Mystery Illness With Vomiting And Lack Of Appetite

[orange&white]

@maggiedemi orange&white do you have thoughts, advice, hugs for C chicy724

Yes, many hugs and warm healing thoughts your way chicy724 and Daisy.


It sounds like she has gotten and is continuing to get the best possible veterinary care available. Not sure I can add any useful advice to that plus to the multiple suggestions from members here, but I surely will hope and pray that the vets can find a cure for her.

Much love to you and Daisy. She's lucky to have such a caring person as you in her life.

 

[cat1967]

I am terribly sorry that Daisy is in such a situation as well as you because I know how tough all this is for the cat mother. I would only say here, do what you think your cat would want you to do. I didn't listen to my Benji and maybe I tried more than I should and made him suffer for longer before making the decision. If they can be certain that after taking her to those places and doing what they have to do, your cat has more chances to live than die, you might want to take the chance. If they are uncertain (as it seems they don't exactly know) it is up to you then. Be strong. I know you love your cat so much. Taking her to the vet, having her tested, doing what can possibly be done for her, caring so much shows great love and you should be proud for that.
My prayers and hopes are with you both. Sending you all my love and warm wishes.

 

[chicy724]

Thank you all so much for your caring words.

I think we at least need to try and figure out what we're up against. So bringing her to one of these Universities should do that.

I just realized also that both our blood work and the third-party ultrasound analysis stated a urinalysis should be done but one hasn't.
I also believe the report says her bladder was distended (which may be because she ha to pee), but also that there was blood in it.
So I'm wondering why a urinalysis isn't being done by my regular vet? I'm going to ask when I speak with them today.

*** I spoke with them this morning and they hadn't done the urinalysis because of everything else it wasn't priority. She had evidence of crystals/stones/blood. She is going to ask the Dr. and see if he'd do the urinalysis while we wait for the referral appointment to Auburn University.
He recommended Auburn of U of F.

We are at least going to go to Auburn and get more information to truly see what we're up against and what we can do.
It just seems to me like there are multiple issues and I don't know where to begin in treating her for the long-term so we need to at least figure that out.

My heart is breaking.

 

[KarenKat]

You are doing an amazing and awesome job! I know you aren't thinking that and your world has turned upside-down, but your vet seems knowledgeable and he sounds like he has great specialists you can go to. Between you and the vet staff Daisy is in the best of hands! It may be something you can treat, and it may not but we will be here for you if you need it.

Poor Daisy and her family! Much love and support to all of you!

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[cat1967]

Sending you both my best of wishes and guardian angels. I wish and hope it is something you can treat with medication and both Daisy and you be well and happy soon. It is so important that you are dedicated to this furry baby. I would like to congratulate you for all your efforts and the love you give to her.

 

[chicy724]

Hi All,
We had Daisy go through some testing and are waiting on results.
Sadly, it is suspected to be either IBD or Lymphoma. The vet we saw thinks IBD is a minimal chance.

It's been a rough ride and I still can't really get her to eat. I am going to syringe feed her today. She is still not interested in food and is only licking juices off of it, and eating treats if I am lucky.

She received a 10mg Cerenia injection yesterday.
I gave her 2mg of Zofran today around 11am.
I am about to dose her with 8mg of Cerenia (put into a capsule because the taste makes her spit it out/vomit)
At/around 10pm this evening we can dose her with Mirtazapine.

I need my baby to eat.

The test they sent out for is a PARR test. This was because they couldn't differentiate between the cells in-house.

We saw an oncologist vet; and she suggested we do the PARR test to see if it comes back positive for lymphoma. If it doesn't, it can be a false-negative so she suggested at that point, if that happens, we should do a surgical biopsy.

I am torn on surgical biopsy. Then I just read that someone's kitty died 3 weeks after they did a PARR test instead of just starting treatment.

Maybe we should just put her on treatment, as it seems many have. We need her feeling better and eating again. I wanted to put her on steroids for now but we couldn't because of the possible biopsy upcoming.

However, if we decide to not do the biopsy, I don't want to waste precious time by not putting her on steroids.

I am so lost. Overwhelmed. Confused. Heart broken. Sad. Scared.

 

[cat1967]

My feelings exactly with my cat with whom I never found out what caused losing half his weight. Do syringe feed Daisy. The vet will tell you how often and how much so as not to cause unnecessary vomiting. I really really do hope it turns out to be something treatable. Do keep us updated. My prayers are with you and your beautiful kitty. Sending you lots of warm feelings and guardian angels.

 

[chicy724]

Thank you so much. It means a lot to us.
Pilling has been tough. I need to perfect my technique, and practice with the pill popper. She's sly. And it is so sad and stressful. I make sure to give her lots of kisses and talk to her while I do it.

I haven't syringe fed her yet, because of timing. Her Mirtazapine was due a bit ago and I didn't want to syringe feed her AND pill her.

She is sleeping right now, so she hasn't gotten up to eat yet. I am praying she will.

This is all so trying on our emotions as well as theirs. I am going to have to build my emotional toughness for this. I just want to snuggle her and I feel like I am torturing her. My sweet baby.

The vet didn't tell me anything on syringe feeding. I am not overly impressed with the experience we had with the oncology vet. All seemed awesome at first but then it just seemed like she didn't care as much as I had hoped- and she's focused on oncology not internal medicine so that may be part of the issue.

