QUESTIONING CAT DIAGNOSED WITH F.I.P....VET/TECHS...help!!!

[darksatellites]

My 6 year old cat was fine up until I went away for the weekend, there was no signs/symptoms of her being sick at all prior. A few hours before I left I put some flea treatment on the back of her neck (she is a very tiny, sleek cat approx 7 lbs)...the flea medicine was for cats 9+lbs, but I thought nothing of it. When I returned (my roommates were watching her), she came in from the outdoors to eat and I noticed a huge bloody wound on the side of her neck. Also, at that same moment was when I noticed that she had major abdominal bloating. I of course took her to the vet and he diagnosed her with the wet version of F.I.P after a body x-ray, a heart ultrasound, and blood work. She is running out of time and I am seeking out alternative scenarios/suggestions!

My questions, is there ANY way she could have had a reaction to the medicine, going into her bloodstream and causing a backup of fluid? Similarly with this bite (the vet said it didn't look like a bite, it looked like she got caught somewhere)...regardless, can a wound/stressful situation cause abdominal bloating? Demeanor wise and appetite wise she is fine. I have an image of the wound but have nowhere to host it, also, if anyone is interested.

Thank you so much for your help guys!!!! [/img]

[Traci]

While flea products (mainly over-the-counter crap and Hartz products) can cause very serious reactions, abdominal fluid is not one of them, although anything is possible.

My ultimate best advice to you, get your kitty to a NEW, more experienced vet RIGHT NOW (TODAY!). Reason being, IF kitty never had any signs or symptoms of illness before this weekend (I'm assuming you're referring to just this last weekend), there is no way the vet could diagnose FIP based on one exam and without very specific bloodwork.

By very specific bloodwork, I am referring to globulins (and special concentrations and ratios of the globulins), and other markers in a CBC with differential as well as markers in a Complete Blood Count. The most definitive test (although it has it's share of problems and is not 100% accurate), is the FIP-specific titer, which requires a sample sent to an outside lab.

Additionally, a fluid aspirate sample should be taken from the abdominal cavity and checked under a slide AS WELL AS, sent to the lab for FIP-titering. If the fluid seen on the slide is yellow or straw colored, this might be indicative for FIP, but it could also be a very serious infection in the abdominal cavity or fluid leaking from the intestines or vital organ.

My guess is this is coincidental, and depending on the location and type of the wound she got over the weekend, it could be the result of the wound and infection following. For example, if kitty was caught or attacked by a dog or other animal, and there are puncture wounds (particularly if the puncture wounds are matching a dog's set of teeth), then air could have accumulated in the lungs or pleural space causing pneumothorax, and could also have caused sepsis (an extreme bacterial infection caused by saliva and open wounds), these type wounds can definately cause fluid buildup (from infection). The vet MUST be very diligent in looking for hidden puncture wounds ALL OVER THE BODY because fur often covers these wounds, mats to the wounds and they can be missed. Shaving the fur in the most suspect areas is almost always necessary to find puncture wounds. Since the most obvious wound is on the neck, if the wound is open and deep, it could very well have been a large puncture originally and is now hidden due to the widening of the wound, blood and tissue damage.

Treating wounds this serious requires hospitalization, IV fluid and very specific hard-core antibiotics such as penicillin-based antibiotic injections. Wound care and management are also crucial to prevent necrotic tissue and further infection/damage to the skin and internal organs. This is why hospitalization is best because it requires twice daily (or more) wound and dressing care as well as twice-daily injections of antibiotics, and fluid maintence to help flush the bacteria (flusing with saline is also crucial with wounds like this).

Even if it weren't a dog bite or other animal attack, she could have met p with a rusty fence, (think tetanus), or similar. So, this is why it's imperative to emergency care initiated for your kitty.

As for the FIP diagnosis, I doubt this is FIP unless you have not been keen to watching your kitty, her eating habits, her weight, her overall health status, if you haven't had her in for regular and yearly exams, and she was possibly suffering symptoms without you noticing. The only way to even wager a guess on FIP is the titer and other markers, your vet can't diagnose this in a day without a titer and fluid analysis.

So, get kitty to a NEW, more qualified vet or emergency vet, or feline specialist right away, TODAY for a new exam and evaluation on the fluid for now, and get a titer done if the new vet feels it's warranted. Otherwise, your kitty requires proper flushing, wound care, and injectable antibiotics, as well as IV fluids.

Please, heed my advice and go NOW.

(BTW, what flea treatment did you use?)

[darksatellites]

Traci, first off thank you so much for all of your advice! I got your message late in the day but made an appointment across town with a cat only hospital today. The flea medicine was Advantage. I have basically ruled that option out as the troublemaker considering everything else that is going on.

After the last vet essentially threw my cat to the wolves, I can clearly see 2 deep puncture wounds on her neck (they didn't even give her antibiotics nor did they dress the wound, nor any pain medicine, etc), it seems air could've easily gotten in, among other things....The puncture wounds are so close together that I cannot think of a specific animal that would've done the damage (we have a pretty urban location).

So lets float on the idea that somehow the abdominal fluid is a result of this wound, what would be the following steps?

Also, any chance you are located around Portland OR? I'm assuming you're a Vet?

Thanks so much for my new found hope!

Jessica

[darksatellites]

ALSO! Immediately after I posted that last message I noticed BLOOD in my cat's stool.

