Hi, all. I'm a total newbie to this board, so let me say hi again before asking for your advice. Hi!
I have a 9 month old kitten named Bo who started showing signs of illness on Saturday. He was throwing up, not eating, urinating and pooping in odd places. One of his poops (after he'd not eaten much at all for a day) looked like a 1/2 teaspoon of poop covered with a little blood and some mucous.
He didn't eat much Saturday and was throwing up. He'd drink water and then throw up again, vomiting all the water. Then later, a few hours later, he'd vomit again, just clear liquid with a bit of froth. Yesterday, I watched him, and he appeared better. Where he'd been hiding on Saturday, yesterday he was sleeping out in the open and he ate some organic baby food I got just for him. I also forcefed him a bit, but he is very resistant. I think I got maybe 10 ccs into him. That's all. Chicken broth mixed with cat food and some baby food.
This morning, he vomited again, and I took him in to the vet.
The vet said he tested negative for FeLV and FIV. Bo did have a high fever--105. The bloodwork results are as follows:
HCT 63.3 (normal is 24-45; his numbers are really high here)
HGB 19.6 (normal is 8-15; again, he looks really high here according to the chart)
MCHC 31.0 (he is low normal here)
WBC 21.4 (normal is 5-18.9; he's really high here, too, according to the chart)
GRANS 17.0 (normal is 2.5-12.5; high again, but apparently not as high as his HCT and HGB)
L/M 4.4 (normal is 1.5-7.8; he's okay here)
PLT 157 (normal is 175-500; he's LOW here)
In the other bloodwork results, he is normal in everything but GLU, which was 238, when normal is 76-145).
Okay, the vet tech told me the vet said he has some sort of infection. Duh. Hmph. I asked repeatedly if that was all that the high numbers meant, and she clarified that the high GLU was likely due to Bo
being stressed, but that the other numbers are high due to infection.
He was given 100cc of subq fluids due to dehydration (another vet tech, the one that drew his blood, said his blood was "a little dehydrated").
Vet had him given the subq's, a shot to bring down the fever, a shot of antibiotic, and sent him home with the requisite cefadrops to start tonight, along with a bottle of barium/kaopectate.
I also brought home 4 cans of Hills A/D, which is very successful with sick kitties in my household.
The vet tech told me to watch him until Wednesday, and if there's no improvement, I'm to take him in because he may need to be hospitalized. Yowsa!!!!
Any input you can give me? I would appreciate any information you can impart. Bo would greatly appreciate it too. He's currently draped over the bed edge, but I don't know if he's feeling better. He did eat som of the a/d when I got home, and he doesn't look so flea ridden at the moment (when he gets sick, he ends up flea-ridden; right now, he looks better in that respect than he looked this morning).
Help!!!
Thanks--
malda and Bo
Help Understanding Blood Test Results
Malda, I must agree with your vet about a bacterial infection, as to where exactly remains to be diagnosed, but I'd say it was in the gastrointestinal tract. I'm assuming your vet performed a fecal and ruled out campylobacter as well as coccidia/giardia/salmonella/ecoli? Was a urinalysis done? If not, ask your vet about that promptly.
However, you mention "flea-ridden" and I assume you are referring to fleas, so anemia could also be playing a secondary part to this situation, the hematocrit might explain that. Hematocrits also tend to be alittle off in young kittens, so your vet may want to retest in another week or so to note any significant changes.
The vet and tech were correct, glucose elevations in young kittens are common due to stress and even a recent meal fed prior to the blood draw. Probably nothing to worry about.
Follow the course of antibiotic therapy, ensure your kitten is getting plenty of natural water intake daily, and if he continues to vomit, cease the A/D and ask your vet about a gastrointestinal diet like I/D. Additional fecals may be necessary if your vet suspects campylobacter or salmonella, etc. Watch him carefully for any signs of worsening problems, sudden weight loss, anorexia or continued vomiting episodes, elevated temperature and if any occur, no matter how slight, don't wait to get your kitten back to an ER vet immediately.
However, you mention "flea-ridden" and I assume you are referring to fleas, so anemia could also be playing a secondary part to this situation, the hematocrit might explain that. Hematocrits also tend to be alittle off in young kittens, so your vet may want to retest in another week or so to note any significant changes.
The vet and tech were correct, glucose elevations in young kittens are common due to stress and even a recent meal fed prior to the blood draw. Probably nothing to worry about.
