Manx Syndrome

[emily_the_spoiled]

It seems that the new addition to my house might have Manx Syndrome. He is Siamese and not a Manx, but he seems to have all the symptoms. Does anyone here have experience with this?

[catmandu]

I am not sure what Manx syndrome is , unless it is the problen that some Manx Cats have with thier hips.:(
The Manx gene is a recessive one and taht they can have trouble walking.:(
We are praying that your Siamese Friend is not suffering from this:love:

[emily_the_spoiled]

Gary, you are right this is a problem that occurs primarily in Manx cats, but not always. It seems that he is missing a vertebrae and possibly one of his ribs. So needles to say he does not walk well and is suffering from incontinance (and of course right now he has diarrhea :rolleyes:). But I am looking for prayers and any suggestions people might have.

[Karen]

No suggestions, but we can offer prayers. I had thought of that, funny enough, when you first described him.

[Lizzie]

Is this the diagnosis from the neurologist you saw?

If you put in the search term "manx syndrome" on this forum, you will find plenty of information, and if you post a question someone with years of experience will respond within a day or two.

http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/

The only manx syndrome cats I've known at the shelter have needed to be expressed and have found a home with one of two vets who used to work there - luckily for them. It seems there is a wide range of disability within manx syndrome. Did the neurologist tell you how impaired Lynx is?

For diarrhoea try giving him Famatodine (Flagyl), which you will have to get from the vet, and put pumpkin (not the pie filling, just plain pumpkin) in his wet food. It works like a charm and it's worked perfectly with Zazesh. He's gone from streaming diarrhoea to normally formed stools which makes both our lives much easier. If you are diapering him while he has diarrhoea, you may want to put zinc oxide ointment on his nether regions under the diaper to stop any burning and rash. A&D is good also for burning.

Will you keep him as a foster? Has your rescue started trying to get him into a sanctuary?

Did the neurologist tell you you needed to express Lynx? My understanding is that if a cat leaks and does not create puddles of pee then some urine is collecting in their bladder and just sitting there. However, he's lived long enough without getting a UTI so perhaps he will be fine - except for leaking.

I only change Zazesh twice a day and he does well with that - no rash, no burning, no infection. I get the diapers from Walmart (making my first trip to one just for this purchase) and get 92 for about $25.

Good luck and keep us updated.

[emily_the_spoiled]

We have not yet had the appointment with the neurologist, but I did have my vet take an X-ray of his back end. There were two vets working at the time and they bith looked at the X-ray and it seems that he is missing a rib, but it also looks like he is missing a vertebrae. Combined with the rest of his symptoms, that leads me to suspect that it is Manx Syndrome.

I will make an appointment with the neurologist to get an official diagnosis, but unfortunately it won't be for a couple of weeks yet.

He is mine, I adopted him, so there is no rescue that I am working with. But thankfully he does not need to be expressed. He can take care of things on his own (except for the diarrhea right now :( ).

I ordered some piddle pants (http://www.joybies.com/) so he can come out of the master bath.

Right now I just want to get the diarrhea under control and the piddle pants, then he can come out. Before he got the diarrhea he was out in the master bedroom and managed to climb up on the bed without any assistance :rolleyes: (I have a little "stairway" so my CH guys can climb up)

[Lizzie]

How wonderful that you adopted him. Congratulations!

Those piddle pants look great. I guess it's good they are beyond my means because I would be thoroughly bitten trying to get the straps on Zazesh. I tried to get onesies on him a few times so I could use pads, but that was a nightmare. Your cat is a lot more active than Zazesh so it's good you can get something on him that will stay on. There is nothing like coming home and seeing a dirty diaper sitting on the hall floor and knowing what you are going to face further on! My CH cat gets up on a high bed just fine also although she uses the hurl, grab and scramble method.

