BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....AN UPDATE

IMPORTANT: If your cat is in any distress or discomfort, please consult your own vet as your first priority.
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Crewella
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO MISERAB

Post by Crewella »

All paws here crossed for him, Julie. Hopefully he'll feel better now the Metacam has started working - hopefully he'll be feeling better by the morning.

I know Barney hasn't had blockage problems like Daz did, but it might be a good idea for you to ask the vet to show you how to feel his bladder and check that it's not full. Sometimes you just have to 'sit out' a bout of cystitis until it passes (Daz usually took 4-5 days) but the main worry, especially with a male cat, is that they might get a blockage. Being able to feel his bladder to make sure he's not blocked really helped my peace of mind with Daz.

xx
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO MISERAB

Post by HRHFluffy »

Julie maybe the metacam will have made a difference by the morning as Helen says. Let's hope so. Thinking of you Xx
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO MISERAB

Post by SarahT1 [PLLE] »

Fancy Barney showing off at the vet! Helen's advice sounds really helpful. If you can check Barney yourself then it can save a stressful trip to the vet for you. I hope you have a comfortable night. Lots of kisses to your beautiful boy. XX
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO MISERAB

Post by JulieandBarney »

Thank you all.....he is snoring away on uur bed...and I am a bundle of nerves !! :(

I will certainly ask the vet to show me what to do tomorrow, thank you for the advice.....I will let you all know how we get on......xx
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO MISERAB

Post by Jacks »

Any news on the lovely Barney? Has he been to the vets yet? xx
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO MISERAB

Post by JulieandBarney »

Hi all,

Well, back from vets and to say I am unimpressed has to be an understatement !!!! :evil:

My lovely vet is back in on Monday next week, so when I arranged to see another vet today, I was met by a young woman, who, though was very pleasant, didn't really seem to understand what I was trying to say ! She tested his water, which was perfectly clear and had no explanation as to what is causing him to strain to pass water each evening, though as usual he was as bright as a button again today ! It usually starts about 7pm until he falls asleep. She has said she thinks it is possibly stress related and prescribed Hill Urinary Stress food pouches, which I purchased 2 boxes of, I can not see that this is correct, mindful that our own vet said that if he had any reoccurence then he would conduct a bladder scan!.....

I felt no congfidence in her at all, she probably thought that I was being over protective, which is far from the truth when I had to sit watching him strain and be utterly miserable last night....though he is happy again now and has eaten the prescription food more than happily, I am not convinced....she was basically saying that there was nothing wrong with him and to be honest seemed out of her depth..........

I will take him back to see our usual vet next week, he is transitioning to part time apparently until he retires, he is in his early 60's ...but I trust him immensely.......I just feel 'what a waste of time...'.........x :cry:
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO ANNOYED

Post by Jacks »

Sorry to hear that, Julie - I think the good thing is that in her opinion there isn't much seriously wrong with him, and that he's brighter and was obviously responsive. If he likes the food that's a good thing and you know you are doing all the best things for him. If he stays bright and responsive and otherwise well, try not to worry until you can get to your regular vet on Monday. Barney may well pick up on your anxieties, so try to keep positive as you're doing all the right things and he knows you love him x
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO ANNOYED

Post by JulieandBarney »

Thanks Jacks.

I appreciate what she said but it was like pulling teeth to get her to say anything at all !! :( Every time I asked why is this recurring ? she just said ..." Could be anything, but he's ok now ...!!!".....So according to her, I should just watch him strain for hours at a time and just ignore it ......I even asked her that question and she replied with "Well if he's not blocked, then yes.......!"....

I just know that our usual vet would have investigated why this keeps happening as soon as the anti biotics have worn off.....plus, even worse, she totally disagreed with using Metacm. she said it should only be used as a very last resort and even then she didn't think it should be used for urinary problems......I was glad to walk away from her......she seemed too young to be a vet !!....x
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO ANNOYED

Post by SarahT1 [PLLE] »

How frustrating. Sometimes anew look at things is helpful, other times it's an annoying lack of consistency. I hope your lovely boy is happy tonight.

