Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: cazzer on January 08, 2012, 14:05:44 PM
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can I have some get well vibes for my 14 year old persian Sassie. She has been admitted to the vet hospital today. Last night we noticed she was snuffly so popped her in her carrier and put a bowl of hot water/olbas oil close by with a towel over the top, hoping this would help loosen everything. This morning she was worse though and could hardly open her eyes. Her breathing is not great either. Its obviously cat flu of some description. Vet is concerned it could be FIV or FELV as she takes steroids which suppressses the immune system :(.
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Aw, poor Sassie, :get well:
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Sending positive vibes :hug: Why does vet think FIV/FelV? Sounds like respiratory tract infection of some sort.
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:Luv2: :Luv2:
Get well vibes from us.
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Poor Sassie loads of vibes from me and the furries , hope she is soon better :hug: :hug:
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Thanks everyone. Gillian I think the vet thinks FIV/FELV because they are diseases which kick in when a cats immune system is low. Hers will be because of the steroids. We have a similar situation with her brother Oska who is also on steroids. He keeps on getting snuffles albeit no where near as severe as Sassie. He didn't get them until such time as he started taking them. This is the first time with Sassie and seems to have hit her really hard and very quickly as tend to think of her being the healthier of the two.
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Just had a call from the vet. She is now on a drip. They've had two attempts at taking blood from her and both times she has got very stressed. Due to the fact her breathing is bad they have called it a day. They are hoping that by tomorrow when the AB's have kicked in and she is more settled that they will be able to take some blood from her.
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Thanks everyone. Gillian I think the vet thinks FIV/FELV because they are diseases which kick in when a cats immune system is low.
but unless she's been in contact with other cats with FIV/FelV its very unlikely to be those. Hope the drip and ABs make her feel better soon :hug: :hug:
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He kept on asking if we had our cats tested for FIV/FELV [which we hadn't apart from Karlo who was negative]. I've never had any experience of these diseases so not at all knowledgeable about them. Told him they were indoor cats, and vaccinated. Because it was the hospital rather than our branch it was a vet we hadn't seen before. Given that she is elderly [14 on Tues] they are going to see what her kidneys etc are doing
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Sending lots of get well vibes :hug: :hug:
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Cazzer, both viruses can only be passed on by penetrating bites from in infected cat, so if your cats are indoors and have no contact with other cats, the chances of it being either of those viruses is virtually zero I'd say. It seems to be the first thing many vets think of when presented with a sick cat. :hug:
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Sending lots of get well vibes :hug:
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Sorry to hear this Cazzer sending lots of :hug: :hug: and get well vibes to Sassie Xx
Hope she is feeling better soon :hug:
Denise
Xxx
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Get well soon Sassie :hug: :hug:
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Sorry to hear this Cazzer :hug: Hope the antibiotics kick in and she starts to feel a bit better soon :hug:
:get well: Sassie :care:
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So sorry to hear rthat Sassie is poorly Sending lots of get well vibes :hug:
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Thanks everyone. her breathing is no better sadly. They are now planning to take a chest xray this morning :'(.
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Sorry to hear this cazzer :hug:
Sending lots of get well vibes to Sassie.
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sending love to Sassy, hope they can figure out what is wrong today :hug:
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Hoping they can find out what is causing Miss Sassie her troubles
It is usually the first things they test for and I know with some of the issues the Clan have had they are usually very shocked to find negative for both in my ferals :shocked:
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Cazzer, have a look at Catwork site. These guys know everything there is to know about FIV and FeLV.
I have one FIV+ve, he has no symptoms but came in from being a stray, so he would have picked it up from fighting (deep bite wound). He is docile now and neutered so my -ve residents are not at risk from him, as FIV does not shed into the environment is not therefore contagious in the home. Safe to share food and water bowls and litter trays. Most FIV+ve cats live as long as -ve cats and most are never diagnosed until they contract a disease (like 'flu) which their diminished immunity cannot cope with, only then are bloods tested and the FIV identified.
