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Francesca | 4 months ago
I Have A Very Special And Painful Case I Need Help With, I Have Tried Several …

I have a very special and painful case I need help with, I have tried several different veterinarians with no diagnosis or prognosis so far. It may be a long shot, but I was hoping you could help me shine a light on this.

In April I found an extremely skinny stray cat and took him in. I first thought he was malnourished from lack of food for being in the streets, but 4 months in his case keeps unfolding.

He is likely older than 15 years old, but he’s a happy cat with a lot of energy and mobility. He weighs 3kg but he’s a big cat, you can feel every single bone in his spine, although you can’t see them that easily because he has long hair. He’s completely affectionate, loves to be pet, and asks very politely for attention and food all the time.

All we know about his past is he is neutered, he had some teeth surgically removed and he tested negative for FIV and FeLV.

He had a huge appetite when I first took him in, he would eat 100g of food in one meal and ask for more right after. He would sometimes ‘cough’, it sounded like he was choking on some kind of fluid, it doesn’t happen in sequences, but it happens almost every day until today.

He always drank LOTS of water and produced a lot of urine as well. His feces at the beginning were really solid with some mucus.

After a month, he continued to eat plenty and hadn’t gained any weight, that’s when he started to throw up. It started happening a few days a week, usually after spending several hours without eating he would throw up a clear frothy fluid with no content, and then it progressed to twice every day regardless of when he had eaten.

We suspected it could be diabetes or hyperthyroidism, but the labwork didn’t confirm either, it showed regular kidney function with small liver function alterations.

We then introduced prednisolone (2,5mg/day) and changed his diet from a mix of natural home-cooked protein, hypercaloric wet food, protein supplements, and dry food to exclusively Royal Canin Hypoallergenic while waiting for Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Hydrolyzed Protein to arrive in Brazil, keeping Omega 3 (fish oil) 500mg/a day in his diet.

Vomits went away for a while. He kept drinking lots of water and peeing a lot, but his feces got softer (not liquid).

He had periods where he lost his appetite, which we treated with mirtazapine, he reacted after 6 days.

We performed an ultrasound and discovered that basically all his internal organs were compromised. He has severe alterations everywhere. Still, the best specialists I could find couldn’t tell me what was causing it and offer a course of treatment that didn’t involve opening him up to collect tissues for a biopsy.

I personally think it is absurd that a doctor could look at this frail elderly cat who obviously can’t resist anesthesia without serious risks and say that surgery is the only way to go, all to find out for sure if we’re dealing with a lymphoma or an infection. I’m looking for someone to advise me on the most effective course of action. Of course, I aim to reverse his condition, but I understand that given his age and how advanced it is, it might not be an option.

He is currently at 3kg, eating exclusively Royal Canin Gastrointestinal Hydrolyzed Protein with fish oil, and taking prednisolone every day for a month now. His appetite is healthy, he still drinks a lot, pees a lot, and poops regularly but softer. He eats an average of 5 small meals.
Vomits are back down to a few times a week, usually early in the morning before his first meal, and always a clear liquid. He goes and eats right after throwing up so I get the impression he is not nauseous.
He doesn’t seem to be in pain overall.
He’s not gaining any weight regardless of all my efforts.

That is why I’m giving this a shot and trying to get your attention. I hope you have more resources and knowledge that could help me figure out appropriate next steps to give this little guy the best fighting chances I can.

On this link you’ll find a translation of his bloodwork and ultrasound. I had chat GPT translate it for me so forgive me if there are errors.
Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yqcen-TYzyvfBYU-J4t1tCHola1E2otDGDa1H7V032Y

I appreciate any support you can lend me, his name is Valentim which means brave and strong, and I want him to win this fight.

1 Response

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  1. Krista Magnifico

    Hello,
    It sounds like you have done a pretty thorough work up. The places I think that you should look into are;
    Repeat the blood work. It sounds like hyperthyroidism. I always check a free T4 on top of the thyroid T4. I also check a urine. If you haven’t sent a fecal to the lab too.

    After that the ultrasound and X-rays are where I look.

    You are still at the place where the diagnosis is eluding you. That’s where you need to focus.

    PS. Just for the record I don’t love starting pred until you have a diagnosis. It can obscure your diagnostics.

    Good luck. I hope this helps.

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Pawbly | 9 years ago
I Have A Puppy 4 Month Old Lab, Yesterday The Vet He Did A…

i have a puppy 4 month old lab, yesterday the vet he did a surgery for the stomach,because is not well for the last 4 days ,he has diarrheas and vomiting ,is in the vet on in the fluids and medication the vet said to me he has gastroenteritis .someone tell me is chance to survived?i miss him so much i really want him to come back home

7 Responses

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  1. Anonymous

    i BELIEVE gastroenteritis is something a dog can survive but you need to change his diet drastically.  what do you normally feed him?  have you asked your vet what food you should be feeding?

  2. Alexandra Cristian Stefan

    the food is royal canine ,i am relly worry for him i don’t want him to die,he is still in the vet clinic with the fluids

  3. Alexandra Cristian Stefan

    yesterday he has surgery for the stomac to see if he has eating a toy or something not good,and he find out he has gastroenteritis thanks to talk with me

  4. Anonymous

    hmm. that’s odd…i don’t believe Royal Canin should be causing gastroenteritis.

    beyond this, i don’t know if I can help you. i am not a vet and i am not a nutritionist. but talk with the vet about what could have caused this and how to avoid it in the future.

  5. Alexandra Cristian Stefan

    thanks so much i wish his to come back home i love him so much and i miss him

  6. Anonymous

    i understand! he’s so young to be away from home!

  7. Alexandra Cristian Stefan

    i dont want him to die

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Pawbly | 10 years ago
My Dog Limps And Does Not Want To Walk.her Diagnosis Is Gastroenteritis She Is Eating…

my dog limps and does not want to walk.her diagnosis is gastroenteritis she is eating and has normal bowl movements any suggestions on what could be wrong? blood work has been done everything is normal the vet said

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Pawbly | 10 years ago
My Dog Does Not Want To Move At All We Have To Carry Her Outside…

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