Possible anemia-Desperately needing support

anxiousvesper

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Hi everyone, I’ve been a lurker on here for a while and finally decided to make an account in the hope that maybe I could get some support.

My precious 3 year old little girl, Tosie, might have anemia. She had some bloodwork done for a routine dental cleaning and for removal of a broken incisor. Her clinical symptoms were: reduced food intake (she was having a very hard time chewing and it seemed painful so was eating less, but was still interested in food if that makes sense), eating litter, and stress which was causing her to be very jumpy and to hide a lot.

at first the vet brushed it off as stress because our apartment is next to a busy four lane road, the emergency room, and a high school (it’s absolutely awful, I know) and she thought that the sounds and the fact that the apartment is small was stressing my little girl. I live in a multi-cat home (4 cats, including Tosie. 2 are her brothers and the other is a rescue, they all get along well but I have noticed one of her brothers has been showing some resource aggression lately). So I got a feliway diffuser and it really did help a lot! Until suddenly she started having difficulty eating again. That’s when my wife and I noticed she had a broken off incisor, which seemed to be poking into her gum, and a LOT of plaque build up on her teeth. We scheduled the dental appointment with a vet dentist and did the bloodwork, which just came in today.

The vet was very confused to find that, while her organs are in perfect condition and the vet can’t find any evidence of disease, Tosie’s hematocrit is slightly lower than it should be. She didn’t seem super concerned, more confused if I’m honest, and said I should come back in today to have blood redrawn to make sure it wasn’t a mistake with the machine. She did mention that she just wants to retest as a precaution since dental procedures require cats to be put under anesthesia.

I feel incredibly stupid saying it, but I’m scared out of my mind. I’ve been getting sick in the bathroom from anxiety all day. I keep seeing all the horror stories online of how people’s cats were diagnosed with anemia and then died days later. I keep seeing FELV pop up as a possibility and despite the fact that I rescued her when she was 6 weeks old, had her fully tested/fully vaccinated and keep her indoor only, I am still absolutely PETRIFIED that she will have some sneaky form of felv and that I’ll lose her.

I’m so sorry for the rant, I know I’m being ridiculous and I apologize to the people on here who are going through real problems with their cat who may see me overreacting like this..but I just really need some support. Or anything really. Im so scared
 

fionasmom

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Anemia in cats has a number of variations to it, such as type; each type then has causes and treatments and prognoses. Until you know something, you are really torturing yourself with all of the "what if" scenarios. Even if Tosie is anemic, it won't be every kind, every cause. You will have parameters to work with and can proceed from that point. Please let us know what the results are. In cases like this, googling is not informing you of options, but just creating more worries.
 

Furballsmom

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I’m so sorry for the rant, I know I’m being ridiculous and I apologize to the people on here who are going through real problems with their cat who may see me overreacting like this..but I just really need some support. Or anything really. Im so scared
You know, thinking about this, a problem is a problem and it doesn't matter what it is, it's your cat that has the problem and that makes it a huge thing.

See if you can find something that might help you to be a little more relaxed - take a walk or two, try and meditate or something. Our cats are like little sponges for our emotions and she's picking up on your upset but not understanding it. :purr:
 

Jcatbird

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There is nothing stupid about loving and caring about your kitty! You are exactly the kind of person I admire! I am so glad you are not just lurking but came for support. You are in the right place!
I am not a vet but I have a fifteen year old Felv cat. He has been very well and happy over his lifetime. In fact, I call him my laughing cat. He has had some small ups and downs but he is my second to oldest rescue kitty! He has grown into a giant kitty too. You know that anemia can be as simple as something like worms. Even indoor only cats can get fleas and parasites. I know my kitties get very jumpy when a flea bites and those little bugs are hitchhikers! They cruise right in when a door is open or even a window. Enough of the bites can be an issue so maybe spend some time over a white towel, flea combing kitty? I always dip the comb in Dawn dish liquid diluted in a cup to drown any flea found. If kitty likes being combed this could be a relaxing time for you both and may turn up some little fleas. One flea can cause worms if ingested too. Instead of thinking of the things like Felv, maybe consider the small things that can be fixed? Please do keep us updated. We have all been in similar circumstances where we are stressed about our fur babies. Cats are tough. My Whistle was very, very anemic as a kitten. (Parasites) He is fine now and healthy. As sweet and tough as they come! Work for some purrs. That’s good for you both. :alright:
 
