Charlie is sick

[meow]

Originally Posted by EndOfFashion

So those of you following my other thread, "Overweight Cat", may know that Charlie's been picky about his food lately. It all came to a head today when he refused to eat canned tuna. We got really worried because he hasn't been acting like himself over the last few days - he's been kind of lethargic and just not the happy, friendly boy he normally is.

We took him to the emergency vet clinic and the vet suspects fatty liver disease. She said it may also be a form of pancreatitis or cholangeohepatitis - but fatty liver fits most. He was dehydrated and even showing the beginning of jaundice. I am so very upset. I thought we were doing everything to avoid this. He was losing a normal, healthy amount of weight so we're not sure what caused this. The vet suggested in this case it may be idiopathic.

They've kept him overnight and here we are, $1000 later and not sure how we're going to pay for more tests/treatments. They're going to do blood work (she said "blood gases"), give him some injections for the dehydration, some antibiotics, an appetite stimulant, etc. She said without an ultrasound, we can't know 100% if it's fatty liver. She believes we brought him in early enough that something can be done - but I'm so worried we won't be able to afford it. We've drained our emergency vet fund.

I just needed to vent. Any advice, support, anything at all would be greatly appreciated. If it is fatty liver, can we bring him home tomorrow and treat it ourselves - feeding him every 2 hours with a syringe, etc? Or was it best to leave him at the hospital?

I just pm'd you. Simba had pancreatitis and refused to eat or drink. She had a feeding tube for 3 months. It saved her life. I say GET IT but be prepared it takes ALOT of work and patience to make it work. If you are committed it could save charlie's life. It saved Simba's. I never thought it would come out and all of a sudden one day she started to eat! It was alot like caring for a newboarn baby. Have you done that? If you have an are prepared to do that for Charlie it could help.

About the money: I spent a total of $16k on Simba: about $8k on the feeding tubes and tests and hospital and IV's.

I give Simba IV fluids now myself. The vet taught me. We do it 2x a week but that will increase in time. You CAN get thru this. Simba's experience was the most horrific of my life and I never thought she would make uit but my sweet girl is still here DO NOT GIVE UP ON CHARLIE. People will tell you when an animal doesn't want to eat they want to die. Don't believe it. When an animal doesn't eat they are sick. HANG IN THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!

[meow]

Originally Posted by EndOfFashion

Just thought I would post an update as I just got a call from the vet.

So they were going to do his blood work in-house, but unfortunately there's an issue with the machine so they're going to have to send it out "stat" - but they're not going to charge us for the "stat".

She was able to tell me that Charlie's electrolytes and kidneys are fine; his red blood cell count was slightly elevated, but that just confirms he's dehydrated, which we knew. His PH level is actually okay, so he's not severely dehydrated.

They've put him on IV fluids and given him some amoxycillin as a preventive, and have also given him an appetite stimulant. We're going to get another update tomorrow from the morning vet as well as an update when the blood work comes in. If there is no improvement or his condition worsens, and the blood results are bad, we're going to have to discuss alternate tests - x-ray, ultrasound, etc. If he improves...well, I don't know what exactly they're going to do based on what the blood test results are like. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we got him to the vet early enough.

Thanks for listening to my drama unfold, everyone. Your good wishes are much appreciated

No CRF good news! Simba also had 2 ultrasounds, i forgot to say. I charged up all my credit cards to keep her alive. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Here is a good website for you to look at http://www.catinfo.org/feedingtubes.htm

[meow]

here was simba with her feeding tube



here she is now!

[growler~GateKeeper]

Originally Posted by aslan

oh EOF it just came to mind when tutty said payment plan. There was a pamphlet on the counter there for insurance when we went. you can call it in and be approved and they will cover it. I just threw the one i grabbed for my sister out. Couldn't hurt to try eh.

I know one the ER Vets usually have a pamphlet for is called Petcard it's a division of Medicard, it's a credit card for vet visits, they also finance loans for high vet bills.

