Possible allergic reaction?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Kiera

Kiera

Member Since 2021
Quick background: My cat has been in diabetic remission for over a year. About a month ago he started having diarrhea and it hasn’t stopped since (no break whatsoever). I’ve been to 2 different vets, did X-rays, fecal panels, urine analysis and blood work.
While the labs show that something is wrong, neither vet has been able to help me determine exactly what. He’s currently taking prednisolone and metro. They have not resolved the problem. It’s been almost 2 weeks on the meds.
I switched from fancy feast salmon to fancy feast turkey. Didn’t make a difference. Still eating a lot and drinking regularly. No vomiting. So that’s the only good news.

Now here’s where I need help with POSSIBLE ALLERGIC reaction. Yesterday I started him on Fortiflora (to try to help with the diarrhea). I also started giving transdermal Buprenorphine. Both were given yesterday and this morning.

He is experiencing extreme fatigue, which I’ve read is normal on Bupe. However he is having sinus issues as well. His nose is stuffy and I can hear how stuffed he is when he breathes. Regardless of if he’s sleeping, standing or eating— I can hear him having a hard time breathing. Not because he’s not breathing normally, but because of his nose. (Think of what it’s like to breathe when you have a cold). He sneezed once and there was yellowish-green snot (very small amount). That was this afternoon. He’s still eating and drinking but I’m worried about him. He feels hot to the touch but I don’t have any way to take his temp. so I can’t be sure.

should I be worried? Could this be a reaction to either the pain med or the probiotic? Or is it just a coincidence?

it’s important to note that he has had sinus issues on and off his entire life. Occasional sneezing with snot, crusty nose and watery eyes. So normally this wouldn’t concern me. However it seems to be much worse than it has ever been. I’ve never been concerned with him being able to breathe before.
This could be worse because of his weakened immune system due to whatever is causing the diarrhea. Or it could be a bad reaction. I don’t know. Any thoughts or idea what’s going on?
 
It has been several hours since I posted this (in a different location and I was told to post my thread here instead).
I’m quite worried. I’ve never heard him struggle to breathe like this before. Or struggle to breathe at all. He’s had sinus issues, but nothing even close to this.
I obviously stopped giving both Fortiflora and the transdermal pain medication. It’s not worse… but I’m scared for him and prob won’t sleep. This poor sweet guy can’t get a break. I keep trying to help him… but I just make things worse
 
I would take Bailey to the vet. He does not sound well.

I don’t think an allergic reaction would cause green snot.
Bupe can make them very drowsy.
And giving prednisolone could cause the BGs to rise so I would be monitoring them.
Sheba had chronic diarrhoea when she was in remission and eventually I changed her food completely and it got better.
 
Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) said:
Can one of your vets refer you to an internal medicine vet? Regular vets just know the basics for anything more complicated, I’d look for a specialty vet
Click to expand...

I ended up taking him to urgent care last night because I was so worried and he was really struggling to breathe. I can’t afford it but decided it didn’t matter if his life was in jeopardy. They put him in an oxygen chamber and the told me it was urgent I do an X-ray of his chest. So I agreed. They found nothing. Didn’t give me an antibiotic or anything and told me to “keep an eye on him”. Sent us home. That’s all I got after spending $750!

This started with diarrhea a couple months ago. I’ve been to 3 different vets, had test after test done and what do I have to show for it? Over $4,000 down the drain (money I don’t even have), no answers and a cat that’s sicker than ever before! My heart is breaking for him!

He’s panting and sticking his tongue out right now. Pacing and crying. The stress of the urgent care really did a number on him.
They wouldn’t let me go back by him and they had him in a cage where other cats and dogs were (despite my strong protest). I was so mad! The car made it worse because it was a 35 minute drive there and then 45 back with traffic.

In hindsight, a specialist should’ve been my move before everything else. But I didn’t know there was such a thing. I can’t undo anything now so where does that leave me? I can’t remember the last time I was this much in the hole financially— and it’s all because I was trying to help him. To make matters worse— he’s still so sick. Spending all of that with no resolution or help is a bitter pill to swallow.

He’s in pain and has horrible, never ending diarrhea. Now he can’t breathe. He has blood in his urine but no one knows why. His white blood cell counts are high but no one knows why. His arthritis is going untreated (had a bad reaction to Solencia and now I’m afraid to give the Bupe). I’ve dragged him to the vet 5 times in the past month and the severe stress always takes a toll.

I’m beyond devastated. You guys are now my only hope.

I asked my vet about trying a different medicine since the metro and pred have not stopped his diarrhea. He said we could try Cyclosporine. Anyone know anything about that? Do you think it’s worth a try?
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
boulardii
Click to expand...


What brand should I get for S boulardii? Does it taste good like fortiflora? I was so surprised he ate his food with this mixed in because I’ve never had luck with mixing anything in his food before. He’s quite fussy
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
I would take Bailey to the vet. He does not sound well.

I don’t think an allergic reaction would cause green snot.
Bupe can make them very drowsy.
And giving prednisolone could cause the BGs to rise so I would be monitoring them.
Sheba had chronic diarrhoea when she was in remission and eventually I changed her food completely and it got better.
Click to expand...
What food did you switch to that resolved the problem? I’m open to trying anything at this point
 
I will look over there, but yellowish green mucus coming from his nose when he sneezes indicates an infection. The lethargy would go along with that. This could be dangerous in a diabetic cat die to the risk of an infection pushing him into DKA. Did you check ketones?
 
So I hope you will be able to take Bailey to the vet and get antibiotic for an upper respiratory infection.

I was thinking about you a lot since your last post and was wondering if you had declined to do any more diagnostics (I know you have already spent a ton of $). I would not continue the Metronidazole beyond 2 weeks. If it was going to help it would have by now and it is for short term use. There can be negative side effects if it is continued indefinitely.
 
Kiera said:
I ended up taking him to urgent care last night because I was so worried and he was really struggling to breathe. I can’t afford it but decided it didn’t matter if his life was in jeopardy. They put him in an oxygen chamber and the told me it was urgent I do an X-ray of his chest. So I agreed. They found nothing. Didn’t give me an antibiotic or anything and told me to “keep an eye on him”. Sent us home. That’s all I got after spending $750!

This started with diarrhea a couple months ago. I’ve been to 3 different vets, had test after test done and what do I have to show for it? Over $4,000 down the drain (money I don’t even have), no answers and a cat that’s sicker than ever before! My heart is breaking for him!

He’s panting and sticking his tongue out right now. Pacing and crying. The stress of the urgent care really did a number on him.
They wouldn’t let me go back by him and they had him in a cage where other cats and dogs were (despite my strong protest). I was so mad! The car made it worse because it was a 35 minute drive there and then 45 back with traffic.

In hindsight, a specialist should’ve been my move before everything else. But I didn’t know there was such a thing. I can’t undo anything now so where does that leave me? I can’t remember the last time I was this much in the hole financially— and it’s all because I was trying to help him. To make matters worse— he’s still so sick. Spending all of that with no resolution or help is a bitter pill to swallow.

He’s in pain and has horrible, never ending diarrhea. Now he can’t breathe. He has blood in his urine but no one knows why. His white blood cell counts are high but no one knows why. His arthritis is going untreated (had a bad reaction to Solencia and now I’m afraid to give the Bupe). I’ve dragged him to the vet 5 times in the past month and the severe stress always takes a toll.

I’m beyond devastated. You guys are now my only hope.

I asked my vet about trying a different medicine since the metro and pred have not stopped his diarrhea. He said we could try Cyclosporine. Anyone know anything about that? Do you think it’s worth a try?



