Mystery mucus stool

[Time 2 Recognize]

I'm sorry to hear that Echo isn't eating, that is always so hard. How is she doing today? I hope she's eating.

I'll write more later but wanted to ask more about what Echo eats. Diet can cause all sorts of problems, we've seen lots of those. Echo's sniffing and walking away is familiar, too, but more because of our other cat, Ireland, who tends to get constipated. I particularly ask about this because some Stella and Chewy foods have high bone content and some cats (like Ireland) get constipated from the bone. After Edwina's operation I stopped feeding raw food... Not because the vet said they could contain parasites but because I had already gotten tired of dealing with all the bone and pumpkin and other stuff that's now in so much commercial raw food. It was getting complicated to figure out how much bone we were feeding. Ireland had already been getting hairball tablets, which helped keep her regular, but now she's become a ravenous eater something we hadn't seen in years.

Edwina's case is weird and mysterious for sure -- the vet even got another call from another vet who heard about it. The surgeon seemed to think parasites were a longshot as the cause of the inflammation but he also basically said that things can get weird...

She has had the Mirataz and Cerenia shot today. Still not eating much. Ultrasound scheduled for Monday. I just dont know what to do. I wish I knew what was wrong. I know you know how that feels. She did poop earlier, and it looked pretty normal and fine. So. And she's usually quite regular on a daily basis before all this.

She normally eats Tiki cat after dark and hound and Gatos mainly. Higher protein with minimal added stuff. I used to feed her Rawz, but since it's so costly and H+G is quite similar ingredient wise It's been H+G and Tiki for the past year ish.

 

[lisahe]

She also coughed up a hairball earlier around 6:30am. I called the vet we went to yesterday and asked about coming in for a shot of cerenia and we went and got that.

I asked about an ultrasound and one is scheduled for Monday. I just dont know what to do. She had the Cerenia about an hour ago. Ate what looks to be some of the Tiki fussy cat meal, but not a lot and doesn't want treats. She looks less uncomfortable now, at least.

I'm at a loss. I dont want to run out again right now, as I just had to leave to drop off my man at work. I rushed home to check on her because a) shes never had cerenia so I wanted to be here ASAP to make sure she's ok with it and b) I think my random schedule of being here, not being here...is not helpful to her stress in all this. So I will stay a while with her and then perhaps venture out to get various wet and kibble foods later to try and entice her. As well as chicken + beef plain AF baby food. Fortiflora intrigues her but still isn't doing the trick.

I hope the Cerenia helps Echo. Edwina responded very well to it: she ate better and didn't barf. And also seemed to feel more comfortable. It's definitely a good idea to try to reduce her stress; the first vet that saw Edwina mentioned that, too. And we noticed that she had a tendency to barf when there were loud noises. (Like when we had to have trees cut down: she hates the sound of chainsaws.)

She really liked Beechnut stage one turkey and chicken foods, by the way! And we went through tons and tons of freeze-dried chicken treats when she was sick.

I hope the ultrasound at least gives the vets some ideas about what to treat. The hair problems can indicate IBD and an ultrasound can show thickening of the intestine, which would be indicative of IBD. (Edwina's ultrasound showed some thickening.)

She has had the Mirataz and Cerenia shot today. Still not eating much. Ultrasound scheduled for Monday. I just dont know what to do. I wish I knew what was wrong. I know you know how that feels. She did poop earlier, and it looked pretty normal and fine. So. And she's usually quite regular on a daily basis before all this.

She normally eats Tiki cat after dark and hound and Gatos mainly. Higher protein with minimal added stuff. I used to feed her Rawz, but since it's so costly and H+G is quite similar ingredient wise It's been H+G and Tiki for the past year ish.

I asked about the food since I wondered if maybe there's anything there that might cause digestive problems. Tiki After Dark is one of the cleanest foods there is so unless there's a protein Echo has a sensitivity or allergy to, that's probably unlikely to cause problems. H&G is very good food, too, though it does contain agar-agar, which makes both our cats vomit. (This is unusual: hardly anything makes Ireland vomit.) I wish we could feed it -- they have so many flavors!

You asked about the weird parasites: the ultrasound report says (I'll summarize) they might not be identified on a fecal exam if there aren't many parasites or their eggs. He called a fecal exam "an option but lower yield." And he went on to suggest Panacur as a possible "trial therapy... prior to further diagnostics." There is a liquid version of Panacur that can be syringed but our regular vet said it's very unpleasant to give because of the taste.

