#1
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Feline Leukemia and end of life decisions
5 months ago we brought an older kitten (estimated age 9-12 months) into our home. She was a rescue who was fully vaccinated. She is a thin cat. A few days ago, we noticed that she was acting strange (not playing, lethargic.) The next morning, she was breathing heavier than normal so I took her to the vet. Long story short, she was diagnosed with feline leukemia, fluid on the lungs, and anemia. The vet started her on clindamycin and lasik orally. She was mildly improved yesterday but is the same today as yesterday. She will not eat but will drink "cat" broth and lick the gravy off of wet food if we bring the food to her (which we are doing approximately every 2 hrs or so during the day time.) She uses the litterbox, and will occasionally purr or attempt to play for a very short time.
How do you know when it's time to euthanize? I don't want to euthanize if she's improving but I also don't want her to needlessly suffer. |
#2
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I am so sorry that you have to make this decision for such a young cat. I really do not know much about this disease as I am mostly a dog person. I hope that someone will come along soon and give you their thoughts on this. Love your kitty until she needs to leave. Thank you for adopting.
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It Is What It Is |
#3
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It's the toughest part of being a pet owner and I'm so sorry you are going through this.
Here's an article that i really like that may help you with this terrible decision. http://www.pets.ca/dogs/tips/euthana...e-pet-tip-228/ I hope it may help - Sincerely Marko
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#4
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Thank you both for your kind words (and for the article.) We made the difficult decision to euthanize her yesterday. Her intake was too low and the lasik dehydrated her. We discontinued the lasik on Saturday, took her to the vet for IV fluids on Sunday. They also gave her an injectable antibiotic, discontinued the clindamycin, and gave her a vitamin B12 shot to boost energy and appetite. She ate well Sunday night so we were hopeful. Unfortunately, without the lasik, her little lungs filled back up with fluid and her breathing was painful - retractions/nasal flaring. Tuesday night she stopped eating. It was a difficult decision for our family, especially given her young age, but was the right decision for Willow.
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#5
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Yes that is a very hard difficult decision to made for your pet. I am sorry to hear you had to euthanize your sweet kitty. I had do this too when my last dog was not able to eat anymore. He had cancer.
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