Saddle thrombus-recovery?

[jastark]

Hello all!
I came across this thread while searching for Saddle Thrombus and thought I could share two of my stories about it in the hopes of offering some hope and the other...well to let others know that they can't second guess themselves about the tough choice you had to make.

One of our cats, B, 4 years ago was diagnosed with Saddle Thrombus when after waking up to go to work I found him splayed out on the floor in the living room moving his legs but unable to stand on them. He was 2 when this happened and is now 6 and after reading all the experiences I came to the conclusion that he is a one in a million shot of overcoming and not have any lasting issues from it at all. We decided to go through with treating him because he was still moving everything just couldn't stand on his back legs. After two weeks and a trip to the kitty cardiologist for an echo cardiogram verifying no heart disease, he was slowly able to put weight on his back legs and withing 1 month of his diagnosis was back to running and jumping full speed 4 years later with no relapse! I know his case was the rare one where he didn't have any underlying issues to cause him to throw a clot and that it was just random. Our vet said he's the only case she's ever seen where he survived and didn't have a relapse and pass away then.

We were not so lucky this time around with one of our other cats. He was my husbands cat before we met and he has had him since he was a kitten and was 12 years old. This all happened last night btw. We were making dinner in the kitchen and Spazz was acting normal and jumped on the counter like to lay down and wait for us to give him some chicken like the cat servants we are, lol. He then got up to move to the other side of the counter and I had turned around as he was doing that and notices he stumbled a bit while walking. At first I though it was just because he miss-stepped walking over the keyboards of the laptop (he's done that before). But he was getting worse and worse with trying to move and walk on his back legs and then we realized something was wrong. He was breathing really heavy and we notices his chest a bit shaky as he was trying to breath. We rushed to the emergency vet and they took him back. She came in and told us it was Saddle Thrombus and that he likely threw another clot in the back as she was looking him over as his front leg was starting to go limp. There was some crackling in his chest and we made the horrible choice no pet parent should have to make of weather or not to treat or put him to sleep. We chose to put him to sleep as the vet said he would be on 4 medications for his heart, blood and blood pressure and possibly kidneys. I know we did the right thing as he was suffering and he is now at peace.

I just wanted to tell my story about the two times I've been confronted with Saddle Thrombus and it had two extremely different outcomes. If that can help anyone possibly spot Saddle Thrombus as it's happening and they can get to the vet it can make a difference possibly then that's good! We didn't see it happen for B, but we witnessed it happen before or eyes to Spazz not knowing what it was.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Thank you for your story J jastark . Welcome to TCS, and my deepest sympathy on the loss of Spazz

 

[Barbtheaussie]

Hi all I want to share my cat Neddy's experiences of saddle thrombus - he's the tabby. In April, 2016, when he was 8 years old, he seemed suddenly unable to use his back legs but in hindsight I think it took me an hour or two to notice as he was outside and he eventually dragged himself back inside to me. He was also in severe pain and panting. Thankfully my wonderful vet diagnosed it immediately (cold rear extremities, immobility and pain) and administered strong pain medication, plus heparin and an anti-inflam injection. The vet gave a very poor prognosis but I was willing to take him home and look after him whatever happened. It was a very sad and worrying time - my poor baby! With TLC he very, very gradually, over a period of three weeks, regained full use of his back legs again - yayyyy!!!! He was then started on aspirin (dissolvable and given orally with a syringe) but later changed to Plavix (which is supposed to be better than aspirin for this purpose), but Plavix made him vomit so I put him back onto aspirin again. Over time his mobility was fine (including jumping and running) but his appetite gradually became worse. He then had a second saddle thrombus episode in January 2017, which I noticed sooner than the original episode and wasn't as severe - affecting just one hind leg this time. Rushed to the vet again for another dire prognosis with recommendation for euthanasia BUT no!! he is loved and I opted for treatment again. He recovered much faster this time and was walking well within a few days. However, over time his appetite was getting worse probably due to the aspirin irritating his stomach, so I opted to cease the aspirin for a better quality of life for him. Now in June 2017 his appetite is fantastic and he has gained weight. He is very content and enjoying his life and I am grateful for every cuddly day we have together. He probably has underlying heart problems which haven't and never will be investigated further due to the expense. He is not breathless and does not have a rapid pulse or respirations, so I assume he is comfortable as he is and opt for minimal intervention. Go Neddy!