You did the right thing leaving Charlie overnight @ ER for constant monitoring and I can sympathize will you on how much it costs for a couple of night in ER, my grrl was in not too long ago.

In the bloodtests that were run did they do a SPEC fPL aka Feline PLI pancreas test?

for Charlie

[EndOfFashion]

Originally Posted by meow

I just pm'd you. Simba had pancreatitis and refused to eat or drink. She had a feeding tube for 3 months. It saved her life. I say GET IT but be prepared it takes ALOT of work and patience to make it work. If you are committed it could save charlie's life. It saved Simba's. I never thought it would come out and all of a sudden one day she started to eat! It was alot like caring for a newboarn baby. Have you done that? If you have an are prepared to do that for Charlie it could help.

About the money: I spent a total of $16k on Simba: about $8k on the feeding tubes and tests and hospital and IV's.

I give Simba IV fluids now myself. The vet taught me. We do it 2x a week but that will increase in time. You CAN get thru this. Simba's experience was the most horrific of my life and I never thought she would make uit but my sweet girl is still here DO NOT GIVE UP ON CHARLIE. People will tell you when an animal doesn't want to eat they want to die. Don't believe it. When an animal doesn't eat they are sick. HANG IN THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!

Hey meow, I got the PM, thanks. I'll message you back soon!

I can't say I've ever taken care of a newborn baby. I am willing to do whatever I can to save Charlie...I love him so much. On a really good note, we went in to the vet to visit Charlie, even though we were told we wouldn't be able to feed him. He looked much better - he was purring, meowing, and headbutting, none of which he'd done for days. The vet did end up allowing us to try feeding him because we got there after 9 pm...and he ate! It was just a few mouthfuls, but he seemed quite interested in the food. The vet was saying that we may not need to do a feeding tube at all, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much.

Wow, $16,000 is a lot of money. I personally don't even have enough credit cards with high enough limits to charge that much. But I already decided that I would get a loan if I had to...

I would not give up on Charlie until he was giving up himself...and I don't mean the not eating bit. I've never heard someone say that if an animal stops eating, it wants to die - what a horrible thing to say. That does NOT indicate to me that Charlie is ready to go. He's only 4 years old. He absolutely has a long life left to live and he looked so much better today, I know we can get through it. Thanks for the message of hope, meow. I couldn't ask for better support...my parents are asking why I don't put him to sleep, "it's too much money to spend on a cat". But I knew I could count on this community to understand!

[EndOfFashion]

Originally Posted by growler

I know one the ER Vets usually have a pamphlet for is called Petcard it's a division of Medicard, it's a credit card for vet visits, they also finance loans for high vet bills.

You did the right thing leaving Charlie overnight @ ER for constant monitoring and I can sympathize will you on how much it costs for a couple of night in ER, my grrl was in not too long ago.

In the bloodtests that were run did they do a SPEC fPL aka Feline PLI pancreas test?

for Charlie

D'oh, I totally forgot to check for the pamphlet at the vet! I was so anxious to see Charlie, I could barely contain myself. And then of course as we were leaving, I was on because he looked so much more like his old self.

I'll just Google Petcard/Medicard and see what I can find.

I do feel like I made the right choice leaving him there...he's staying for at least another 12 hours. In the morning we'll see how he's doing. If he keeps eating, even just small amounts, we're going to rerun some of the blood tests to see if his liver function is improving. If he hasn't improved, we're supposed to discuss ultrasounds for further information, and possibly feeding tubes. I have no idea at this point which way it's going to go.

I'm not sure if they ran a pancreas test. The vet did say his symptoms may be caused by pancreatitis, but it hasn't really come up again. I'll ask about it when I speak to them in the morning. Thanks for mentioning that!

[aslan]

EOF if you click on the word petcard in growlers post it will take you right to their site. Glad Charllie seemed better tonight.

[EndOfFashion]

Originally Posted by aslan

EOF if you click on the word petcard in growlers post it will take you right to their site. Glad Charllie seemed better tonight.

