New Here...desperate for some advice about my sick kitten
New Here...desperate for some advice about my sick kitten
I have a 4 month old gray kitten named Preston. I just got him a month ago from the local humane society. I adopted his brother marcus as well. Preston was in perfect health until I came home thursday night and realized he was laying in the same spot on the bed that he was when I left in the morning for work. So I picked him up and held him for a minute. I noticed his body felt hot and his breathing was fast and shallow and his eyes were glazed. So I set him on the ground and he stumbled when he tried to walk. So I scooped him up in my arms right away and drove him to the emergency clinic. His temp was 105.5 but his xrays were normal and so was his blood sugar. His bladder was really full, so I think he laid in that spot on my bed all day. So the vet gave me some amoxi drops and they gave him subcutaneous fluids and I took him home with some food to feed him thru a syringe. The next morning I woke up and he seemed just as bad if not alittle worse. While I was waiting for the vets office to open I looked up some info about fevers in cats online and I came upon the FIP virus. Someone had posted about their cat having it, and their cat was also 4 months and had a temp of 105.5 and was originally from a shelter as well. I continued to read about how there is no definite test for the virus and only 10% of the cats with it survive. So I waited till the vet opened and I called and took him in right away. (I just moved to the area so Id never been to this vet before) The vet redid his leukemia and fiv tests just to be sure and then drew blood for some blood work, everything came back fine. He was just alittle anemic but not enough for her to believe that he had a blood parasite or anything. His temp was still high, about 104.6 and then 103.9....So she kept preston overnight and gave him some fluids and syringe fed him and watched his temps....Hes getting Baytril an antibiotic and Metacam a pain reliever and fever reducer, this morning his temp was back up to 105 before he got the metacam...When I went to pick him up his temp was 101.6 but only because of the metacam. The vet said if his fever remains high through out the weekend that the chances of him having FIP are higher. I just took his temp again and its 104.5...Im feeling so desperate. I cant bare to lose him.
Re: New Here...desperate for some advice about my sick kitte
Wow thank you so much...youve definitely given me some hope! I will run out to get those things first thing tomorrow morning
Re: New Here...desperate for some advice about my sick kitte
Please hold off on getting these things and treating your kitten holistically until one of the vets/techs come on board to read this. Traci should be around shortly with some detailed questions for you and for your vet.
Re: New Here...desperate for some advice about my sick kitte
Holistic vets use these things, pet owners use them, they're as common as apples and oranges and as safe. Health foods stores carry it, so do some veterinary supply shops. Transfer Factor Plus Non-toxic. Even in megadoses. What oculd be safer than that? want info on them? Go to the reputable shops that sell them and ask. Get the literature and make up your own mind. I have a long list of vets who are currently using Transfer Factor Plus. There must be something to it.
Re: New Here...desperate for some advice about my sick kitte
Same here. Vets use this stuff. Thought it was OK to mention it.Vets say it really works. Thought it could help in this situation because nothing, at present, seems to be doing that for this kitten.
Thyme, I don't know anything about the products you mention and I'm not per se against them. But I would be strongly against treating a kitten with them without the advice and supervision of a vet. This kitten, if it has not improved should be taken back to the vet, or to another, one if Jssilynn feels that her current one isn't able to help. She could discuss the products mentioned with her vet.
Re: New Here...desperate for some advice about my sick kitte
Jssilynn, please get your kitten seen by a feline-only vet or an emergency vet who is more experienced with kittens. While the fever is concerning, your current vet shouldn't be jumping to conclusions about FIP.
Exactly what blood testing was done, was it a full profile? Was a urinalysis done as well? Is your kitten teething? Sometimes, teething, infected lymph nodes, or a urinary tract infection, etc can cause fevers in young kittens, and these things need to be ruled out before making drastic assumptions of feline infectious disease. A more experienced vet may be able to shed more light on this for you, I strongly advise seeing one immediately. If the vet performed full bloodwork, and if it was normal, there is no reason to assume FIP at this point, but a more experienced vet can probably help determine the source of some infection. Don't let your current vet persuade you to forego additional diagnostics or further treatment, see a feline-only vet or ER vet right away (TODAY).
Had your kitten recieved any booster vaccinations prior to this?
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Thyme, we do not advocate alternative med such as homeopathy, holistic, herbal, etc. Why? Because there is no solid or substantial scientific evidence to support efficacy or safety of it's uses in animals. Most of it is anecdotal only. Some herbs can be dangerous for pets, and one should never assume a "human" dose is safe for pets. One should also never assume that "natural" is safe or better either, because these products can and sometimes do contain additional ingredients, adulterated ingredients, and in fact, potent parts of the originating plant can be as toxic as some prescribed medicines.
