I kept "bladder kitty" isolated all day yesterday. I can see from the floor that she had thrown up a couple of times through the night. (I guess the fluid was from the saline injected under her skin?)
I let her out and she threw up again, this time there was a bit of blood, a small clot around .5cms. Obviously, we are off to the Vets the first thing this morning. (I could rush her to the emergency, but I really need MY Vet to see her.) Please give me an idea what tests to ask for, and anything else I should ask the Vet. Thank you!!!
"I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart." - Anne Frank
Actually, the fluids wouldn't have caused her to vomit, they are sub-q only and distribute evenly. Vomiting in times actually requires sub-q or IV administration of fluids to replace loss and loss of electrolytes.
The blood was probably from the retching when vomiting, the stomach lining gets irritated with frequent retching and will produce specs or tiny mucous plugs of blood. However, in view of recent days and events, I would this time demand an x-ray to detect potential obstruction or inflammation (or hairball) and rule out stomach or GI ulcer. Your vet may even decide to give her pepcid or maybe sucralfate to help any potential ulcers....also maybe reglan to curb nausea and vomiting.
You might also opt for a fecal exam if possible to check for GI tract bacteria.
It sounds like she might have a secondary infection, maybe as a result/combination to the stress, UTI, dietary allergies, and sensitivity to the C/D-s. Your vet can feel/express her bladder again for any signs of obstructive crystals (or may do another urinalysis altogether), in which case I would discuss in further detail about the diet......you might be able to get away with using her previous allergen diet and add a urine acidifier to it, but he has to know the nutrient makeup of her previous food in order to determine if the acidifier would be appropriate.
Don't be alarmed if he wants to give her sub-q fluids again, excessive vomiting can really cause fluid loss and electrolyte imbalances, so sub-q's can greatly benefit (she won't vomit as a result of them)
I wasn't worried about the intra-sub fluids making her throw-up, I was just wondering how a cat off of water and food could keep throwing up liquid... Actually, the ER Vet wasn't going to give her fluid, but I insisted as I didn't want her kidneys to become damaged.
I took her in first thing this morning when they opened. They just had me fill out paperwork and leave her. I didn't get to talk to any doctor, which is really hard - I signed a form saying that they could run any test that they wanted to and that they could give general anethesia if necessary... (Hurray for credit cards )
But not knowing what is actually going on is killing me. This is a very busy Vet practice... I hope they don't overlook her.
"I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart." - Anne Frank
As a paying client, you are entitled to give the clinic a quick call and request an update on her testing, how she is doing, if any results have been achieved yet. Don't be shy about it, go ahead and try to get an update. I understand they are busy but they do expect clients to call needing updates.....
I just called. They said that they are monitoring her, but none of the doctors have seen her yet - the phone lines went done and people were just coming in instead of calling and she said it is a mad house. She said my call was the first to come through - which is good news. It is always something isn't it?
"I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart." - Anne Frank
Heh, been there, done that, emergencies are fun when the power is out (NOT)....I'm sorry, I'm sure this is hell on you right now.
Hang in there, maybe put in another call again in afternoon, you need to know if you can pick her up before office closes.
I also goofed and misunderstood about your sub-q question....fluids can still remain in the stomach even after digestion, so this is where the vomiting is coming from...it was probably bile. The concern is that she couldn't hold water down either, which may indicate some sort of obstruction (as mentioned, hairball or otherwise) or inflammation as a result of an allergic response to the new food.
I called again and this time the doctor got back to me in about 10 minutes - hurray! She (the Vet) agrees that she (the cat) is responding allergically to something, so the C/D-S is history. They gave her more fluid. I agreed to have her do an x-ray to rule out any foreign objects. They did a blood test, but that won't be back today. She plans on giving her some anti-nausea meds and letting her go home around 5:30pm.
What a day.
"I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart." - Anne Frank
Other than the x-ray, hopefully no other diagnostics will be necessary. When you bring her home, watch her like a hawk, and introduce her food to her slowly...just small amounts at a time. Ask your vet before you bring her home if you can re-introduce her to her previous normal allergen diet and don't forget to discuss possible urine acidifiers. She may actually send home with you a can or two of Feline I/D for easier digestion (it is a bland diet, can also be used as allergen diet in this case, but is not exclusive for that).
Hi there ~ I thought I should come back and update this.
Bladder Kitty is on the mend - her Vet kept her at the office all day... giving her fluids and eventually a shot of medicine to reduce her urge to vomit. Since her head was covered with what looked like hives... the Vet wanted her off of C/D-S and put her on Science Diet's Z/D... slowly the welts are clearing up, right now there are little bald spots where they were, so she looks like a polka dot cat in the face.
While she was at the Vets, I had the X-ray done... they couldn't see any blockages... I asked them to go ahead and do a thorough blood test, just on the off chance we were missing something. It came back fine... (It was like a $100 test!)
When I got her home, she had a few days of straining to urinate a bit, but I see she is voiding normally now and in the right amounts... All the cats are on the Z/D - they have all had softer bowel movements, but no outright diarrahea...
Allergy kitty (other cat) is all flared up - will need a cortizone shot, gets them pretty regularly. I am already $500 into bladder kitty, so will need to figure out away to scrap up some $ for the physical and shot for allergy kitty... UGH...
Do want to say that the Vet was very helpful and called my home many times to check on bladder kitty... I was impressed with her professional service.
"I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart." - Anne Frank
Thanks so much for the update, I'm thrilled to hear she is improving.
As for your other allergic kitty, is she too now on the Z/D? Does she have food sensitivities specifically or something else? In the event you are newly trying her on the Z/D as well, be prepared to expect up to 6 weeks before noticeable improvement is made (again, depends on the type of allergy).....this would also explain to a degree about the loose stools for the cats, any new food introduction can produce loose stools, the change should be done gradually (with their previous food, introducing new food, eventually weaning off old). Have you talked to your vet about potential causitive ingredients in the diet and process of elimination? I'd rather you go that extra mile concerning diet as opposed to frequent cortisone injections.