Haha, oops, didn't notice the hyperlink. Thanks for pointing that out.

[growler~GateKeeper]

Originally Posted by EndOfFashion

we went in to the vet to visit Charlie, even though we were told we wouldn't be able to feed him. He looked much better - he was purring, meowing, and headbutting, none of which he'd done for days. The vet did end up allowing us to try feeding him because we got there after 9 pm...and he ate! It was just a few mouthfuls, but he seemed quite interested in the food. The vet was saying that we may not need to do a feeding tube at all, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much

When my grrl Duffy was is in ER for a couple of days/nights there were times when she wouldn't eat for them, but would for me - sometimes it's just because it's an unfamiliar environment. The next time you talk to the staff ask if they will let you bring a treat that Charlie absolutely loves to try to stimulate his appetite a little more. I brought in some bbq chicken skin-removed for Duffy and it turned out she was more interested in the canned I had than the chicken, so I asked if the cat in the kennel next to her could have some cuz she wasn't eating either - the chicken jump started her appetite & she finished all the food her people were trying to get her to eat. Duffy did finish most of her own canned by that time as well.

[EndOfFashion]

Originally Posted by growler

When my grrl Duffy was is in ER for a couple of days/nights there were times when she wouldn't eat for them, but would for me - sometimes it's just because it's an unfamiliar environment. The next time you talk to the staff ask if they will let you bring a treat that Charlie absolutely loves to try to stimulate his appetite a little more. I brought in some bbq chicken skin-removed for Duffy and it turned out she was more interested in the canned I had than the chicken, so I asked if the cat in the kennel next to her could have some cuz she wasn't eating either - the chicken jump started her appetite & she finished all the food her people were trying to get her to eat. Duffy did finish most of her own canned by that time as well.

Growler, that's exactly what we were going to do (the vet had asked us to) until I called the hospital to get a quick update on Charlie before we left to visit him. The vet tech told me at that point that Charlie had vomited so they weren't going to try feeding him again until 10 pm. So I came empty-handed, but then we met with the vet and she told us that since it was 9 pm we could try to feed him Unfortunately what they gave us was canned Royal Canin Sensitivity But Charlie ate some of it!

We just tried to get an update now, but somebody's supposed to call back. Depending on what they say, we may try again today...although technically they don't allow visitors today.

How soon after Duffy started eating did they let her come home? Does the cat have to start eating every time she's offered food in order to be released, or will they release the kitty after it's shown interest in food a few times, and let the owner try to force feed/stimulate appetite at home?

[meow]

What are they giving him for the vomiting? Pepcid?

The fact he ate a little is a good sign. Do NOT put him down unless YOU are ready to do that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I even had a vet suggest it to me and tell me I went to much greater lengths to save simba than he would have for his pet! I did NOT listen to him and I still have my girl Sorry to say if your parents are talking this way I would NOT leave charlie in their care. I would find an alternative.

Did they give charlie a PLI test? This will show if he has pancreatitis. simba had (has?) is. Nothing can be done for it but time. with time it settles down...most of the time

[EndOfFashion]

Originally Posted by meow

What are they giving him for the vomiting? Pepcid?

The fact he ate a little is a good sign. Do NOT put him down unless YOU are ready to do that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I even had a vet suggest it to me and tell me I went to much greater lengths to save simba than he would have for his pet! I did NOT listen to him and I still have my girl Sorry to say if your parents are talking this way I would NOT leave charlie in their care. I would find an alternative.

Did they give charlie a PLI test? This will show if he has pancreatitis. simba had (has?) is. Nothing can be done for it but time. with time it settles down...most of the time

I'm not sure what they gave him for his nausea. I'll have to ask. The hospital was supposed to call me back in a "few minutes"...that was an hour and a half ago. I'm going to call them back.