You'd mentioned Friskies... I fed Edwina some Fancy Feast at some point, just before the very dark stool, simply because nothing else appealed to her. The vet tech was horrified when I told her. It was turkey and giblets FF, pate, far from the worst food in the world! And far better, IMO, than some of the prescription foods we got from the vet for that short period. That said, some of what I fed her during that time was Hill's a/d. I was even grateful for it, particularly when we got to the Panacur: it's the perfect texture for mixing in medicine (it worked for Cerenia pills and Panacur powder), it's light for a cat to lick, and there's something about it (the smell, probably from all the liver!) that makes it very appealing to cats. Plus it's also very caloric, which is good for inappetent cats. I hated that it had corn flour and I woudn't feed it for very long but I'll use it again for both cats when it's time for their next round of Panacur.

I hope something helps Echo feel better today! Fingers crossed again for both of you... and for the ultrasound to give everybody some guidance about what to do next. I remember how hard it was to wait the three days we had between booking and the procedure -- here's hoping for the best for both of you.

 

[Time 2 Recognize]

He called a fecal exam "an option but lower yield." And he went on to suggest Panacur as a possible "trial therapy... prior to further diagnostics." There is a liquid version of Panacur that can be syringed but our regular vet said it's very unpleasant to give because of the taste.

I will call the emergency clinic to ask about Panacur. I forgot completely today -was so focused on getting her to eat anything. She's refused so far. Nothing. No water either.

It seems worse since the cerenia, not to say it's the cerenia that has worsened things but she was tired after and since has had zero interest whatsoever in anything. I went and bought so many types of canned, and a few dry. Nothing.

I just syringe fed her 5ml or so of water and 3 messy ml of tiki stix mouse with some of the powdered vets best hairball tablet as well as a tiny dose of the pepcid the vet recommended. She did not approve or appreciate any of this. But for now syringe feeding feels like what I have to do. May bring her to e-vets tomorrow for fluid and supportive care until Monday morning for the ultrasound.

I'll keep syringe feeding (well, pipette, since thats what I have) every hour or so and hope that somehow....helps. Or at least limits things from getting worse. She's hiding and not moving around much all of today. Worse -so after the cerenia. But no vomit. No stool either. Some pee. She really doesnt want food...resists the syringe feedings.

 

[lisahe]

Yes to fluids, they can help so much. It's good you're syringing some food into her, that's rough to have to do... It does sound like she may need to see the e-vet. Whatever is going on sounds so strange. (It may seem especially strange to me because Edwina is such a barfer...)

I'll be interested to hear if they even think she might have parasites. (Echo also may not be a candidate for deworming until she's stabilized, we had to wait for Edwina, about two weeks after her surgery.) Of course we will never know if Edwina really needed deworming. The sad thing is that so much of taking care of cats is guesswork, even with great vets.

I hope you're able to get some sleep.

 

[Time 2 Recognize]

Yes to fluids, they can help so much. It's good you're syringing some food into her, that's rough to have to do... It does sound like she may need to see the e-vet. Whatever is going on sounds so strange. (It may seem especially strange to me because Edwina is such a barfer...)

I'll be interested to hear if they even think she might have parasites. (Echo also may not be a candidate for deworming until she's stabilized, we had to wait for Edwina, about two weeks after her surgery.) Of course we will never know if Edwina really needed deworming. The sad thing is that so much of taking care of cats is guesswork, even with great vets.

I hope you're able to get some sleep.

So we went to an E-clinic in the state over that is part of the same chain as the original one we went to. The emergency vet was only helpful in the sense of getting fluids in her. Technically it was the tech that did that. They otherwise were a bit condescending and giving canned type suggestions....suggested Cerenia again, which did not help her at all, sedation and another set of x-rays. Perhaps I should have asked about blood test, but given that she will need to be sedated tomorrow for the ultrasound, I do not want to sedate her to do what's already been done without yielding any answer and it seemed they wouldnt do much without fully sedating. The vet there said it could be partial blockage or IBS. I'm looking around today to see what is open within an hour or so's drive. It's not much. Many places with scary reviews. I may call the same branch of clinic local to me and just ask, what could you do. I dont want to drag her around for nothing, it's hard on her and me. Plus expensive but I honestly don't care about that.

At this point it seems these are the things not ruled out:
-Inflammation like Edwina had or possibly something parasitic that has spun out
-Pancreatitis
-Some kind of Bacterial infection (wouldn't bloodwork show some kind of immune response thought?)
-IBS or Cancer
-Some kind of blockage not visible on the original x-rays
-Something viral that has spun out
-Ulcers, perhaps? She often would burp for a while after eating...

I dont know what to do. Back to looking up clinics and calling around

 

[lisahe]

So we went to an E-clinic in the state over that is part of the same chain as the original one we went to. The emergency vet was only helpful in the sense of getting fluids in her. Technically it was the tech that did that. They otherwise were a bit condescending and giving canned type suggestions....suggested Cerenia again, which did not help her at all, sedation and another set of x-rays. Perhaps I should have asked about blood test, but given that she will need to be sedated tomorrow for the ultrasound, I do not want to sedate her to do what's already been done without yielding any answer and it seemed they wouldnt do much without fully sedating. The vet there said it could be partial blockage or IBS. I'm looking around today to see what is open within an hour or so's drive. It's not much. Many places with scary reviews. I may call the same branch of clinic local to me and just ask, what could you do. I dont want to drag her around for nothing, it's hard on her and me. Plus expensive but I honestly don't care about that.

