Update On Neil And His Health

[ameliashuman]

Clavamox. He should be done with the medication by Wednesday. That would be nice if that resolves the nausea.

Poor little guy. He's coping with so much.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Oh my. The dreaded Clavamox. I think that's the culprit. Two of my cats had it marked on their charts to NEVER get that antibiotic again because they were so sick on it I thought they were going to die. They were so nauseated and lethargic that I thought the cure was worse than what ailed them. Another member here had a similar reaction with her cat just a week or so ago . I'm thinking he'll feel a whole lot better come Thursday!!

 

[ameliashuman]

Oh man! I know everyone (every cat) has different reactions to medications so you can't predict, but you hate to think you gave your cat something that makes him feel blah. Looking forward to the med being done and well ask about alternativea if it's ever needed again!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

If it helps him in the long run, then it's worth it. At least your Vet gave him an anti-emetic to help him through it.

 

[ameliashuman]

So it's been three days since we finished the antibiotics, one vomit episode since then and he's stilk drooling most nights (around 2am, he comes into our bed, I think he's letting us know he feels sick). Vet visit was a mixed bag. Heart/lungs sound good, but still is anemic and he lost weight (from 7lbs to 6.3). The vet prescribed presidnosolone (spelling?) and omeprazole. We gave those meds him last night and this morning we could not get him to eat anything. It wasn't until we got some fancy feast and one of those high calorie pastes that he started eating again. We were just an hour or so away from taking him to the emergency vet
Not sure if we're having a trauma response from his crash a few weeks ago or if one of the new meds would cause appetite suppression? He seemed a bit lethargic and also was having diarrhea. He's perked up a bit, comes out for pets, I got the elevator butt for tail pets. But I'm so scared of things crashing again, I just don't know if my judgement is hypersensitive or not.

*Sigh, this is hard. I just wish I could know what he's thinking and needing.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Thanks for the update. Is his anemia any better? Did you discuss the use of any meds for that? Do they suspect an ulcer? Usually that's why they prescribe the omeprazole. AND, some of the side effect can be nausea, diarrhea and lethargy, but they usually subside in a few days. But an ulcer might explain the nausea in the first place, and the continued drooling.

So glad he finally ate! I know that's always a worry . At least his heart and lungs sound good! What about his kidneys? How are they doing? Are you to continue with his sub-q fluids? Overall, what does the Vet say about Neil? Do they honestly think he has Lymphoma, or possibly IBD along with his other issues? I know you chose not to do a biopsy, and see that now he is on a type of steroid, so guessing that is in case he has one or the other. How old is Neil?

 

[ameliashuman]

mrsgreenjeens The Vet thought an ulcer may be a possibility though we haven't seen any blood in the vomit or stool. Vet thought regardless the omperazole may just help overall. We haven't discussed anemia treatments like blood transfusion, I don't think its gotten to that point yet. Based on my reading it seems like prednisnolone may be a steroid that could help with anemia? The Vet was worried about the prednisolone since Neil was under 7lbs so according to him we're at a low dose right now.
The MRI was inconclusive regarding lymphoma vs. IBD. There were some areas that were possibly indicative of lymphoma and according to our vet he thinks that with those results and the lab work its a possibility but without the additional tests we won't know. We do have food for CKD and IBD, but he only picks at it.

We had a good day on Sunday, he was walking around the house, meowing for attention. He ate three cans of food! Monday, we were back to barely two cans of food, but he was coming out for pets as soon as we walked into his room. Tomorrow is a subq day, so I'm anticipating he'll perk up even more! A question for people who have been through this or any chronic condition that involves a lot of attention/care. How do you handle vacations/leaving home? We were suppose to go out of town this weekend, but both my husband and I were feeling anxious so we changed some of our plans (not a big deal ultimately, we're still going to have adventures, just closer to home). Our pet sitter is a vet tech at the clinic we go to, but still is having her stop by multiple times a day to check on the food/do subq fluids reasonable? how do other people handle this?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

When I asked about Anemia treatments, I wasn't thinking blood transfusions. I was thinking of iron supplements or other drugs. I just looked up using Prednisolone as a treatment for Anemia and was surprised to see that it is sometimes used, which can be an added benefit, since it can also help with IBD and/or small cell Lymphoma. Concerning that, have you looked at this website? (just in case) IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time You mentioned Neil doesn't like his CKD or IBD food. You might take a peak at the food section on that website.

As far as vacations go with a chronically ill cat, we also use a Vet Tech as our cat sitter, and one time went on a three week cruise, having her come over on her way to work and on her way home, EVERY SINGLE day to administer fluids, pills, etc. This actually worked out well because she lives on the next street over. She made good money to do this, and we felt comfortable enough to leave our furkids in her hands. Our neighbors also dropped in on occasion to check on things and hang with the furkids. We have a mutual agreement that we watch their dogs and they watch our cats, but asking them to pill cats or give sub-q fluids is asking too much of the "untrained"

 

[ameliashuman]

Update on Neil. We had several good days last week and early this week, he was eating up to 6oz of food, was coming out and wandering around the house, and cuddling with us at night. But Wednesday was a bad day, barely any food, yesterday was okay (about 5oz) and today is shaping up to be another bad to all right day. I have about three different plates of food in front of him and even though he had the appetite stimulant and his subq fluids this morning, he's only picking at the food. And despite his good eating days last week, he hasn't gained any weight. He's still grooming, using the litter box, and drinking water, but he's not interested in cuddling or coming out of his room.
I know we're only treating symptoms so its like hospice, but I won't lie I got a little hopeful that maybe we were wrong about his diagnoses and maybe he would be better. Just feeling kind of sad.

 

[FeebysOwner]

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Well gosh, I'd be kind of sad too. But maybe it's just a little blip . We can only hope. How's the diarrhea and vomiting? Is the Pred helping with that?

 

[ameliashuman]

So I actually took him into the Vet, I watched him pee and just had a feeling he had another infection. Turns out he does have another infection, has continued to lose weight and labs are not stellar, low but technically higher than last time. We have him on another antibiotic, a vitamin D supplement, and we're switching to every other day subq fluids. The Pred has helped with the vomiting, so that's a relief, no more upset stomach at least. She didn't seem to hopeful though, mentioned that if he doesn't improve over the weekend we need to start thinking about if its his time. I'm watching him eat right now on my pet camera, which makes me feel a bit better but ug this has been a rough day. I just love this little guy so much.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

 

[FeebysOwner]

Sorry to hear about the infection. Are they doing a urine culture to determine the best antibiotic? Sometimes an antibiotic won't eradicate an infection if it isn't the best one for the type of infection a urine culture can identify. As was previously mentioned, antibiotics can wreak havoc on the stomach. So, if the Pred doesn't keep his eating in check, you might want to ask for more anti-nausea meds to go with the antibiotics.

Continue to keep us posted.

 

[ameliashuman]

Sad news. We said our goodbyes to Neil yesterday evening. He was struggling to stand, no longer drinking or eating, and his nausea was increasing. I'm heart sick and I miss him so much. Not much more I can say, just miss him so much.