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My foster cat, who I am now considering adopting, has been struggling to breathe properly for about 3 months now. He came into the shelter with a suspected URI. However, after months of treatment with antibiotics and a whole swath of other anti viral medications, the vet determined that he wasn’t getting any better and euthanasia is on the table. I want to get a second opinion before we make any drastic decisions. I am doing online research and suspect that perhaps he has a polyp, a tumor, or foreign object in his throat/nose.
While I am dying to explore these other solutions, the shelter told me if I adopt him and take him to a specialist costs could go up to $5,000. I don’t have that kind of money. I am in Olympia, Washington State. Does anyone recommend any veterinary hospital that is more affordable and can explore other resolutions at a more reasonable price? I don’t want to give up on him, but can’t afford to spend that kind of money.
Thank you so much.
Hello, my cat just had 2 polyps removed today. One from his throat and one from his left ear. I noticed when we got home his left eye looks a little funny. His inner eyelid is covering half the eye and it doesn’t seem to be dilated the same as his right eye. I’m worried they caused damage to the eye while in his ear?
Hello-
It could be swelling possibly… from the surgery? I definitely would call the vet who did the surgery as they know your cat’s exact situation and possible side effects. Plus, they will want to know the status of their patient I am sure. I would call first thing when they open- they may even want you to bring your cat in to take a look. Best of luck!!
I gave them a call as soon as we got home from surgery and I noticed it. They said it’s probably due to inflammation. They didn’t seem concerned but I still can’t help but be concerned.
Hello,
Please call the vet who did the surgery and notify them. I would suspect Horners Syndrome. It has happened with a few of my cases. It resolved over time. But your vet needs to be notified. Please also add your cats story and procedure (with cost of care too) so that others can benefit. We get a lot of question from people looking for qualified vets who will do this procedure. Ty!
I called the vet as soon as I got my cat home and noticed his eye. They just said it is probably from inflammation and said they can prescribe me something for it but I couldn’t drive back out there because that vet is an hour from me. They were the only vet I could find who was familiar with polyps. This is actually my sisters cat. She got him from a rescue center about 2 years ago and he’s been sick since day one. She started vet care right away but they kept treating kitty for an upper respiratory infection and ear infection. He would seem better for a month or so but always got sick again. after 8 failed times treating for these two things my sister called me crying that she can’t afford anymore but she doesn’t want to put him down so I agreed to take over. I took him to my vet, who I’ve always trusted, and explained that the treatment he’s been getting hasn’t fixed him and she said it’s most likely a polyp but she said she had to send him to a specialist for polyps. I got the quote from the specialist for a polyp removal and it was going to cost me $2,684. I was fully prepared to pay this and even had his appointment set. But then I came across YouTube videos by Krista Magnifico showing how simple this procedure actually is so I started calling around. Sadly every vet I called said I have to go to that specialist my vet referred me to. Finally, 12 phone calls later, I found a vet who was very familiar with polyps and he got me in within 2 days. The Total bill there was only $809. 99!! What a relief ????. I should probably add that I live in Minnesota. Pice could be different from state to state.
**Update**
My cats eye is back to normal. His eye issue only lasted about 24 hours then went away on its own. Must have just been inflammation from surgery like his vet said. My kitty is doing great since his polyp removal. I couldn’t be happier with the outcome!!
hi, i got my cat spayed two weeks back, and she has developed this swelling behind her skin sutures one week after the surgery. there’s no discolouration, or tenderness, or drainage of any kind from the sutures. the swelling itself feels firm, and soft tissue-esque. my cat herself doesn’t show any signs of discomfort/pain either. no loss of appetite, no diarrhoea or change in bowel movements, no change in behaviour, no lethargy, etc.
this is my first pet, so i don’t have any experience in the post-op recovery of cats, and what is considered normal or not. also i live in a super remote area, and the vets in my town are more experienced in cattle, so taking her to them was of no help. they think it’s an infection or hernia. i don’t think it’s either because there are literally no signs of infection, the wound is absolutely clean, and it’s not hernia because it’s doesn’t reduce (and if it were at a strangulated/irreducable stage, there are no systemic signs to support that diagnosis).
the hospital where i got her spayed at is in a different city, and i talked to the surgeon who performed the surgery on the phone, and going by the pictures, he thinks it’s probably a seroma. he absolutely shot down the hernia possibility, because he says they put uninterrupted sutures, so the chances of hernia are very rare.
my local vet has put her on a ceftriaxone plus dexamethasone (intramuscular) regimen, for 4 days to see if the swelling improves or not. but i am not super confident about their judgement since they are not experienced in cat physiology, at all. they didn’t even consider it could be a seroma, i had to explain it to them. i just need to know what are the chances of it being something serious, because if it’s only a seroma, or a reaction to the internal sutures getting dissolved, i’d rather not have her uselessly medicated.
so, tl;dr how does a seroma swelling feel like? and how do you differentiate between a swelling due to seroma, or because of the body’s reaction to internal sutures healing?