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anxiousvesper

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There is nothing stupid about loving and caring about your kitty! You are exactly the kind of person I admire! I am so glad you are not just lurking but came for support. You are in the right place!
I am not a vet but I have a fifteen year old Felv cat. He has been very well and happy over his lifetime. In fact, I call him my laughing cat. He has had some small ups and downs but he is my second to oldest rescue kitty! He has grown into a giant kitty too. You know that anemia can be as simple as something like worms. Even indoor only cats can get fleas and parasites. I know my kitties get very jumpy when a flea bites and those little bugs are hitchhikers! They cruise right in when a door is open or even a window. Enough of the bites can be an issue so maybe spend some time over a white towel, flea combing kitty? I always dip the comb in Dawn dish liquid diluted in a cup to drown any flea found. If kitty likes being combed this could be a relaxing time for you both and may turn up some little fleas. One flea can cause worms if ingested too. Instead of thinking of the things like Felv, maybe consider the small things that can be fixed? Please do keep us updated. We have all been in similar circumstances where we are stressed about our fur babies. Cats are tough. My Whistle was very, very anemic as a kitten. (Parasites) He is fine now and healthy. As sweet and tough as they come! Work for some purrs. That’s good for you both. :alright:
Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply, this has really made me feel so much better. I am a bit suspicious of worms for my sweet baby, actually. She never gains weight despite eating above the daily recommended value for her weight (I’ve been trying to fatten her up a bit lol). She’s at a healthy weight currently and isn’t skin and bones or anything, but I’ve always found it odd that she never gained any weight ever, especially since she’s a very chill cat and has never been super hyper. She really only has 3 games that she likes to play and she’ll really go for it with those but otherwise she mostly likes looking out the windows, climbing, and finding new hidey holes to peek out of and smack me when I walk by lol! I had her dewormed as a kitten but not since because my vet at the time told me there was no need since she was indoor only. And now that I have a new and VERY thorough vet (who I love and respect so much, she’s the best!!) I realized that my previous vet was taking stool samples incorrectly…

My new vet says I need to bring in three days worth of poops in order to get an accurate enough reading for all types of worms, just to be safe. But when I had Tosie tested at my previous vet they told me I didn’t even need to bring in any poop and that they could just swab her butt and tell me if she had worms. I’d never been to a vet before so I thought maybe that was just how it works…now I’m not so sure
 
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anxiousvesper

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UPDATE: Tosie is anemic. Her hematocrit is 16 and apparently is lower than it was in the original test. The vet wasn’t even going to call me to tell me until next week, idk why. I had to have to receptionist read the results to me, so now I am confused and worried out of my mind.
I will probably need to cancel her dentist appointment and I don’t know when the vet will call me back to tell me the next steps. I just feel so confused and scared. Idk. Thought I’d update you guys.
 

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I will probably need to cancel her dentist appointment
Can you wait to cancel this until you've had a chance to talk with the vet and find out if there's a way to increase the numbers, as well as have the dental taken care of?
 
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anxiousvesper

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Can you wait to cancel this until you've had a chance to talk with the vet and find out if there's a way to increase the numbers, as well as have the dental taken care of?
The receptionist told me that she looked in the vets files and apparently the vet has no plans to call me until the 28th. Her dental is the 27th and they are aware of that:( she says she’ll try to get the vet to call me on Monday but if the vet decides not to, I’m basically SOL
 

fionasmom

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I agree that while the receptionist is not the vet, she could relay some information to you at the vet's direction, such as what to do about the dental. A vet tech could also handle some of this conversation. You still do not have any solid info about the anemia, so hang in there until you are able to have a conversation with the vet.
 