 

[mom2]

I feel so troubled reading so many people's story of what they were told by vets, and how they went for euthanasia because they didn't think they had a choice.

Right now it's very late here and I need to get some sleep. It's the energy healing that got us through this, not only because it heals ... also because it allowed me to tune into intuition even when I was being told all kinds of misinformation and dire horrific prognoses by the vets.

I'm an energy healer for a living, it's my entire life really. This is how I pay my bills so I don't coach people for free. Just like the vets charge many thousands because they need to make a living, same with me.

What I do offer for free though on my blog is my "emergency protocol energy healing CPR" that really saved both my cats. It saved them in part because it bought us time to do the research and explore all our options. I published it for free because it's pretty easy to learn and anyone can try it without being an expert. It's really just a starting point but I can't help but think that many people would make a different choice in these situations if they had this emergency protocol. In the midst of absolute desperation when this happened - honestly the vets were far worse than the paralysis itself, because their attitudes were so negative - emergency protocol was the lifeline for Harvey and me.

I did emergency protocol probably every single day for the first nine months of our recovery.

13 months. Things are not perfect yet. He's got some asthma and I spend quite a bit of time each day on his meds and monitoring his breathing, etc. It's worth it though, no question it's worth it having him here.

May I have your website address,, my cat has both renal failure and HCM, 4 1/2, he's a fighter and I'm not giving up. He's at the university and I'm going to see him this morning.

 

[ssgtghost81]

I saw this thread. My cat Myu was sitting on a pouf watching TV. I looked up and she had fallen over. I laughed at first but then when I went to rub her belly she had one front paw pointed straight and the other wrapped around her head. her back legs were pointed towards her front. She looked scared and she just sat that way for about 30 secs. Then she tried to get up but her back legs seemed wobbly. After about 2 minutes she ran down the hall and went under the bed. I looked and she was just sitting under the bed. She then started licking and rubbing her face on my hand. I thought it might be a stroke or maybe Saddle Thrombus. Wife is taking her to the vet. I hope it was just a muscle spasm or something minor.

 

[bootsm]

So sorry @ssgtghost81 about your cat. I hope it's something minor too. Sounds like maybe she fainted or something. But good that your wife is taking her to the vet. Was she able to eat anything? Whatever happens it sounds like something is up and get a vet who gets to the bottom of it. We had to go to two different ones after being brushed off until we found someone who diagnosed it. Keep us posted.

 

[ssgtghost81]

You know I really didnt think about fainting, but now that I remember she was looking at the tv and I remember thinking how funny it was that she may have liked the colors. But it was strobe light on the commercial. So hopefully she just had a seizure for that. I will pray and wait to see what we find out.

 

[olivermerijaan]

I am currently going through the same situation too with my baby Oliver. I do not know how I can deal with the pain. I am choosing to fight as long as he fights. He was playing and being normal one day and the next thing I know, he is in extreme pain. He sleeps beside me on his cat tree and on the fateful morning I gently called him to come sleep on my lap so he jumped and before he could come to me on the bed, he jumped to the ground and vomited. After that he was extremely restless and next thing I know he can't use his hind legs. I wish everyday since then I could take it all back. I wish I could reverse time. I wish I could help him. I do not know what to do. Please pray for his recovery, I know it's an incurable disease but I am hoping with all the treatment he is getting, he will live with me for another few weeks or months or hopefully years. Please pray his pain is lessened every second and that I can have the strength to give him everything he needs. Thank you so much for all your prayers. I am very happy I came across this thread because I needed this.

