Seizure Kitty

[Brandypup1]

Hi there, I was refered to the board by another seizure kitty owner...

I have Marly, he was a neutered stray I took in Dec 26 02. He is front declawed as well. He has had seizures since the first day I took him in. Blood work and tests, a healthy diet and regular trips to the holistic/tradition vet have ruled out just about everything except for head trama and brain lesion. Only a MRI can say for sure and I can't afford that.

He was placed on phenobarbital liquid (.5ml) on April 7th and did great for about a month. The seizures came back, although not as frequesnt and the pheno test came back low so he was upped to 1 ml. This was on May 21st. Since then he has had 4 seizures, the last two with in 6 hours of each other. (he was having about 4 in a row before the pheno)

We just cleared up lots of ear gunk with a enzyme type cleaner from the vet, can't recall what it is at the moment. He also has "jiggle eye" (I can't spell the word for it, starts with a N) But his left eye only rotates not jiggles. The vet knows this.

When I first found him he recieved a 4-1 and rabies vaccination. Since he was neutered he probably at least had some others. He is about 5 years old.

I have to wait for my next pay check - end of this week - to get him into the vet again. ( he has drain us finanicaly) We love him, he is ofr adoption the the right home and he is wonderful kitty. Is there anything I am missing to help him? Sorry so long, I tried to keep it short.

[Traci]

Forget the holistic vet and seek a professional feline neurologist, you can probably be referred to a local vet university, the cost will be more efficient than holistic med anyway. At this point, your present vet hasn't ruled out half of the possibilities for seizure activity. Before an MRI or CT scan, I'd recommend ruling out infectious disease (all feline infectious disease) and fungal disease (i.e., cryptococcosis) plus internal blood borne protozoal parasites (toxo, etc) and organ disfunction (i.e., portosystemic liver shunt) , lymphoma. These will require advanced testing such as full feline serology and chemical analysis. If it's neurological, then the specialist may want to perform a CSF and test for other neurologic problems.

What is the "healthy diet"? Perhaps take a closer look at what you're feeding and rule out allergic reactions. This doesn't necessarily mean it is the cause of the seizures, but it could exacerbate them especially if he has an allergic reaction to something.

As for nystagmus, it is a visionary deficit probably related to a neurological disfunction, and in this case, would be normal, but again, seek a pro consult for more testing options and discuss the current treatment approach (ask your vet about the suspension of phenobarb, is it compounded properly, maybe ask for tablets instead, and check with a second opinion about the dose)

[Guest]

Thanks Traci,

The vet has ruled out infectious diseases and toxo with the blood tests. We had a CBC done which showed everything within normal range. I keep a log for Marly tracking his food, meds and the enviorment and there is nothing conclusive so far.

I will ask her about the spepcialist and the cost.

[/list]

[Traci]

Just so that you're clear......inhouse lab testing is not enough, nor is the FELV/FIV snap testing. I'm referring to a full feline serology, that your vet can break down into certain testing options with one sample of whole blood only. Things of this nature would include the fungals I mentioned earlier, plus blood borne like hemobart, coombs, AIHA, Histo., Blasto., crypto., and coronavirus....Your vet may only have sent out for a toxo specific, that doesn't rule out any of the above mentioned.

Examples:

Feline serology: FELV/FIV/FIP Elisa specific/toxo

Autoimmune profile: coombs, ANA, platelets, hemobartonellosis

Fungal profile: blastomycosis/histoplasma/coccidioidomycosis/cryptococcosis

Your vet can break down any of these profiles based on kitty's health history, current labs, and current clinical symptoms. These must be sent to an outside lab and can take up to 5-7 business days for results.

This is where a consult with a feline neurologist comes in handy and would be of more benefit to your kitty...

[Susan and the girls]

Also - just so you can be prepared for the cost of the tests Traci's mentioning, it is costly. If my memory serves me correctly, when I had Lily tested for (most of) the things Traci mentioned, it was well over $150...maybe even $200. It was at a university vet clinic, and the labwork was several pages long when I got it back. It's not your typical bloodwork.

I know how scary seizures can be, and I'm praying for Marly. He deserves the good treatment you're trying to provide for him.....I'm glad you're trying to help him!