[cassiesmom]

Can I just comment:
For diarrhoea try giving him Famatodine (Flagyl), which you will have to get from the vet, and put pumpkin (not the pie filling, just plain pumpkin) in his wet food. The generic for Flagyl is metronidazole (vs. famotidine, which is Pepcid). You can buy famotidine over the counter- it's used to treat ulcers. I know a couple of PT kitties have been on it, and it is a very tiny dose. But if he has diarrhea because of an infection, then you need metronidazole. Plain pumpkin adds fiber to the diet. Cassie loves it! (She also loves yogurt)

I can definitely pray for this sweety and his special caregiver. Prayers that his diarrhea will resolve quickly and you will figure out the best way to manage his bladder. Please give him a gentle pet from us!

[emily_the_spoiled]

I didn't want to go the route of the metronidazole unless necessary. He LOVES treats, so I can give him pills pockets with the Albon, but the Flagyl is always compounded as a liquid. Because of his condition I didn't want to "man handle" him in case I hurt him. I will give it until Monday and if things are not better then I will contact the vet again.

Unfortunately I had to go out of town this weekend, but he was starting to look better yesterday and the diarrhea was not quite as bad (but it was still there). Thankfully he is still eating and drinking okay!

He just looks sooooo tiny and he is so sweet that I don't want anything to happen to him.

[Lizzie]

Can I just comment: The generic for Flagyl is metronidazole (vs. famotidine, which is Pepcid). You can buy famotidine over the counter- it's used to treat ulcers. I know a couple of PT kitties have been on it, and it is a very tiny dose. But if he has diarrhea because of an infection, then you need metronidazole. Plain pumpkin adds fiber to the diet. Cassie loves it! (She also loves yogurt)

I can definitely pray for this sweety and his special caregiver. Prayers that his diarrhea will resolve quickly and you will figure out the best way to manage his bladder. Please give him a gentle pet from us!

You are right, I made an error while typing a response. I give my Sam famotidine (pepcid) and Zazesh metronidazole. I don't know why I used the wrong name.

[Lizzie]

I didn't want to go the route of the metronidazole unless necessary. He LOVES treats, so I can give him pills pockets with the Albon, but the Flagyl is always compounded as a liquid. Because of his condition I didn't want to "man handle" him in case I hurt him. I will give it until Monday and if things are not better then I will contact the vet again.

Unfortunately I had to go out of town this weekend, but he was starting to look better yesterday and the diarrhea was not quite as bad (but it was still there). Thankfully he is still eating and drinking okay!

He just looks sooooo tiny and he is so sweet that I don't want anything to happen to him.

I hate giving my cats metronidazole too but in Zazesh's case it turned out to be the only way to deal with his problems and give him a quality life - like spending his days on the bed leaning against another cat's warm back and nights on the bed leaning into me. In your cat's case, he's young and not in hospice care so of course you are going to try other ways first. I hope you find something that works for him. Do you have a photo of him yet? Name?

[emily_the_spoiled]

We are STILL working on the diarrhea :rolleyes: I now have a much better understanding of the amount of laundry a new mother does! I am doing at least 2-3 loads a day to keep everything clean. I am now trying him on prednisone and hoping that will help.

But I have given him a new name ... Frankie. Primarily because he has such big blue eyes and knows how to work them! No pictures yet because he is still a mess. I am waiting for this to be over before putting him through the trauma of a bath (or maybe it is putting myself through the trauma of bathing a cat)

[Lizzie]

We are STILL working on the diarrhea :rolleyes: I now have a much better understanding of the amount of laundry a new mother does! I am doing at least 2-3 loads a day to keep everything clean. I am now trying him on prednisone and hoping that will help.

But I have given him a new name ... Frankie. Primarily because he has such big blue eyes and knows how to work them! No pictures yet because he is still a mess. I am waiting for this to be over before putting him through the trauma of a bath (or maybe it is putting myself through the trauma of bathing a cat)

Oh, don't I know about all the laundry!

Zazesh is on pred., it's the first thing we tried after pumpkin in the food and before I'd agree to metronidazole. He has to be on both drugs in order to have normal stools, unfortunately. I really hope you can help Frankie with just the pred. - and I know we all worry about giving any cat that medication too. Perhaps once his insides have settled he can be weaned off entirely - which I'm sure is what you want.

So, you named him after 'Old Blue Eyes, that's cute.

Have you done bucket baths? I've found them the least traumatic for both the cat and me.

