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-   Cat health - Ask members * If your pet is vomiting-bleeding-diarrhea etc. Vet time! (http://www.pets.ca/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=75)
-   -   Older Cat question (http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=57663)

dags October 21st, 2008 11:03 PM

Older Cat question
 
I need to hear from other Vets just for a second opinion.
My cat is 16-17 years old, she has long hair and has always had problems with vomiting and trying to expel hairballs. For the past four years she has had episodes where she quits eating and seems to be constantly swallowing as if something is stuck in her throat, she will go hide for three to five days and will refuse to eat anything.
She then gets dehydrated and I take her to the Vet, the first two times he gave her barium and fluids and she bounced back and was eating normally. These occurances were about a year apart.
Three weeks ago another episode and my Vet gave her Metronidazole to be given orally, which turned out to be too difficult to give after two weeks. Her blood work came back ok, her kidney function levels were slightly elevated from a year ago but nothing alarming he said.
Today I took her in again, she hadn't eaten in a full four days, had been drinking though. She had lost a half a pound, she only weighs 7lbs normally anyway.This time gave her a blood test for her thyroid and that came back fine. So now he gave me steroid pills called Medrol.
I think she has a stuck hair ball or something, why else would she be constantly swallowing and coughing. I asked and unfortunatly hairballs wont show up on an x-ray. I just am almost positive she is full of hair that is blocking something but apparently there is no magic pill or procedure to make sure the stomach and GI tract is free and clear. So basicly he said we are near the end of what he can do.
Iwas thinking mega colon, but the Vets examination always shows fecal matter spaced at regular intervals. When my cat is eating, she seems fine for a cat her age, she still plays, has full eyesight and hearing, her mobility is fine, you would never know she is 17 years old. Then all of the sudden she vomits every day or almost everyday and acts like she has something stuck in her throat and quits eating. Any helpfull advice? I am thinking of getting a second opinion from another local Vet just for the different perspective.

growler~GateKeeper October 22nd, 2008 12:09 AM

You can try giving her no more than 1/2 teaspoon of [B]un[/B]salted butter per day, if there is a hairball this will help lubricate to pass it in the stool, works for my mums' longhaired grrl.

You can also purchase Vetbasis Hairball Gel, which uses the lubrication method of helping hairballs slide on out (but using vegetable-type oils instead of mineral oil *mineral oil should never be fed to animals*), and then there is Vet's Best Cat Lube, a chewable tablet containing soluble fiber (such as Slippery Elm Bark and Papya) to balance water in the gut, which makes it easier to poop out said hairball.

Butternut Squash also helps with adding fiber balancing water in the bowels, ground flaxseed also adds extra fiber & helps w/the movement of the poop.

You can also buy Slippery Elm Bark from the health food store.


Have you had any xrays of the throat area done to see if there is a lump?

A second opinion is always a good idea :thumbs up sometimes the 2nd will catch something the 1st missed.

Welcome to pets.ca, What's your grrls' name? And we would [I]love[/I] to see pics when you can posted them. :D
Please update us after the visit & let us know how your grrl is doing :goodvibes:

Love4himies October 22nd, 2008 06:51 AM

I have a senior himalayan who used to have a horrible time with vomiting and furballs. Since switching her food to Wellness, Grain Free varieties, she has decreased her shedding enormously and she rarely gets a furball.

I use a fur comb on her about once a week to get out the loose undercoat and brush her daily with a human wire brush. She waits patiently in the bathroom every morning for her brushing as I do it as soon as I am finished doing my hair. It's like "girl time", lol. It gets out the loose fur so she is not consuming it when she grooms herself.

Whoops forgot to mention, that Puddles used to eat mostly kibble, but since changing her to canned, her bowel movements have been so much easier for her, that may help pass furballs to.

Jim Hall October 22nd, 2008 09:30 AM

all good advice personally i wlul dfind another vet or a specialitst uif a could and groom her as much as you can and she will allow her throat may just be sore from coughing and hacking too du has these eposodes but good grooming and i use olive oil to lube her a bit you dont need much just somethoing nice and slippery

dags October 22nd, 2008 09:58 AM

Thanks
 
Thanks everyone for the help. I just got her to take her second dose of Medrol so I hope the steroids will help her bounce back to normal like she usually does. I will have to try the ground flaxseed in her wet food and some other hairball remadies to see if they help.

Tundra_Queen October 22nd, 2008 04:20 PM

Hi

I was doing a lot of reading the other day and found something that mentioned ..if a cat regurgitates it's food after eating, try raising it's food dish up 2"...

I don't know if that is what your cat is doing, but Willie, my long hair cat does do this and I'm going to raise his dish up. It has to do with stomach acide.

Debbie

growler~GateKeeper October 22nd, 2008 10:36 PM

[QUOTE=dags;679209]Thanks everyone for the help. I just got her to take her second dose of Medrol so I hope the steroids will help her bounce back to normal like she usually does. I will have to try the ground flaxseed in her wet food and some other hairball remadies to see if they help.[/QUOTE]

Just start with a pinch (just enough you can pick up between thumb & first finger) twice a day, you don't need very much.


[QUOTE=Tundra_Queen;679667]Hi

I was doing a lot of reading the other day and found something that mentioned ..if a cat regurgitates it's food after eating, try raising it's food dish up 2"...

I don't know if that is what your cat is doing, but Willie, my long hair cat does do this and I'm going to raise his dish up. It has to do with stomach acide.

Debbie[/QUOTE]

Good suggestion Tundra Queen :thumbs up

This is generally recommended for kidney failure cats who have a problem with the stomach acid making them nauseous, it would also be good for any cat that has any type of stomach/vomiting issue.

dags October 23rd, 2008 05:02 PM

MaMa says thanks!
 
Two days down, one more day of two doses then its only once a day for a week and then every other day indefinatly if MaMa responds well to the Medrol steroid. Thanks guys for all the good advice and support.
I've been using these "pill pocket" treats to hide the pills in and it works like a charm.
:thumbs up


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