I'm certainly not going to put him down because my parents think I should. He is way too young for me to give up on him, and I think his prognosis is pretty good. Compared to what you and Simba had to go through, this is easy-peasy. And as for my parents...that's exactly what I meant in my PM to you - I'm anxious about letting anyone else help me take care of him. I do have two people I trust to do it: my boyfriend, who is Charlie's "co-owner" (co-parent, I say), and my brother, who has taken care of him many times and loves him dearly.

I also don't know yet about the PLI test. I'll have to ask. I think I'm going to call them back now...I realize they get busy, but I want to know how he's doing! I'll post an update after I talk to someone at the hospital...

[EndOfFashion]

Okay, I'm on the phone now. They did do a PLI test and it came back normal, so basically they're not suspecting pancreatitis at this time. He's doing well, he's eating off and on, and using his litter box. He did vomit again, and they do have him on pepcid, among other things (the vet tech said). Is pepcid bad??

The other thing the tech mentioned is that his respiratory rate has been elevated. The vet yesterday said it could have something to do with finding the right balance of fluids to give him to keep him hydrated (if I understood correctly). But again, this is the second time they've mentioned an elevated respiratory rate. Does anyone know what this might mean? I know it's another symptom of pancreatitis, but I guess it's been ruled out, so what else could be causing it? Is it a cause for concern?

The vet was busy so she's supposed to call back to tell me where we go from here. We were supposed to discuss ultrasound and feeding tubes if there was no improvement, but I don't know just how much improvement they needed to see...

[ancientgirl]

Early this year all mine had some stomach issue, and the vet told me I could give them pepcid, so I don't think it's bad as long as you give them the correct amount.

[Magicwildwolf69]

i've never had these problems with kitties yet as all mine are young or just healthy at the moment. just want to send and your way for your kitty. hope things get better.

[EndOfFashion]

Thanks, MWW!

I do have some good-ish news. The vet tech finally called back (vet is still busy), and Charlie has eaten some dry food...don't know why dry, but hey-ho, as long as he's eating...

Furthermore, the vet said if we wanted to bring him home today, she would be "okay" with that. Don't know if she's 100% recommending that we do, since I'm dealing with a "third party", but apparently if we bring him home we just have to focus on keeping him eating. The vet tech didn't think we would have to do anything additional like administering fluids, but I'll double-check with the vet.

So if we were to leave him again tonight, he would have the added benefit of his IV fluids and I guess some "support" meds, as well as anti-nausea meds and appetite stimulants. But I believe if they were to send him home, they would give us some appetite stimulants and maybe anti-nausea meds as well.

I'm trying to decide if we should bring him home and try to keep him eating, or leave him again. On a good note, they won't charge us for the whole day if we pick him up. And of course we can always re-admit him if he worsens, but I don't want to create a setback by bringing him home only to have him get worse. And I'm worried that the only reason his appetite has returned is because they're keeping him hydrated with SQ fluids...

Any suggestions? What do you think I should do? Either way I believe they would do follow-up blood work in a day or two to see if his numbers have improved...I do miss my little guy and can't wait to cuddle

[Frenchy]

From experience , I once had a very constipated cat and he spent 3 days at the vet , I got fed up with them because he wasn't in a "relax" situation / area so I brought him home and voila ! He got better and finally poop the next day at home.

so ... maybe you should pick him up today

[growler~GateKeeper]

Originally Posted by EndOfFashion

Growler, that's exactly what we were going to do (the vet had asked us to) until I called the hospital to get a quick update on Charlie before we left to visit him. The vet tech told me at that point that Charlie had vomited so they weren't going to try feeding him again until 10 pm. So I came empty-handed, but then we met with the vet and she told us that since it was 9 pm we could try to feed him Unfortunately what they gave us was canned Royal Canin Sensitivity But Charlie ate some of it!

We just tried to get an update now, but somebody's supposed to call back. Depending on what they say, we may try again today...although technically they don't allow visitors today.

How soon after Duffy started eating did they let her come home? Does the cat have to start eating every time she's offered food in order to be released, or will they release the kitty after it's shown interest in food a few times, and let the owner try to force feed/stimulate appetite at home?