Some cats are born FIV+ve, but you would never know if they stay well, as most do. It is estimated that of the population of pet cats in the UK, up to 40% may actually be FIV+ve, so it really isn't something, in itself, to be afraid of.
FeLV is highly contagious, however, and FeLV cats must be separated from -ve cats. Cross-infection is almost impossible to prevent in shared households as the virus does shed into the environment so can be transferred by shared food bowls, litter trays, water bowls etc. However the virus has a short airbourn lifespan. It is known that cats can "shake off" an FeLV infection, if it is healthy and wins the battle - however it is important to understand that the cat will test positive during this period. Should the cat recover, a second (lab) test after 12 weeks will tell if the cat continues to carry the virus, in which case it will be persistently affected, or if it has successfully shaken it off.
Vets tend not to recommend vaccinations for FeLV/FIV carriers as the vaccinations themselves can trigger illness that the diminished immunity cannot cope with.
Have a read, you'll probabaly be better educated that your vet when you have finished this, it certainly opened my eyes.
http://www.catwork.co.uk/
Huge vibes for you and Sassie :hug: :hug: :hug:
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thanks for that. Will pop over and have a read!
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Well the feisty madame consented to some blood being taken today, without having to be knocked out! So no x-ray. The FIV/FeLV test hasn't come back yet but her organs are fine which is good since madame is 14 years old tomorrow. The day vet I spoke to this afternoon thinks it is more likely to be a severe infection rather than anything else more sinister. She gave Sassie a local anaesthetic and cleaned out her eyes. She took some swabs as well. This has helped ease her breathing problems.
Hope she may be back home tomorrow to celebrate her birthday with brother Oska :evillaugh:
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Sounds promising, fingers crossed she'll be back in time for her Birthday :hug:
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Happy Birthday Sassie, hope you make it home today. :hug:
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:(Well poor sassie hasn't made it home. She's not eaten all day which is a worry. A lot of pussy mucus Has come out of her nose. Vet tried drops in her eyes and for the first time it came down her nose. Tonight vet looked at eyes and there was a huge explosion of pus. Hope she will now feel better. May have to take xray of head though depending on how she does
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Poor thing, was it an abscess in her nose then? Trying to vsualise where the pus came from.
If so, hopefully the pressure will now be released and she'll start to pick up.
She's being well looked after by the sound of it, try not to worry :hug: :hug:
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Thanks very much. yes the vet said it could be an abscess. She said she couldn't believe how much pus exploded out :sick:. There was no real indication though ie any swelling though. We did go and see her before it happened and she was rubbing her face all over us though, we just thought she was desperate for fuss. The vet had mentioned this earlier as well. Hopefully she will start to eat now as vet had said if she hadn't they would have to start feeding her with a tube as they were worried about fatty liver disease
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Glad the vet seems to have found out the problem I hope Sassie improves now and she will soon be home
Sending lots of get well vibes to Sassie and :hug: :hug: to you
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Sending Sassie tons of get well vibes
:hug: :hug: :hug:
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C'mon Sassie you can do it for your mum. :hug: :hug: :hug:
Mary
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Sorry to hear she didn't make it home in time for her Birthday, fingers crossed it won't be long now :hug:
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Really hoping she is home with you soon!
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I would ask for a head/dental x-ray to be honest - we had a whole year of an undiagnosed busted tooth root that nearly cost Beau his life - only when I switched vet did we get the advice that a dental x-ray at the beginning would have picked up the problem. If it's something physical thats likely to cause future breathing difficulties or abscesses it may be a worthwhile investment.
Only thing is she'll need to be knocked out for a full exam and x-ray to be done - and that may not be advisable just yet. But if she won't allow a full examination. being the bolshy madam she is, it may be an option later on.