 

[olivermerijaan]

 

[Melminjares]

Hello Readers,

As I write this post, I hope my message gets out there. My best friend "Armstrong", fell to the disease (FATE) Saddle Thrombus on June 24th, 2013. Not only did he have both rear legs affected, he was in heart failure and his temperature was <98.9. Armstrong had all 3 strikes against him and unlike most, I elected treatment! He was seen by a Cardiologist and diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) which is the most common feline heart disease. Not only was I given a grave prognosis, I was told that if Armstrong survived and was discharged, he would have 4 months to live. My message to owners is, try not to look at the negative side and to give your cat a fighting chance. Armstrong lived for 2 years and 9 months and just passed away on March 13th, 2016. If this situation presented itself again, I would do it in a heartbeat. My goal is to one day own my own Rehabilitation Center for these saddle thrombus cases. Everyday cats are euthanized and its about time we put an end to it! Many owners are told inaccurate and misleading information which in return leads to euthanasia. I am a Registered Veterinary Technician (RVT) and have been in the veterinary field for 17 years. I am not justifying and saying that this disease is not complicated, however, I feel that it is very manageable. Thank you for taking your time to read this!

Sincerely;

Janene

I wish I would have saw this forum earlier as I was told it was hopeless to save my Stud Muffin. He was put to sleep 2/15/18. I miss his so much and I wish I would have known there was hope, but instead the hospital was concerned with swiping my credit card.

 

[chrisjoesepp]

Just lost my beloved Duke. Adopted him knowing he had heart disease 7 years ago. Have been treating him ever since, but 4 months ago he was diagnosed with cancer as well. Tonight, everything was as usual when I heard Duke really crying, at first I thought he was just lonely as we were in different rooms but as his crying persisted I went to check on him. Hind legs paralysed and now he was screaming. Rushed him to after hours clinic and knew what his diagnosis would be but hoped I was wrong. I wasn't. We have 2 very good options here in southern Ontario-Mississauga Referral Clinic and OVC, Ontario Veterinary Clinic-and if I thought he had a sliver of a chance I would have taken him, credit card at the ready, but in this case I knew it was hopeless, and he was suffering terribly. Hugged him goodbye, and let him go. Yes you can sometimes beat the odds, I've gone to the wall for several of my friends and more often than not have actually won, but you have to know that, sadly, you can't always win. No regrets, you do the best you can. Sharing your life with a pet is full or rewards-but it always ends badly, that is an unfortunate fact of life.

 

[foxden]

C chrisjoesepp
I'm sorry for your loss.
You shared a lot of years with Duke. Please share your memories and tell his story on the Crossing the Bridge Forum.
Crossing the Bridge

 

[olivermerijaan]

Hello, I am saying this with a very heavy heart. My baby Oliver died last week because of this disease. He was fine and recovering after his first blood clot but I think the second time, he couldn't fight any longer. I came home and he jumped from his cat tree to come greet me and I think due to excitement, his heart rate was elevated so he collapsed right in front of my eyes and within 30 seconds lost his life I am very distraught and can barely concentrate on anything. Please pray for him.

 

[adison]

