Need immediate advice... blood clot

[lizch6699]

Mama appears to have a blood clot in her back legs. She has a severe heart murmur and was recently placed on medication called Enacard. The medication mentions that weakness and lethargy are a side effect. She's been hobbling around and hasn't been walking around much. The emergency vet is about 30 minutes away and she freaks out during car rides. As soon as she gets in a car she starts panting and getting worked up. I can't decide if I should wait it out and take her in first thing in the morning to the local vet who's only a few miles away. Or if I should take her to the emergency vet now. I'm afraid that she'll become over-stressed on the car ride and will end up dying on the way. Right now she's eating fine and walking around a little bit. Her paws are still warm so I know there's still some cirulation going on. Does anyone have any experience with HCM and have similar problems?

 

[AbbysMom]

I have no experience with this, but would it be possible to call the ER vet to get their opinion?


Good Luck!

 

[naturestee]

I'd take her to the ER vet, or at least call for advice. This happened to my parents' 14 year old cat Scooter last spring. His clot was so bad that he couldn't use his hind legs at all and my mom thought he had a spinal injury. By the time they got to the vet his legs had started getting cold. The vet said there wasn't anything to be done and he was in a lot of pain, so he had to be put to sleep.

My mom didn't ask, but the way she worded it when she told me I think there might have been something the vet could have done if his blockage hadn't been so severe. We're not sure how long he was like that because my mom found him like that when she got home from work and he had seemed okay that morning.

I really hope this isn't what the problem is. Lots of vibes for you and Mama!

 

[kai bengals]

If she does indeed have a saddle thrombus (clot), she should exhibit alot of pain. This would be an emergency situation for sure.
Doesn't sound like this is the case, but if she is acting alot differently than normal, erring on the side of caution, with a visit to the ER would be best, even with the freaking out during the car ride.

 

[lizch6699]

Thanks for the quick replies everyone. She doesn't seem to be in a much pain at all. I just went in to check on her and she was sleeping. She woke up and stretched, including stretching out her legs. Her paws or feet aren't cold at all but when I go to touch them, she growls at me. I can't tell if it's because she's in pain because she usually growls at me when I play with her feet. She's only 2 years old and she's still pretty lively. I did call the ER vet and they said that the only way to know is to bring her in and I don't want to risk the drive when she's content laying on my bed

Always a catch 22! Her legs started getting stiff last night and, if anything, she seems to have improved since then. I gave her baby asprin earlier (as directed by a previous vet) and massaged her legs a little. I'm open to any other suggestions. Thanks

 

[naturestee]

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that poor Scooter was yowling in pain when my mom came home from work. He stopped as soon as she started petting him, but he was definately in severe pain.

 

[cathyc]

I lost a cat to this last year...a saddle thrombosis. He was fine one minute and the next he wasn't. It wasn't a matter of weakness in his legs they were pretty much non-functioning. He was breathing very fast and he couldn't even stand. I didn't know what was going on and sat him on the floor and he managed to drag himself about a foot when i picked him up and rushed him to the vet. This doesn't sound like what is going on with your cat. You would know because they are in obvious distress. If it does ever happen it's a major emergency and get to the vet asap. I hope your kitty is okay.

 

[lizch6699]

Thanks again for the replies. She was up and moving a little while earlier. I was reading about the side effects of the medication (Enacard) and it said that one of the side effects is trembling and hind leg weakness. I'm hoping that's what the issue is. If I go to touch her feet she will shake her legs and try to kick me to make me leave her alone. Did anyone who's cat had a saddle thrombis have trembling present? Does anyone have any experience with the medication? Enacard is a generic brand for Enalapril.

 

[xocats]

Because you are not sure what the problem is...
Mama should be treated at the vets as an emergency to rule out a life threatening problem.

I hope you find that she will be OK.

Keep us updated please.

 

[lizch6699]

I took Mama in first thing this morning. The vet is a little baffled by what's going on with her. He stretched out her legs and made sure she had pulses in both of her legs, which eliminated it being a blood clot. Then he ran blood tests. All of her values are within normal range... including white blood cell count. So he thinks it's unlikely that she has an infection. He's thinking that she has a fever due to pain... that maybe she hurt her legs and as a result she has a fever. Her temp was 104.1 this morning and was 101.2 a few minutes ago. Her lower belly looks a little swollen but I can't tell if it's beyond the norm. Anyone have any suggestions or similar symptoms? The thing that throws us off the most is that her white blood count is normal so it doesn't appear as if there's an infection...

 

[caringcatgirl]

I am sure if she was just at the vet they looked for signs of fluid build up in the stomach and abdomen. But with heart conditions this can be a very big issue. Hopefully your vet has referred you to a cartiologist. They are so specialized I would say they will give you the best feedback

 

[naturestee]

Spinal or joint problem?

 

[xocats]

Have Mama's symptoms changed?
Have x-rays or scans been suggested for the areas that might be the problem?
What is the current plan?

Lots of healthy vibes are on the way.

 

[lizch6699]

He stretched her legs out and she didn't complain at all. He was manipulating her in all sorts of positions and she didn't seem to be in any pain. He also felt down her spine applying pressure and nothing seemed to bother her. We're completely confused. She's up and jumping around almost as if things were normal. The next step will be x-rays and possibly steroids for pain (but she doesn't seem to be in pain). Her fever is gone now. I was thinking possibly an abscess or reaction to a vaccination? Wouldn't an abscess cause the wbc count to go up? She was vaccinated in one of her back legs about 2 weeks ago, so it seems a little delayed to have a reaction now.

 

[xocats]

I wish I could offer more help.
It sounds like you are keeping a close watch on Mama.

Healthly vibes are still on the way that she continues to improve.