Saddle Thrombus / Feline Aortic Thromboembolism / FATE

nightowls

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Anyone have experience with Saddle Thrombus / Feline Aortic Thromboembolism / FATE?

Have done a little Google reading already - looking to hear about first hand accounts.
 

dkb817

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We never got an official diagnosis, but we believe that my very first cat likely had a Saddle Thrombus, which led to his euthanasia. He had been mostly fine - some throwing up but he was also at least 22 years old. My mom woke up one morning to find him completely collapsed, couldn't walk, wouldn't hold his own body up. If you picked him up, he didn't meow or scream, but he would go limp in your arms like a wet dishrag. We took him straight to the vet, who said that she could give him fluids and pursue testing, but that with his age being what it was, it wasn't the best idea to put him through stressful procedures and we ended up opting for euthanasia instead.
 
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nightowls

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My Gracie - who has a tentative diagnosis of Saddle Thromus - is 7.

On 12/13 morning we noticed she was having difficulty moving (looked to be her back right leg) and was in pain (seemed to be specifically when she getting up or laying down). I thought she may have hurt her leg (her nickname is Graceless) or had a bad UTI (she had no prior history with UTI but have had other cats with UTIs).

We were able to find a vet open on a Sunday, they did x-ray (looked good) and said the issue seemed to be with her hip - they figured she fell/strained it and gave anti inflammatory (a shot and pill for 3 days).

Her condition did not improve. She spent most of 12/20 night wandering the house, trying to find a comfortable spot (still in pain when getting up; she usually stays in one part of the house; does not like the other animals). She also was visiting the litter box a lot without going.

We took her back to the vet 12/21. They took some more x-rays - orthopedical looks good and do not appear to be any blockages. They said her heart does appear to be enlarged (she has a cardiogram scheduled for Wednesday 12/23). Getting blood-work done. They said one of her back legs feels cold ** interestingly enough, on her 12/13 visit they gave her a nail trim and did not notice any coldness. ** so they are leaning towards stroke - saddle thrombus.

They gave her some Buprenex - for pain - until testing is complete.

So I am now on research mode.
 

dkb817

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I'm really sorry to hear that you're Gracie is going through that - Hopefully, they can give you a definitive diagnosis and a treatment plan to help her find some comfort.
 

Bird

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My 6-year old cat had saddle thrombus a few weeks ago, so I have been reading everything possible on this topic, and now, here I am reading all the posts in this forum. Mojo had no symptoms of heart disease prior to the blood clot. We thought she was a healthy cat. One night, she vomited up her dinner in multiple places around the house. I followed her while this was happening, and noticed her breathing rate was rapid. She even opened her mouth briefly. Then she rolled onto her side, and seemed unable to get up. I tried to stand her up, and she just rolled again. It appeared something was wrong with one or both back legs--loss of control, paralysis in the back legs. We rushed her to the ER immediately, where we received a diagnosis of saddle thrombus - blood clot caused by HCM. We were given a very grim prognosis, and the option of euthanasia. We were told by the ER vet that only about 30% of cats recovered and recurrence of another blood clot was likely. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I told them to treat her. She was hospitalized for two days, receiving oxygen, blood thinner, pain killer. During that two days, she regained control of and use of her legs! Apparently the left leg was worse than the right. But the prognosis the cardiac vet gave me was still grim and poor. Mojo has HCM - hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and early-stage CHF - congestive heart failure. Mojo was able to go home fully mobile, able to walk and jump, with only some minor weakness in her left leg. Two weeks later, I would have a hard time telling anything was wrong with Mojo, as she returned to most of her normal behaviors and regular mobility. But of course the grim diagnosis stands and I was informed that Mojo will not live long. The cardiac vet her gave 6 - 12 months. Well, I am going to do my best for her, and try to give her the best life I can. The numerous medications are a bit overwhelming, and she hates being pilled. (Emotionally, I am a mess.) About 5 days before the saddle thrombus, Mojo had her annual vet exam and she was very freaked out about it. I am convinced that the stress of the routine vet visit actually brought on the saddle thrombus.
 

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Sorry I forgot to mention the medications in my earlier post. Upon discharge from the hospital, Mojo was put on clopidogrel, furosemide, pimobendan. Two weeks later, after having her renal values checked and good, the cardiac vet added a fourth medication, enalapril.
 