Hi guys! I found this thread at around one in the morning last night while I was rigorously searching for answers about my cat. I had noticed everyday early in the morning that when I went to feed him (Snows), he didn’t immediately run to the food dish, which I thought was odd. So I stayed and watched him for a little bit to see if anything would change; he just laid there on his side in the middle of the floor, looking fine and relaxed. Then, he started to drag himself forward using his front legs. He’s never done anything like this, so, terrified, I scooped him up and my mother and I rushed him to the ONLY animal hospital that was open on Easter Sunday. Much like the rest of you, the vet told us that his condition was basically irreversible and it would be safest and cheapest to put him down. Heartbroken, I decided not to put him to sleep immediately and took him home for the day. He stayed curled up in a towel cabinet while I was at work, and refused to eat. When I came home, after crying my eyes out all day at work, I decided to take him out of the cabinet and lie down with him on a recliner so he could relax and be warm and know that he was loved. He responded awfully cheerfully for a cat ‘on death’s doorstep’, just purring and head butting and all that good stuff. He lifted my spirits a little bit. Then, someone odd happened. I watched him climb off of my lap and into the cushion next to me. It looked like he was using a leg, but I couldn’t be sure. I picked him up and set him gently on the floor, and, to my shock, he began to limp across the room!! He was almost completely using his left leg again! I thought this wasn’t rather odd considering the doctor’s grave diagnosis, so I did some digging. I figured maybe his clot had moved or dissolved just enough to allow him movement again. According to my research, this was pretty rare. In fact, I found that it was rare for a cat with straddle thrombosis to even leave the vets office alive, let alone recover! I instantly knew that this was my sign not to give up on him. If he was still gonna fight, so was I (I forgot to mention he is 12 years old). I helped him into the litterbox so he could pee (doctor said he was at risk for a ruptured bladder and I would be damned if that was what killed him) and he did! I also noticed when I looked him over before bed that his toes were completely grey at the doctors office, and were now pink again! I figure maybe the blood is flowing through his legs again, and this is good. So, I took him upstairs and he opted to sleep in a nice dark corner of my closet. I shut my bedroom door so he didn’t accidentally hurt himself trying to go down the stairs. I woke up multiple times just to check on him. When I woke up this morning, just a little while ago, I walked towards him and as soon as he saw me, he jumped to life and walked towards me on both legs! I damn near cried with joy! I let him lie down and started to poke and prod at his lame leg, the right one. It moved, responded to touch, and I could feel him tense up when I touccd his foot! Happy as can be, I carried him downstairs and let him walk across the floor to the laundry room, which is where we feed him. I filled his bowl, and he didn’t seem interested at first, but afer a few minutes but

 

[adison]

(Continued, sorry haha I hit post too soon!) He finally ate a little bit and settled down again. Just a small while after that, he began using his left leg even more, and he isn’t dragging his toes anymore like he was before. I suspect maybe his clot at first moved from the saddle and into his right leg, and after that, began to dissolve on its own which is why he has blood flow and motor control again! I’m going to find a cardiologist to take him to within the next few days but I would love any and all advice!

 

[Jaspersmom]

I am so sad after reading this. My Jasper fell to saddle thrombus in July. He suddenly lost the use of his hind legs and the vet said his heart was almost having a heart attack. I think part of that was that he was so stressed out from the sudden injury as well as going to the vet by a stranger as my neighbor took him while they called me at work and I met them at the vet. He seemed calmer once I got there. The vet, as it sounds the same for others, told me it was helpless and there was no cure and he should be put down. Only after I asked if there was anything she could do, she said I could try treatment at the specialist hospital but it wasn't going to do anything. And she said he was basically having a heart attack and was in so much pain. So I felt coerced into putting him down, thinking it was my only option. After reading this, if she had actually told me of my options, I would have absolutely tried treatment. He was the strongest, toughest cat in the world and always took such good care of himself, he never once had anything wrong despite being on his own for years before he came to me. I am angry that the vet misled me and didn't properly inform me of my options. I thought he was dying on the table right there! But now I don't think he was. I had 10 minutes with him before she had me signing the form to put him down. He deserved so much better. He was the most unique special cat. However, giving him medicine would have been hard. He wouldn't let me do anything to him, taking a tick off or putting tick stuff on him was almost impossible. And he loved being outdoors. So being on blood thinners and giving him meds may have been extremely hard. But I would have tried anything I could if I knew he had a chance.

 

[chrisjoesepp]

I am so sad after reading this. My Jasper fell to saddle thrombus in July. He suddenly lost the use of his hind legs and the vet said his heart was almost having a heart attack. I think part of that was that he was so stressed out from the sudden injury as well as going to the vet by a stranger as my neighbor took him while they called me at work and I met them at the vet. He seemed calmer once I got there. The vet, as it sounds the same for others, told me it was helpless and there was no cure and he should be put down. Only after I asked if there was anything she could do, she said I could try treatment at the specialist hospital but it wasn't going to do anything. And she said he was basically having a heart attack and was in so much pain. So I felt coerced into putting him down, thinking it was my only option. After reading this, if she had actually told me of my options, I would have absolutely tried treatment. He was the strongest, toughest cat in the world and always took such good care of himself, he never once had anything wrong despite being on his own for years before he came to me. I am angry that the vet misled me and didn't properly inform me of my options. I thought he was dying on the table right there! But now I don't think he was. I had 10 minutes with him before she had me signing the form to put him down. He deserved so much better. He was the most unique special cat. However, giving him medicine would have been hard. He wouldn't let me do anything to him, taking a tick off or putting tick stuff on him was almost impossible. And he loved being outdoors. So being on blood thinners and giving him meds may have been extremely hard. But I would have tried anything I could if I knew he had a chance.