Duffy was eating on & off I had brought Wellness canned to the ER for her because I didn't want her on anything by Royal Canin or Medi-Cal (2007 food recall toxicity caused her crf). Because of her crf they were a bit more cautious with her treatment & she was on IV from Thurs afternoon until about 10pm Sat nite, I took her home @ midnight Sat nite/Sun morning. She was supposed to go home Sat around 9 but had just eaten & they wanted to make sure she wasn't going to vomit, plus they were super busy that night - hense the Midnight discharge. She was transferred in to ER on a Thurs nite from a reg vet she saw Thurs morn, she was fully discharged and well enough to go home late late Sat nite. On the Fri during the day I had her transferred to her Homeopath Vet for the day - cut down on the costs plus she was given a remedy for her symptoms.

Not necessary to eat everytime they are offered but they will wait until the cat stops vomiting after eating before they will discharge them.

Originally Posted by EndOfFashion

They did do a PLI test and it came back normal, so basically they're not suspecting pancreatitis at this time. He's doing well, he's eating off and on, and using his litter box. He did vomit again, and they do have him on pepcid, among other things (the vet tech said). Is pepcid bad??

Good that they did the PLI test, I would caution though that sometimes tests come in normal but the cat still has it - that is quite rare though.

Pepcid AC is fine (but no other pepcid type products), Zantac is also one commonly used.

[EndOfFashion]

Originally Posted by Frenchy

From experience , I once had a very constipated cat and he spent 3 days at the vet , I got fed up with them because he wasn't in a "relax" situation / area so I brought him home and voila ! He got better and finally poop the next day at home.

so ... maybe you should pick him up today

Thanks Frenchy...I was thinking the same thing. He may be more relaxed, less stressed here at home and I would feed him yummier food than that Royal Canin kibble crap he's probably eating. (although apparently he's LOVING all the attention he's getting from the vet techs...they have him in the ICU room with all the techs, lol)

[EndOfFashion]

Growler, apparently Charlie has vomited a handful of times but it's always been after receiving medication, not after being fed. The vet will still allow us to bring him home if we want, but do you think it would be a mistake for us to do so if he's vomited today...even if it (probably) wasn't from the food?

I wish I had more information, but the vet has been unavailable all day. I'm supposed to call back at 4 pm to see if they have enough time to discharge him then...maybe the vet will be available then and I can get more answers as well as her professional recommendation.

[growler~GateKeeper]

Elevated respiratory rate could be from: pancreatitis, liver disease, heart problems, allergic reaction, lung obstruction, stress etc

If Charlie was happy, interested & perks up to see you or anyone who goes to visit him, wanting to be petted etc & he's actually eating enough food - doesn't have to be a full days portion but close enough and not vomiting w/in the hour after eating - I would bring him home for the day. If he is showing any signs of being "off" hiding, facing the wall, sitting in the litterbox, refusing food, exhibiting pain when picked up etc leave him there.

The ER is fairly close to you right? So it's not a long drive/long distance to bring him back if necessary?

[EndOfFashion]

Originally Posted by growler

Elevated respiratory rate could be from: pancreatitis, liver disease, heart problems, allergic reaction, lung obstruction, stress etc

If Charlie was happy, interested & perks up to see you or anyone who goes to visit him, wanting to be petted etc & he's actually eating enough food - doesn't have to be a full days portion but close enough and not vomiting w/in the hour after eating - I would bring him home for the day. If he is showing any signs of being "off" hiding, facing the wall, sitting in the litterbox, refusing food, exhibiting pain when picked up etc leave him there.

The ER is fairly close to you right? So it's not a long drive/long distance to bring him back if necessary?

Okay I'll definitely bring up the respiratory rate today (if the vet doesn't mention it first).

