Traci, Meet the Newcomer

[felinexpress]

She is special, in a way where there are no words to describe. I apologize for being absent- had a personal issue come up still dealing with, but anyway on the Shell Front- Her tongue is now in her mouth! She is 7 pounds and has decided her cage is simply unacceptable to be in, and she wants the whole room to herself! She is eating better and now taking in the dry food as well. Her sores are starting to look better and she is a fiend for pets on her head.

There is an Event Page set up for her-http://shellofacat.chipin.com/shell

I am just thrilled that she is still here with me. Every day she surprises me and she goes back to the vet next week.

Again sorry for leaving everyone following this hanging, but my husband is quite ill.

[Traci]

I'm thrilled to hear Shell is making progress, the fact she's eating dry food and can move her tongue is great news!! Also the fact that she is curious, wanting to explore, appreciates attention is a great sign

Just to play it safe, watch her as she eats, particularly dry food, is she chewing it thoroughly and swallowing with ease? Her tongue could be still quite swollen, so make sure you can watch her with dry food and offer her plenty of water.

[felinexpress]

Here she is getting her daily rubdown. She goes to the vet early Monday morning. I hope he will decide she is strong enough to have blood drawn.

[Traci]

Shell looks so much better, and obviously feeling better!

Please give her lots of soft kisses for me!

[felinexpress]

She went to the vet this morning, and he is stopping any more treatment on her until the bloodwork comes in (either late tonight or tomorrow) From there, we will know where to go next. Her mouth hasn't improved much (according to him) I think it has, but I am not a vet. She's eating better, she is active, she wants to be petted, she is drinking using the litter box and doesn't look like she wants me to give up on her yet. But again, it all boils down to the bloodwork.


Here is her mouth- not the best shot, but she doesn't like having her mouth messed with much.

[Traci]

Since I don't know what her mouth looked like before, it's hard to say, but indolent ulcers can take a long time to heal, particularly the inflammation. The vet knows this and he needs to give this time.

I would also rule out calicivirus, especially if she came from a multi-cat environment.

Let me know what the bloodwork results are, ok?

[felinexpress]

Traci,

I'm just going to post the values the vet is concerned about. He called me at work and I only had time to jot down a few of them. I do not have all the numbers in front of me. here it goes.

Kidney/Liver-normal range
Blood/nitrogen unalarming
Creatin- 1
Total Protein- 11.4
WBC- 19,000
Gobulin- 8.9

I know what he told me, but will hold off until you talk to me about what is listed above. I go back with her on Weds to discuss the matter with him.

[Traci]

Are you sure the rest of the results were not significant?

Is the creatinine just "1" or is there a decimal that was missed? What was the BUN? (you can't just look at one and not the other)

What is the reference range for the WBC's from this particular report?

As for the elevated TP, it could be anything from severe dehydration to an antibody response (fighting viral or bacterial infection) - when combined with a high globulin, it could again, be due to severe dehydration but could also be due to GI problems, pancreatitis, IBD, parasites (internal or blood-borne), viral disease and even FIP.

Has she been tested for FELV/FIV? Was a urinalysis done?

What was her blood glucose level?

Without more values, it's impossible for me to even wager a guess short of severe dehydration and fighting infection. If she isn't vomiting, diarrhea, or feverish, pancreatitis could probably be ruled out. If she's digesting food, having normal stools, etc, can probably rule out IBD. If her siblings/littermates wherever she was before you aquired her are in otherwise normal health, FIP is most likely not a problem. (testing for this can be difficult and multiple parameters plus titer is necessary, including a second testing). Don't assume any of this without seeing the results in their entirety and without additional testing. It's entirely possible her body is trying to compensate for multiple losses (fluid, nutrition, fat and muscle reserves, fighting infection)

Kidney disease and diabetes are still factors to seriously consider. The constant dehydration needs to be addressed. It is unusual IF the results are not indicative of early renal disease (or liver disease for that matter particularly due to her weight and dehydration) , but, to a lesser extent, she might have a kidney infection (which can be treated). She could also have a UTI, so that urinalysis must be done (the urinalysis combined with bloodwork also gives a better indication of glucose and checking for infection that can elevate the glucose). As we talked about earlier, if there is any indication the glucose is elevated or diabetes is diagnosed, cushings should be tested for at some point.

[felinexpress]

As mentioned, I didn't have all the bloodwork, just what he mentioned on the phone, the ones that concerned him the most. I will have the whole results tomorrow afternoon when I take her in.

I hate FIP diagnosis, to me this is the lazy way of saying- 'we don't know what is wrong with your cat, therefore she has FIP.' I'm not accepting that at all. In your neck of the woods, it might be different, but here, it is said to often and is usually not on the mark at all. She is vomiting maybe once every three days or so. Not every day. She was tested for all the normal diseases and came back negative. Her colony mates are in good health except for a rampant URI. He said that Cushings requires a different kind of test but has held some blood back just in case.

That's all I know at this point. He doesn't want to give up on her (nor do I) and I am to go in tomorrow and get another shot of depo and some long-acting antibiotics. I also have been in touch with a clinic in Texas where they are making great strides in fighting oral issues. My vet is willing to work with them long-distance to get her mouth under control.

Today, she is eating and roaming the room. She doesn't look like a cat who wants to give up, though I cry at her bone-thiness. She gained 1/4 of a pound since seen last.

[Traci]

Maybe he should consult the university before giving another corticosteroid injection - remember what we talked about? Yes sometimes it is necessary for slow-response indolent ulcers and other conditions, but you still have to rule out diabetes (in other words, I hope he has already checked blood/urine glucose)!

Same for the Convenia, it might be too soon for another injection - two week intervals are not necessarily a bad thing, but traces stay in the system for some time. Maybe another week or so for the Convenia.

He'll have to use his best judgment but it would be nice if he could consult for you before either injection.

Don't panic about FIP. If she is improving in the least and responding to her meds, doesn't have the typical signs of FIP, it's kind of a moot issue at this point. If anything, her current health status would have or would currently be, declining by this point if FIP. Any small improvement, no matter how slight is a good thing, I think it's obvious she is responding, so whatever is going on is going to take some time, she has obviously been without a great deal of care for so long.