Anorexic kitty ~ please help!

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Shirl
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Anorexic kitty ~ please help!

Post by Shirl »

My first post, techi-dope, so please forgive!
I am at my wits end about my beloved Siamese girl Purrdy, who was just 1 year old last week. So sorry for the long message, but I thought any back story might be relevant?
All my cats are wholly indoors, and vaccinated. In June this year, I homed a new kitten, and she's never had any signs of ill health. Once she was introduced to my other cats, I didn't initially connect the two events, but a few weeks later, some of them started to get conjunctivitis. When it didn't clear up with a course of 1% Chloramphenicol, I had them laboratory swab tested, which came back positive for feline Chlamydia. Clearly, our new girl was a carrier, and the worst affected was Purrdy.
It took two weeks of begging to get a vet appointment, which has been a struggle since Covid, and no other vets in my area are taking new clients, so I couldn't take her to another vet. By then, she could barely open her eyes, and was very poorly. I showed them the test results, and had to take all 7 of my cats for a consultation to prescribe a 30 day course of Doxycycline, according to their individual weights.
Purrdy vomited occasionally during treatment, and nausea is a side effect, so I assumed she was feeling pretty rough, and hoped she would perk up afterwards. She didn't, she went downhill and stopped eating altogether, so on day two I insisted (pleaded) for an emergency appointment with a vet, and Purrdy was immediately admitted for IV fluid therapy. I also sent off another swab test, which came back a few days later as negative for Chlamydia. So that had thankfully been eradicated.
After 2 more days at the vets, she had still not eaten at all, and they put in a feeding tube, but despite this, for the next couple of days she continued to LOSE weight. She had two lots of full blood counts, and two ultrasound scans, PCR tests, full fecal cultures, and was tested for FIP and pretty much everything else during this time, and I was told the results were all negative or 'normal'. By the Friday evening, the vet said there was nothing more they could do, and to take her home to see if she improved. And if she did not attempt to eat over the weekend, euthanasia may have to be considered, unless I wanted her referred to a neurologist, as she was so wobbly on her feet, with tremors, and a head tilt, but I wanted to hold fire on a renewed course of invasive investigations yet, as she was so frail, weak and defeated, and I took responsibility for the decision that her 'ataxia' was more likely attributed to her extreme weight loss and physical weakness, rather than neuro'. They took a small fortune off me, and gave up on her.
Convinced I could tempt her, I provided small amounts of every conceivable cat and kitten food, both wet and dry, and every treat I could find, plus fresh chicken, liver, fish, broth, Oralade, and kitten milk, even tried baby food, ham, and cheese. She refused to eat, even if it was warmed or/and puréed. I fed her as advised, day and night through her feeding tube. She weighed 1.5kg.
When I took her back to vet Monday morning, I wasn't ready to consider defeat and asked for the feeding tube to be removed. This had been stapled to the top of her head, and to the opaque buster collar on her neck, and I felt sure this may be hindering her ability to eat, and adding to her ataxia and disorientation. I also then stopped administering the Emeprid she was on, as I read tremors can be a side effect. Within two days, no more wobblies or ataxia at all. Vets are now ignoring my updates and requests for advice.
Since then, except for maybe a few nibbles here and there of dried food, and maybe a lick or two of cat soup... she still will not eat or drink anything I offer. So my partner and I have been syringe feeding her 4-5 times a day with Royal Canin recovery food, or puréed kitten food for the last 4 weeks, and she doesn't seem to mind, or put up a fight, although obviously it doesn't all go down, and I am very concerned and cautious of the risk of aspiration pneumonia. I still frequently offer her a selection of all the above mentioned.
In herself, Purrdy appears happy, purrs loudly to affection, and is quite bright, although very frail and skeletal, and spends her time either under a heat lamp I have set up in my bedroom over her bed, inside my dressing gown if I'm wearing it, or under the duvet with us. I am at a loss what to do next to kick start her appetite, and why she has become anorexic?
Since her hospitalisation, she was prescribed Mirtazepine every other day as an appetite stimulant, and one Cobalaplex capsule every other day as the vet thought a B12 vitamin supplement may help, and I have continued with these. I also give her Nutri-Vit Plus as an energiser, and a pinch of L-Lysine in her puréed food for her immune system. She still weighs only 1.6kg, and it is breaking my heart. Any advice/suggestions much appreciated please.
Sorry again for long message, I'm an old dinosaur and new to this!
Shirl
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Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2021 1:04 pm

Re: Anorexic kitty ~ please help!

Post by Shirl »

Not one single reply?? :cry:
But just to update y'all, for anyone else in this position... I insisted on specialist referral, and after MRI and lumber puncture, and full range of tests, he diagnosed FIP and my darling Purrdy was PTS. I am still not over it, many months later, because she suffered so much in the end.
The specialist said there is NO definitive test for FIP, so my vets were lying when they said she tested negative. He staked his career on it being that, from elimination, and only a post mortem is 100%. And he was right.
So she suffered for many weeks at the hands of my incompetent vets, who relieved me of nearly £6,000! I have now managed to change to an independent feline specialist vet, some distance away.
The large corporate group vets need closing down. Newly/poorly 'qualified' cheap intern vets used to keep profits high, all about the money and meeting their target charges, no continuity of care, never see same one twice, and many can't speak English. Our beloved pets deserve more.
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papa cat
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Re: Anorexic kitty ~ please help!

Post by papa cat »

I am so sorry about how it turned out for you and your beloved cat.
If it were me I would think about suing for veterinary negligence. From what you describe the outcome was possibly inevitable but your cat might have been spared the pain and suffering and PTS sooner and you could have been spared the anguish, upset and anxiety.
Here is an article from Citizens Advice (UK)
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consu ... ence-vets/

You might even be able to find a solicitor who would do it on a 'no-win-no-fee' basis
Sniper1
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Re: Anorexic kitty ~ please help!

Post by Sniper1 »

So sorry to hear you lost your dear friend .As soon as I read your post and your description of symptoms I thought FIP especially being a multi cat household .In my experience oriental breeds are more susceptible even more so now as many seem less robustly bred .Vets can also be incredibly ignorant of FIP. In some countries the diagnosis and treatment of this awful illness is massively improved and far better than we can access I this country at most vets
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