Threw up blood

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Georgiana & Perlutz

Georgiana & Perlutz

Member Since 2019
I just got home and found some vomit that looks like has some blood in it. It’s not bright red but darker, I’ll attach picture.

Short history, he’s had an ultrasound and detal treatment this Wednesday and the ultrasound found a potential tumor on his pancreas.

I’m not sure if this qualifies as 911, I’ll change if not.

I already called his vet, waiting for a call back soon I hope.
 

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Hopefully the vet will be able to advise, Georgiana... it's hard to say from the photo but it could be just a little blood left in the mouth after the extractions. Obviously with a cat you can't use a cottonwool "plug" to stop any residual bleeding, as we might, so it could be that he's just nicked the area somehow and made it bleed a little. But see what the vet says.
 
Tracey&Jones (GA) said:
For the dental did they give metacam or any other type of anti-inflammatory medication at all? Was there any teeth pulled?
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Yes, they’ve given him Metacam once a day. Only gave it to him yday. Now after he threw up I’m not sure whether to give him food and the metacam + insulin or not. Still waiting for vet to call...

And yes, they extracted 3 teeth.

BG was 31.1
 
Squeaky and KT (GA) said:
No more Metacam! DANGEROUS stuff! There's even a huge 'black box' warning on it. Check this here: https://www.avma.org/News/JAVMANews/Pages/101101e.aspx

Do feed and give insulin - get something else rather than Metacam. Onsior for 3 days (works well btw) or Bupe. I've used Onsior for all mine after dentals and have been very happy with it.
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The vet just called and he also said to stop Metacam. I’ll look into Onsior/Bupe, thank you.
 
Tracey&Jones (GA) said:
Metacam - is hard on cats. My one cat had the same issue after her dental...she no longer is allowed metacam.
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Probably the first time ever when I haven’t read a medicine’s prospect, both for myself or him :banghead: Never again!

I’ve given him half a can and he ate most, but not all. He is not himself though. Vet advised to increase his insulin by 0.5 tonight as his BG was 31.1. I don’t want to increase so much especially when he’s not himself so I’ve given him a skinny 3.25 and I’ll watch him tonight. I hope we won’t end up at the emergency vet :arghh:
 
Did they happen to give any cerenia for you? When I took my girl in they gave a shot of cerenia and we stopped the metacam. She was eating and normal within 24 hours. She wasn't FD though.

Scritches for Perlutz, hope he feels better soon.
 
Poor you Georgiana and poor Perlutz, I can understand how you must be feeling. You've both been through a lot.
I wouldn't want to give Metacam because of what I've read on this board, but some vets insist on it and give it more or less automatically. Some cats are ok with it. Anyway, hopefully no damage done and Perlutz will be feeling more himself soon. I'm sure you'll keep a close eye.
 
Tracey&Jones (GA) said:
Did they happen to give any cerenia for you? When I took my girl in they gave a shot of cerenia and we stopped the metacam. She was eating and normal within 24 hours. She wasn't FD though.

Scritches for Perlutz, hope he feels better soon.
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This morning at the post op check up the vet said they have given him an anti inflammatory injection on the day of the dental but I do not know the name. Tonight we only had a call, we weren’t there in person so he hasn’t given/recommended to give anything else. He just said we have to stop the Metacam as it’s likely to cause GI upset, feed smaller portion of food and keep an eye on him.

He suggested testing his BG again in 2 hours and if it doesn’t go below 20 or at least 25 he said we should consider ER and maybe they’ll put him on some fluids. He said some cats can be very lethargic when in such high numbers but he does know that Perlutz has had as much as 36 without any signs of discomfort. I’m not sure I would take him to the ER for high BG as he would be so stressed it might be counter productive...
 
Hmmm yes I tend to agree, taking him to ER if his bg doesn't drop to a certain level might not help matters. But see what bg is at +2 and go from there. Is the vet at the end of the phone for you if you have any more questions?
 
Diana&Tom said:
Is the vet at the end of the phone for you if you have any more questions?
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Not anymore, no. They close in about half an hour and I think the vet I spoke to has left a little ago. His usual vet should be in until closing time, but I don't think he'll take calls so late.

I'm also devastated that the new vet we've been seeing these days is only there for about 2 more weeks only :arghh: He is the one who suggested the ultrasound and now he is looking into some more in depth blood tests before the surgery. BTW, surgery might be on June 10th. They will do another ultrasound or a CT scan before deciding to operate or not. Now we've got little over 2 weeks to come up with at least £4000 :nailbiting:
 
Oh dear, that's a shame that the new vet is moving on. I understand how you feel - I used to have a really lovely vet who made visits to the surgery almost pleasant, and I heard a few weeks ago that she had left. Quite a shock. So next time I go I'm planning to ask for an appointment with one of the vets who has a special interest in cats - I've had vets before who seem quite indifferent to cats, so it is important to find a vet who has his/her own kitties. Maybe you could ask the vet to make sure he will leave you in the best possible hands?