There is no study or research that indicates colloidal silver is safe or effective, and in fact, is recommended against by health professionals.
Many supplemental products contain useless ingredients, and those with multiple vitamins/minerals may put a pet at risk for oversupplementation which can cause a variety of health issues. Supplements should only be recommended by a competent vet in circumstances where supplements are clearly indicated for a specific disease or deficiency, based on clinical findings, exam and bloodwork.
Health food store employees are not clinically or professionally trained in animal medicine and have no business suggesting/recommending supplements/herbs for pet owners with pets who may be suffering from a disease or illness. Many health food store employees hardly have any training or knowledge about the products they are expected to sell, so it is prudent for consumers to beware.
And finally, there is no cure for FIP, least of all, from homeopathic/holistic treatment/products. To suggest to others that your suggestion was true, demands more investigation by a competent, knowledgeable vet, with substantial proof.
Please follow our House Rules regarding these issues, and refrain from posting anecdotal information to pet owners....only a qualified, competent vet can assess the individual situation, diagnose and treat accordingly. Too much dangerous and ill-conceived information is given on the net, and we will not allow it on this forum.
Exactly what blood testing was done, was it a full profile? Was a urinalysis done as well? Is your kitten teething? Sometimes, teething, infected lymph nodes, or a urinary tract infection, etc can cause fevers in young kittens, and these things need to be ruled out before making drastic assumptions of feline infectious disease. A more experienced vet may be able to shed more light on this for you, I strongly advise seeing one immediately. If the vet performed full bloodwork, and if it was normal, there is no reason to assume FIP at this point, but a more experienced vet can probably help determine the source of some infection. Don't let your current vet persuade you to forego additional diagnostics or further treatment, see a feline-only vet or ER vet right away (TODAY).
Had your kitten recieved any booster vaccinations prior to this?
----
Thyme, we do not advocate alternative med such as homeopathy, holistic, herbal, etc. Why? Because there is no solid or substantial scientific evidence to support efficacy or safety of it's uses in animals. Most of it is anecdotal only. Some herbs can be dangerous for pets, and one should never assume a "human" dose is safe for pets. One should also never assume that "natural" is safe or better either, because these products can and sometimes do contain additional ingredients, adulterated ingredients, and in fact, potent parts of the originating plant can be as toxic as some prescribed medicines.
There is no study or research that indicates colloidal silver is safe or effective, and in fact, is recommended against by health professionals.
Many supplemental products contain useless ingredients, and those with multiple vitamins/minerals may put a pet at risk for oversupplementation which can cause a variety of health issues. Supplements should only be recommended by a competent vet in circumstances where supplements are clearly indicated for a specific disease or deficiency, based on clinical findings, exam and bloodwork.
Health food store employees are not clinically or professionally trained in animal medicine and have no business suggesting/recommending supplements/herbs for pet owners with pets who may be suffering from a disease or illness. Many health food store employees hardly have any training or knowledge about the products they are expected to sell, so it is prudent for consumers to beware.
And finally, there is no cure for FIP, least of all, from homeopathic/holistic treatment/products. To suggest to others that your suggestion was true, demands more investigation by a competent, knowledgeable vet, with substantial proof.
Please follow our House Rules regarding these issues, and refrain from posting anecdotal information to pet owners....only a qualified, competent vet can assess the individual situation, diagnose and treat accordingly. Too much dangerous and ill-conceived information is given on the net, and we will not allow it on this forum.
..........Traci
Re: New Here...desperate for some advice about my sick kitte
I have a question? ( maybe several) So, if there's info out there that ten vets or more used something that it's not to be considered or suggested because as you say " ....only a qualified, competent vet can assess the individual situation, diagnose and treat accordingly."
So my question is, then why not just say " go see your vet "for every question here?As you say, no one can assess better than one actually seeing the pet so, uhmmmmm, how can anyone say anything except, " go see your vet" to each and every question. Nothing more.
And, if I see something that's really great out there , and vets are using it, I can't say, maybe investigate this and see if it'll work? Or if , a person says their vet is stumped and doesn't know what to do next, so they go to another vet and he doesn't know either and I read about that exact same thing, I can't suggest it and say, hey, that happened to another cat and the vet tried such and such?
So my question is, then why not just say " go see your vet "for every question here?As you say, no one can assess better than one actually seeing the pet so, uhmmmmm, how can anyone say anything except, " go see your vet" to each and every question. Nothing more.