BellaBlue82

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UPDATE: Tosie is anemic. Her hematocrit is 16 and apparently is lower than it was in the original test. The vet wasn’t even going to call me to tell me until next week, idk why. I had to have to receptionist read the results to me, so now I am confused and worried out of my mind.
I will probably need to cancel her dentist appointment and I don’t know when the vet will call me back to tell me the next steps. I just feel so confused and scared. Idk. Thought I’d update you guys.
I just want to offer my shoulder to you, as this will be a long battle. But I'm here to tell you to also have strength, because you precious fur baby can make improvement with the right care.
I'll share my story and battle with you, in hopes it helps to feel not so alone in this. I honestly thought I would lose my S*** a few times, heck I might actually have lol.
Back in 2017 we lost our oldest cat out of the blue. Our other two fur kids were utterly lost, so two months later we adopted a shelter cat. She's the most beautiful torbie with ity bity polydactyl toes. ❤
When she was two (2019) when she had what looked like a seizure on our bed. I rushed her to the vet, and after doing blood work they found her RBC was at 11%. I brought her home with cyclosporine and prednisolone, and immediately contacted our regular vet. We determined she had primary IMHA, which is rare in cats. The next year was an absolute roller coaster. She dipped to about 9% before she started improving. Many months of medication, biweekly blood draws, and lots of love, and she was finally stable!!! After almost a year of being on 5mg of prednisolone a day, we were able to start weaning her back.
Of course we had and still have some hiccups; we found out the hard way we can never totally take her off the prednisolone, it will wax and wanted with the weather (cold months seem to be a little worse on her), and any time she gets sick we have to bump the dose back up.
But all in all, we've become atune to her nuances and can alter her medication before anything gets out of hand.
I'll keep you in my prayers and hope that your kitty makes a full recovery. ❤.
Here is Sadie today, being as princessy as possible!
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Jcatbird

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Vets stay so overwhelmed these days. The bet probably has not made the connection that the dental is scheduled before you get to speak again. I would definitely want this made clear to anyone you can talk to. I don’t know if the vet would want to delay the dental but for your peace of mind, you need to know. If all else fails then maybe keep the appointment but insist on speaking to the vet face to face then. Before anything is done. You might be able to communicate with the vet through emails or text too. Ask. I do that now a lot with our vet. It has helped her as far as her time and definitely helps me.
Also, ask about boosting kitty through nutrition. I don’t know what your vet would suggest but ours has me give my boy some cooked red meat at times and when he needs it, he loves it. When he doesn’t he isn’t really interested in it. I mince plain old hamburger (he is older and this helps with chewing and digestion) and leave it only slightly pink after cooking it. No salt or anything on it! I also find that when apetite is off or extra fluids could help that the Fancy feast broths are rarely refused. That won’t take the place of a balanced diet but as a treat or encouragement, it is enjoyed. Ask the vet. I usually write down my questions before a vet chat just to be sure I don’t forget anything. Write down the answers too. It helps me to stay focused. It also gives me notes I can go back to later. Please keep us updated and know that our hearts are with you.
Sometimes it’s not as much what they eat as it is how they eat? This is my old guy with Felv. Spoiled? Naaaah.
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anxiousvesper

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Small Update: we have an appointment with the vet tomorrow at 1pm where she will have a full blood panel done, an ultrasound and a full parasite screen. My wife and I have been collecting all her poops (so fun!!🥴) for the past three days so we can bring them all in for screening. Hopefully we will get lucky and it’ll be something simple, but I’ll keep you all updated.
 

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You zippy bagged the samples and are refrigerating them?

All the best of luck 🤞 that it is a simple thing!!
 
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