Must leave this public library. I've got a guy next to me with rap music leaking loudly out of his headphones and kids on spring break all yelling at each other. Back to my quiet home with cats I go.

[emily_the_spoiled]

We are FINALLY at regular poops :D :D The metronidazole did the trick, but I have already started to wean him off the prednisone, so hopefully this incident has been taken care of.

I put up the baby gate to start the introduction process, but until he is all cleaned up and I can put a diaper on him I do not want him wondering around the house. A few of the guys looked through the gate, but nothing beyond a few sniffs on the part of everyone. Hopefully the full introduction will go as easily (once it happens).

Now I just have to clean him up :rolleyes: I phoned the groomer's this morning and they are fully booked until Saturday, so I guess I will have to try and give him on my own. Frankie looks so fragile that I just don't want to hurt him by picking him up incorrectly.

And yes, I named him Frankie because he has such big blue eyes and he knows how to work them :D:D

[Karen]

Isn't to funny how we can rejoice at "normal poop?" Ah, the things we do for our animals!

[emily_the_spoiled]

Pet owners and new mother both have the same ideas when it comes to "normal poops" :rolleyes:

[emily_the_spoiled]

So we have an appointment with the neurologist on Tuesday afternoon. If it is Manx Syndrome then there isn't much they can do about it, but at least we will know what the problem "officially" is.

BTW Lizzie, what size diapers does your guy use? I tried doggie and human diapers. Both of which lasted on him for about 15 minutes before he figured out how to remove them :rolleyes: So now I have a bunch of xx-small diapers if you want them.

[Lizzie]

So we have an appointment with the neurologist on Tuesday afternoon. If it is Manx Syndrome then there isn't much they can do about it, but at least we will know what the problem "officially" is.

BTW Lizzie, what size diapers does your guy use? I tried doggie and human diapers. Both of which lasted on him for about 15 minutes before he figured out how to remove them :rolleyes: So now I have a bunch of xx-small diapers if you want them.

Good luck on the appointment. It is best to know, as far as possible.

Zazesh uses Pampers newborn (under 10#) and they fit him perfectly. About once a month he manages to scoot himself out of one but it's really rare. Trial and error were the only way I had of deciding the right tightness of the tabs - tight enough to keep the diaper on and prevent leaks, not so tight that they left a mark on his upper thigh. Your guy is a lot more active and it sounds like he needs suspenders.

You'd laugh if you'd seen all the methods I tried for the first few weeks. The onesies that I couldn't get him into without being bitten. Using a pair of my own panties with a hole cut out for his tail, a sani-pad inside, and masking tape to keep it all in held together - that one lasted less than five minutes and I lost a pair of decent panties! I tried doggie ones too but the hole for the tail was far too big and the poop just rolled out.

What happened with the special washable pants that you ordered? I tried one kind and, again, found the hole for the tail far too big.

Edited to add that I just noticed we have exactly the same number of posts to our credit.

[cassiesmom]

We are FINALLY at regular poops :D :D The metronidazole did the trick, but I have already started to wean him off the prednisone, so hopefully this incident has been taken care of.

I put up the baby gate to start the introduction process, but until he is all cleaned up and I can put a diaper on him I do not want him wondering around the house. A few of the guys looked through the gate, but nothing beyond a few sniffs on the part of everyone. Hopefully the full introduction will go as easily (once it happens).

Now I just have to clean him up :rolleyes: I phoned the groomer's this morning and they are fully booked until Saturday, so I guess I will have to try and give him on my own. Frankie looks so fragile that I just don't want to hurt him by picking him up incorrectly.

And yes, I named him Frankie because he has such big blue eyes and he knows how to work them :D:D

Continued prayers that his poops will stay normal, that his neuro symptoms won't get any worse and that he will be healthy otherwise. :love: blue-eyed kitty and meowmy!

[emily_the_spoiled]

Frankie is only 2yo, so he is still pretty active and gets around well (still not sure about the steps). So I think that is why he was able to get out of everything so easily :rolleyes:

The jumper/diapers are supposed to be delivered this week (I talked with the company yesterday). For anyone who is interested here is the link: http://www.joybies.com/

But he is more than ready to be active and I want the jumper because I can't be following him around as he drips!