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Please, please, please, just let Dread Beastie be okay. Please? Whatever or whomever is listening, please?
One of his back legs seems to be barely working. He won't eat; I just spent twenty minutes or so trying to entice him to eat tuna, and the best I could get was prying open his jaws and dropping bits of it into his mouth. I also squirted a bunch of water down his throat, because I'm worried about him being dehydrated.
I held him for a few minutes until he struggled and lurched away from me.
I don't know what to do. I don't know if there IS anything I can do. I just want him to be all right.
One of his back legs seems to be barely working. He won't eat; I just spent twenty minutes or so trying to entice him to eat tuna, and the best I could get was prying open his jaws and dropping bits of it into his mouth. I also squirted a bunch of water down his throat, because I'm worried about him being dehydrated.
I held him for a few minutes until he struggled and lurched away from me.
I don't know what to do. I don't know if there IS anything I can do. I just want him to be all right.
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Here is what we can suggest, and we are happy to help you find supplies if you need (just drop me an email):
1. Try syringe feeding and watering. Put the syringe, full of water or some food that has been blendered to a squirt-able consistency (with the ferrets, we can use meat babyfood) at the corner of his mouth and push the plunger in slowly. We have had times when someone's stomach just didn't feel great and we had to manually assist them with eating until they cleared up.
2. If it seems like an ooky stomach might be causing him to refuse food, check online to see if you can give a cat Pepto-Bismal. When the ferrets getcrummy stomachs, we can give them wee bits of pepto to help out.
3. It may be that his teeth hurt or he has sores in his mouth (this has been the cause of some ferrets not eating in the past, so I assume cats might also work this way)...If this is the case, he will want no-chewing-needed food.
Try to find a vet who can see him tomorrow. If your vet isn't open, I think our vet is (though I can't guarantee which doctor will be on duty). All Pet is 365-1102 and is at 15th and 145th. They can get him on antibiotics right away if it's a mouth sore or a stomach infection issue. They can give him fluids. All that.
For our part, if there is anything we can help with (we have a syringe, for instance), don't hesitate to let us know. Um...I've had the same phone number for at least 7 years now. And, failing that, will check my email regularly for the next couple hours until I can't stay awake.
And I guarantee we will be sending prayers of peace for you and the Dread Beast tonight. *hug*
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Is there a 24-hour emergency vet near you that you could call and ask for advice?
I'm so sorry that you're dealing with this, love. If I can help, call me.
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My thoughts are with all of you tonight.
My kittenish had stopped eating her regular food a few weeks back and it was terrifying, so much I couldn't talk about it. One night I sat on the kitchen floor feeding her fresh tuna I had found in the freezer and cooked to see if I could get her to eat anything. I would flake off a piece and hand feed her, crying the whole time. We found some canned that she would eat some of and just the other day, she started eating regularly again. So damn relieved. (god, that seems so horrible mememeee. I just wanted explain somehow that my thoughts are with you and show any bit empathy that might be a helpful.)
I will let kittenish send healing purrs too.
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It's not anything with his teeth or mouth, because I checked that right off the bat.
Drop me a line w/ your phone number, please? I've apparently mis-placed it.
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An upper respiratory infection? Did a vet give him antibiotics for this? Tetracycline is the usual protocol.
***Not to be alarmist*** but if he's been refusing food/drink for a while he may need IV fluids to keep him properly hydrated.
Gah! If you were in my area, my team and I would take good care of him. :(
In the meantime, I hope the little tidbits we all are offering help some. :C
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He's on a daily regime of steroids & Leukeran (also known as Chlorambusil) for an ongoing problem he has with growths on his face (according to our vet, they're not cancerous, they're localized collections of white cells).
One of the things that is upsetting me right now is that he was at the vet last week, and got a clean bill of health (relative to his ongoing issues) prior to being boarded while we were gone. We picked him up from the vet on Tuesday, and on Wednesday he started showing signs of being unwell.
Off I go to puree tuna ...