When we saw Charlie last night he looked sooo much better than when we brought him in. He was meowing, purring, and headbutting for attention. Apparently he's been just as cuddly with the techs He really is the sweetest, most friendly cat I know. All I know about the eating is that he isn't refusing food, i.e. turning his head away when offered food. But I don't know exactly how much he's eating...I know he's eaten at least 3 times since being admitted. I'll ask how soon he vomited after eating when I call back at 4 pm.

We are pretty close, yes. I think it took us less than 15 minutes last night to get there, but it depends on the time. The QEW is blocked with traffic from like 2:30 pm until probably 7 pm during the week...luckily I'm off work until Friday so at least this week would be a prime opportunity to monitor him.

[meow]

My opinion is to go to the vet and wait there to speak to the vet themsleves. None of this thru a vet tech stuff. If you have to wait an hour, wait. I would want to know WHY my cat is throwing up before I take it home. a virus? FLV? blockage? allergic to their food? etc etc etc

PLI tests are quite accurate for pancreatitis so it is a good shot charlie doesn't have it. if they do a US they can look at it and see.

kitty could have IBD. simba had an endoscopy to find this out. I switched her food and now she is sooooo much better. she eats Natres Instinct Rabbitt and EVO venison. NO food where the first three ingrediants are filler-crap. She only throws up now 1x every week or 1x every three weeks. If you leave charlie there what will they do for him that you cannot do for him? find out. also remember you have to work tomorrow (right?) and do you want to leave him all day alone?

[EndOfFashion]

Originally Posted by meow

My opinion is to go to the vet and wait there to speak to the vet themsleves. None of this thru a vet tech stuff. If you have to wait an hour, wait. I would want to know WHY my cat is throwing up before I take it home. a virus? FLV? blockage? allergic to their food? etc etc etc

PLI tests are quite accurate for pancreatitis so it is a good shot charlie doesn't have it. if they do a US they can look at it and see.

kitty could have IBD. simba had an endoscopy to find this out. I switched her food and now she is sooooo much better. she eats Natres Instinct Rabbitt and EVO venison. NO food where the first three ingrediants are filler-crap. She only throws up now 1x every week or 1x every three weeks. If you leave charlie there what will they do for him that you cannot do for him? find out. also remember you have to work tomorrow (right?) and do you want to leave him all day alone?

You're absolutely right, meow. That's why I'm undecided about bringing him home, and I'm going to make sure I talk to the vet when I call back at 4 pm. I didn't like the way the vet tech said the vet was "okay" with us bringing him home...

They did tell us that he was vomiting due to the meds they were administering orally, at least the first two times he vomited. But I'm going to make absolutely sure when I speak to the vet. I'm a little annoyed that we've called 3 or 4 times today and there is never a vet available to speak to us, but I can appreciate that it's a holiday so they're extra busy...

Charlie eats Wellness canned grain-free, and sometimes either Performatrin canned or Merrick's B.G., which is literally 100% chicken, beef, quail, turkey, etc. depending on the flavour. I did ask the tech what would be the difference if we left him there vs bringing him home and she said they would continue the IV fluids and liver support meds at the hospital, but wasn't sure what we would be asked to do at home beyond making sure he eats. So basically I need to talk to the vet about that.

Luckily, no I don't have to work tomorrow. The host of our show is gone until Thursday, so I have an extra-long holiday and am off until Friday! Which is why now might be a better time to bring him home, unless of course he needs the vet support.

[meow]

You can give the liver meds yourself (I did). About the IV...you can't do an IV yourself but you can do sub Q fluids yourself. http://www.felinecrf.com/managb.htm and http://www.felinecrf.com/managh.htm

ok he threw up the meds. got that. but why was he throwing up in the first place. if it were me i wouldn't call anymore. i would go down there and wait. i did this at the ER hospital i took simba to. i was there 11 hours one day. it was worth it. they were very nice but very busy. it was like being at a people hospital. anyway i found out my answers better this way. while i waited i made a list of ?'s

simba threw up wellness every time i gave it to her. merrick is good and simba likes it.

go to the link i just posted and scroll down to links. you will see all these places to read about sub Q's

