink without choking. This isn't ideal because he's probably going to resist you for every cc and you'll have to do this several times a day to make sure he gets enough. Your other option is subcutaneous fluids. These are easy enough to administer. But you'll have to give them regularly until you can get his eating back up.

I would suggest taking him back to the vet ASAP for subcutaneous fluids, a prescription for an appetite stimulant and possibly an anti-nausea medication. Discuss when he should be brought back for more fluids or giving the fluids at home until his eating is back up again. A lot of cat parents are rightly worried about fatty liver when their cat stops eating. But dehydration can be even more dangerous and set in faster.

 

[flybear]

we went through an absolute horrible poisoning a while ago and my two cats have completely recovered against all odds. Sometimes what they have ingested might have been corrosive... your kitty might have a sore throat, stomach or intestines and therefore not much of an appetite ..
I would watch fluids carefully and try to get her to take broth ... maybe with pureed chicken in it ... add tuna for flavor maybe ... if there are internal sores ... they will heal but broth/ slushy is less painful to swallow. Sub Cutaneous fluids can be a lifesaver and ... kidney function can recover. I get a lot of medical fosters and most have horrible kidney parameters ... my yorkie was so bad ( she was seized in a drug house and likely ingested so e of that evil stuff ) that the vet gave her only weeks to months to live and ... she is 5 now and very happy go lucky with pretty normal kidney function ... There is always hope and the outcome of poisoning is really hard to predict .. if your baby shows interest in food ... even just a little and pees well ... that is good ! Sending you some positive thoughts!

 

[MissClouseau]

Could you call the vet hospitals around and ask if they have a dialysis machine or know a clinic that does? In Istanbul only a few vet clinics have them but they help immensely for situations like this.

 

[FeralHearts]

How are you and baby doing today?