Follow the course of antibiotic therapy, ensure your kitten is getting plenty of natural water intake daily, and if he continues to vomit, cease the A/D and ask your vet about a gastrointestinal diet like I/D. Additional fecals may be necessary if your vet suspects campylobacter or salmonella, etc. Watch him carefully for any signs of worsening problems, sudden weight loss, anorexia or continued vomiting episodes, elevated temperature and if any occur, no matter how slight, don't wait to get your kitten back to an ER vet immediately.
..........Traci
Bo--update and thanks to Traci
I watched Bo like a hawk this afternoon and evening, only leaving him when I had to dash out to get some groceries.
He actually ate more of the a/d, and he also ate regular food. He just played a bit with me, too, so I'm keeping fingers crossed that he is past the worst of it.
The vet did not order a fecal or a urinalysis, in spite of me telling him my first suspicion was a urinary tract infection. He seemed to think neither one was necessary.
Bo is usually NOT flea-ridden, thank goodness. He usually gets the odd flea and is very clean and not at all plagued by the critters. But when he gets ill (he got a URI once before, and this happened then, too), he seems to get covered in fleas. The vet said he thought his gums looked a little pale, but he didn't want to put him on anything specific for that. I gave Bo some Pet-tinic (well, an equivalent solution) earlier, so maybe that will help somewhat. It's what the vet has given me in the past for kitties who are a little anemic. Bo liked the stuff, so I will continue with it for a while.
It may well be that Bo got into the trash the other day, as I did not spot a small bag with some scraps that had been pulled out of a larger bag waiting to go outside in the morning. I found the little bag in the morning, dragged across the floor and torn into, but it didn't look like any of the scraps had been removed. I could be wrong, though. He has a habit of trying to catch any bug he can, too. He's the Lizard King (apologies to Jim Morrison), and he loves to sit by the front door and see if any water bugs come flying onto the porch. I dunno what caused this. I am just hoping he is starting to recover.
Thanks so much for the information! What a godsend you are!
malda
He actually ate more of the a/d, and he also ate regular food. He just played a bit with me, too, so I'm keeping fingers crossed that he is past the worst of it.
The vet did not order a fecal or a urinalysis, in spite of me telling him my first suspicion was a urinary tract infection. He seemed to think neither one was necessary.
Bo is usually NOT flea-ridden, thank goodness. He usually gets the odd flea and is very clean and not at all plagued by the critters. But when he gets ill (he got a URI once before, and this happened then, too), he seems to get covered in fleas. The vet said he thought his gums looked a little pale, but he didn't want to put him on anything specific for that. I gave Bo some Pet-tinic (well, an equivalent solution) earlier, so maybe that will help somewhat. It's what the vet has given me in the past for kitties who are a little anemic. Bo liked the stuff, so I will continue with it for a while.
It may well be that Bo got into the trash the other day, as I did not spot a small bag with some scraps that had been pulled out of a larger bag waiting to go outside in the morning. I found the little bag in the morning, dragged across the floor and torn into, but it didn't look like any of the scraps had been removed. I could be wrong, though. He has a habit of trying to catch any bug he can, too. He's the Lizard King (apologies to Jim Morrison), and he loves to sit by the front door and see if any water bugs come flying onto the porch. I dunno what caused this. I am just hoping he is starting to recover.
Thanks so much for the information! What a godsend you are!
malda
Malda, thanks for mentioning the garbage, don't miscount that as a potential problem. Even if you didn't notice anything chewed on or missing, doesn't mean that he didn't get just enough of something that could have caused the vomiting, blood/mucous in the stool, anorexia, etc. Also, you want to rule out possible obstruction (i.e., swallowing part of the plastic bag, or any of the trash's contents) that could be why he even vomited water yesterday and if it caused a slight irritation in the stomach, or worse case scenario, a perforation or tear in the intestine, you need to be on the lookout for signs. Again, continued vomiting, including water, lethargy, elevated temperature, painful abdomen, blood in stools, anorexia would all indicate an immediate visit to an ER vet ASAP. Obstructions would require x-rays and possibly a barium series to detect them.
Keep a close eye on him, it's good he seems to feel better today, but if there is no additional improvement by tomorrow or a reoccurance of symptoms, to the ER vet promptly for x-rays and fecal exam, etc.
Keep a close eye on him, it's good he seems to feel better today, but if there is no additional improvement by tomorrow or a reoccurance of symptoms, to the ER vet promptly for x-rays and fecal exam, etc.
..........Traci