3/6 Choco pmps 95, +1 96, +3 80, +5 74

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marleesan71

marleesan71

Member Since 2011
Good morning all,

I have a feeling today is not going to be a good day. Choco is fine but my 15 year old is not acting right. I know she threw up sometime throughout the night and this morning I found her laying in a covered spot that she has neer layed before. She is crazy when it comes to wet food and this morning I had to pick her up and bring her to it. She ate a small amount but that was it. Normally she finishes hers and then goes for Choco's left overs. She is currently sitting on the bed and I'm debating whether or not to take her to the ER. There are no vets that I know of open on Sunday's so that is my only option. She seems to be breathing hard but not open mouth. I'm really scared this is not going to turn out to be ok. Talk to you all later.







Yesterday's Condo
 
Re: 3/6 Choco amps 115 :O(

(((Maria))) If it's a breathing problem, she needs to go to the ER. I hope she is okay, and snaps out of whatever it is.
I'd take her in for peace of mind.
 
Re: 3/6 Choco amps 115 :O(

Oh gosh, she is sleeping on the bed so peacefully. She is definitely breathing faster then the others that are laying there. I hate this. I don't want to stress her for no reason but guess I better take her anyway. I'm going to get Choco's test and leave.
 
Re: 3/6 Choco amps 115 :O( +1 83

hang in there, maria... your girl needs you to be strong. thoughts and prayers going out that all will be ok. ((hug))
 
Re: 3/6 Choco amps 115 :O( +1 83

I just talked to the vet and Piggie is in congestive heart failure. She does have fluid in her lungs but the vet says she she thinks with oxygen, Lasix and medication, she thinks she has a pretty good chance to make it another yr or so. She said an echo would show a lot but I have no idea how much one would cost. I just left her and she seems to be breathing a little harder in the oxygen tank but they said they had just opened the door to put another cat and litter box in so the oxygen was raising backup to where it needed to be. I'm hoping that the vets optimism is a sign of how things turn out but I do know that thongs can change in an instant. She has lived a good long life with never being sick and if it's her time to go, I understand. I just cannot stand the thought of her suffocating in her own fluids. I've gone through that before here at this emergency vet and it was the most horrible experience in my life. Please pray for Piggie. Thank you.
 
Re: 3/6 Choco amps 115 :O( +1 83

So sorry, Maria. ((hug))

I can't find willie's cardio receipt, but I seem to remember the echo + consult was around $400. it is important if you can swing it... will give the vet the tools they need to tailor the fluids and meds properly.

prayers for the answers and action plan you need.
 
Re: 3/6 Choco amps 115 :O( +1 83

(((Maria)))

I hope all goes well with Piggy today. I'm sending lots of vines and snowflakes.

I also sent a PM to Jess & Earl. Jess is a vet tech who specializes in cardiology. She can provide more info about CHF and any tests that may be needed and help you with questions you may want to run past your vet or help you understand any lab results.
 
Re: 3/6 Choco amps 115 :O( +1 83, +4.5 59

Thanks everybody. Christie if indeed it is around $400.00 then I will definitely find a way to get the money. Sienne, thank you for contacting Jess. I hope I hear from her. I wonder if there is a board like this for CHF? I will look that and see if I can find one in a bit. I wish she had anything but this. :sad:
 
Re: 3/6 Choco amps 115 :O( +1 83

I'm sorry about Piggie, Maria. I'm glad you took her in, good call! Sending healing vines and snowflakes for her. I hope Jess will be able to stop by and give you some guidance, she's awesome! I think it's a good sign that the vet is optomistic, try to stay positive, ok? :YMHUG:

Choco is looking great!
 
Re: 3/6 Choco amps 115 :O( +1 83, +4.5 59

Maria,

Sending Piggy positive thoughts, prayers and vines that she pulls through this. You must be so worried about her. You responded quick and that means something. Your a good mom. Keep us updated.

jan and sara
 
Re: 3/6 Choco amps 115 :O( +1 83, +4.5 59

Thank you Jan and Laurie. I'm very glad I went with my gut instinct and took her in. It's one thing for them to suddenly stop eating but I don't play around with breathing problems. I think suffocating to death has got to be the worst way to die. This is definitely going to be a hard road to travel knowing what the outcome will eventually be. I just hope that when it is time, I can help her cross over peacefully without her having to struggle in any way. Thanks to everybody who is praying and sending healing vines and snowflakes. I got Piggie when I was stationed in Alaska from a girl who bought her from the mall and gave her a whole day to get along with her other cat. ;O/ She just decided it wasn't going to work so I took her and at the time she was small enough to stand on a stapler! She has been with me a for 15 1/2 yrs and has definitely been one of the best babies I have ever had. She's never been sick, never been a problem child (unlike the others who like to have peeing wars;) and has always been the sweetest baby girl. I am so very lucky to have been able to be apart of her life and I hope that we will be lucky enough to have a little more time together.
 
