Possible anemia-Desperately needing support

[anxiousvesper]

Hi again everyone, vet update for you:

Tosie had some bloodwork, parasite testing and an ultrasound done today. Her bloodwork came back the same as before, normal for everything except anemia and luckily her values did not go down!! Her weight is also steady, thank goodness.

she does have a heart murmur that was never there before and it’s very slight so the vet thinks it was caused by the anemia and should go back to normal once we get her treated and feeling better.

Her more in-depth bloodwork won’t be back until Wednesday, along with her parasite screening so I’ll check back in then to update you.

Also, the ultrasound did find that her spleen was slightly enlarged but the vet says that could also be caused by the anemia, so hopefully once we get that sorted out it’ll go back to normal.
Ive been trying to keep myself busy so I don’t fall into a pit of despair so I’m sorry that I haven’t gotten back to everyone who commented yet. I’m attempting to keep off the Internet so I can’t consult Dr. Google and wig myself out lol

I hope you’re all doing well, thank you again for being here and providing so much comfort

 

[Furballsmom]

Hang in there!!

 

[di and bob]

I just wanted to let you know FeLV is NOT the end of the world, especially in older cats. It is almost always fatal in kittens, but older cats can and do fight it off. All three of my cats have it though only two get really sick. The vet gave one of them only days because he was SO sick. He is fat and sassy three years later! The first thing to do is to make them strictly indoor cats because basically their immune systems are shot. Wash your hands thoroughly if you touch any other animals. I give LifeGold, a supplement for cancers, and DMG, an immune system builder. I give it once a day in a portion of Delectable Lickables, a cat treat. I will pray for your little one, try not to worry so much until you find out exactly what she is facing. My thoughts and prayers are with you both!

 

[BellaBlue82]

Hi again everyone, vet update for you:

Tosie had some bloodwork, parasite testing and an ultrasound done today. Her bloodwork came back the same as before, normal for everything except anemia and luckily her values did not go down!! Her weight is also steady, thank goodness.

she does have a heart murmur that was never there before and it’s very slight so the vet thinks it was caused by the anemia and should go back to normal once we get her treated and feeling better.

Her more in-depth bloodwork won’t be back until Wednesday, along with her parasite screening so I’ll check back in then to update you.

Also, the ultrasound did find that her spleen was slightly enlarged but the vet says that could also be caused by the anemia, so hopefully once we get that sorted out it’ll go back to normal.
Ive been trying to keep myself busy so I don’t fall into a pit of despair so I’m sorry that I haven’t gotten back to everyone who commented yet. I’m attempting to keep off the Internet so I can’t consult Dr. Google and wig myself out lol

I hope you’re all doing well, thank you again for being here and providing so much comfort

I'm glad she's not gone down any more and her weight is good!! Sadie also had an enlarged spleen and heart murmur - I was also told that was due to the anemia. It did resolve with time and treatment as she got better.
Ugh, Dr. Google is bad! Lol It's so hard to not go down the rabbit hole... But it looks like she is in good hands and you're on the right path. Keeping you in our prayers!!

 

[Jcatbird]

If you need to occupy your mind, just imagine what you might find in MY refrigerator or freezer! Okay. Maybe not. I had company here once when I had a “sample” I needed to take out of state. Imagine the reaction when they were plundering for a midnight snack. No, they don’t stay over anymore.

 

[anxiousvesper]

I'm glad she's not gone down any more and her weight is good!! Sadie also had an enlarged spleen and heart murmur - I was also told that was due to the anemia. It did resolve with time and treatment as she got better.
Ugh, Dr. Google is bad! Lol It's so hard to not go down the rabbit hole... But it looks like she is in good hands and you're on the right path. Keeping you in our prayers!!