So glad she's got this out of her system for now. Phew. :hug:
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Thanks everyone, as it happened the bolshy madame although brighter in herself today still wasn't eating, which is a huge worry for vet. She is only a tiny wee thing and doesn't have much in the way of reserves. There was also a build up of pus again. Vet was also of the opinion that the AB's alone would not clear up the abscess. Problem being we didn't exactly know where the abscess is. The decision was therefore made to do knock madame out and do a head xray. At the same time the vet would be able to drain out the abscess, and put in a feeding tube. The tube would also allow for different AB's better suited to dealing with an abscess.
As yet not heard how it went.
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Everything crossed, Cazzer - extra hugs and vibes :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Sending loads of good wishes for Sassie and hope that the vet can get to the bottom of this quickly :hug: :hug: :hug:
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sorry haven't been around much to update re Sassie.
{OH father was rushed to hospital with water infection and blood on the brain - he is fine now but took three doctors before seriousness of situation was realised and he was admitted to hospital}
Sadly things are possibly not looking so good for Sassie. The head and chest [given her breathing wasn't great] xray's were done and a feeding tube was put in as she still wasn't eating. The swabs from the abscess came back today negative for any bacteria. She's been on AB's since then but still the abscess keeps on filling up. She's still not showing any interest in food herself. The vet thinks that although there has been progress [ie she seems a bit brighter and her breathing is better] she seems to have stopped improving. They are now wondering why this is and if what they saw in the chest xray [which they originally thought may have been infection from the abscess] is actually more significant that originally thought. Fresh xrays were taken today and there has been no change in the chest. Tomorrow their diagnostic specialist will be looking at them.
poor little love. I can see her not coming home :'(
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This is very worrying, Cazzer. Here's hoping the specialist can find a solution. :hug: :hug: :hug:
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thanks Sheila. I thought of the three oldies her, Ginger and Oska she would be around the longest so its a bit of a shock to realise she might be the first to go.
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:hug: :hug: :hug:
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oh dear poor sassie, hope they get to the bottom of it soon :hug:
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This is so sad and do hope they can get to the bottom of this and she comes home healthy :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Keeping everything crossed that she turns the corner.
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thanks everyone. Not heard anything today as yet.
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Have everything crossed she can turn the corner and come home :hug: :hug: :hug:
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thanks very much!
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spoken to the vet and to be honest I don't know where to go with madame. the good news is the abscess did not fill up much today [but it seems to fill up a lot one day, next not much, next a lot]. The bad news is a second abscess has appeared by her ear which is completely independant from the first one. She still isn't eating by herself, and has shown less interest in food than the past couple of days. The diagnostic specialist has looked at her head and chest xrays. Her head xray is fine. Her chest xray doesn't show anything sinister. However it appears that Sassie actually has chronic bronchitis, which has been masked by the steroids that she takes. Vet says there are other things they can do but they are quite invasive, and given she is an elderly persian, I'm not sure I want to put her through them. I think it may have been easier to know what to do if something sinister had appeared in the xray. We've got an appointment at our own branch tomorrow night with one of the others so will talk things over with our vet as well. She's been at vet's for a week now [and been on AB's as long], with not a huge improvement :'(
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If it only the chest infection then hopefully thats good news as if she does respond to treatment (eventually) it doesnt sound fatal :wow: she may just be run down, you know what its like as a person if you get run down as it can take weeks to recover so hopefully with treatment and lots of tlc she may be back home soon...I do hope so as you both must be missing each other terribly :hug: :hug:
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thanks for response. Vet was more or less hinting though we may have to make a decision.
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oh dear..sorry to hear that :hug: how do you feel, do you think she can recover?
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well I can't see it at the moment. She's not eaten herself since last Sunday, which is the biggest immediate worry. Despite being tempted with all the foods she's not normally allowed due to her pancreatitis, stinky fish, chicken etc. Will see what tomorrow brings [and what our usual vet thinks].
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hope its better news tommorrow, will be thinking of you both :hug:
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Poor Sassie, really hope she can recover from this :(
Sending loads of :hug: :hug: :hug: for you all.