CindyH66

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Saddle Thrombus. Called " a pet owners worse nightmare" and for good reason. I lost my precious baby , Bella on 7/28/21 to this dreaded condition. I knew immediately what it was ... because my brother lost his sweet baby , Angel , to this same thing a year ago ! what are the odds of that ? horrible ! Angel was only 8 , thin , healthy , energetic little tuxedo girl . One day she attempted to jump up on his bed and didn't make it. she landed on the floor, wailing. He said she tried again, and he realized , she had lost the use of both her hind legs ! he put her in box, rushed her to the vet. She was euthanized. the shock was horrible for him. He was told : the clot had paralyzed her ; she was in terrible agony, and SOMETHING caused it. even if they did pull her thru it, chances of it happening again is high, as there usually an underlying condition ( heart issue, cancer, thyroid) as healthy cats dont usually have blood clots. usually they endure a few days of misery , intensive treatment and die anyway. He did NOT want her to suffer. the vet said outright if it was his cat, that is what he would do. So my brother did. It killed him to do it. He loved her, and to this day he can barely talk about it. Fast forward a year ... my husband calls me at work and tells me our kitty is wailing in pain and dragging one leg behind her, lost all use of it. I rushed home , grabbed her. off to the vet. Got same diagnosis, and she was euthanized as well. Our kitty was 13 , overweight and has had health issues most of her life. has been on meds for years for different conditions and was seen by the vet just a month ago for constipation. No indication in either case of anything that would cause blood clots . Angel rarely went to vet; Bella was there often for different reasons. they knew us well. both cats were sweet and loving. both cats BIT us when we picked them up to get them to vet , as they were in pain and afraid. neither of them had ever bitten anyone before that day. both Angel and Bella were rescues from a local shelter. they had nothing in common, except the same dreadful ending. We are thankful that we had the means , transportation and access to a vet to get them there quickly when the crisis arose . both times. Esp. Angel as hers happened in March 2020 ..height of pandemic ! our vet office is so very good, and we trust them. My brother is against getting another kitty. He was so traumatized. I am going to open my home to another. we loved Bella for 13 years , and miss her. We loved Snowball for 17 years before her. We know loving a new kitty never erases the love we have for the one before them.
 

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Anyone have experience with Saddle Thrombus / Feline Aortic Thromboembolism / FATE?

Have done a little Google reading already - looking to hear about first hand accounts.
We had to put our cat to sleep three days ago because of this. It was so horrible. She had been acting normally (in retrospect, slowing down over the last couple of years, wish I'd not assumed she was "getting old" as she was only 9) and was sleeping on her chair. Suddenly she leaped down and started yowling angrily and couldn't stand on her back legs. My boyfriend picked her up to see if she had something in her paw and put her on the table. She kept yowling and trying to stand and turning round and staring at her back legs. She started voiding her bowels. I started crying because I knew this couldn't be good. After a couple of minutes, I called the emergency vet who said to being her in. God bless her, incredibly, she started pulling herself upstairs using her front claws on the carpet so my boyfriend picked her up. I think she was letting to go to her usual sleeping spot or to hide under the bed. The vets said to come in straight away. Sadly it was Sunday night so we had to go to the emergency vets 20 mins away. She was yowling repeatedly and digging her claws into his arm. They put her on oxygen and painkillers. We waited two hours (they were unusually busy) and they confirmed FATE. We were given the option of seeing how it went overnight as there was a slim chance it could clear, or to put her to sleep then. We gave her overnight and there was no change. The night vet was clear in the morning that there was no good outcome so we confirmed euthanasia. We took 20 mins to talk and get used to it and called back and the day vet said she was comfortable enough to wait for us to go to her so we went in 2 hours later to be with her. She was on very strong painkillers and spaced so we said goodbye for 15 mins and then let her go.

It was all very quick and I wish the first vet hadn't softened the situation. I get that it can be alright sometimes but if you read the vet information online, it clearly isn't at all and there's really no good outcome. We could never have put her through that event again and they were clear it would have taken weeks to even stand again, if she even got to that stage.

Happened so quickly and we have been so sad. Poor beautiful cat. But at least it was effectively just 45 mins or so of pain and confusion and being in the car and then a night hopefully just a bit confused on painkillers and oxygen. We couldn't have known and we had to see if she got better because there is a chance but, god, I hope she wasnt too scared over the night and we hadn't had to leave her there like that for hours.
 