Subcutaneous Fluids
Information about I.V. Catheters and Subcutaneous Fluids - Long Beach Animal Hospital
Giving Subcutaneous Fluids to a Cat - Washington State University, College of Veterinary Medicine
Administration of Subcutaneous Fluids at Home - By Wendy C. Brooks, DVM, DipABVP, Educational Director, VeterinaryPartner.com
GIF-TubeŽ - PractiVet
New Equipment for Home Use: The Endo-Sof Subcutaneous Catheter Set - Mar Vista Animal Medical Center
Subcutaneous Fluids Administration - Pawprints and Purrs
Philosophy and Technique of Med and Sub-Q Administration
Restraining a Cat - Washington State University, College of Veterinary Medicine
About Needles - Maintained by David Jacobson
About IV Admin Sets - Maintained by David Jacobson
Content of Common IV Solutions - International Win, Ltd.
Sophia gets her Subcutaneous (sub-Q) Fluids - This website is maintained by an individual who has a CRF cat.
Fluid and Electrolyte Therapy - Wayne E. Wingfield, MS, DVM, Diplomate, ACVS, ACVECC, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Originally Posted by EndOfFashion

You're absolutely right, meow. That's why I'm undecided about bringing him home, and I'm going to make sure I talk to the vet when I call back at 4 pm. I didn't like the way the vet tech said the vet was "okay" with us bringing him home...

They did tell us that he was vomiting due to the meds they were administering orally, at least the first two times he vomited. But I'm going to make absolutely sure when I speak to the vet. I'm a little annoyed that we've called 3 or 4 times today and there is never a vet available to speak to us, but I can appreciate that it's a holiday so they're extra busy...

Charlie eats Wellness canned grain-free, and sometimes either Performatrin canned or Merrick's B.G., which is literally 100% chicken, beef, quail, turkey, etc. depending on the flavour. I did ask the tech what would be the difference if we left him there vs bringing him home and she said they would continue the IV fluids and liver support meds at the hospital, but wasn't sure what we would be asked to do at home beyond making sure he eats. So basically I need to talk to the vet about that.

Luckily, no I don't have to work tomorrow. The host of our show is gone until Thursday, so I have an extra-long holiday and am off until Friday! Which is why now might be a better time to bring him home, unless of course he needs the vet support.

[meow]

Originally Posted by EndOfFashion

You're absolutely right, meow. That's why I'm undecided about bringing him home, and I'm going to make sure I talk to the vet when I call back at 4 pm. I didn't like the way the vet tech said the vet was "okay" with us bringing him home...

They did tell us that he was vomiting due to the meds they were administering orally, at least the first two times he vomited. But I'm going to make absolutely sure when I speak to the vet. I'm a little annoyed that we've called 3 or 4 times today and there is never a vet available to speak to us, but I can appreciate that it's a holiday so they're extra busy...

Charlie eats Wellness canned grain-free, and sometimes either Performatrin canned or Merrick's B.G., which is literally 100% chicken, beef, quail, turkey, etc. depending on the flavour. I did ask the tech what would be the difference if we left him there vs bringing him home and she said they would continue the IV fluids and liver support meds at the hospital, but wasn't sure what we would be asked to do at home beyond making sure he eats. So basically I need to talk to the vet about that.

Luckily, no I don't have to work tomorrow. The host of our show is gone until Thursday, so I have an extra-long holiday and am off until Friday! Which is why now might be a better time to bring him home, unless of course he needs the vet support.

if you have the money i would suggest having an abdominal ultrasound scheduled. i had to bring simba back 3 days after i brought her home for this. they looked at her kidneys, pancreas, bladder and liver

[EndOfFashion]