As for the £4k, I wish I had some ideas. That's a heck of a lot. Do they want payment straightaway or would they consider a payment plan?
 
Basically the new vet has only been there for few weeks I believe. We spoke over the phone for the first time when I called for Perlutz's urine test results last week and he he took interest in his situation. He said he will make himself available to meet us in person along with the usual vet when we go for the dental and he ended up being our primary vet, we haven't even seen a glimpse of his usual one. He is really trying to help Perlutz as much as he can while he is still there and I appreciate that. He is trying to find out where we can do some blood tests, I remember he mentioned ACTH and cortisol something. Perlutz also likes him, there's no hissing or scratching comparing to the usual vet who gets a bit of a 50 shades of grey treatment :D So once he's gone, we're back to his usual vet :(

As for payment, because we don't have insurance, they request 50% before the procedure and 50% at discharge. We have to find a way :)
 
So sorry about the vet situation, it's so frustrating I know. I wonder where he's going, it may be to another practice in the area - he may not be able to tell you himself but there might be a way of finding out and you could follow him there...?

Ok 28.9, not much change. What are you going to do?
 
Diana&Tom said:
So sorry about the vet situation, it's so frustrating I know. I wonder where he's going, it may be to another practice in the area - he may not be able to tell you himself but there might be a way of finding out and you could follow him there...?

Ok 28.9, not much change. What are you going to do?
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He doesn't know himself at the moment. There might even be a chance they need him at this practice for a bit longer but I'm not holding my breath on that. I don't really get it but he might be in some sort of training training and goes to various practices where and as they need him, all over UK?! I don't think there will be an issue with him telling me but we can speak in our native language if need be. So far no one minded that (if anyone noticed).

He is just laying down, sleeping. Not himself yet but I'm really not sure about going to ER for high numbers... He doesn't like going out even to our vet under 10 min away. The ER is 30min or more away... I will test again at +3 in 10 min or so, I don't think he is too bothered by me testing. Do you think I should consider going?
 
Well let's hope the vet practice does need this guy for longer so you can keep him as Perlutz's vet. Yes maybe he's getting work experience in different places, or just doing locum work while he decides where to settle. Anyway he sounds a keeper.

As for going to ER - this is one of those situations when only you can say, really. The vet said to go if bg didn't drop below 25, right? - it seems probable though that bg is being affected by a bit of stress and still recovering from the dental procedure and being affected by the Metacam. It's true that he's used to being in high numbers but does he seem really off colour or is he just resting, as convalescents do? It depends how he looks and how worried you are. If you think he'll be ok overnight, see how he is in the morning and make a decision then?
 
look up the word "locum" -- I've only heard it applied to "bean" doctors but it may apply to veterinarians too -- that could be his situation
 
Hi BG just went up to 30.2. He had just a tiny tiny bit more food 30-40 min ago and just now he went back to his bowl but dunno if it's because of the food. He doesn't seem to be in pain, just a little under the weather. If this was before the dental, I don't think I would've taken him to ER but rather keep a close eye on him. Really don't know what to do! As bad as this may sound, I would like to avoid going unless necessary as it is likely to cost few hundreds and we need to save for the surgery.

As for the vet, I think you are right @CandyH and Catcat, I'm pretty sure it said locum surgeon on his name badge.
 
Very difficult....the vet says one thing but these numbers aren't unusual...and of course you want to avoid going to ER if you can. It's good that he's eating - he wouldn't show any interest if he was feeling really bad. I suppose the question is, why did the vet suggest taking him in if bg didn't go down? How insistent was he that you do so? You know your cat - does this seem like an emergency situation?
 
He didn't say we must take him it was more of a recommendation of something we could do if he doesn't improve. He said something on the lines of "some cats would be comatose if in such high numbers but he's special and in the past showed no signs of discomfort when in such numbers so keep an eye on him".

I called the ER just to see what the procedure would be as we've never been before. The lady was kind enough to register me now over the phone so in case we need to go we don't need to worry about that. I did explain everything that's happening and she said to keep an eye on him, he might be just in some pain after the extractions but it's a good sign that he is eating and doesn't show discomfort when doing it. She didn't sound too worried either.

I'll keep an eye on him and his daddy is on his way home too, see what he thinks as well.

Thanks everyone and @Diana&Tom especially for always taking from your time to reply! I really appreciate it!
 
Well that's fine then, continue to keep an eye - as of course you would anyway - and do what you think's best. It doesn't sound an emergency situation.

Really hope things are better in the morning, do post an update if you have time.

No thanks needed - we do genuinely care about all the kitties here :)

I'm off to bed - been up since before 6am and need some zzzzzz. Hope you all have a good night.
 