I smiled at your comment about her being too young to be a vet. At the weekend I though i was so clever when I saw two very young men checking out of the hotel I was staying at on a school trip. They had Royal Canin back packs - obviously freebies from the company. I said 'You must be vet students, the bags are such a give away!'. One said rather pompously, 'We're vets'. They looked too young to be qualified! I wondered if they thought I was an annoyingly patronising 'mature' vet. Probably guessed I am just a crazy cat lady...

Kissses to beautiful Barney.
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO ANNOYED

Post by Crewella »

I've hit that age where everybody looks 'green behind the ears' too! :oops:

Sorry to hear it was such an unsatisfactory visit, Julie. Sometimes it's really helpful to get another angle from a different vet, and sometimes it's like this and you're left wishing you hadn't bothered.

Interesting that she disagreed with the use of Metacam, did she explain why?

You're better off waiting to speak to your regular vet, you do need to get to the bottom of why this keeps happening to poor Barney. To be fair though, once a bout of cystitis starts you do kind of have to wait it out. Once you've started giving them something for it, be it ABs, Metacam, Cystophan/Cystaid, prescription food, whatever, sadly you do have to just watch them suffer for a few days until it settles down. Daz usually took about 4/5 days from first noticing a problem to a 'hassle free pee' but it can take as long as a week.

Fusses to Barney and (((hugs))) to you. xx
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO ANNOYED

Post by lilynmitz »

I agree, you do need to let the drugs do their job. It can take days for it to settle down, and while it's distressing to watch, none of the drugs work instantly. However, your visit with the new vet was a pretty unsatisfactory outcome. Do try to push for a scan. If we hadn't found Lily's bladder stones we would never have got her cystitis cured.

Metacam is fast turning into the marmite of the vet world. I had Lily on a low dose of it every day for the last 6 months of her life to ease her arthritis, despite her many other medical conditions, including chronic renal disease. The vet agreed that pain relief to give quality of life over quantity was more important. We lost her to heart failure at age 17 due to her years of hyperthyroidism, nothing to do with the metacam. I'm still convinced it was the right thing to do for her. We saw no sign of side effects from the metacam (vets usually avoid it due to the effect on kidney function).
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO ANNOYED

Post by bobbys girl »

Just a thought Julie - you said that your vet, David (?) was coming up to retirement? What are the other vets in the practice like, (apart from the numpty you saw yesterday)?

I only ask because we had a similar problem. Our local (nearest) vet is only 1/2 mile away. But they have always been farm vets. It is only recently they have taken on staff capable of dealing with small animals and their mindset is still towards 'commercial' animals.

We heard good things about a practice 6 miles away in Ballyshannon and started taking the cats there. I'm so glad we did. I don't think we would still have Bobby if we had been at the old practice.

Perhaps you should start making enquiries - as if you haven't enough on your plate already!

How is the lovely boy today - and how are you?
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO ANNOYED

Post by SarahT1 [PLLE] »

Bobby's girl - that is useful advice. If our vet, Paul, left the practice, we would look elsewhere. He has really come round to our way of thinking about our cats in the two and half years we've been taking them to him - we work together well. But the owner of the practice is a dog man and I've heard less impressive things about his treatment of cats. Paul is quite young and will move in time to a bigger practice to do his own thing out of the shadow of Richard, who is trying to be the as yet unmedia-fied Noel Fitzpatrick, and then we will investigate the 'Cats Only' vet in Kew. If it wasn't that we have such a good relationship with Paul, we would have gone there already, as I love the idea of a vet who is dedicated to cats.
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO ANNOYED

Post by PeanutsFriend »

Vets that "know" anything is a rarity.
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO ANNOYED

Post by JulieandBarney »

Hi everyone

Thank you all for your responses....I didn't really get much of a valid reason as to why she was set against 'Metacam' other than a sort of mumbled..."it really is too extreme to use for cystitis..." I doubt old Barney would share the same opinion when he's straining and miserable ! :cry:

When I mentioned the fact that it reccurs literally the day after the anti biotics have ended, she just hummed and aahed and smiled at me, with no response !!! :? It was at this point I just agreed to try the Hills diet food and make a sharp exit....!