Originally Posted by meow

You can give the liver meds yourself (I did). About the IV...you can't do an IV yourself but you can do sub Q fluids yourself. http://www.felinecrf.com/managb.htm

ok he threw up the meds. got that. but why was he throwing up in the first place. if it were me i wouldn't call anymore. i would go down there and wait. i did this at the ER hospital i took simba to. i was there 11 hours one day. it was worth it. they were very nice but very busy. it was like being at a people hospital. anyway i found out my answers better this way. while i waited i made a list of ?'s

simba threw up wellness every time i gave it to her. merrick is good and simba likes it.

go to the link i just posted and scroll down to links. you will see all these places to read about sub Q's

Subcutaneous Fluids
Information about I.V. Catheters and Subcutaneous Fluids - Long Beach Animal Hospital
Giving Subcutaneous Fluids to a Cat - Washington State University, College of Veterinary Medicine
Administration of Subcutaneous Fluids at Home - By Wendy C. Brooks, DVM, DipABVP, Educational Director, VeterinaryPartner.com
GIF-TubeŽ - PractiVet
New Equipment for Home Use: The Endo-Sof Subcutaneous Catheter Set - Mar Vista Animal Medical Center
Subcutaneous Fluids Administration - Pawprints and Purrs
Philosophy and Technique of Med and Sub-Q Administration
Restraining a Cat - Washington State University, College of Veterinary Medicine
About Needles - Maintained by David Jacobson
About IV Admin Sets - Maintained by David Jacobson
Content of Common IV Solutions - International Win, Ltd.
Sophia gets her Subcutaneous (sub-Q) Fluids - This website is maintained by an individual who has a CRF cat.
Fluid and Electrolyte Therapy - Wayne E. Wingfield, MS, DVM, Diplomate, ACVS, ACVECC, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

That's so funny, I just wrote a list of questions myself and was going to post them here to see if I missed any:

How long after eating does Charlie vomit? Do you know what's causing him to vomit?
Is irritable bowel syndrome/disease a possibility?
What could be causing his increased respiratory rate?
If we bring him home, will we be given SQ fluids, anti-nausea/vomiting meds, and appetite stimulants to administer ourselves?
What will we need to do for him at home? Is there anything being done at the hospital that we won't be able to do from home?
What sort of follow-up will need to be done?

I think that's it. Have I missed anything? I may try calling again at 4 pm, as the tech recommended, but if I can't get a hold of a vet then, I'm driving down. I just want some answers!

[EndOfFashion]

Originally Posted by meow

if you have the money i would suggest having an abdominal ultrasound scheduled. i had to bring simba back 3 days after i brought her home for this. they looked at her kidneys, pancreas, bladder and liver

The vet said if Charlie didn't improve then we would need to discuss having an ultrasound. But since I haven't been able to talk to her yet today, I don't know if she's still recommending it! I'll add that to my list of questions.

[aslan]

EOF for some reason i keep remembering one or two members on here who's kitties started turning their noses up at Wellness or were getting the runs or sick from it. Something is telling me One of them is either Ancientgirl or Love4himies. you might want to pm one of them to see if i'm recalling correctly. Is it possible that the food isn't agreeing with Charlie anymore and that's what started the whole thing?

[EndOfFashion]

Originally Posted by aslan

EOF for some reason i keep remembering one or two members on here who's kitties started turning their noses up at Wellness or were getting the runs or sick from it. Something is telling me One of them is either Ancientgirl or Love4himies. you might want to pm one of them to see if i'm recalling correctly. Is it possible that the food isn't agreeing with Charlie anymore and that's what started the whole thing?

I do remember seeing L4H posting something about that. But he was getting a combination of Wellness and Performatrin...close to 50/50. And then for two weeks or so before he got sick, he was eating Merrick's BG (my boyfriend picked it up while I was working). Once we tried to switch back to our combo of Wellness and Performatrin, he basically stopped eating. So it's really hard to say what caused it!

Unfortunately, although he's eating (a little), hasn't vomited since yesterday, and hasn't had elevated respiratory levels since yesterday (vet finally cleared up the confusion).....his liver is worse, according to his recent blood work. I'm stumped. We're bringing him home for the night, and re-hospitalizing him at our regular vet tomorrow :sad: