Melville sick -- throwing up

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ericbakes

ericbakes

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Good morning, friends. Sorry for my long absence. I wanted to touch base and say that I think I'm going to Melville to the vet this morning. Everything has been fine for several weeks -- months even. His numbers look good (always blue and yellow, occasionally pink), he's been eating and drinking...

But this morning when I woke up, there was vomit *everywhere.* He has no appetite, and when he tries to drink he throws it up a few minutes later. My vet doesn't open until 9am, so that gives me a few hours to prepare myself. I don't know if this is diabetes related. I haven't changed his food, he hasn't gotten into anything... I have no idea what's going on here. If anyone has any suggestions, I sure would appreciate it.

No shot this morning, for obvious reasons.

Thanks.
Eric
 
I am so sorry that Melville is sick. His symptoms sound similar to when Klinger had pancreatitis.
They can take blood for a spec-fPL test to confirm. Giving IV fluids is essential, buprenex for pain and something for nausea - Ondansetron (Zofram) and Dolasetron (Anzemet) work best for nausea also Cerenia works wonders for vomiting, has some anti-inflamatory effects, and has some nausea control. If it is pancreatitis, they should send you home with scripts for some or all of these things for the future so you can have them on hand.

Keep us posted. I hope Melville feels better soon!
Marcy & Klinger
 
Hope its just constipation, have you seen any poop in the last few days? If you feel his backside and it feels solid around his butt he may just be stopped up, not fun to deal with but manageable, I'm dealing with this right now. Manual removal of what you can reach, mineral oil enema then Miralax.
 
Im with everyone else. Maybe he is severely constipated. I just went threw this with Baxter 2 months ago. The throwing up everything even water.

Please keep us updated.
Many of us will give you with tips if it's constipation or if it's something like pancreatities.

:YMHUG: big hugs for both of you. It's not fun with kitties are sick.
 
Thanks for your concern, everyone. The vet put gave him subcue fluids for mild dehydration, but couldn't find anything wrong with him. He did well for about 18 hours, then back to vomiting and diarrhea.

My other two cats have developed diarrhea as well, and have lost their appetites. They are not throwing up, but they are eating about 1/4 as much as usual. It's all quite distressing. I took a stool sample to the vet today, and she gave me something called "pro pectalin." It is allegedly supposed to help with the loose stool and start restoring their intestinal flora. I also switched out their food in case there's something wrong with the batch of Friskies Chicken and Tuna I've been feeding them.

Melville is, by far, having the most difficult time. He barely eats anything at all. I have reduced his insulin dose significantly. I don't want him to overdose, but I also want to try to keep his bg under 300. Does anyone have a recommendation for feeding him? Are there any palatable liquid diets (kitty ensure?) I should be feeding him?

I hopefully will get the stool sample results Tuesday night.
 
Eric, where do you live and do the cats go outside? It could possibly be giardia, if they drank water from an outside stream or spring. I assume cats can get giardia, I know dogs can.
 
I live in Louisville, but our cats stay exclusively inside. I haven't heard back from the vet yet. I hope they find something in the stool sample. I really don't want to have to bring him in for blood work.

The other two cats seem to be a little better. They have a bit more of an appetite, but all three still have diarrhea. Melville hasn't thrown up in about 20 hours, so that's good. Last night, out of desperation, I gave him a few pieces of dry food (Purina DM), and he gobbled it up. I really don't like to feed him kibble, but I'm more concerned about getting calories into him than anything at this point. Well, this morning and this evening, he turned his nose up at the wet food again, but not the dry. I think the little stinker is holding out on me. He's figured out how to get the "good stuff." :twisted:
 
Besides the food, do they share treats in common? I know some people had been having problems with the dried treats, most brands (even purina) are made in China, and there have been some really bad problems with the chicken treats in particular. Just a thought, the symptoms you're describing fit with the FDA warning that was put out for the dog version of the treats:

http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/Saf ... 295445.htm

*I was also thinking that in my household my diabetic consumed more treats than my other cat since I gave them as a reward for the testing, and that might explain why Melville is sicker than the others. I hope it's not the treats, but just another thought.
 
Nope -- no treats.

Our female cat has improved dramatically overnight. I'm not sure if it's 24 hours of being on pro pectalin, the new food, or just getting whatever it is out of her system. Our other male cat, Baxter, is also doing better, but his stool is still a little runny. Melville is still struggling, but he's finally eating his wet food again. I think they're all on the rebound, finally. I can't wait to hear back from the vet about the stool sample.
 
Great news, I was hoping it wasn't the treats! Hope Melville starts feeling better too, have you contacted the food maker and given them the batch number to see if there were any other complaints?
 
Quick update: I ran into a little trouble tonight. Melville was at 52 at +4. I didn't have high-carb food, so I gave him a little honey and let him lick the bottom of a bowl of oatmeal (weird, I know, but I have to wage war with him every morning to keep him out of my oatmeal, so I figured it's high in carbs, so why not!). Ran up to the store for some karo and high-carb food. Now he's at 86 at +6. I'm giving him another 30 minutes. If he's still rising, I'm going to call it a night.

Funny thing -- he had no problem eating the oatmeal or the high-carb food. I don't understand why he won't eat the lower-carb stuff. I guess the high-carb stuff just tastes good enough to stoke his appetite. Any thoughts on that? I'm worried that I'm going to have trouble switching him back.
 
Glad everyone is feeling better. Good luck w/ the transition back. Now that they've had the good stuff... you've spoiled them! ...but I'd have done the same!
 
Carbs are addictive, ever tried to go low carb yourself? I think he'll be okay, good catch. How much if any have you decreased his dose since he stopped eating good for you?
 
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