Re: 3/6 Choco amps 115 :O( +1 83, +4.5 59, +6 64

Maria: sending many, many prayers for your Piggie. My 21-year old kitty had CHF. The echo probably depends on the facility; ours charges $250 but I've seen them be higher so let's hope it's at the lower end for you. There is at least a very, very good yahoo group on cardiomyopathy and alot of those cats have CHF but there might also be a separate CHF group; however, you will probably get more individualized and faster info from Jess, as Sienne suggested. I am very hopeful that Piggie will see some good response with the lasix; it's a very good sign if they can control it with that and not have to tap the fluids out of her chest so GOOD NEWS! (((Maria))).
 
Re: 3/6 Choco amps 115 :O( +1 83, +4.5 59, +6 64, +7 69

Just called the ER and Piggie is still breathing a little heavy. She did eat a little and urinate. They gave her Lasix at 10:00, heart meds at 11:00 and are due to give her another dose of Lasix at 2:00. I will call back at 6:00 for another update. My heart is very heavy right now. :cry:
 
Re: 3/6 Choco amps 115 :O( +1 83, +4.5 59, +6 64, +7 69

Hang in there and give the lasix a chance to work...it takes a little time. Sending healing vines for Piggie.
 
Re: 3/6 Choco amps 115 :O( +1 83, +4.5 59, +6 64, +7 69

oh, maria...sending healing energy and prayers for Piggie.
 
Re: 3/6 Choco amps 115 :O( +1 83, +4.5 59, +6 64, +7 69

Prayers and healing vines for Piggie. (((Hugs for Maria))).
If she has to spend the night, don't forget to bring something with your scent on it, for her to sleep with.
 
Re: 3/6 Choco amps 115 :O( +1 83, +4.5 59, +6 64, +7 69

Thank you all. Dyana, she does have to spend the night and I actually had her wrapped in a blanket so she is laying on that. I wll pick her up in the morning between 7:00 and 7:30. I think I need to get me a cat nap in. I'll update in a bit.
 
Re: 3/6 Choco amps 115 :O( +1 83, +4.5 59, +6 64, +7 69

((((Maria)))) sending good thoughts for you and Piggie. I'm glad you got her to the vet right away.
 
Re: 3/6 Choco amps 115 :O( +1 83, +4.5 59, +6 64, +7 69

Maria, I'm sorry to hear your little girl is in trouble. Like others, I would encourage you to get an echocardiogram done. While she's at the hospital now, make sure they send out for a T4 (thyroid) test, if she hasn't had one in the past few months, and also that they check her blood pressure once she's stable (out of oxygen). Hypertension and hyperthyroidism can both cause heart changes which can lead to congestive heart failure, so in older cats those are two things that should always be ruled out .

The echocardiogram will let you know how bad the underlying heart disease is. Cats are unpredictable in terms of how the disease progresses, how easy it is to control, etc. but there are definite signs of end-stage disease that can be seen on echo. IF you have a choice between seeing a cardiologist and a non-cardiologist, definitely see the cardiologist. He or she should be willing to work closely with your regular vet to keep expenses down as much as possible.

Please let me know if i can help you any further.
 
Re: 3/6 Choco amps 115 +1 83, +4.5 59, +6 64, +7 69, pmps 95

Thank you Libby and Jess.

Jess, I just called and the vet said that she seems to have improved a little bit but definitely not gotten worse so I guess that's a plus. I was hoping for much better news. She seems to think her breathing is a little bit better then it was but I wonder how much so if at all. They did have her marked down for urinating a good bit at 6:00 pm so that's a good sign. Jess, how long does it normally take for all this to happen? It wasn't like she was full of fluid. She had some in her chest but it wasn't so much she was in distress.
 
Re: 3/6 Choco amps 115 +1 83, +4.5 59, +6 64, +7 69, pmps 95

Hi Maria
marleesan71 said:
Jess, how long does it normally take for all this to happen? It wasn't like she was full of fluid. She had some in her chest but it wasn't so much she was in distress.
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Well you described her as breathing fast, and that is respiratory distress. Cats with heart problems rarely cough, they just breathe fast and occasionally will breathe with their mouth open.

