Non-stop vomiting

[LeiLatte]

I apologize my post is long. I am distraught because my 7-8 month old cat has been vomiting since Wednesday night and it hasn’t resolved. I brought him to vet #1 thursday for cerenia injection and subq fluids. My cat wants to eat but kept gagging and retching.

Then Friday morning I saw more vomit. I brought him to vet #2 who would see him without an appointment but it was expensive. They couldn’t find anything conclusive. He said “maybe peritonitis” but I don’t know if that meant FIP, he said “inflammation” and that’s it. My cat also had a slight fever 103.6 or something, elevated neutrophils and monocytes. They did 2 xrays of abdomen/lungs and 1 of throat, no answers. I was worried he had a foreign body stuck somewhere but they said no. Tested for felv/fiv and was negative. They referred him for ultrasound at an ER hospital.

So the ER hospital vet #3 also had no answers and said “gastroenteritis” and severe inflammation. They wanted to hospitalize him for 24 hours and try to get him to eat, repeat xray and bloodwork. The price was $3400 and I couldn’t. So they did Cerenia injection and subq fluids. I kept asking the doctor please can you do anything else because the Cerenia before didn’t work and he’s not doing better. He said no you probably need to hospitalize him.

So we brought him home and he is very hungry but still gagging and vomiting right after eating. I am so sad because I have to watch my boy suffer and over a long weekend with vet offices not open. I also am supposed to go back to work tomorrow but I asked a family member to watch him. I can’t even afford more testing and vet bills. We spent about $1900 just on those 3 vets with no solution for him. I feel like vet #2 and #3 were a waste of $1800 with no results, except now I have peace of mind that there isn’t some blockage inside my cat.

If this goes on into next week on my next day off Thursday, I am very scared if he still cannot eat. I don’t know what other option there is for him. It would break my heart to have to euthanize him. I tamed him from a feral baby born outside and his sister is very attached to him. He was so healthy a few days ago, I can’t stand to see my pets suffer endlessly. I am worried I will have to euthanize if he doesn’t get better in a week without keeping down food.

 

[marshmallow2013]

I’m so sorry to hear about your cat’s vomiting. Sounds troubling. When my cat was sick and having his vomiting spells, I would only give him pate food in small amounts every 3 hours. Dry food was very hard for him to digest.
I hope this article can be some help to you:

Vomiting

 

[marshmallow2013]

Vomiting

 

[Graciella]

Thats awful. Poor kitty, poor you.
Did they rule out some kind of poisoning?

 

[FeebysOwner]

If your cat has inflammation/infection, he should be given antibiotics and possibly pain meds too in addition to the Cerenia and sub-Q fluids. Cerenia usually only lasts for about 24 hours before it needs to be administered again. Repeated fluid administraton is often needed when vomiting is occurring frequently, due the possibility of dehydration.

It is just a guess on my part, but did any of the vets mention pancreatitis? The most specific blood test for pancreatitis is known as feline pancreatic lipase immunoreactivity, or fPLI. This tests for a marker specific to the pancreas, and concentrations are usually increased with pancreatic inflammation. One form of this test (SNAP fPL) is available as a rapid test and can give a same-day result in many veterinarians’ offices, while another form (Spec fPL) requires blood to be sent to an outside laboratory. Treatment normally includes sub-Q or IV fluids, Cerenia, pain meds, and antibiotics.

At a minimum, contact one of these vets and ask about the test and treatments which do usually require ongoing administration, especially in cases of an acute onset.

I honestly don't knoiw what to suggest in terms of affording hospitalization, If none of the vets are willing to offer a payment plan, you could try to apply for a care credit, or seek out funds and charities in your area, or those on a national level, that might be willing to assist you. Here is an article discussing possible options. I hope something in it can be of help to you.
No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat's Life - TheCatSite