CindyH66

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I am so very sorry for your loss ! it is so horrible. very painful for them, and sudden and a shock to us! It is unforeseen an usually caused by some underlying health condition. You had no choice, really. as you can see from my post. .we lost my brothers kitty and a year later my baby .. to the same thing !! Both vets confirmed easing their passing was the right thing to do. Even if they pull thru (by some miracle) it can happen again as it is due to some underlying cause. as my vet put it " healthy kitties dont have blood clots" .. angel was only 9 ; Bella was 14. . angel was thin and healthy; Bella was overweight with a host of chronic health issues. .. Bella seen by vets frequently, angel hardly ever; no common ground there ! yet, they both had it. My deepest sympathy and hug to you. I am glad you were able to be with her in the end. I am sure she felt your comfort :hearthrob:
 

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Anyone have experience with Saddle Thrombus / Feline Aortic Thromboembolism / FATE?

Have done a little Google reading already - looking to hear about first hand accounts.
Yes, Sybil passed from this. At the time there was only a study for human anticoagulants and cats now you could probably get your Dvm to prescribe it I just posted about this on someone else’s question so try to search that. It may have been apixoban, I can’t remember now.

Syb was only on baby aspirin and Plavix which will not stop clots like this or any clots really. The Er dvm at the time said they could do clotbusting and try to treat her but because of the severity of her heart disease they did not think she would survive long so we opted to let her go. Please search for that other post in cat health, that person’s cat survived 2 saddle thrombi and is now on human anticoagulants. The idea is to prevent them but only the human ac will do that. Aspirin etc. does not prevent stroke in people either. Especially people with chf.

Syb did not seem to be in a lot of pain like many cats are, but she was distressed at not being able to walk etc.
 
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Bird

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I am the person mentioned above, so I should post an update here on my cat Mojo. She has now survived two saddle thrombus events. She had a second saddle thrombus about two months after the first one. Each time, the blood clot paralyzed both her rear legs, and she was hospitalized. Recovery from the second saddle thrombus was difficult—she had acute renal injury. But she did recover and regained normal use of her legs. After her second saddle thrombus, Mojo started taking rivaroxaban (Xarelto), which is an anticoagulant, and after starting this med, she has not had another clot. It appears that the rivaroxaban is working.

It is now almost 11 months after the first saddle thrombus, and Mojo is doing well under the circumstances. The cardiologist has been surprised at Mojo’s good renal test results at her checkups. She has a good appetite, enjoys cuddles, plays with toys, monitors the squirrels through the window—good quality life. She runs up and down the stairs, and jumps on the kitchen counter. Her back legs are not quite as strong as they used to be, but only a cat-mom would notice. The grim HCM prognosis stands, but I will continue to support her in every way that I can. I will not sugarcoat it: the vet bills for two hospitalizations and ongoing checkups, and cost of medication, are very expensive. Giving a cat five different medications per day takes commitment. Dealing with a cat’s terminal health condition that is like a ticking time bomb is emotionally draining. And I don’t regret any of it. My Mojo is sleeping comfortably beside me right now. It feels like a miracle. One day at time - each day is a gift.
 

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Meowmee

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I am the person mentioned above, so I should post an update here on my cat Mojo. She has now survived two saddle thrombus events. She had a second saddle thrombus about two months after the first one. Each time, the blood clot paralyzed both her rear legs, and she was hospitalized. Recovery from the second saddle thrombus was difficult—she had acute renal injury. But she did recover and regained normal use of her legs. After her second saddle thrombus, Mojo started taking rivaroxaban (Xarelto), which is an anticoagulant, and after starting this med, she has not had another clot. It appears that the rivaroxaban is working.

