OM!
Hi! You guys gave me some great advice about megacolon before. My 15-year-old male cat Buddha seems to be doing ok with that. He is on a combination wet-pack food and senior-cat dry food diet that has this problem under control.
But now there is another problem that puzzles my vet. It started when the weather got hot. Buddha got lethargic, started shaking his head a bit, and lost balance just a little a couple of times. Then he got the sniffles but that left in a few hours. I brought him to my vet and made a point about the head-shaking and loss of balance. She gave Buddha a thorough checkup and cleaned out his ears. She did not know for sure what caused the sniffles. Maybe an allergy related to summer, maybe the use of the air conditioner, etc. She prescribed medicated ear drops even though there was no infection or mites in his ears. There was very little wax in Buddha's ears. The drops do not make a difference. Buddha can roughly be in a lethargic state for about 36 hours and then instantly snap out of it. Then the cycle will start over again. He eats and drinks well but is not always steady on his feet. His use of the litter box in fine. He checked out with no infections.
Any ideas? Thank you.
Not Steady On His Feet
Re: Not Steady On His Feet
Didn't your vet do a blood test? This would be a must for cat this age and with these symptoms. If your vet didn't do one, insist on it or go and see another vet ASAP!
Re: Not Steady On His Feet
You need to get a full blood panel done, including urinalysis and thyroid function testing. If this wasn't done, it needs done immediately.
There are too many possibilities/conditions this could be that need to be ruled out with additional diagnostics. Don't wait another minute, get bloodwork done, x-rays if necessary, check heart function, oral health, etc.
There are too many possibilities/conditions this could be that need to be ruled out with additional diagnostics. Don't wait another minute, get bloodwork done, x-rays if necessary, check heart function, oral health, etc.
..........Traci
OM!
Thanks for the info. Blood work was done and no problem showed up. BUT the vet suggested the possibility that Buddha have his teeth cleaned. There was a bit of gingivitis. She suggested, that when I pet him, to gently wipe his gums with gauze.
I am hesitant about having his teeth cleaned because the cat of a friend of mine (not an old cat, either) died under the anesthesia while having his teeth cleaned. The last time Buddha was given anesthesia (for an enema) he had no energy for six weeks! He wasn't himself, he acted like he was drugged. He is himself now but has "gone down a couple of notches" although today he was much better. Could his problem be his teeth or gums? Or could this possibly be because of his megacolon even though his bowels move well? The vet's best guess is that it is some allergy related to summer. I cleaned the filter in my air conditioner and am watching him carefully if he responds poorly after a window is open for the night, when he eats a particular flavor/type of wet pack food, etc. He tends to prefer fish and I wonder about the mercury content. I went over his whole history with the vet and she said it could be a thousand different things but suspects it is a summer allergy.
The vet checked Buddha's heart and lungs and they were in great shape. No X-rays were taken though.
Thanks.
Thanks for the info. Blood work was done and no problem showed up. BUT the vet suggested the possibility that Buddha have his teeth cleaned. There was a bit of gingivitis. She suggested, that when I pet him, to gently wipe his gums with gauze.
I am hesitant about having his teeth cleaned because the cat of a friend of mine (not an old cat, either) died under the anesthesia while having his teeth cleaned. The last time Buddha was given anesthesia (for an enema) he had no energy for six weeks! He wasn't himself, he acted like he was drugged. He is himself now but has "gone down a couple of notches" although today he was much better. Could his problem be his teeth or gums? Or could this possibly be because of his megacolon even though his bowels move well? The vet's best guess is that it is some allergy related to summer. I cleaned the filter in my air conditioner and am watching him carefully if he responds poorly after a window is open for the night, when he eats a particular flavor/type of wet pack food, etc. He tends to prefer fish and I wonder about the mercury content. I went over his whole history with the vet and she said it could be a thousand different things but suspects it is a summer allergy.
The vet checked Buddha's heart and lungs and they were in great shape. No X-rays were taken though.
Thanks.
Umesh, I think you should see another vet, have urine and thyroid testing done, x ray and heart rate testing etc, as Traci suggested, and maybe repeat the blood test. In my opinion, your current vet gave up far too quickly. If the only visible problem is gingivitis it's quite unlikely that it would lead to wobbly legs. If he had so much trouble with the anastesia last time, he could have a heart problem. Did you mention this to your vet at the time?
Re: Not Steady On His Feet
WHEN was the bloodwork done, if it hasn't been done within the last 6 months, it's time to do so now. If you haven't had a urinalysis and thyroid function panel done for him within the last 6 months, do so now.
The concern is the "lethargy" you describe Buddha having for long periods of time, combined with the "unsteadiness" of his legs. This is not an oral problem, and not an allergy problem, but possibly an internal problem that may be related to a vital organ....x-rays, bloodwork, etc are necessary to pinpoint the possible cause of the problem. Lethargy and weakness need to be addressed, and your vet's approach to this is unacceptable, she needs to be investigating further. Due to Buddha's age, you want to make absolutely certain his vital organ function, such as heart, liver, kidneys, etc are functioning properly, and only bloodwork and xrays are going to tell you that. If your vet isn't going to help you further or hasn't suggested further diagnostics, see a new vet immediately and get these issues addressed.