What brand should I get for S boulardii? Does it taste good like fortiflora? I was so surprised he ate his food with this mixed in because I’ve never had luck with mixing anything in his food before. He’s quite fussy
Click to expand...
I buy NOW brand s. Boulardii. So far it hasn’t helped Ginger’s diarrhea. You want a brand that is Lactose free since most cats can’t digest lactose. The thing that has improved her diarrhea has been to give her Slippery Elm Bark twice a day. I take a human Slippery Elm Bark capsule and divide it into three number 2 size gelcaps (you need a pill “rammer” to pack it down to get it to fit in there.) She’s been getting it twice a day (in between meds because you need to separate it from medication by an hour or two. This actually has resulted in her having shape to her stool again (after about 6 months of liquid diarrhea.)
 
Ginger eats the s. Boulardii just fine when mixed in food. But the slippery elm bark tastes weird and she won’t eat it. I do know a few people have been able to get their cat to eat it mixed in baby food. @Chrispooky12 you give SEB to Panzer — how do you get him to eat it?
 
Kiera said:
It has been several hours since I posted this (in a different location and I was told to post my thread here instead).
I’m quite worried. I’ve never heard him struggle to breathe like this before. Or struggle to breathe at all. He’s had sinus issues, but nothing even close to this.
I obviously stopped giving both Fortiflora and the transdermal pain medication. It’s not worse… but I’m scared for him and prob won’t sleep. This poor sweet guy can’t get a break. I keep trying to help him… but I just make things worse
Click to expand...
And I would definitely take him to the vet. Please keep us posted. Did you try keeping him in a room with a humidifier? Saline pediatric nasal drops can be helpful. But all of this is not a substitute for the vet. Please let us know!
 
I see you took him to the vet last night. They sound useless. I’m so sorry. There surely must be a better veterinary hospital somewhere?
 
The lung X-ray should have shown a respiratory infection right? That’s how Minnie’s pneumonia was diagnosed. Did the er run any other tests like another blood panel or check for ketones like Suzanne suggested. Did they mention if he was dehydrated? I’d google specialty animal hospital near you then call their internal medicine dept and explain everything and see what they suggest.
 
Kiera said:
Didn’t give me an antibiotic or anything and told me to “keep an eye on him”. Sent us home. That’s all I got after spending $750!
Click to expand...
Unbelievable !! Useless vets! I am so so sorry no one can find out what's going on with Bailey :bighug: For what they did I would tell them you are onky getting paid for the X-ray and putting him in the oxygen chamber . I am so livid that they didn't even send you home with any pain meds or antibiotic!
My heart is breaking for you both :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Last edited:
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Ginger eats the s. Boulardii just fine when mixed in food. But the slippery elm bark tastes weird and she won’t eat it. I do know a few people have been able to get their cat to eat it mixed in baby food. @Chrispooky12 you give SEB to Panzer — how do you get him to eat it?
Click to expand...
I put a little under 1/4 tsp of SEB in a bowl & put a couple of teaspoons of beechnut baby food in it, mix it up & add 2 tablespoons of water & mix it up & he eats it right up. The reason he gets a little under 1/4 tsp is because I give Spook a tiny bit of it at the same time.
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
Unbelievable !! Useless vets! I am so so sorry no one can find out what's going on with Bailey :bighug: For what they did I would tell them you are inky getting paid for the X-ray and putting him in the oxygen chamber . I am so livid that they didn't even send you home with any pain meds or antibiotic!
My heart is breaking for you both :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
Click to expand...
I think another option is to call the er and speak with whoever was overseeing him and say he’s exactly the same and ask what the plan is and what to do next. They owe you that much!

I mean typically if a vet can’t figure out what’s wrong they’ll refer you to a specialist they work with who can. They can’t just throw their hands up and be done with him. This is incompetency at a level I’ve yet to see and I’m so very sorry for you. Diane is right. It’s heart breaking
 
I agree, I would ring the ER back and say that he is still mouth breathing and distressed .
Ask why his WCC is high and why they haven’t given an antibiotic.
I can’t believe they put him on oxygen, took an X-ray…no issue with lungs…so sent him home…still with the same. Why didn’t they investigate further? Very bad practice.
I fed Sheba a raw diet afterwards but I first just swapped her to another canned food to see if it helped which it did. She had been having the Hills M/D wet.
I also use slippery elm ..I did for Sheba and for one of my current cats.I just sprinkle it on her food. You need to keep it 2 hours away from medications.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I will look over there, but yellowish green mucus coming from his nose when he sneezes indicates an infection. The lethargy would go along with that. This could be dangerous in a diabetic cat die to the risk of an infection pushing him into DKA. Did you check ketones?
Click to expand...
To clarify, he’s been in remission for over a year now. The urgent care told me there was nothing they could do to help.
 
Thanks for all of the replies everyone. Sorry I didn’t check back sooner. I’ve had my hands full and talking about it stresses me out because I’m out of money and don’t know what to do.

To clarify the urgent care we went to isn’t the most recent vet. I called them first and they couldn’t take us that day. So we went to an emergency 24 hour care.

I was very upset with the way they had him in the back in a cage with dogs and he was terrified. They wouldn’t let me back there with him. The day we got back and yesterday was difficult and he was still noticeably upset. He’s been acting very jumpy and odd and I know it’s from the entire experience. Starting to get back to normal now.

Bailey still has a stuffy nose. No more snot but it sounds like it’s up there. His regular breathing almost sounds like purring with the way air isn’t fully getting into his nose. I’ve been using a warm cloth to try to clean it.
He’s maybe a little better. Not worse at least. We’ve been doing steams in the bathroom and using a humidifier.

Diarrhea is still continuing. He threw up in the middle of the night and it was what looks like clear liquid— not positive because I saw it when I woke up and it was mostly dry.

The vet who prescribed pred and metro isn’t the same as the urgent care. He suggested Cyclosporine when I told him Bailey still had diarrhea after taking both meds for weeks. He is going a much smaller amount than before which is something. Nothing solid in almost 2 months now and I always have to wipe him afterwards. Which seems like it hurts him even though I’m gentle.

I looked up Cyclosporine and can’t find anything about it being used to treat diarrhea. Only that it can cause it. He might have been suggesting it because I asked about Chlorambucil. Thought it was worth a try but didn’t know how serious of a drug it was. The vet said he would never prescribe that without a biopsy to confirm diagnosis of IBD or SCL.


The urgent care said his white blood counts could just mean stress. Even though it could also mean an infection.

not sure what I’m supposed to do.

so you suggested I stop the metro. What about the pred? It’s only being given once every 48 hours.

I do have transdermal Bupe I’ve been giving him but it makes him sooooo sleepy. I just don’t want him to suffer.

Any suggestions on food that isn’t raw. He won’t eat raw or anything that isn’t pate. Hates chunks
 
So I guess for now, I have to hope his sinus infection clears up on its own. Which I hate! I don’t know if it would show up in an X-ray. They did say they could give him an antibiotic but they didn’t recommend it because it would make his diarrhea worse. So I assume that means they thought it would go away without one. And the last thing I want is to make an already horrible situation worse. If that is even possible…

I will have to try some of the supplements you have suggested for the diarrhea.
Not sure if I continue with the pred and ask for something else along with it or in place of it. Don’t think I like the way
Chlorambucil sounds from what I read but I don’t know. Maybe I should give it a try? Ugh! I honestly don’t know and I’m so sick of having a sick cat that I can’t help and no game plan. It’s so sad to watch and taking a toll on me physically and mentally. I feel like I’m on the verge of a complete breakdown.

The 2 vets I’ve been to about this and the urgent care have taken all my money and done zero to help! Literally no answers. Basically they just tell me: sorry… good luck with that. Here’s the massive bill.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
I agree, I would ring the ER back and say that he is still mouth breathing and distressed .
Ask why his WCC is high and why they haven’t given an antibiotic.
I can’t believe they put him on oxygen, took an X-ray…no issue with lungs…so sent him home…still with the same. Why didn’t they investigate further? Very bad practice.
I fed Sheba a raw diet afterwards but I first just swapped her to another canned food to see if it helped which it did. She had been having the Hills M/D wet.
I also use slippery elm ..I did for Sheba and for one of my current cats.I just sprinkle it on her food. You need to keep it 2 hours away from medications.
Click to expand...
The hills m/d wet helped with diarrhea? Is that a prescription? Is it low carb?
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I buy NOW brand s. Boulardii. So far it hasn’t helped Ginger’s diarrhea. You want a brand that is Lactose free since most cats can’t digest lactose. The thing that has improved her diarrhea has been to give her Slippery Elm Bark twice a day. I take a human Slippery Elm Bark capsule and divide it into three number 2 size gelcaps (you need a pill “rammer” to pack it down to get it to fit in there.) She’s been getting it twice a day (in between meds because you need to separate it from medication by an hour or two. This actually has resulted in her having shape to her stool again (after about 6 months of liquid diarrhea.)
Click to expand...
You said your cat had liquid diarrhea for 6 months— do you know what caused it? I wish I just knew what the problem was. I can see the diarrhea is making him miserable. It’s negatively impacting his entire life and it’s not fair. I think the stress is making him susceptible to other things— hence the sinus issues. I thought by now it would have been resolved or at least managed and then I could try to figure out why he has blood in his urine. Whenever I bring it up, my vet says we need to work on one thing at a time and the diarrhea is the priority. Ok, well it’s been weeks and you still haven’t resolved that. He doesn’t seem to care and acts annoyed by my emails and phone calls.


I will check his ketones next time he urinates but I don’t think that’s the case. Knock on wood.
I keep doing the skin tenting to check for dehydration and from what I can tell he’s fine. The skin goes back down immediately. That doesn’t mean there’s not dehydration in his organs, because that’s prob for sure the case with diarrhea for this long. But he’s drinking. I bought a new fountain that stays next to where he sleeps and I have them in the other rooms so he has water next to him at all times. He’s still eating well.

he stopped playing with toys though and it makes me so sad… I wish I could take it all from him. Give me the health issues instead. I wish! Life is so cruel
 
Last edited:
Well in my cat’s case she has diarrhea because of some heart medication that she takes and she can’t live without the medication sp we are stuck trying to mitigate the diarrhea. I am just trying to manage it. Normally if I had a cat with chronic diarrhea, I have gone through the diagnostic tests that I have already described to you (the GI blood panel, ultrasound) to determine the cause. In Ginger’s case, I am not wasting my money on that because the vet thinks it’s the medication- and even if it were IBD there’s not much I could do about it because she has heart disease and cannot take steroids because it pushes her into congestive heart failure with a pleural effusion (it happened last year.). So I am between a rock and a hard place. I’m very sad about what’s been going on with your baby and the vet sounds so unhelpful. If nothing else, I would try the Cosequin capsules that I mentioned to you before to see if it can help with urinary tract inflammation which could be causing the blood in the urine. Also, it’s actually pretty unbelievable that they haven’t prescribed a broad spectrum antibiotic for Bailey. Ot could be a kidney infection and they’re not doing anything about it when bloodwork indicated possible infection (combine that with blood in the urine and it’s like… duh… let’s try an antibiotic for 30 days to see if it helps.
 
When my cat was diagnosed with IBD via ultrasound, the dosing of prednisolone was twice a day for ten days and then it was reduced to once a day dosing for 30 days and then one dose every other day. Well, he was supposed to go to every other day dosing but every time I have tried to move to every other day dosing his diarrhea comes back so he is currently on 2.5 mg. daily. My vet said that some cats just can’t go to every other day dosing so we have continued with it. I get his ultrasound done every six months and the inflammation is well controlled. I don’t like him having to have this Prednisolone every day, but he needs it. I may try to do every other day again after I start him on the new Visbiome Ver probiotic that I have just ordered (vet sells it too.). But of he starts getting diarrhea again then I will take his pred dose back up to every day like he is on now. Is Bailey on a good quality probiotic? As for diet, you could try to find a novel protein diet (pate) which would mean some protein he has never had before (duck, venison, rabbit, for example) as long as it’s not mixed with other protein sources. The vets also sell special diets specifically made for IBD — some are available in wet/canned form — all are expensive (including the novel protein diets.)
 