Thank you so much! Sadie’s story has made me feel so much more at ease and I’m so grateful to you (and everyone in the thread, you guys are so nice) for sharing it with me! Tosie is doing pretty good right now, she’s eating at meal times and still as active as normal so I’m feeling very hopeful that my little girl will come out the other side of this feeling much better. I’ve bought some chicken liver for her as well and plan to give her 1 or 2 bite sized pieces per week to help keep her red blood cells stable—I’ve read wayyyy too much about liver causing vitamin A toxicosis so I’m being very careful lol.

I should hear from the vet tomorrow so I’ll update again once I know more crossing my fingers for good news

 

[anxiousvesper]

I just wanted to let you know FeLV is NOT the end of the world, especially in older cats. It is almost always fatal in kittens, but older cats can and do fight it off. All three of my cats have it though only two get really sick. The vet gave one of them only days because he was SO sick. He is fat and sassy three years later! The first thing to do is to make them strictly indoor cats because basically their immune systems are shot. Wash your hands thoroughly if you touch any other animals. I give LifeGold, a supplement for cancers, and DMG, an immune system builder. I give it once a day in a portion of Delectable Lickables, a cat treat. I will pray for your little one, try not to worry so much until you find out exactly what she is facing. My thoughts and prayers are with you both!

Thank you so much for this! My baby girl just turned 3 yesterday and I’ve been scared of FeLV since I learned of its existence tbh. Everywhere I look I just keep seeing that if a cat have FeLV they’re basically doomed to die super young and all this really horrible gloom and doom stuff. So it makes me feel so much better to see that there are cats out there living their best lives!!!

 

[anxiousvesper]

If you need to occupy your mind, just imagine what you might find in MY refrigerator or freezer! Okay. Maybe not. I had company here once when I had a “sample” I needed to take out of state. Imagine the reaction when they were plundering for a midnight snack. No, they don’t stay over anymore.

LOL that’s hilarious!! I did have one nightmare of my in-laws suddenly showing up out of the blue, only to open my fridge and see three little baggies of cat doodles

 

[Jcatbird]

Yes that could be awkward. The cats here often do unexpected things so there really shouldn’t be many surprises with people who know us well enough to stay over but doodles are not easy to explain. These days I put tape on the container that says medical sample. No one looks.

 

[anxiousvesper]

Hi again everyone! Vet update:

they found no evidence of intestinal or blood parasites in Tosie’s test results. Her white blood cells were just barely higher than last time but the vets think that could be a result of her current tooth problems.

Her hematocrit went up from last time as well!!! Before it was 16.7, now it is 17.3. So not a whole lot, but I’m still over the moon that it didn’t go down further!!

All her other test results were normal, except that some of her red blood cells appeared smaller than normal and seem to have been released into the bloodstream before they were ready. They were of normal shape though, just released a bit too young.

The vets are currently very confused about what’s causing this and have made a little team of internal specialists that they are consulting with for help since all her other results are completely normal.

They also saved some of her blood (she’s a very hard stick so I’m very relieved to not have to take her in again) and will be running even more in-depth tests to be able to figure out what the issue is so we can start treating.

Tosie is otherwise doing well. She’s still having trouble with her teeth but hopefully we’ll get this resolved soon and she’ll be able to have her dental procedure and will start feeling better soon

oh, also I’ve gotten the go-ahead from the vet to begin feeding her chicken liver to hopefully help with her RBCs. I’ve read up on vitamin a toxicity so I will be extra careful to give her only small amounts and no more than 5% of her daily calories in liver. I’ll let you guys know how it goes. For now though, I’m gonna go scream into the solar system for some good news and an answer soon lol

 

[Furballsmom]

I’m gonna go scream into the solar system for some good news and an answer soon lol

 

[BellaBlue82]

I'm so glad she's doing better! I'll still keep you all in my thoughts, hopefully she can have her dental surgery soon.

 

[anxiousvesper]

My wife and I are currently at the emergency vet waiting to see someone. Toast barely touched her dinner last night and refused breakfast this morning. She also vomited yellow bile and was a bit listless, behavior wise.

the nurse says her heart rate is a bit high and that she has a bit of a fever. Hoping for the best but scared out of my mind right now. I guess the only positive is that she has perked up since bringing her and is alert and moving around.