In terms of how fast it is, it depends. It can build up very quickly in cases of acute stress i.e. certain drugs or a remarkably stressful event (one client's cat when into heart failure after the water main outside their house broke and flooded their apartment. They came home to a panting cat quiveringly perched on the arm of the couch.). In most of these cases, though, the cats were at the edge and something just pushed them over (suddenly). Generally speaking, animals & humans develop CHF as a consequence of an inefficient heart and gradual overload; the point at which the fluid in their lungs causes them distress can vary a bit between individuals if we're talking about a small amount. For example, we have a few canine patients who can't handle any fluid (edema) -- they are coughing, lethargic, etc. with even mild amounts of fluid. Other dogs and many cats will coast along with mild amounts of fluid and don't hit their 'symptom' point till they have gathered up a potentially life-threatening amount. It's weird.

Speaking of "weird" and "cats", I have seen on more than one occasion, a cat come in with so much fluid that it is bubbling out of their nose ... and they go on to live for months and months afterwards. That NEVER happens with dogs, but with cats you never know!
 
Re: 3/6 Choco amps 115 +1 83, +4.5 59, +6 64, +7 69, pmps 95

Jess, I forgot to mention that Piggie had a senior profile done in January and we did check for hyperthyroidism because that was one of my concers with her weight loss. All the blood work came back normal. Little did we know it was her heart that was the problem. I'm thinking that if she was able to take a couple of naps that that must mean she wasn't in too much distress??? I'm hoping anyway.
 
Re: 3/6 Choco amps 115 +1 83, +4.5 59, +6 64, +7 69, pmps 95

BTW a side-point to my previous there is that everyone MUST take their cat to the vet when they notice even SLIGHT distress, because you don't know how much fluid is in there, and by the time things are worse, they are MUCH worse. A few weeks ago a woman raced in with her cat in respiratory distress -- another one of these cats that seemed like he wouldn't make it, but he did -- and apparently he was having problems, she got in a cab and he started to have major problems, gasping then went limp, etc. She screamed to the cabbie that her cat was dying and he burned rubber to get to the hospital, luckily. The client had noticed the cat seemed off for a few days, and earlier that day thought he was breathing a little more quickly, but then he took a sudden bad turn and she found herself hysterical in the back of a cab, with her cat probably minutes from death.

Moral: always get to the ER at the first sign of respiratory problems! And don't be shy to make a vet appointment to check out an 'off' cat.
 
Re: 3/6 Choco +1 83, +4.5 59, +6 64, +7 69, pmps 95, +1 96

Oh my gosh, I wonder if last night when she puked on the bed and I said her name and grabbed her to put her on the floor scared her into this? It was strange because I didn't hear the normal sound cats make when they are about to vomit. Either I was in a deep sleep or it just came out without any warning. How long does it normally take for lasix to work? I mean I know every animal is different but after 9 hours, shouldn't we be seeing major improvement?
 
Re: 3/6 Choco +1 83, +4.5 59, +6 64, +7 69, pmps 95, +1 96

marleesan71 said:
Oh my gosh, I wonder if last night when she puked on the bed and I said her name and grabbed her to put her on the floor scared her into this?
Click to expand...

No don't worry about that.

How long does it normally take for lasix to work?
Click to expand...

It's already working (because she's urinating a lot); the fluid takes time to clear. Average time for needing to stay in O2 is probably 24-48 hours.
 
Re: 3/6 Choco +1 83, +4.5 59, +6 64, +7 69, pmps 95, +1 96

Thoughts, prayers and snowflakes for you and Ms. Piggie. Nice day for Choco.
 
Re: 3/6 Choco +1 83, +4.5 59, +6 64, +7 69, pmps 95, +1 96

Thank you Barbara.

Jess, I do have a big concern right now. I am supposed to be getting a puppy/teenager in the next couple of days since it didn't happen this weekend. This dog is very calm and laid back however, she is kinda big. Do you think that this would effect Piggie in any way. Piggie is a very laid back kitty but after what you said about stressful situations throwing a kitty into fluid accumulation, it's got me thinking and worried.

By the way, I want to let everyone know that Choco is laying on my lap right now. He is doing very well and I am so grateful for that. The vet and vet tech that is taking care of Piggie also took care of Choco that night and asked about him. I told them he is doing extremely well and they were very happy to hear that. He is definitely the funniest cat I have ever had. He really makes me smile and laugh and I so need that right about now. :razz:
 
Glad that Choco is keeping your spirits up, Maria. You need that. :) No thoughts on the drooler situation, but hopefully everything will come together soon.

Keeping you and Piggie in my thoughts and prayers! ((hug))
 
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