The pred instructions were 2x daily for 3 days. Then every 24 hours for 3. Then every 48 hours after that. Do you think I should try going back to once a day? I don’t trust these vets anymore.

to clarify, everyone thinks I should stop the metro since it doesn’t seem to be helping much. Right? The only thing is he’s going much smaller amounts of diarrhea than before. Not sure if it’s related

He’s breathing ok but his nose is just very stuffy. I can hear it every time he inhales.

No ketones in the urine. No glucose although I know that’s not accurate like blood. I spot check his BG and so far, we are still in remission.

does anyone have any idea how reliable the CheckUp urine strips are? I know you would never recommend using them when giving insulin or to monitor glucose for obvious reasons but I’m wondering about the leukocytes and blood. It’s showing no blood so I’m wondering if that means anything or they’re unreliable. It would be so awesome if he didn’t have blood in his urine anymore. Not sure how that would be possible but I think I’m due some good news for once. It is showing a bad reading on the leukocytes though. Again, not sure how accurate.they are. Does any one know?

I can say for sure the ketones on these are not accurate. I have strips just for those they are called ketostix. Those show negative. These show a dark color that doesn’t match any options but would have me worried if I didn’t have the ketostix.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Well in my cat’s case she has diarrhea because of some heart medication that she takes and she can’t live without the medication sp we are stuck trying to mitigate the diarrhea. I am just trying to manage it. Normally if I had a cat with chronic diarrhea, I have gone through the diagnostic tests that I have already described to you (the GI blood panel, ultrasound) to determine the cause. In Ginger’s case, I am not wasting my money on that because the vet thinks it’s the medication- and even if it were IBD there’s not much I could do about it because she has heart disease and cannot take steroids because it pushes her into congestive heart failure with a pleural effusion (it happened last year.). So I am between a rock and a hard place. I’m very sad about what’s been going on with your baby and the vet sounds so unhelpful. If nothing else, I would try the Cosequin capsules that I mentioned to you before to see if it can help with urinary tract inflammation which could be causing the blood in the urine. Also, it’s actually pretty unbelievable that they haven’t prescribed a broad spectrum antibiotic for Bailey. Ot could be a kidney infection and they’re not doing anything about it when bloodwork indicated possible infection (combine that with blood in the urine and it’s like… duh… let’s try an antibiotic for 30 days to see if it helps.
Click to expand...
Do you think I should ask for a broad spectrum antibiotic? If so, which one?
 
I’m not sure about going back to daily pred. You can try it and see if it helps. The thing is, did Bailey ever respond to the pred when you were giving it twice a day or daily? I suppose there’s a possibility that if you tried daily pres for a longer time it might help. Sometimes it takes inflammation longer to respond than just a few days, but you also have to worry about the pred raising BG. Since the vets really don’t know what the cause is and you can’t afford an ultrasound then they’re just hoping the pred will help. The reason I said to stop the metronidazole (other than the fact that it has not stopped the diarrhea) is because I have read that if it is used long-term there is the potential for nasty side effects.
 
As for an antibiotic, I would ask the bet what would be the harm in trying an antibiotic or why he/she is convinced that there is no infection present. What was their explanation- especially considering blood in the urine (which hopefully isn’t there anymore?). OBTW, have you tried that Pretty Litter? I haven’t. I was just wondering if you have considered it. I thought it was supposed to tell you if they have an infection or blood in their urine? I would have to look this one up again though to recall if that’s correct. Have you heard of it?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top