A friend of mine used to be a vet tech and is also a kitty lover- so she gave me some tips. It will probably be a disaster when I try it but if it has to be done, I will do it.

I am just hanging on to hope that the juices she drank and treats she's eaten throughout the day do some good for now, since she's sleeping and hasn't eaten or been force fed. Then I also feel like a terribly kitty momma.

I may even ask my vet to do a feeding tube.

And I am concerned Daisy has developed a food aversion because of her severe nausea- everything she goes near she turns her nose to. Probably because all food for a while now has made her feel sick or vomit.

 

[silkenpaw]

I’m dealing with a cat with intestinal lymphoma right now. She lost a lot of weight before we put a feeding tube in and I think we should have done it earlier. It makes it a lot easier to give her nasty-tasting meds and feed her through nausea.

For other cats, if the medication tastes nasty, I put it in a piece of pill-pocket before I give it to them.

I know how stressful it is to see your beloved kitty so sick. You are not alone. Keep us updated on what is going on. Big hugs.

 

[cat1967]

C chicy724 I know you feel like you are torturing your Daisy and that is how I felt with Benji. I was crying because I was force feeding him as he also had an aversion for food. When he saw me pulling kitchen napkins he know I was about to syringe feed him so he went away. But I did feed him, with no result though as he never gained any weight he only lost more. He peed and pooped normally but that was that. My cat for 36 days with IV fluids, medicine, blood tests and generally anything that could be done was getting worse till the day I saw him fall here and there as if he wanted to find a place to die and he meowed to me, then I knew I had to put him to sleep.

If there is hope, if there is any chance for her to get better, be strong, you are not torturing her, you are doing everything you can for her own good. My cats feel I am torturing them when I try to untangle their fur, but I am doing it for them, also when I spray them for the fleas. They don't know it is for them. So don't feel bad about it. Just proud that you have so much love for cats, more than so many people who kick them or throw them away.

 

[cat1967]

silkenpaw A feeding tube should be the best option for those cats that for any reason stop eating. You did the right thing. I wish we had a procedure like that here in Greece. Here, it is very common that vets or vet clinics do whatever they can to take money from you. I don't trust many of them and it is so difficult to find a vet who really cares about animals, I think most of them care about how much money they are going to make when they see you that you are willing to do anything and pay anything to save your loving pet. I hope your cat gains weight and I believe a tube is something which will help her with that and with any medicine you will have to give her.

 

[silkenpaw]

cat1967 I think there are vets everywhere who are more interested in taking your money than helping your animal. I’m lucky to have found one who cares. We are taking Frangi to the vet on Monday for another dose of chemo. She’ll get weighed again then. I’ve been able to increase her feedings, so I hope she gains weight. The tube is helping a lot in her care. Thank you for caring

 

[cat1967]

Frangi what a beautiful name.
My vet is a good vet he also does pro bono for those who are poor. His son is a vet now too and he has another vet in his office so they are three. I like him a lot and I have known him for years. I don’t blame him for not finding what was wrong with Benji but I do blame him for letting me wait for 45 minutes when I took my baby to sleep and for not letting me be in there when he did it. Well that maybe he did cause he knew I could have fainted or screamed.

 

[silkenpaw]

Thank you Her full name is Frangipani; it’s another word for a flowering tree called Plumeria in Latin. The color of her coat is grey, almost purple, and it reminded us of the flower.

I have always been in the room when my cats were euthanized. I think that’s the custom in the US.

 

[Erinlinkcappy]

Hello have been quietly following in the background and sorry to hear about Daisy.

For what it is worth ( which may be little) I think there is a point where the vets get a little “test happy” and it is worth starting a treatment by just giving her the steroids and seeing what happens.

Good luck - the tests are very stressful , hang in there.

 

[cat1967]

silkenpaw your Frangipani si so so beautiful!

 

[Hairlesswonders]

This may sound odd...try chicken free diet, probiotic (forti flora) and a tablespoon per day of plain live yogurt. Cats can develop allergies. Yes Eosinophil is linked to parasites, but it is also linked to intolerance and allergies, but if PCR wasnt performed to know which parasite it is (if it is), how will you know?

 

[silkenpaw]

cat1967 Thank you from Frangi and me

 

[chicy724]

We just got the call for our kitty's PARR results. It was negative for cancer DNA. But the vet said it's correct in 60% of cases. (Though when we were there she told us it was 90% accurate)

Now she's recommending surgical biopsy, and we're torn on whether we want to put her through that.

I'm already frustrated it took so long to get these results only to be told it's a tad more than half accurate. And my vet sent us to a specialist to get faster results, which has now cost is 2 weeks.

She suspects IBD or Small Cell Lymphoma.
She said the treatment is very similar, but the prognosis is the difference. And that if the treatment we do doesn't work, it's much more difficult to go in after treatment is started to get the biopsy because treatment has to be stopped and then the results could be affected from the steroids.

We have done 2 ultrasounds, aspiration of lymph node and spleen. The cells from the lymph node and spleen were analyzed, spleen was within normal realm. They sent the lymph node cells to have the PARR test done because they couldn't differentiate between IBD or Lymphoma. The PARR was negative, which they now said is 60% accurate.

I feel like most results lend themselves to IBD, except for the enlarged lymph nodes... unless that is a possible condition due to systemic inflammation?
I know many of you have been in this situation, so I'm curious to learn how you made your decisions to, or not to, do surgical biopsy.

Some go straight into treatment, and some do surgery. How do you decide?