Thankfully he likes the food and yesterday his new supply of 'Thrive' arrived, so if he becomes picky I can mix a little in of that. He was well yesterday afternoon and this morning seems his usual perky self, giving me a swipe to the ankle as I left for work ! :roll:

I will keep an eye on him and if he starts to go downhill I will arrange to see David on Monday....he is apparently going part time shortly, I have told him he's not allowed to leave !! :lol:
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO ANNOYED

Post by Walesgang »

That is very annoying isn't it Julie?

We are like Sarah, we only deal with a vet called Lisa, who specialises with cats. We came across her when Luna was poorly, because she is qualified to administer chemo.

She is also open to alternative therapies.

I always feel that any decisions are two-way, and she doesn't dismiss anything we say. If she left, I would be gutted!

I hope Barney's cystitis settles down, poor boy. Fusses to him from me and the gang xx
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO ANNOYED

Post by HRHFluffy »

How frustrating for you Julie. It's unsettling to say the least when you don't have confidence in your vet.

I think that Jan's suggestion of getting Barney some Zylkene to help reduce stress is a good idea. I might get some for Fluffy. I know that cystitis can be stress related in the first place but then when they can't pee they get even more stressed so it's a bit of a vicious circle.

There are certain foods I have to avoid that I know can bring on an episode for Fluffy. Fresh salmon being the main culprit. Thankfully she hasn't had an episode since last August. I did also find that if I switched her diet about from one brand to another or even one flavour to another, she could have a bout of cystitis. I think this is where the cystease has without doubt helped.

Give the lovely boy fusses from me Xx
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO ANNOYED

Post by Crewella »

I'm glad he seemed perky this morning. Long may it last. xx
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO ANNOYED

Post by JulieandBarney »

Hi all,

I have had him on Zyklene for over a week, as well as cystaid, for over a month, strange really, because he does not appear to be a 'stressy' cat, he is very laid back, so its hard to comprehend to be honest.

Barney is totally intolerant to anything even remotely flavoured with fish, so it has to be chicken only and absolutely NO dried food at all. I think though, I may need to make a mention of his dietary problems with our lovely neighbour, who has 3 cats, as I noticed when she gave them a call yesterday evening, he pricked his ears up and jumped over the fence into her garden !! :roll: :roll:
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO ANNOYED

Post by SarahT1 [PLLE] »

Ah!!! Two dinner Barney! Hopefully your neighbour will take it in the spirit intended. Does Barney's Kitty Collar have any medical/dietary info on it? Edgar's has 'DIABETIC' on it in the unlikely chance (hopefully) he got out of the garden and somedbdy decided the beautiful chap was looking hungry - he does that very persuasively to the uninitiated!
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO ANNOYED

Post by JulieandBarney »

Hi Sarah

His Kitty collar just has my mobile number and the first line of our address....our neighbour is lovely, it would just make her smile to see what he's been up to..... :lol:

I saw him last week stroll back under the fence licking his lips, looking rather smug...I had my suspicions then.....little wotsit :roll:

xx
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO ANNOYED

Post by SarahT1 [PLLE] »

LOL!! :lol:
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO ANNOYED

Post by PeanutsFriend »

Hope Barney will be OK.....
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO ANNOYED

Post by notjustacat »

Hi Julie. If this has been suggested already then my apologies. Could you not video him when he is straining, at least you then have something to show the doubters that something is not right. Hope things improve for Barney soon. All paws still crossed here.
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO ANNOYED

Post by JulieandBarney »

Thank you so much...

