psiharis
April 11th, 2005, 06:33 AM
We adopted my cat Sassy in Feb. after his owner died, and recently found out from vet records he has a lot of health issues. Thyroid pills for hyperthyroidism, with a tumor on the thyroid. Rare allergic reactions to immunizations. Elevated liver count. And an autoimmune disorder called Pemphigus Foliaceus (PF).
I thought it was awful that his front paws were declawed, but now I've read that they do that sometimes if PF is severe enough on the paws. Sassy's paws are starting to get crusty again and he's licking them a lot. The routine treatment for this disorder is shots or pills like Prednizone. The past vet said Sassy tolerated the Prednizone fine about a year ago, and that we would need to do special soaks for his paws as well. Before we start on this course, I wanted to see if there was any other info. available about alternative remedies. Sassy has a heart murmur, perhaps from the hyperthyroid condition, and I lost a dog once who had a heart attack on Prednizone, so I'm gun-shy. I don't believe the heart murmur was noted in the records the last time he was treated for PF.
Obviously this cat does need some treatment for the PF from what I've read, and I won't withhold the vet's treatment if that's all that's available. But this animal has already been through so much, I want to make his quality of life the best possible. The last medicinal soak the vet gave us we took back because it had printed on the label that it was only to be used to clean animal's environments when the animals were removed, and was hazardous to humans, animals and water. You can see why I'm cautious. :sad:
I thought it was awful that his front paws were declawed, but now I've read that they do that sometimes if PF is severe enough on the paws. Sassy's paws are starting to get crusty again and he's licking them a lot. The routine treatment for this disorder is shots or pills like Prednizone. The past vet said Sassy tolerated the Prednizone fine about a year ago, and that we would need to do special soaks for his paws as well. Before we start on this course, I wanted to see if there was any other info. available about alternative remedies. Sassy has a heart murmur, perhaps from the hyperthyroid condition, and I lost a dog once who had a heart attack on Prednizone, so I'm gun-shy. I don't believe the heart murmur was noted in the records the last time he was treated for PF.
Obviously this cat does need some treatment for the PF from what I've read, and I won't withhold the vet's treatment if that's all that's available. But this animal has already been through so much, I want to make his quality of life the best possible. The last medicinal soak the vet gave us we took back because it had printed on the label that it was only to be used to clean animal's environments when the animals were removed, and was hazardous to humans, animals and water. You can see why I'm cautious. :sad: