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Old August 9th, 2009, 01:12 PM
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Possible Ulcers?

I've been holding back from posting anything regarding the situation we are now in with our kitten Teeka as we weren't sure what was going to happen.

I posted a few days ago about how we thought she may have had worms. What happened was that by Thursday (we brought her home on Monday) she was starting to vomit almost regularly and wasn't eating.

We quickly brought her to an emergency vet clinic that the rescue we adopted her from reccomended. Teeka stayed there overnight, was put on fluids, checked for ulcers, dewormed, etc. Thursday night the vet called to give me an update telling me that she was eating/drinking on her own which was a great sign and that they couldn't detect any ulcers.
I asked if they thought the vomitting was due to the worms, however he didn't suspect so though he said it could've been possible.

I really wasn't informed much at all, and on Friday the clinic stopped calling me to update me and I was getting calls from the adoption coordinator from Oopsadazy instead, which kind of annoyed me. We ARE the owners, but whatever.
The adoption coordinator called around noon on Friday to tell me that Teeka was ready to go for pickup. And when I got to the emerg clinic the vet tech brought her out and said just to make sure she was eating/drinking on her own.

Since she's been home, two nights now, she really hasn't been eating, though she has been drinking a bit. She makes this weird grinding sound with her teeth after she tries to eat, then curls up in a little ball. I'm only attempting to feed her soft food, and I've tried to tempt her with different meats and fish and different consistancys. So far, Tuna interested her the most but she would mostly just lick up a bit of the juice. (And by 'lick up' I mean sniff, lick maybe twice, then give up.)

She also makes these odd coughing/hacking sounds sometimes and while she still purrs a lot, she barely meows since we got her back from the clinic.

I called the clinic this morning because Teeka now seems more tired than usual, which we chalked up to her vet visit which no doubt was stressful for her. The receptionist said she'd get the vet to call but that she suspects Teeka has ulcers deep down in her throat and stomach cavitity (which I was under the impression they had CHECKED for) and that she was surprised they hadn't sent any medications home with Teeka.

Because of this all we're concerned that Teeka needs to be in a different environment to pull herself through this. We have so much going on here at our home, plus a young daughter who wants to pick her up everytime we let Teeka out of her room - which is heartbreaking because we don't want Kiley to handle Teeka when she's clearly not feeling well.

Since Teeka came home however we've been keeping her seperated from everyone else in her little room, but she doesn't want to stay there. When she's not sleeping she stands at the doorway and meows, hoarsley, on the other side which then of course gets all the other animals going and my daughter determined to see Teeka.

I may be jumping to conclusions, but I really am just very sad and unsure of what steps to take to help Teeka pull through whatever is going on. I wish we had some kind of better set up where she could be alone in a quiet environment, but thats just not what we have here. And of course the vet hasn't called me back yet to let me know what I should do.

Thoughts?

**Oh and I just wanted to add that Teeka was already underweight when we brought her home, so the fact that she's barely eating anything at all is a huge concern.
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Last edited by Bailey_; August 9th, 2009 at 01:34 PM.
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Old August 9th, 2009, 09:33 PM
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I took Teeka back to the vet clinic tonight. Apparently they think that the entire litter she came from had ingested something before being rescued, which is why there were some kittens already dead when they arrived.

They don't know for sure what has happened but are doing more serious toxicity tests tonight, and she will most likely be there for a few days.

We are heartbroken.
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Old August 9th, 2009, 10:17 PM
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I am sorry to hear and hope that Teeka is alright.

As far as stomach ulcers - they can be difficult to rule in or out. They don't show on radiographs. Endoscopy is the best method to definitively identify them. Often medication to treat the ulcers if given if it is suspected. Ulceration can be a secondary problem with many toxins as well. Medications like pepcid, sucralfate, etc... are often employed.

If there is a toxin, then the kidney and liver enzymes will likely be closely looked at. Looking for pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) could also be helpful. Also possibly abdominal ultrasound...

Fluid diuresis can be very helpful in flushing out toxins.

I wish Teeka a speedy recovery.
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Old August 9th, 2009, 10:27 PM
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Sorry to hear about Teeka, Bailey!

for a quick recovery!
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Old August 9th, 2009, 11:43 PM
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Thanks Dr.Lee. I was informed moments ago that Teeka is having her system flushed out as they are now suspecting toxins and she is on an IV. Other than that, I don't know much more, but they'll be keeping her there for a few days and syringe feeding her to ensure she gets food.

Is it normal for ulcers to cause a lack of appetite?

I feel like I'm at a loss as to what to think or do...I appreciate the well wishes and will keep everyone posted.
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Old August 10th, 2009, 12:31 AM
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Ulcers will indeed cause a lack of appetite. Stomach ulceration can be painful and lead to nausea. While dogs often vomit with ulcerations, cats usually do not. Sometimes hiding behavior, slight decrease in activity or appetite is all that is seen. Sometimes the clinical signs are more dramatic.
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