At this point it seems these are the things not ruled out:
-Inflammation like Edwina had or possibly something parasitic that has spun out
-Pancreatitis
-Some kind of Bacterial infection (wouldn't bloodwork show some kind of immune response thought?)
-IBS or Cancer
-Some kind of blockage not visible on the original x-rays
-Something viral that has spun out
-Ulcers, perhaps? She often would burp for a while after eating...

I dont know what to do. Back to looking up clinics and calling around

Oof, that sounds like a weird and very unsatisfying e-vet visit. Sometimes I wish they would just admit they have trouble diagnosing digestive issues. It would save everybody a lot of nerves.

Your list is a lot like the mental list I had with Edwina, too, though I never dreamed that her problem could be parasites. (Not that we are even sure now that parasites were her problem...)

Looking at your list, well, at least pancreatitis is easy to test for. Can they do that tomorrow when Echo gets the ultrasound? I was glad to have pancreatitis taken off Edwina's list at her first vet appointment. IBD is a tough one for diagnosis, though at least signs can show up on an ultrasound, as they did for Edwina. At least the presence or absence of intestinal thickening on the ultrasound will show/tell you something! (That's what I was grateful for with Edwina's ultrasound: There was no actual diagnosis but there were lots of ideas and theories for the various vets to work with. And now I know about that thickening, which I had wondered about for a long time.) Echo is considerably younger than Edwina, right, four? Though younger cats can and do get IBD. And at least it can often be pretty manageable with diet. Edwina also gets burps (and really stinky gas!) after some meals. And she has always loved to eat too much and regurgitate. (She also used to vomit up stomach acid fairly frequently when her stomach was empty, which made me wonder if her inflammation was an ulcer... Maybe it was, though I would think she would still be having stomach acid problems if it was...) Our regular vet doesn't seem too concerned about Edwina's intestinal thickening (maybe because of her diet? the vet knows she gets a high protein diet with lots of limitations on gums) though the surgeon basically said to consider her as having some IBD. Which I do.

The viral and bacterial options are (like parasites) the hardest to contemplate since who knows what could be floating around.

I hope today goes okay. Maybe Echo is feeling a little better today and eating a bit after the fluids? I hope so. Most of all, I'm hoping that the ultrasound (and maybe other tests?) will help you tomorrow, it is so hard to go through this. I hope you're able to get some answers, be they ruling things in or ruling things out.

 

[Time 2 Recognize]

Oof, that sounds like a weird and very unsatisfying e-vet visit. Sometimes I wish they would just admit they have trouble diagnosing digestive issues. It would save everybody a lot of nerves.

Unfortunately my experience most of the time at vets is like this. They just parrot the textbook response as if they didn't hear the last 10 minutes of explanation and history leading up to present moment. I say Cerenia didn't help and maybe made her feel worse? Ok. Lets give her more Cerenia because that's just what you do with potentially nauseous cats. Meanwhile she seemingly had many of the not great side effect that can happen with Cerenia, which is the opposite of what you want. Further anorexia, lethargy, diarrhea.

It's incredibly frustrating.

Pancreas wise, the regular blood test showed no elevations, but I will ask for the specific test tomorrow definitely. I'm concerned also because she tends to react poorly to medications. It's happened when she got a steroid shot years ago as well. Hyperventilating and rapid heart rate, aggression. That's a whole other story and I dont know if he gave her an inconsiderately large dose or what. I will mention this to the vets tomorrow and let them know she often has the undesired reaction with conventional meds. Please to call me before giving her something not absolutely necessary. I'm also afraid of the effect of anesthesia/sedation, if she will handle it well...Then on top of that, because she is not rabies vaxed, they warned me if she bit anyone she'd be quarantined for 10 days by the state. Like omg. I mean she hasnt gone to bit anyone, but she is usually feisty and she really isn't feeling well so. They used a cone on her at the clinic so I will ask they do that again where possible to avoid that nightmare event. It almost feels like she's safer at home, but I know she needs further tests to figure this out.

She is so young, and always pretty much been on high protein, minimal weird stuff type diet. Tiki Cat, Hound and Gatos, Rawz some years back. Occasional Weruva but that is gummy and a lot of sunflower oil or whatever. I have wondered if she could have become allergic to chicken as its always been the primary meat source. Don't know if that would cause all this. Another one to add to the list.