[Traci]

Blood in the stool could indicate stress, or in the event of an animal attack, yet another hidden wound, or damage to intestinal lining, stomach, or any other organ. If kitty is eating, drinking, getting around without difficulty, breathing fine, it is unlikely an internal injury, but it still needs to be ruled out.

Treatment for a wound like this is as I described above. Injectable penicillin-like antibiotics, complete flushing of the wound(s), if any surrounding skin is necrotic, it will have to be removed (under light and short-course anesthesia) to prevent further damage. Depending on how large the wound is and how damaged the surrounding skin, will depend on whether the vet uses sutures or staples to bring the edges of the skin together for skin regeneration and healing. IV fluid therapy is helpful to combat dehydration, flush infection out of the body, etc.

If the wound is large and draining blood or pus, the vet will consider placing a penrose drain in the wound to keep the margins clean and to drain any infection present in the wound. The drain is temporarily sutured to the skin or dermal layer under the skin. Depending on the size and damage of the wound, will depend on sutures etc or bandaging. Some wounds can't be closed with sutures (not enough viable skin to bring together), so regular flushing with saline or like-aneseptics, antibiotic ointment, and sometimes bandaging. Some wounds are left open as long as they are regularly flushed/cleaned and antibiotic ointment regularly applied.

Oral low-dose veterinary-prescribed pain medication should be considered, because infection, inflammation, and open sore wounds are painful! After treating the wound properly, your vet may suggest a temporary e-collar to prevent kitty from scratching the area.

Here is where I am compelled to strongly urge you to keep kitty strictly INDOORS ONLY from this point onward.

Since I don't know how large the wound is, nor how deep, I must leave this to your vet's opinion on what exactly kitty's treatment will involve. But, most important is getting that wound completely evaluated, cleaned, and if possible, closed with sutures or a drain in place.

Whatever the treatment, don't fret, drains or sutures appear worse than they actually are, they are necessary for complete healing.

If there are indeed puncture wounds matching another animal's teeth/jaw location, the windpipe could have been punctured (or any pleural space), which would allow additional air to fill the chest or abdominal cavity. The wound itself is most likely contaminated, which will introduce bacteria, which then causes the infection systemically. This is why we give hard-core antibiotics and why proper wound care is so important. Left untreated, these wounds can be deadly because the infection spreads in the body and gets so severe that it is difficult to impossible to treat.

So, the distended abdomen could be a combination of air and infection/ascites (ascites are fluid/infected cells). The xray the first vet took should have shown him this, but I'd advise either getting that vet to fax the new vet the xray or having the new vet do a new xray to note any new changes to the chest and abdomen regions. If the chest or abdomen contains a great amount of air, the vet will want to tap it (a small needle inserted between the ribs to extract air to allow the pressure on the lungs to ease). If there is fluid in the chest or abdominal cavity, the vet may want to aspirate that (which is the same procedure, small needle used to draw out the fluid - the fluid should then be examined under a slide, and/or sent to a lab if suspicious for some other type of disease)

Again, don't undermine this, this is serious, and requires diligent, proper treatment!

I'm a veterinary technician, my forte is emergency vet med.

[k9Karen]

2 puncture wounds would immediately bring to mind a possible snake bite. Any chance your kitty could have encountered a pygmy rattler? Are you near any body of water - water moccasin/cottonmouth? All snakes can bite, not just the poisonous ones, but they don't strike like the pit vipers. A rat bite or the bite of another cat or a small dog could also be a possibility (although with any mammel I would expect to see wounds or marks from upper and lower teeth). Hope the new vet gives you better news and treats with antibiotics. I'm hoping she is up-to-date on all her vaccines.

[Traci]

Snake bites generally cause a great deal of swelling and rapid skin and tissue necrosis. Since the major wound is at the neck, kitty would most likely have suffered some very serious swelling, breathing distress or even cut off of air supply.

That's not to say some snake bites are that severe, but even the dumbest of vets could have recognized a snake bite and/or anaphylaxis (cardiovascular, respiratory, and nervous system effects).

[darksatellites]

She is struggling to breathe, the 1st vet said to wait to drain the fluid in her abdomen (assuming that it's FIP), because draining it could cause the immune system to attack itself even more so, and that it would fill up more aggressively; and thus wait until her breathing is further labored.

I am about to head out to the 2nd vet's here in about 15 minutes! Lets pray and cross our fingers!

Also I wanted to ask you if there's a particular "right" way to file a complaint against a vet?

Thanks,
Jessica

[Cleo]

Prayers that your kitty will be okay and get the proper treatment she needs quickly.

Please please keep her indoors during this time and from now on

We had an incident two years ago where our dog almost died due to vet neglect and needed emergency care on a Sunday. I took the vet to small claims court for compensation of expenses. Mind you, I wrote a letter and gave a month's time/chance for the vet to rectify it with us. My attempts went ignored so I had no other choice but to file with the local court to at least get acknowledge and for them to acknowledge their mistake. A day after the ER trip, the treating vet did call to apologize so his admittance was on file but nonetheless, I wanted monetary compensation. You can never get back the pain and suffering of your animal as well as your sleepless nights and worry. We never made it to court, they offered the ER fees only and I accepted. Point is, it's on record now so if anyone were to ever look them up, they'll see they were brought to court.

Good luck and keep us updated!

[k9Karen]

Also I wanted to ask you if there's a particular "right" way to file a complaint against a vet?

Usually the most effective way is to file a complaint with the state licensing authority (either the department itself or a regulatory board). In Florida, it would be the Board of Veterinary Medicine which is in the Department of Health. Some googling should help you find the right entity in your state.