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Also, if you need subcutaneous fluids, we have a bag (because our vet pretty much figures we can do a lot of things ourselves for less money with all the ferret emergencies we've survived) and a syringe (and needles). Never done it on a cat, but do it on the ferrets when necessary. Though I might want a minute to check online, see where the best spot is for inserting the needle and how much is good...We are very aware that your cat is not our ferrets :)
Probably up another hour or two...Tomorrow, we have our regular game at Alex's, but won't leave for that until 13:00-ish.
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Start w/ 200 mls, or 300 mls- if the cat is very dehydrated. You can check this by doing a skin snap- take a pinch of skin and "stand" it up from the body. If it *does* sort of "stand" before falling back down, the cat is dehydrated and needs fluids. If not, you're in the clear.
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Jilli if you have questions call me.
Scott
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That entirely depends on how dehydrated the animal is and how fast the liquids are absorbing. We give this amt plenty of times both SQ and IV in our Er hospital and in every other clinic I have worked in.
In a healthy animal, you are right. In a dehydrated animal, it's protocol.
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Thanks to the lovely vet friend :) Afraid the three vets with whom we are on varying levels of Good Relations are all asleep already (or else not enough friends that we would have felt okay calling after 22:00)
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My thoughts are really with you all tonight and through the healing of Dread Beast.
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Capitol Hill Animal Clinic
(206) 322-5750
501 15th Ave E (Corner of 15th and Republican)
Seattle, WA 98112
All of us here are thinking good thoughts and prayers for you both.
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Also our vet over here on the Eastside totally rocks, and has weekend and evening hours.
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ER Vet Tech Here...
I agree with whomever said to try and offer meat babyfood. Turkey or chicken is a good start. However, if he absolutely refuses food and water, don't try and force it down his throat- he could aspirate it/them.
I'd also refrain from administering human meds until you get the OK by a vet. Some meds have a negative impact depending on the diagnosis, and you want to get clear values if labwork is run.
From the little bit you mentioned here I'd urge you to see an ER vet. This could be many things obviously, but the lack of mobility is concerning.
I do hope I'm not being presumptuous by offering this advice- I just understand about animal emergencies and my heart goes out to the furry little guys and their humans who have to experience them. :/
Thinking good, healing thoughts for you and yours.
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Animal Critical Care and Emergency Services
11536 Lake City Way NE, Seattle, WA
(206) 364-1660
or The Emerald City Emergency Clinic
4102 Stone Way N, Seattle, WA
(206) 634-9000
They can administer fluids either intravenously or subcutaneously. If Beastie is dehydrated.
Subcutaneous fluids are something you can administer at home as well and might be less stressful than oral fluids.
If you try meat baby foods be sure they do not contain any onion.
I am not familiar with Beastie's condition but if you are concerned a trip to one of the emergency vets might be indicated if only for peace of mind.
Scott
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Nothing completely new to add here but I've had success with the animal ER on Stone Way as mentioned above, in our case for a kitty with respiratory infection who would not eat and was dehydrating. The only things she would eat were indeed baby food, including meat and *strained peas*. Thank goodness for baby food.
On a slightly lighter note, the waiting room at the animal ER was like a sinister sitcom when we went. Most of the patients were dogs who wound up there because they had eaten something comically inappropriate, including a tiny terrier who'd swallowed a wad of bread dough that was proceeding to rise in his digestive system.
Best to you and the Beastie.
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*hug*
One thing I found helpful when dealing with a kitty cold was to dip the cat in cooled chamomile tea. He'll ingest it while cleaning it off his fur, and chamomile is good for that sort of thing.
*hugs*
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Aine, you are in my thoughts tonight as well.
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You are all in my thoughts. Much ~ma headed your way.
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good lord. eep
THe thing that worries me is the back leg. Could he have fallen on the stairs and injured it or his back/hip? Did you check them really well (give them the squeezy feel to check the bones and for obvious dislocations)?
Get him in to see the vet asap!!!
and call me tomorrow to let me know how he is. I will be cuddling my monster best by proxy until then.
*worried face* Poor beastie boo.
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