Prayers needed for my pal Sketch!

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Jeff D / Sketch

Jeff D / Sketch

Member Since 2017
Sketch suddenly took very ill yesterday evening. Extreme lethargy, wouldn't go near his food and was obviously a sick kitty. I took him to the ER vet last night and we were there till 1:00am. This morning he had a radiograph done on his chest that confirmed fluid in his lungs...his breathing had been rapid and shallow. The vet said the next step would be to do a ultra sound on his heart thinking it maybe the issue but felt we should try to get him a bit stabilized since he will need to be sedated. She administered a diuretic to try to get rid of the fluid and I brought him home to see how he would do. That was 3 hrs ago and he seems no better and possibly worse. I fear I may have to make the terrible decision we all hate to think about.
The very sad thing is he has been doing so well of late with his numbers dropping and energy good...now he is just huddled in the corner looking terrible.
If any of you have any suggestions please let me know and please say some prayers for my pal and to help me with dealing with this.
 
PussCatPrince - GA said:
Added....
I see @Marje and Gracie is online at the moment. I kow she is real life busy busy but she may be able to add a little knowledge here. Never known anyone know so much about the ins and outs of pusscats as Marje does.
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:bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:

Jeff D / Sketch said:
Sketch suddenly took very ill yesterday evening. Extreme lethargy, wouldn't go near his food and was obviously a sick kitty. I took him to the ER vet last night and we were there till 1:00am. This morning he had a radiograph done on his chest that confirmed fluid in his lungs...his breathing had been rapid and shallow. The vet said the next step would be to do a ultra sound on his heart thinking it maybe the issue but felt we should try to get him a bit stabilized since he will need to be sedated. She administered a diuretic to try to get rid of the fluid and I brought him home to see how he would do. That was 3 hrs ago and he seems no better and possibly worse. I fear I may have to make the terrible decision we all hate to think about.
The very sad thing is he has been doing so well of late with his numbers dropping and energy good...now he is just huddled in the corner looking terrible.
If any of you have any suggestions please let me know and please say some prayers for my pal and to help me with dealing with this.
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I certainly don’t want to discount the severity of fluid in the lungs. I’m not sure why they would need to sedate him to do an echocardiogram. I’ve had many, many cats of my own that needed it and they’ve never been sedated. Is he fractious (really hard to handle)? The value of the echo is to see if his heart is enlarged and he’s got congestive heart failure. They can potentially tell that with an X-ray, however, if they don’t lay him just right for the X-ray, the heart can look enlarged when it isn’t (I’ve had that happen three times with my cats). it’s possible he needs more diuretic. They can also take some of the fluid off the chest with a needle although the issue with that is the chest will fill back up. It’s best to deal with it with the diuretic. Did they run any labs? Lethargy can be caused by the heart issues but also by anemia.

Many vines and prayers.....if he were mine, I’d really press for an echo ASAP without sedation and I would also see if they can’t up the diuretic as long as he does not have any kidney issues.
 
PussCatPrince - GA said:
Goodness I'm so sorry to read this.

I hope he picks a bit for you. Big hugs your way. It's so tough isn't it.
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Thank you but Sketch crossed the rainbow bridge at 3:00pm today. I had to not let him suffer as his breathing became more labored and he lost strength by the hour. I made the decision after having him rechecked in the vets office to ease his discomfort. The vet agreed that given his age and the sudden onset that there were few and not very favorable options. He died peacefully in my arms as I hugged, kissed and talked to him. I'm crushed and will miss him so much...I hope it was the right decision....but I think it was. Thanks to all on the website for assistance over the past year and a half after he was diagnosed you were all a great help
 
Oh my so sorry to hear. Bless his heart. I know it was hard but you made the right decision. I have been there and it never gets easier. You loved him into his next adventure. My last kitty, who was ill with hyperthyroid and starving from it , I did much the same thing and it doesn't take away the pain of losing them but its comforting to know they passed hearing your loving voice rather than alone and afraid with strangers. Hugs.
 
So sorry to hear it was Sketch's time to leave you Jeff :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:

You did the most loving thing though....You gave him the final gift of a peaceful release from a body that was failing him.

Fly free sweet Sketch and land softly. There are lots of friends at the Bridge to welcome you and show you the best places to chase butterflies and sleep in the sunshine. Send your daddy a sign that you're safe, happy and healthy again and will be waiting for the day you're together again forever cat_wings>o
 
Jeff D / Sketch said:
Thank you but Sketch crossed the rainbow bridge at 3:00pm today. I had to not let him suffer as his breathing became more labored and he lost strength by the hour. I made the decision after having him rechecked in the vets office to ease his discomfort. The vet agreed that given his age and the sudden onset that there were few and not very favorable options. He died peacefully in my arms as I hugged, kissed and talked to him. I'm crushed and will miss him so much...I hope it was the right decision....but I think it was. Thanks to all on the website for assistance over the past year and a half after he was diagnosed you were all a great help
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I am truly, truly sorry for your loss. I’ve dealt with this condition before and it can be tough to keep under control; it can be such a balancing act because diuretics are really hard even on healthy kidneys. You gave him the greatest gift of love....setting him free so he wouldn’t suffer and you stayed with him the whole time.

Fly free sweet Sketch.
 
Jeff D / Sketch said:
Thank you but Sketch crossed the rainbow bridge at 3:00pm today. I had to not let him suffer as his breathing became more labored and he lost strength by the hour. I made the decision after having him rechecked in the vets office to ease his discomfort. The vet agreed that given his age and the sudden onset that there were few and not very favorable options. He died peacefully in my arms as I hugged, kissed and talked to him. I'm crushed and will miss him so much...I hope it was the right decision....but I think it was. Thanks to all on the website for assistance over the past year and a half after he was diagnosed you were all a great help
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Oh Jeff, I'm so sorry to hear about Sketch. You did so much for him and he will love you forever.
 
So sorry you lost Sketch. My cat had a similar experience recently which ended up being congestive heart failure due to the fluid accumulating. He was fine one minute and then suddenly had labored breathing. It's hard to catch these things since cats can compensate so well, even with heart disease. :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Lillie said:
So sorry you lost Sketch. My cat had a similar experience recently which ended up being congestive heart failure due to the fluid accumulating. He was fine one minute and then suddenly had labored breathing. It's hard to catch these things since cats can compensate so well, even with heart disease. :bighug::bighug::bighug:
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Thanks Lillie...I to am sorry for your loss. The consensus was that is what was occurring with Sketch (congestive heart failure) as well
 
He actually made it through the congestive heart failure episode after being in an oxygen cage for two days. He's on heart meds but they only give him an average of 12 months time now. He's not in any pain but his energy is not what it used to be and he sleeps more.
 
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