It is now almost 11 months after the first saddle thrombus, and Mojo is doing well under the circumstances. The cardiologist has been surprised at Mojo’s good renal test results at her checkups. She has a good appetite, enjoys cuddles, plays with toys, monitors the squirrels through the window—good quality life. She runs up and down the stairs, and jumps on the kitchen counter. Her back legs are not quite as strong as they used to be, but only a cat-mom would notice. The grim HCM prognosis stands, but I will continue to support her in every way that I can. I will not sugarcoat it: the vet bills for two hospitalizations and ongoing checkups, and cost of medication, are very expensive. Giving a cat five different medications per day takes commitment. Dealing with a cat’s terminal health condition that is like a ticking time bomb is emotionally draining. And I don’t regret any of it. My Mojo is sleeping comfortably beside me right now. It feels like a miracle. One day at time - each day is a gift.
That is wonderful, I am glad she is doing well and still with you. 💕 I know how difficult it is and what you are going through. Sybil also had jaundice and liver failure of some sort at the beginning of the hcm chf and I saved her life with denamarin, she was also on another drug for the liver issues. It was a miracle, she went from deep yellow eyes to normal bilirubin in a few days on denamarin. Dvm could not believe it at the time but I could see after 2 days the yellow was receding. Hugs to Mojo. Hopefully one day the ac will be more available and not so expensive.
 

CindyH66

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aw, how wonderful and encouraging to hear a "survivor" story for most end so sadly. Bella had been on meds her whole life for other conditions; spent most of her time back and forth at vets. she was 14. the saddle clot was lodged in one leg, and while she was sleeping , the topic of amputating the one leg and then follow up with blood thinners did come up. I opted to end her misery. I loved her , and still miss her .. dont get me wrong. It was not the expense; I spent hundreds a month on meds, and had for years. In fact she had been de- obstipated a month earlier , and that might have even caused the clot to start with . I felt like " poor little girl has been thru enough. " and ended what I saw as just more and more suffering. I am so glad to hear your story is going well.... each case is individual and anyone who made a different decision..dont second guess it. as Bird mentioned, Long term care is draining and expensive. I am happy to hear of one who is doing well ... and that it does not always have to end so horribly ! thank you for sharing a bright spot. good luck and continued health ! :heartshape:
 

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My Gracie is still doing good - has not had another episode and has been off her med for months now (after learning to hide during pill time :frustrated:).
Have you tried the pill pockets and an appetite stim? It’s very important for her to be anticoagulated and on her other meds etc. hugs to you both 🤗
 

all4mom2

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Mine had a saddle thrombosis due to HCM. Was an indoor/outdoor cat and barely made it home and over the threshold of the front door when he collapsed (I shudder to think if it had happened somewhere outdoors). Completely paralyzed hindquarters, incontinent, and crying in pain. The vet sort of led me to decide on euthanasia, as he hated staying indoors and loved to patrol his territory. Later I felt guilty about this, wondering if I made the right decision (couldn't the clot have been broken up with medication?), but then I read that these things tend to recur once they happen, and I knew I could neither have confined him to the house (he'd have been miserable) or risked it happening outdoors. I also couldn't keep him on regular meds, as he didn't always come home at night. Now that I read these "success stories" here, I might start feeling guilty again, however! He was 13; long life, but not nearly long enough.
 

CindyH66

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Mine had a saddle thrombosis due to HCM. Was an indoor/outdoor cat and barely made it home and over the threshold of the front door when he collapsed (I shudder to think if it had happened somewhere outdoors). Completely paralyzed hindquarters, incontinent, and crying in pain. The vet sort of led me to decide on euthanasia, as he hated staying indoors and loved to patrol his territory. Later I felt guilty about this, wondering if I made the right decision (couldn't the clot have been broken up with medication?), but then I read that these things tend to recur once they happen, and I knew I could neither have confined him to the house (he'd have been miserable) or risked it happening outdoors. I also couldn't keep him on regular meds, as he didn't always come home at night. Now that I read these "success stories" here, I might start feeling guilty again, however! He was 13; long life, but not nearly long enough.
aw, I am sorry for your loss ! It sounds to me that you made the best call for your fur baby. dont second guess it. My Bella is the one who only had the one paralyzed leg ..and I considered for half a moment to amputate it and move on.. but chose to end her suffering ( and start mine :sniffle: .) she was 14 and had spent most of her life on meds and going to vets for various other health issues. I knew in my heart she had already been through enough, it was time to ease her passing. Each kitty has their own story. I am happy for those who can make a run at surviving a saddle event , but most do NOT make it. my own vet said if it were HIS kitty , he would do it .. so, its a case by case thing. You weighed all the options that would have made an impact on your babies quality of life. My condolences, and a hug for doing the hard thing !! :alright:
 

all4mom2

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Thank you... I know I made the right call for THIS kitty. For another, who would've been happy sitting around the house (indoor only) taking his meds every day, it would have been different. As you say, each scenario is different, and so we have to make different decisions for each one.
 
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