Hi there-
When is her follow up visit to the surgeon? It is very hard to tell from a photo, but her incision looks clean- not infected. Is it warm to the touch at all? Nothing painful? You said no lethargy, etc? If she is acting normal, eating normal etc., then I would just wait until my follow up to discuss directly with the surgeon. Unless there is no follow up at this point? If that is the case and things do not improve, then you may have to take a ride I. To see the surgeon anyway to make sure things are healing properly. Hope things go ok- ????????
thanks for responding.
the surgeon didn’t plan any followup visit initially, since i was visiting from out of town. he said the local vet could take out the skin sutures. but when i talked to him yesterday, he said to give the antibiotic/steroid regimen, and wait.
it’s not warm to touch, and not tender either. she’s eating, and drinking just like she used to.
if the swelling is a normal reaction to sutures, how long does it take to settle down? is it alright to give her more antibiotics, she was given a 5 days course of co-amoxiclav (156.25 mg, 1.5ml twice bd) post-op? is seroma supposed to be a firm swelling, because the surgeon suggested aspirating the fluid, but the vet that saw her today advised against it because the swelling was firm in consistency. sorry for bombarding you with all these questions.
I have a cat who needs a nodule removed from his liver as well as a bladder stone. Can anyone pleasee help find me a surgeon for this procedure? I can have all his recent test results and ultrasound sent from this vet to one who can do this.
Hi Amanda – it looks like you’re in Glen Arm? Did your vet have any suggestions? Are you willing to drive up to Philly, and would your vet be willing to consult with UPenn? UPenn treated us very well when we had a puppy who needed specific care we couldn’t get locally.
My cat went missing for two day and we found her today morning.she didn’t had anything for the past two days so she was in a bad state.she has injuries behind both her ears which look like something bit her probably our male cat.Now she has developed a swelling under her chin.How should I treat her and feed her?
If there is swelling and evidence of a bite, you probably need to shave and clean out the cuts and antibiotics from your vet. Bites are easily infected and that swelling very well may be one forming already, or something worse. I would get to the vet ASAP.
About 2 months ago we had a cat walk into our yard in really bad shape. Had a lot of mucus coming out of him and his eyes were plastered shut. We didn’t take him in to the vet but asked and got an oral medication and eye drop as well. Oral medication is clindamycin hydrochloride which was instructed to give 2 times a day. Eye drop is neomycin and polymyxin B sulfates and dexamethasone. Those were instructed to be used 3-4 times daily.
He cleared up and started eating and putting on weight in the following weeks but has got the gooey eyes again now. Finally took him into the vet and he was administered a shot of something can’t remember want to say penicillin and another set of the same eye drops and oral med and was told to bring back in a few days. When we took him back he looked at his eyes and said it was entropion. He never had any tests done on him and was wondering if this is actual proper procedure for this.
We live in small town USA and this is the only vet in town so we are really limited. As of writing this today the cat has begun to sneeze a lot. We do not have a liter in the house but him and another neighborhood cat pretty much live at our house they just come and go as they please. Before shelling out 400 on this cat who is in need of something I am just wondering if this is the right procedure that needs to be done.
The picture with the goo is when he found us. And the pictures of the eye are what they look like currently. Thank you in advance for any suggestions.
Thank you for taking care of this cat???????? If it we’re me, I would sit with the vet with my list of questions as well as my budget that I have available and have a discussion about what can be done. I would ask the vet to list out all options and then work through the one that suits best for this situation. I hope that a plan can be made that will work????
Hi my cat was neutered on July 21st. He has eaten normally & pooped normally but for a couple days now I haven’t noticed any urine in his box. I wish I had paid closer attention to it in the beginning to see if this has been a problem since the surgery or only the last couple days. I’m worried he might have some sort of obstruction but reading about the vet procedures we can’t afford thousands to have him unblocked. I hate I got him neutered now because apparently they did something to cause this & now my cat will likely die if I don’t find low cost help in my area. I’m around Pensacola, FL. If you know of any places that can help please let me know! Also if it was something they did to cause this shouldn’t they fix it? Curious how neutering could cause obstruction. Thanks!