 

[anxiousvesper]

My wife and I are currently at the emergency vet waiting to see someone. Toast barely touched her dinner last night and refused breakfast this morning. She also vomited yellow bile and was a bit listless, behavior wise.

the nurse says her heart rate is a bit high and that she has a bit of a fever. Hoping for the best but scared out of my mind right now. I guess the only positive is that she has perked up since bringing her and is alert and moving around.

UPDATE: Tosie has been admitted at the animal hospital. Her tests from yesterday came back and they were all normal. Yet again. The vets have no idea what is causing the anemia, they feel that they have ruled everything out and have no suspicions for anything else. That’s why she’s been admitted, on top of her refusing food and vomiting bile this morning. They will be doing some tests over and will run one test they didn’t have enough blood for last time, as well as giving her an anti-nausea shot, fluids and food.

I am suspicious that it could be malabsorption; something I’ve worried about for her since she was a kitten but was brushed off over and over by vets because “it’s so rare.” I know they have not run a full mineral/vitamin/nutrient panel because our other cat Sigrid had that test run this year and it took a LOT of blood. The vials they’ve filled have all been tiny and they only ever filled one at a time.

For now, Tosie is stable and, other than the lack of appetite and the vomiting episode, she is normal. I am hoping beyond hope that they will be able to figure this out soon. The vets are all very frustrated and confused and honestly I’m so frustrated and terrified that I’m worried I will die of a heart attack before I find out what is wrong with my baby. I’ll update again when I have more news. For now, toast will stay overnight at the vet and I will (hopefully) be cleared to pick her up tomorrow morning. Hope you’re all doing well

 

[anxiousvesper]

Update:

Tosie is getting a blood transfusion. Her blood test this time was worse than before. The vets now strongly suspect FIA. They have already started her on the antibiotics to treat it while they await the results from the PCR test. She is negative for FELV/FIV, negative on the Coombs test, her liver function and bilirubin is fine along with the function of all her other internal organs.

I am scared out of my mind and have not stopped crying since the doctor called. I know this is good news in the sense that we have an idea of what’s wrong and they have started on the treatment in case that’s what it is, but I am petrified that the blood transfusion won’t take.

I know I’ve probably pestered the crap out of everyone here with my constant update but if any of you are spiritual or religious or just flat out feel that you can send some good vibes, please please pray or hope for Tosie’s recovery. I can’t lose her

 

[Furballsmom]

Be strong, that's the best thing you can do for your kitty right now. You have a good team working for her

 

[di and bob]

I will definitely pray for your precious Tosie's recovery. Don't give up hope, there are still miracles occurring! Treating with antibiotics and sometimes steroids have been shown to be helpful. Get some Delectable Lickables in the stew flavors, that is what I give my cats when they have their medicine, and I keep it around in case they stop eating.
I am sending all my thoughts and prayers her way.....Dear God, PLEASE help this little girl, her mommy needs her so very much......sending vibes too....

 

[fionasmom]

You absolutely are not pestering any body....that is what we are here for! Please try to calm yourself as best you can so that you don't end up in the ER. Certainly sending thoughts and prayers for Tosie. Let us know how this progresses.

 

[anxiousvesper]

Update: Tosie is stable. They didn’t have any issues with the blood transfusion and she is currently resting. They’ve given her cortisol and doxycycline as they strongly suspect this is FIA. Unfortunately, the only thing left to do now is wait. I’m sure you all have guessed it, but I’m very nervous (shocker lol) as the vet on the phone was absolutely horrid. She ended up making me after I hung up because of how cold she was toward the whole situation.

once my girl is all better, she will never step a single paw into that vets office again.

 

[fionasmom]

This is an emergency vet if I am following you correctly? Just concentrate on sending good thoughts to Tosie and to keeping yourself calm.