very sick cat, please read
very sick cat, please read
Hi everyone. I am writing about a "neighborhood cat" that hangs around outside my house. She is VERY loving and sweet and although I don't feed her she has adopted me it seems. ANyway about a month ago I noticed her limping. It didn't go away after 2 weeks so I brought her inside my house for the first time thinking she just needed some rest. I then noticed her feet (front right and back right were bad, back left was not too bad) were infected and they stunk (like cheesy doritos). They were very swollen too. I took her to the vet and he put her on antibiotics. Well she has since stopped eating much and is so bony it breaks my heart. I basically have to force feed her with a dropper. Her foot is smelling better and perhaps possibly getting a little better after 1 week on the meds. However, today I woke up and her back right leg is paralyzed (she can stretch it so it's not paralyzed really). She does not seem to be in pain. It's very limp, like the whole thing just gets dragged. I can tell she's scared, but like I said not in pain it doesn't seem like. She sleeps constantly and only gets up to go outside to pee. Does anyone know what this could be? If I bring her to the vet he will tell me to put her down and that is not a decision I will make. What could be happening? I thought the infection could have caused the paralysis but the front foot is/was much more infected. PLease respond..thank you
A new vet!!!
You're post is too vague in terms of what the diagnosis of "infection" is. What did the vet actually diagnose? WHY are the feet infected? Are there abcesses? Are there any open sores, wounds, skin necrosis, etc? Did the vet shave the fur to make sure he could get a very close look at the skin and check for open wounds? Was snake/wasp/spider or animal bites ruled out? How old is kitty and did the vet offer complete bloodwork to determine her overall health status? Was she tested for FELV/FIV?
If there are abcesses, the proper way to treat them is to clean them with appropriate antiseptics, and close any open wounds with sutures. If the wounds are draining pus (infection), then a drain may need to be placed at the site of infection, and the wound partially closed to allow the drain to stay in place (it would be removed in about 7 days, but requires monitoring). If the skin is necrotic, it needs to be removed to allow surrounding healthy tissue to granulate and then brought together on the edges with either proper bandage/wound care or sutures. If a deep infection is ignored and if pus is accumulating under the wound and it's not drained, treated properly, the infection can turn into sepsis (it spreads through the bloodstream and starts to affect immune function, organ function etc).
Likewise, if there was a blunt trauma (like hit by car or serious fall), a bone might have been fractured and left unattended, which could lead to bone infection. It is imperative this is ruled out. Some traumas like this can also cause nerve damage, so it's imperative a complete exam is done and xrays, to determine if there are fractures or accompanying bone infection. Some fractures only require splinting and strict cage-rest, others require surgery.
She may not be eating because there is an infection present, probably fever, and most likely because she is in pain, the vet needs to address the pain IMMEDIATELY. Once proper pain management is in place, she would probably be more comfortable to eat sufficiently. The antibiotics you were given are probably not effective for the type of infection present (obviously).
You need a new vet! Get kitty to a new, more experienced and committed vet RIGHT NOW, TODAY!! (preferrably a feline-only vet). I suspect there may be an infection that has not been properly identified, or a fracture, and if there are no fractures, then the vet needs to rule out other things like fungal infection (i.e., cryptococcosis), viral infection, nerve damage, etc. The vet also needs to get her on proper antibiotics (may require something stronger than the first vet gave her), and also proper pain medication (do NOT give anything yourself!)
Do not wait, get her to a new vet TODAY!! Get xrays and bloodwork done!
You're post is too vague in terms of what the diagnosis of "infection" is. What did the vet actually diagnose? WHY are the feet infected? Are there abcesses? Are there any open sores, wounds, skin necrosis, etc? Did the vet shave the fur to make sure he could get a very close look at the skin and check for open wounds? Was snake/wasp/spider or animal bites ruled out? How old is kitty and did the vet offer complete bloodwork to determine her overall health status? Was she tested for FELV/FIV?
If there are abcesses, the proper way to treat them is to clean them with appropriate antiseptics, and close any open wounds with sutures. If the wounds are draining pus (infection), then a drain may need to be placed at the site of infection, and the wound partially closed to allow the drain to stay in place (it would be removed in about 7 days, but requires monitoring). If the skin is necrotic, it needs to be removed to allow surrounding healthy tissue to granulate and then brought together on the edges with either proper bandage/wound care or sutures. If a deep infection is ignored and if pus is accumulating under the wound and it's not drained, treated properly, the infection can turn into sepsis (it spreads through the bloodstream and starts to affect immune function, organ function etc).
Likewise, if there was a blunt trauma (like hit by car or serious fall), a bone might have been fractured and left unattended, which could lead to bone infection. It is imperative this is ruled out. Some traumas like this can also cause nerve damage, so it's imperative a complete exam is done and xrays, to determine if there are fractures or accompanying bone infection. Some fractures only require splinting and strict cage-rest, others require surgery.
She may not be eating because there is an infection present, probably fever, and most likely because she is in pain, the vet needs to address the pain IMMEDIATELY. Once proper pain management is in place, she would probably be more comfortable to eat sufficiently. The antibiotics you were given are probably not effective for the type of infection present (obviously).
You need a new vet! Get kitty to a new, more experienced and committed vet RIGHT NOW, TODAY!! (preferrably a feline-only vet). I suspect there may be an infection that has not been properly identified, or a fracture, and if there are no fractures, then the vet needs to rule out other things like fungal infection (i.e., cryptococcosis), viral infection, nerve damage, etc. The vet also needs to get her on proper antibiotics (may require something stronger than the first vet gave her), and also proper pain medication (do NOT give anything yourself!)
Do not wait, get her to a new vet TODAY!! Get xrays and bloodwork done!
..........Traci