Please call the vet who did the neuter right now and have your cat seen. If the vet caused the problem they are responsible for helping you find a treatment option. They are also liable for the damages they may have caused. The vet needs to be notified immediately. Please start there. If they refuse to see you based on financial concerns you can inform them that you are notifying the state veterinary medical board for assistance. All of this is within your rights and abilities. If the cat is critical call the rescues and see if he can be treated there. Or even surrendered to them for care.
Thank you so much for the info. That’s good to know they should be responsible because he has never had this problem so obviously something caused by surgery. Thankfully he did urinate a lot today! He hasn’t shown any signs of distress but I’m still going to contact the vet responsible in am. Thanks for responding!
Hello- you need to contact the surgeon that did this surgery right away. Explain the situation and get your cat back in and seen right away.
Thanks for responding. Thankfully He did urinate a lot today! I would still like him to be seen though so will contact the vet in the am.
Do FEMALE cats need bladder flush? FEMALE cat only pees a tiny bit. Keeps running to litter box. Trying to use it elsewhere. Doesn’t want to drink anymore. Antibiotics don’t help
This sounds like a possibly serious medical issue. I think you should speak to your vet ASAP and explain that current treatment (antibiotics that you mentioned) is not helping. I would also think they would do a complete check up and bloodwork. Hope things work out ok.
My 11 year old cat has a lump on her hind leg which I believe was caused by a knock to the area after being chased by a neighbours dog that entered my garden, causing my cat to run under the house, I heard the scuffle & not long after she developed this lump, which my vet diagnosed as a seroma, they took a biopsy which was inconclusive. The assesment states Distal left hindlimb mass 1.5 cm tumour (bening or neoplastic) with enlargement due to seroma. She shows no signs of pain in area only when touched, walks fine and is acting perfectly normal. Vet recommended surgical removal costing $1800 .Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I include an image of actual lump
Hello,
I’m sorry to hear about your cat. I’m not sure what your question is but if it’s not bothering your cat why don’t you just give it some time to see if it resolves on its own?
Good morning- many seromas are absorbed back into the body over time. So long as your cat is not in pain, and your vet doesn’t feel as if it is something more than a seroma, I would see if it fixes itself.
My boy cat became unwell and didn’t eat or drink. His ears are always an issue so wondered if it was this, we also noticed he was guarding his back legs and was hesitant to sit just before all this. They did bloods and checked his ears, the diagnosis was firstly they noticed his teeth were bad and his ears were not great so we were scheduled in for dental work three days later he got steadily worse and I was petrified he was going to die, so I took him in on the Thursday ( day before surgery was to happen) and I said I thought he was dehydrated. So they checked him over ( were not allowed in due to coronavirus so I’ve not seen anything they’ve done) they initially they said he could come home and they’d see him for dental work day after, next call was he needs to stay to be on fluids overnight. That they would do the surgery the next day and call after to let me know how he went on. I insisted they call me to let me know how he was before he went under. He was “ fine and coming to the cage front for head rubs” they did the dental surgery at 4pm ish and called to say come get him. He was very groggy and wobbly on his legs, we put this down to the drugs. He gradually got les mobile on his hind legs and is now totally paralysed and drags his legs along ( he still moves at speed though.) we took him back and a different vet said “ you just have to make your home safe for him this is how he is now, it’s that or put him down” no explanation why he’s suddenly like this, no care or give a damn!!
So he’s now not pooping and is just peeing constantly. I took him today for his post op follow up dental check And said I thought his bladder was full and he wasn’t pooping he said they took a pee sample and gave me laxatives ( lactulose) £30 and told me to watch YouTube to learn how to express his bladder!! I’m in bits and I’m so scared I am going to lose him. He’s my baby and he’s such a sweet boy I want to do what’s best for him. Please help I am just in a daze and feel so let down!
Hello,
Is there a veterinary college near you? If possible can you go there? Or a feline specialist. I think you need to find someone reputable and credible to help understand what is going on? I’m so sorry to hear about your kitty.
I’m not sure there is. ????????
That is terrible- I am so sorry. I think I would find another vet immediately. Explain everything that has happened.
Hello,
I always advise that you ask your vet for affordable options. If they can’t provide that ask the local rescues, shelters and pet centered foundations. Post online on all social media sites. There are affordable and accessible vets around but often it takes a lot of asking. If you do find someone please post your story on our storlylines section. It will help someone like you down the road. Good luck.