I will post an update, of course. I might try to get 1-2h of zzz’s too while cat daddy can keep an eye on him and then I take over again. Perlutz woke us up demanding food at 4AM today and spent the next 2 hours until he was due brekkie and insulin scratching the doors, meowing and banging his bowls :woot: Good night!
 
have to laugh, Catcat woke us up at quarter to 5 (am) today, even earlier than usual, maybe he was listening to Perlutz - yes, scratching and pawing and meowing and knocking his bowls and spoon around and pulling at our blankets

we have been thinking good thoughts your way all day
 
CandyH and Catcat said:
have to laugh, Catcat woke us up at quarter to 5 (am) today, even earlier than usual, maybe he was listening to Perlutz - yes, scratching and pawing and meowing and knocking his bowls and spoon around and pulling at our blankets

we have been thinking good thoughts your way all day
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Thank you Candy and CatCat (love her name!):bighug: I’ll ask Perlutz to be a bit more quiet and not wake up CatCat and others :cat: Although seeing him so quiet now, I wouldn’t mind one bit if he wakes me up at 4 singing the song of his people :D
 
We didn’t go to the ER last night. He’s been sleeping all night, cuddling with me in bed or on the rug by our bed.

I messed up this morning and I gave him food before testing :banghead: I realised my mistake though and I tested 2 min later, before he finished his meal. It was still high at 27.7 but not a number we haven’t seen plenty of times before.

He ate most of his food, he looks comfortable while eating but if I were to be picky, he seemed to have avoided a larger piece of tuna. He’s still not himself but seems slightly better than yesterday. I’m hoping it’s pain after the extractions and that it will go away soon. I’ll keep you posted.
 
Thanks for the update, Georgiana, it sounds quite reassuring really. It's definitely good that he's eating ok, one of the main signs of a poorly cat is that they go off their food. So he has avoided a large piece of tuna - I think I would too if I'd had three teeth out!

And don't worry about not testing until he's started eating, that's fine. I think you'd expect to still see the high numbers while he's got a little discomfort from the extractions, but hopefully once his mouth is all healed up he'll not only feel better but have lower bg too. If numbers don't come down much it may be a case of seeing what can be done about the tumour and/or carry on increasing the dose until you get a breakthrough.

Anyway, I hope you can relax a bit over the weekend. I'm sure you'll want to stay close to Perlutz and give him lots of TLC!
 
I thought I posted an update yesterday but I forgot to press the post button:smuggrin:

Perlutz has been okay Friday night and yesterday and today he’s ok, his usual self. Today his BG is still very high but other than that he seems fine.

We’re waiting for a call from the vet on Tuesday about the referral for surgery (might be on June 10th) and about some blood tests the vet said he’d like done before. I believe one was ACTH and one something cortisol (where he mentioned them I was sure I’ll remember but my memory is not as good as I thought). I’ll keep you posted!
 
Glad to hear Perlutz is doing ok!

Looks like the vet wants to test for conditions such as Cushing's which can cause high bg... there are some things that require high doses of insulin to keep bg at reasonable levels and the vet may feel that as you've not seen progress yet, the high numbers are being caused by a specific condition. I'm sure there are members here who have dealt with this so if you're interested to hear their experiences, you could ask on a new thread in due course.

Paws crossed that things are going in the right direction!
 
Diana&Tom said:
Glad to hear Perlutz is doing ok!

Looks like the vet wants to test for conditions such as Cushing's which can cause high bg... there are some things that require high doses of insulin to keep bg at reasonable levels and the vet may feel that as you've not seen progress yet, the high numbers are being caused by a specific condition. I'm sure there are members here who have dealt with this so if you're interested to hear their experiences, you could ask on a new thread in due course.

Paws crossed that things are going in the right direction!
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Yes, basically he wants to be proactive and have these tests done to rule out other things before we go for surgery. He said he will look into some other referral centers he has worked with in the past (now that we established he is a locum vet it makes sense why he knew many places all over UK). I’ll wait for his call on Tuesday and hopefully found something. I’ll mention RVC as I’m pretty sure they do these tests + Acromegaly (I don’t think he has mentioned this but there’s no harm testing). And yes, you’re right, I should create a new thread. See you there :cat:
 
Georgiana & Perlutz said:
Yes, basically he wants to be proactive and have these tests done to rule out other things before we go for surgery. He said he will look into some other referral centers he has worked with in the past (now that we established he is a locum vet it makes sense why he knew many places all over UK). I’ll wait for his call on Tuesday and hopefully found something. I’ll mention RVC as I’m pretty sure they do these tests + Acromegaly (I don’t think he has mentioned this but there’s no harm testing). And yes, you’re right, I should create a new thread. See you there :cat:
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So pleased you have found this vet Georgiana, even if he doesn't stay there for long he has got things moving. Yes, the RVC does work with acro so the vet might be interested to follow that up too. My Tom (in my avatar) was an acrocat bless him, a good while ago now when not as much was being done about it, but things have moved on.
Anyway - see you in your next thread!
 
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