Yes I thought of taping him, especially as this afternoon it started again when I returned from work. him having been a happy fella all day previously.........though Barney is sound asleep now, having eaten his dinner, after straining again for an hour or so......

Will update again tomorrow as he seems worn out again....great to hear back from you about Cheyenne...I have my own story on the 2 ferals who live with my mom similar vein to yours.......will let you know tomorrow, as I am a little tired now ...they have been there 4 years but refuse to be touched.......xx
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....SO ANNOYED

Post by Jan »

Sorry to hear the problems are still ongoing Julie. I know how difficult it is not to stress over this issue. I was a wreck this time last year.

The vet recommended Cystophan for Blackie rather than anything else because it contains L-tryptophan - a calming agent (which is also in the Hills food). He's now off the Hills diet but having just the Cystophan + adding even more warmed water to his wet food seems to have done the trick for him.

Blackie was put on Cystophan after the 2nd bout, initially 2 x day for 2 weeks, then 1 x day for the rest of his life. Zyklene was also recommended in the dosage of 2 x day for 5 days before and 5 days after a stressful event. It can also be given for the rest of a cat's life (as was recommended by the vet, but I chose not to do this).

Assume you also use Feliway plug-ins or Pet Remedy? I've found the PR works better for Blackie - but that depends on the cat I suppose.

Blackie was also given Metacam for the 2 bouts he had of FIC which necessitated vet visits in 2014 but now that he's been diagnosed with early stage CKD, I would be very reluctant to allow its use on him again.

Hope things for Barney and you turn out well in the end. Will check back again in a while x
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....AN UPDATE

Post by JulieandBarney »

Thank you all, and Jan, it has caused me a few awful, sleepless nights with him, .....

Sorry for the delay, I have had other family issues going on at same time this last week... :cry:

Well, as an update, I got to seriously thinking about what had been said about Barney being stressed by a change at home....I totally dismissed it as nonsense, to be honest....I sat and thought about what had been different just before he became ill again on the Sunday....I remembered that the day before I was painting the kichen (low odour emusion).....he was fine again Monday morning...then became ill again on the evening, straining, my other half said he had been fine all day...in his words
" He was by my side in the bedroom, while I was painting..." I may be guessing this, but he has been on his Hills prescription food...(no more painting in the house,) and at the present moment is passing water fine and eating and drinking well....Could this have been the problem do you think or am I just hoping, that it's just the paint, as he is 'in remission' as such right now ?

Thank you all again ....xx

Any advice or opinions would be really grategful
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....AN UPDATE

Post by Crewella »

That sounds perfectly plausible, Julie, cats can be very sensitive to unfamiliar smells. I would imagine you also had to move or cover some of the furniture in order to do the painting which could have made him uneasy too.

Let's hope it is something like that. They do like to keep us guessing, bless them! :D

Fusses to Barney. xx
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....AN UPDATE

Post by Jan »

Hello again Julie.

Based on the last minor episode in early January of Blackie not urinating in his tray for 2 nights, I wouldn't bet against Barney being 'put out' by the smell of the paint and perhaps you'd moved a few things around? The only reason we and the vet could think of as to why Blackie suddenly had quite a lot of urine in his bladder (as felt by the vet) was that we'd taken the Xmas tree + decs down and packed them away in boxes! He was right as rain again after upping his Cystophan to 2 x day + 2 x Zyklene for 5 days - and getting used to the rather large tree not being in front of the patio doors!

Hope Barney keeps peeing like a good 'un!

Jan x
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Re: BARNEYS ILL WITH BLADDER PROBLE YET AGAIN.....AN UPDATE

Post by JulieandBarney »

Thanks Jan...

We had a minor blip this morning when he seemed to start straining again.. :cry: It lasted about 2 hours, where as previously he was ill for at least 24 hours.... . though he seemed far less miserable than previously, he ate his breakfast, drank his cat milk quite happily, then was back to normal again.....I just don't understand it.....taking him back to the vet stresses him which triggers it again, ...xx
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