Brindle's emergency trip to the vets
Dec. 1st, 2011 06:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tenayaBack on November 9th, Brindle (details hidden for the squimish) came in at dusk, had a small snack and took a nap between me and the computer. An hour later, he jerked awake licking his lips and proceded to throw up his dinner. Cats aways barf in threes, so he did that, and kept going. I thought maybe he had a hairball but about the 10th time in as many minutes, I started to get prepped to take him to the vets because three years ago, he started out the same way and ended up vomiting frank blood. He ran under the couch and kept having the heaves, violently. I opened the front door to fake him into coming out of hiding (he thought he was going out) and grabbed him (after more heaves.) At the vets, he was dazed and I noticed some pink foam in the carrier. As they weighed him (11 pounds, 11 ounces) he threw up a fair amount of bright red blood which alarmed the tech. She went to get Dr. Eby (who was dealing with two other emergencies.) She had him whisked away and then came to us to get a history. She was grim because he was still spewing blood every time they touched him. It took them a while to get an IV in and they gave him antibiotics, anacids and antinausea medicine, and put him in an enclosed area where they could give him oxygen.
To make a long story short, he was there for two days. He chewed through his IV tubing once and they put a Cone of Shame on him which they immediately took off because it "stressed him." (I'm thinking he went batshit crazy.) They then put something bitter on the tubing.
All the tests came back negative (including a clotting time test, a CBC and Metabolic panel.) His Xray was negative but an obstruction or tumor would not show. His gums would turn 'muddy' when they took him out of the oxygen. When he could stand being out of the oxygen, they kicked him loose. They said he was a good patient. Yeah, right.
So, it ended up being like last time, an unexplained event that took two days and 2k at the vets to control. My feeling is that something makes him nauseated and he spasms so hard, he ruptures a blood vessel in the esophagus/stomach area. He had bloody stools, but I think once the heaving was controlled, the blood went out the other way. I checked his vomit (don't I love my cats?) but there was nothing but cat food in it. Humans get the 'stomach flu' so I wonder if cats don't have something like that? Or maybe he drank from the outside water bowl after the skunks/raccoons dramk from it and, again, got a bacteria or something.
And of course, this had to happen just before we went on a trip for a week. He had five days to recuperate in before we left him locked in the house with the Critter Sitter coming once a day to check them. He seemed fine. And from reports, he was fine for first four days. Then he started to live by the fireplace. By day six he was in the fireplace and she had to barricade it off. He also started talking to her by day five. When we got home, he was 'talking' to us but it was a high pitched, mindless thing and he was running all over the house, eyes dilated. It took him hours to calm down some. I swear he was hysterical. When I went to bed, he crawled under the covers and huddled against my neck/chest--and this from a cat who in ten years has never gone under the covers and has slept on my bed less than twenty times.
It's now been a week after we got back and he is more normal. He is still sleeping on the hearth and is eating well. The last two nights he has come out in the evening and sat between Mom and I, enjoying companionship and much affection. He sits at my elbow now, purring and relaxed.
In hindsight, we may have made an error. He was supposed to get his flea meds before we left, but we were so freaked about setting off the nausea again while we weren't home, we skipped it. He is allergic to fleas. I think he might be sleeping on the hearth because his skin is on fire with all the scabs from the allergic response to the flea bites and the bricks are cool. I think he's coming out now to socialize because the meds have worked and his allergy response is dying down.
To quote a friend, "he's a mess." But at least he is better now.
To make a long story short, he was there for two days. He chewed through his IV tubing once and they put a Cone of Shame on him which they immediately took off because it "stressed him." (I'm thinking he went batshit crazy.) They then put something bitter on the tubing.
All the tests came back negative (including a clotting time test, a CBC and Metabolic panel.) His Xray was negative but an obstruction or tumor would not show. His gums would turn 'muddy' when they took him out of the oxygen. When he could stand being out of the oxygen, they kicked him loose. They said he was a good patient. Yeah, right.
So, it ended up being like last time, an unexplained event that took two days and 2k at the vets to control. My feeling is that something makes him nauseated and he spasms so hard, he ruptures a blood vessel in the esophagus/stomach area. He had bloody stools, but I think once the heaving was controlled, the blood went out the other way. I checked his vomit (don't I love my cats?) but there was nothing but cat food in it. Humans get the 'stomach flu' so I wonder if cats don't have something like that? Or maybe he drank from the outside water bowl after the skunks/raccoons dramk from it and, again, got a bacteria or something.
And of course, this had to happen just before we went on a trip for a week. He had five days to recuperate in before we left him locked in the house with the Critter Sitter coming once a day to check them. He seemed fine. And from reports, he was fine for first four days. Then he started to live by the fireplace. By day six he was in the fireplace and she had to barricade it off. He also started talking to her by day five. When we got home, he was 'talking' to us but it was a high pitched, mindless thing and he was running all over the house, eyes dilated. It took him hours to calm down some. I swear he was hysterical. When I went to bed, he crawled under the covers and huddled against my neck/chest--and this from a cat who in ten years has never gone under the covers and has slept on my bed less than twenty times.
It's now been a week after we got back and he is more normal. He is still sleeping on the hearth and is eating well. The last two nights he has come out in the evening and sat between Mom and I, enjoying companionship and much affection. He sits at my elbow now, purring and relaxed.
In hindsight, we may have made an error. He was supposed to get his flea meds before we left, but we were so freaked about setting off the nausea again while we weren't home, we skipped it. He is allergic to fleas. I think he might be sleeping on the hearth because his skin is on fire with all the scabs from the allergic response to the flea bites and the bricks are cool. I think he's coming out now to socialize because the meds have worked and his allergy response is dying down.
To quote a friend, "he's a mess." But at least he is better now.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-02 06:25 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-02 11:35 pm (UTC)Today is a good day. He seems relaxed and happy, pretty much normal. I hope this never ever happens again!
(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-02 11:41 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-02 04:14 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-12-02 11:29 pm (UTC)I hope your kitties are doing well.