I was in a very similar situation with a remarkably similar cat. Even as he emergency vet was telling me how poor his prognosis was I was mentally planning my route to the specialty clinic, which I had often visited in the past. I'm well known among my friends for never giving up on a pet and going to the wall for them, but once I took a look at Duke, I knew we were done. He had a heart condition and it was obvious that this crisis had pushed him over the edge-he simply was not going to make it. I think you knew in your heart, as I did, that he simply wasn't going to make it. Recovering from saddle thrombosis is HARD. Very few survive. You made the best choice for him you could, don't lay a guilt trip on yourself about this. We, and are pets, will die and we can't save them or ourselves from everything.

 

[catlover73]

It really makes me happy to read there are now even possible treatments for this issue. I lost two brothers that had been in my life since the day they were born due to this issue. They were 15 and 16. This happened in 2010 and 2011. Treatment options were not even discussed back then. My boys had no quality of life left so I made the difficult decision to end their suffering. I still miss them both. Rest in peace Claude & Tegato. I was definitely not ready to say goodbye but I was not given any other options at that time. Sometimes there is nothing you can do to fix things no matter how much you wish you could.

 

[Lolo25]

About a month ago, I woke up to find my cat Luca unable to use his back right leg. After an immediate trip to the ER they told me he was in heart failure and had thrown a clot to his hind leg. I opted for treatment and they kept him for 3 days. He was diagnosed with cardio myopathy and given 3 months to a year.

I give him 4 different medicines in the morning and night and he’s been doing wonderful. Seems like a full recovery, but I know he’s internally sick.

The vet said the chances of him throwing another clot are great. Everything I’m reading says saddle thrombus is one of the most excruciating things a cat can go through.

I’m terrified it will happen again and I refuse to leave him alone. I work from home so I’m able to be with him all day, but after a month of being home bound and worrying so much, I’m losing it a little.

Many people say I should just put him down if I’m so worried he’ll have another episode but I can never do that. I want to give him as much life as possible. I feel like when he threw the first clot it wasn’t as horrible as I’m reading. He seemed in pain but wasn’t crying like I’ve read.

Does anyone know how accurate it is that he’ll throw another clot. The vet says the chances of him living a year are slim to none. They also believe a recurrence is likely in 90 days. Is that accurate?

I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing. What if he gets at clot and I can’t get him to the ER fast enough and he’s in horrifying pain? I just can’t imagine ending his life at this point, he seems to have recovered so well.

Thank you for listening.

 

[white shadow]

.
You're doing the right thing.

A competent compassionate Vet will, I believe, provide you with an appropriate "rescue analgesia" - a supply of emergency pain medication to use should that need arise.

Get copies of his medical files, keep them updated, and bring them with you (perhaps keep them in a waterproof ziplock inside the carrier) should you have to go again to an ER. These will certainly expedite his receiving treatment.

Has he seen a cardiologist? If not, that should definitely be part of his care. Pursue his followup exams 'religiously'.

There are also specialized online communities for the health management of almost every chronic condition, including heart related. Here is the Cardiomyopathy group: Support Group for Feline Hearts - Yahoo Groups That community has been running for the past 18 years, so you can expect the most knowledgeable, experience-based advice to be provided there.

The person who wrote post #8 (page 1) in this thread, has spoken about a Facebook group focusing on this subject. Here is a thread she herself started (it has the same title as this one): Saddle Thrombus Recovery I can't point you to that group. You might read through that thread or just search Facebook for it. Meantime, the Yahoo group has the experience I'd be seeking.

Oh.....we never refuse pictures here, you know
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