And, if I see something that's really great out there , and vets are using it, I can't say, maybe investigate this and see if it'll work? Or if , a person says their vet is stumped and doesn't know what to do next, so they go to another vet and he doesn't know either and I read about that exact same thing, I can't suggest it and say, hey, that happened to another cat and the vet tried such and such?
Re: New Here...desperate for some advice about my sick kitte
Thank you for the advice, I do have some more questions for you. If he has an infection such as infected lymph nodes etc, wouldnt his wbc count be high? My vet actually didnt jump to the conclusion of fip, I asked about it after I came across some info about it online. She also said that alot of cats who have fip have high globulins in there blood work, is this true? Prestons globulins were normal. Preston is teething. I believe she did a full profile on his bloodwork but not a urinalysis. If it was just an infection anywhere in his body, wouldnt the baytril clear that up? I was under the impression that its a pretty strong antibiotic. I'll see what my vet says as far as testing goes but I'll definitely go get a 2nd opinion and I wont give up on him..As far as boosters I dont believe hes gotten them, I think just the initial vaccinations and rabies.
Re: New Here...desperate for some advice about my sick kitte
You've missed the point entirely.
If you read the House Rules, you know that we do not diagnose on this forum. You know that we do not advocate alternative modalities that have not been proven to be effective, or safe, or appropriate for a condition that has yet to be diagnosed. You know that anecdotal stories and comments do not equal scientific evidence. You know that only a vet can assess and diagnose and treat based on physical exam, bloodwork, other diagnostics. You know that each case is individual and requires an individualized treatment plan/protocol.
Holistic/homeopathic vets are generally not viewed as professionals in their field for various reasons. One of which is because they cannot adequately research and prove a certain modality works, it takes controlled studies and trials and tests in order to accomplish that. Those tests must further be able to be replicated in a controlled or double-blind test environment to make any conclusions on whether or not the treatment/medicine/modality worked or whether it produced a placebo effect. Just because a holistic or homeopath works with these modalites, does not mean they are scientifically backed or justified. It might also interest you to know that no veterinary governing/authority accepts holistic/homeopathy as standard veterinary medicine. Certification in the field means virtually nothing, since so many of the modalities are not scientifically researched, tested, proven for safety or efficacy in a large number of test subjects. If it were mainstay, then every vet in the country would be cashing in on the "miracles".
The internet is not the appropriate place for diagnoses or treatment. Anecdotes are simply that, testimonies without basis or fact. To make such recommendations is irresponsible and dangerous, and it is beyond me how some people can be so careless about someone else's pet, when that person has neither seen, nor knows anything about the pet's history, or current condition. Pet owners have the responsibility to see a vet, or to get a second opinion when in doubt. They also have the responsibility to investigate modalities and/or fraudulent claims and to exercise critical thinking skills when encountering such claims.
If you read the House Rules, you know that we do not diagnose on this forum. You know that we do not advocate alternative modalities that have not been proven to be effective, or safe, or appropriate for a condition that has yet to be diagnosed. You know that anecdotal stories and comments do not equal scientific evidence. You know that only a vet can assess and diagnose and treat based on physical exam, bloodwork, other diagnostics. You know that each case is individual and requires an individualized treatment plan/protocol.
Holistic/homeopathic vets are generally not viewed as professionals in their field for various reasons. One of which is because they cannot adequately research and prove a certain modality works, it takes controlled studies and trials and tests in order to accomplish that. Those tests must further be able to be replicated in a controlled or double-blind test environment to make any conclusions on whether or not the treatment/medicine/modality worked or whether it produced a placebo effect. Just because a holistic or homeopath works with these modalites, does not mean they are scientifically backed or justified. It might also interest you to know that no veterinary governing/authority accepts holistic/homeopathy as standard veterinary medicine. Certification in the field means virtually nothing, since so many of the modalities are not scientifically researched, tested, proven for safety or efficacy in a large number of test subjects. If it were mainstay, then every vet in the country would be cashing in on the "miracles".
The internet is not the appropriate place for diagnoses or treatment. Anecdotes are simply that, testimonies without basis or fact. To make such recommendations is irresponsible and dangerous, and it is beyond me how some people can be so careless about someone else's pet, when that person has neither seen, nor knows anything about the pet's history, or current condition. Pet owners have the responsibility to see a vet, or to get a second opinion when in doubt. They also have the responsibility to investigate modalities and/or fraudulent claims and to exercise critical thinking skills when encountering such claims.
..........Traci