The gingivitis could be contributing, since he may actually have diseased teeth that are releasing harmful bacteria into his system. Not knowing what shape his teeth are in, it would be prudent to find that out, and to determine if one or more teeth need to be extracted, or if a simple dental is all that is needed. As for the anesthesia, ask your vet what type she is using, what pre-sedative medication she is combining with gas anesthesia, perhaps she is not using an acceptable combination. For gas anesthesia, Isoflurane is the safest for cats. Prior to ANY anesthetic procedure, bloodwork must be done in any older cat, and I would strongly advise an ECG and possibly an xray to monitor heart function prior to any anesthetic procedure. If your vet hasn't talked to you about this, it's time to find a more experienced vet, and immediately.
The concern is the "lethargy" you describe Buddha having for long periods of time, combined with the "unsteadiness" of his legs. This is not an oral problem, and not an allergy problem, but possibly an internal problem that may be related to a vital organ....x-rays, bloodwork, etc are necessary to pinpoint the possible cause of the problem. Lethargy and weakness need to be addressed, and your vet's approach to this is unacceptable, she needs to be investigating further. Due to Buddha's age, you want to make absolutely certain his vital organ function, such as heart, liver, kidneys, etc are functioning properly, and only bloodwork and xrays are going to tell you that. If your vet isn't going to help you further or hasn't suggested further diagnostics, see a new vet immediately and get these issues addressed.
The gingivitis could be contributing, since he may actually have diseased teeth that are releasing harmful bacteria into his system. Not knowing what shape his teeth are in, it would be prudent to find that out, and to determine if one or more teeth need to be extracted, or if a simple dental is all that is needed. As for the anesthesia, ask your vet what type she is using, what pre-sedative medication she is combining with gas anesthesia, perhaps she is not using an acceptable combination. For gas anesthesia, Isoflurane is the safest for cats. Prior to ANY anesthetic procedure, bloodwork must be done in any older cat, and I would strongly advise an ECG and possibly an xray to monitor heart function prior to any anesthetic procedure. If your vet hasn't talked to you about this, it's time to find a more experienced vet, and immediately.
..........Traci
Re: Not Steady On His Feet
OM!
This is the latest on Buddha. A different vet saw him but from the same animal hospital. Who saw him was the head of the small animal section. He went over Buddha's records and gave him a thorough examination. He said Buddha had (if I can read his handwriting!) "Ruptured tympanic membrane" and "Vestibular Disease." He expalined to me that this meant Buddha has a hole in his left eardrum and infection on the inside. He gave him an anti-biotic, special eardrops and a cortozone shot. I have to give Buddha his anti-biotic and eardrops daily. The vet wants to see Buddha again in two weeks. I don't know whether Buddha is already responding to the medication or whether he is just so happy to be home, because he sure did a lot of purring for a long time on my lap this evening! One position he had on my lap was one that he has not assumed or tolerated for several weeks. Hopefully the medicine will work. Many prayers from several sources were said.
This is the latest on Buddha. A different vet saw him but from the same animal hospital. Who saw him was the head of the small animal section. He went over Buddha's records and gave him a thorough examination. He said Buddha had (if I can read his handwriting!) "Ruptured tympanic membrane" and "Vestibular Disease." He expalined to me that this meant Buddha has a hole in his left eardrum and infection on the inside. He gave him an anti-biotic, special eardrops and a cortozone shot. I have to give Buddha his anti-biotic and eardrops daily. The vet wants to see Buddha again in two weeks. I don't know whether Buddha is already responding to the medication or whether he is just so happy to be home, because he sure did a lot of purring for a long time on my lap this evening! One position he had on my lap was one that he has not assumed or tolerated for several weeks. Hopefully the medicine will work. Many prayers from several sources were said.
Re: Not Steady On His Feet
i was going to ask if his eyes were symetrical but now that you mentioned the ruptured ear drum...changes my thoughts totally....good luck...i think the drug Tincture of Time will heal all this
Re: Not Steady On His Feet
OM!
I just wanted to report that within three days after seeing the vet and getting his daily meds, Buddha is 100% back to normal! Praise Sai! Of course, I am most interested to see what the vet has to say when he examines Buddha next week for his follow up appointment. It is scary that the other vet Buddha saw at the beginning of July clearly missed the problem; but the head vet took a long time looking at his ear.
Thanks for the feedback.
I just wanted to report that within three days after seeing the vet and getting his daily meds, Buddha is 100% back to normal! Praise Sai! Of course, I am most interested to see what the vet has to say when he examines Buddha next week for his follow up appointment. It is scary that the other vet Buddha saw at the beginning of July clearly missed the problem; but the head vet took a long time looking at his ear.
Thanks for the feedback.
Re: Not Steady On His Feet
Good to hear that he's better! Tell him Namaskar from me 