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Poor Sassie. It needs a big push from her to get over this, and from what you're saying, she doesn't sound like she's got much push left. :(
There are alternatives - I take it these involve surgery to work out what's going on behind the scenes? If she isn't feeding herself the anaesthetic will be risky and as you say, she's also elderly which increases her risk.
The decision the vet is asking for needs to be made soon as it sounds like she's weakening, and if you choose to try every weapon in their arsenal, they need to cracking on.
This is a terrible position to be in, Cazzer. Only you know her well enough to be able to make the call if she's going to benefit, or suffer, from any further treatment.
Thinking of you both today, and be certain that Purrs will be here for you whatever you decide :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Paws all crossed here for a clear path forward for you and Sassie. :hug:
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This is so sad and was the situation I had with Napoleon cos he just would not eat, I wasnt pushed at all by the vet but could not see him looking so miserable, he also had no push left to want to help himself :'( :'(
Sending loads of these in what is such a difficult time :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Keeping everything crossed for better news today.
If she would just eat a little...c'mon Sassie, c'mon.
Hugs and vibes in bundles, Cazzer :hug: :hug: :hug:
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:hug: :hug: :hug: so sorry Cazzer. RIP Sassie. X
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So sorry. RIP Sassie.
:hug: :hug:
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So very very sorry RIP Sassie She will be happy with her family and they will all be waiting for you :hug: :hug:
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so sorry to hear about Sassie :hug: :hug:
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So very sorry :hug: :hug: :hug:
RIP Sassie. play hard on the Bridge
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So sorry to hear this news.
She will be pain free and healthy again with her mother and brother all together ,just waiting for you to join them one day.
RIP Sassie
:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: Cazzer
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Cazzer, a brave decision, and the right one. You did everything possible and made life so good for Sassie. Happy at the Summerlands now. :hug: :hug:
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Cazzer I'm so sorry to hear your sad news :hug: :hug: :hug:
RIP Sassie :( :(
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:hug: :hug: :hug:
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I'm so sorry, Cazzer. Rest Easy, Sassie.
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Very sorry to hear this Cazzer :( :hug: :hug: :hug:
RIP Sassie, safe and sound at the Bridge by now xx
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Cazzer so sorry for the loss of Sassie, you both fought a good fight and sadly the call from the Bridge came and she had to leave you :hug: :hug:
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So sorry for your loss Cazzer :(
R.I.P Sassie xxx
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Thanks everyone, its much appreaciated. It wasn't a decision we took lightly. We ended up talking it through with the day vet at the hospital, our vet at our branch and the night vet at the hospital. They all really were of the same opinion. She had been on double strength AB's for over a week and still wasn't eating. They felt the AB's had done their job hence finding no bacteria in her swabs. They said that medically they could do no more for her. If we had wanted to do anything else it would be an MRI scan that they would of been able to arrrange for tomorrow. The scan if it found anything the likely treatment would be invasive, which we wouldn't put her through given her age. One vet said it could possibly be her immune system being subdued by the steroids she had been on, and that she may perk up given time. But how long were we to give her, cooped up in a kennel at the vets hospital being tube fed? We saw her last Tuesday [sadly not been able to visit as much as possible due to FIL] and felt that she had gone down quite a bit since then. She didn't really appear to want much attention yesterday [unlike Tuesday] which wasn't like her, and was quite miserable, and seemed quite a bit weaker. I don't think she had much fight left in her poor mite. Some might of given her a bit more time to see if she improved but both OH and myself felt after seeing her that she wouldn't.
So where I once had 16 persians I am now down to just Oska. He has been poorly for ages and I never thought he would outlive his sister.
Will miss you lots little Sassie X x
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So very sorry to hear about Sassie Cazzer :hug: :hug: :hug:
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So sorry :hug:
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Its so hard when they are like that and that is what Napoleon was like and the longer he stayed in the hospital the worse he seemed to get and for me the tube feeding was just too awful and he was so unhappy.
16 to one is very hard and my thoughts are with you :hug: :hug:
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So sorry Cazzer :hug: I know how you feel - my cat family is halved in just a few years :(