Positive update though, I let her rest through the night and didn't mess with her after receiving fluids. A few hours ago I blended up her usual Tiki Cat after dark chicken entree and used a syringe from the clinic last night (which I had to ask for, no one offered or advised thanks) to get about 10ml in to her. Had her wrapped burrito towel style. She was more amenable to that today and drank a bit of water earlier. So far she's held it down. I strongly feel Cerenia did not help and may have done the opposite. Will continue if she seems to tolerate syringe feedings

 

[lisahe]

Unfortunately my experience most of the time at vets is like this. They just parrot the textbook response as if they didn't hear the last 10 minutes of explanation and history leading up to present moment. I say Cerenia didn't help and maybe made her feel worse? Ok. Lets give her more Cerenia because that's just what you do with potentially nauseous cats. Meanwhile she seemingly had many of the not great side effect that can happen with Cerenia, which is the opposite of what you want. Further anorexia, lethargy, diarrhea.

It's incredibly frustrating.

Pancreas wise, the regular blood test showed no elevations, but I will ask for the specific test tomorrow definitely. I'm concerned also because she tends to react poorly to medications. It's happened when she got a steroid shot years ago as well. Hyperventilating and rapid heart rate, aggression. That's a whole other story and I dont know if he gave her an inconsiderately large dose or what. I will mention this to the vets tomorrow and let them know she often has the undesired reaction with conventional meds. Please to call me before giving her something not absolutely necessary. I'm also afraid of the effect of anesthesia/sedation, if she will handle it well...Then on top of that, because she is not rabies vaxed, they warned me if she bit anyone she'd be quarantined for 10 days by the state. Like omg. I mean she hasnt gone to bit anyone, but she is usually feisty and she really isn't feeling well so. They used a cone on her at the clinic so I will ask they do that again where possible to avoid that nightmare event. It almost feels like she's safer at home, but I know she needs further tests to figure this out.

She is so young, and always pretty much been on high protein, minimal weird stuff type diet. Tiki Cat, Hound and Gatos, Rawz some years back. Occasional Weruva but that is gummy and a lot of sunflower oil or whatever. I have wondered if she could have become allergic to chicken as its always been the primary meat source. Don't know if that would cause all this. Another one to add to the list.

Positive update though, I let her rest through the night and didn't mess with her after receiving fluids. A few hours ago I blended up her usual Tiki Cat after dark chicken entree and used a syringe from the clinic last night (which I had to ask for, no one offered or advised thanks) to get about 10ml in to her. Had her wrapped burrito towel style. She was more amenable to that today and drank a bit of w8ater earlier. So far she's held it down. I strongly feel Cerenia did not help and may have done the opposite. Will continue if she seems to tolerate syringe feedings

What you say about the vets reciting the textbook reminds me of the vets at the clinic where we took our previous cat. They were more into dogs there (we now go to a cats only vet...) and the vet we saw the most in her last months has no clue. The only bright spot was that they didn't push prescription kidney food on her. (Weruva was great for her...)

I'm so sorry the Cerenia wasn't a help. Edwina responds really well to it.

I hope tomorrow goes well, with the cone, and that you're able to syringe more food into her today. And maybe you won't need a specific pancreas test, given the previous tests? Let us know how it goes. I hope it doesn't take too long to get the ultrasound report.

 

[Time 2 Recognize]

We went to the emergency for supportive care last night. The vet there was much better than the previous one at the other location. Listened, actually wanted and read through my 5 pages of notes/history and asked to scan it into her file. I love her lol. Sadly she's out until Thursday, but she got us/Echo all set up there and everyone else we've met there has been similar caliber of kind.

I stayed with her for a while. Soon after fluids and some medicines (cerenia being one again, IV this time) she was more perked up and actually meowing. So that was great. I slept out in the car with my husband a few hours and when we went in to get her, they had a little hand drawn "Spicy!" sign on her crate door as well as a towel covering it. Which was both amusing and a good sign because her energy is up. The tech who helped us get her in the carrier was laughing and saying how she could be the mom of her boy cat, who looks quite similar and is also a spicy fella. She's at the other main clinic now for the ultrasound and I asked them to do pancreas test, TLI, and the fecal I dropped off on Saturday was indeed for a comprehensive fecal test so that is also good. Hope to get some answers today, hope dearly they are addressable and not as severe as they could be...

I also contacted that amazing vet I spoke to yesterday to arrange how I can get records to him so he can consult. I really feel he will be the best advisor in this.

 

[FeebysOwner]

All good! Continue to keep us posted. Fingers crossed for Echo and you!

 

[lisahe]

I'm glad to hear you were able to get Echo in for fluids and meds so she's in better shape for today. (You must be so worn out after sleeping in the car!) And so crossing my fingers that something, some test, will give you information that you can actually use to get Echo back on track.