Scare with Smokey

[Chatanuga]

Last evening about 9PM, Smokey threw up a yellowish foamy substance. I checked him over, and he seemed okay otherwise, but when I went to give him and Casey their evening treats, Smokey didn't want them and walked away. I kept checking on him, and he just wasn't interested in them. Around midnight and around 3AM he threw up yellowish foamy substance again.

This morning when I woke up, I saw that Smokey had thrown up again. I tried giving him some treats again, and instead he threw up a fifth time. I hadn't seen him eating any of their regular food, and he barely touched the water when I changed out the water bowl. He was also just acting kind of blah.

So, I called my vet's office and chose the option to get transferred to the oncall doctor. Since she was based in one of the offices in another part of Columbus (Ohio), she advised me to take him down to MedVet on the south side of Hilliard where I live.

His vitals were all normal. He seemed a little dehydrated from the way his skin stretched, and they felt a firmness in his stomach area. They did blood work, X-rays, and ultrasounds, checking him over thoroughly. Everything came back negative, but in the X-rays, there was a pocket of gas in his colon, which was filled with feces. In other words, he was constipated. They gave him an enema and vitamins and got some fluids in him. After about 5 1/2 hours, we're back home. He's got more pep in him than earlier today. He's also getting some meds for the next few days. Two are once a day, and the third is twice a day. We're anticipating a full recovery.

Kevin

[mbsmum]

Good luck Smokey. Get well soon.

[Karen]

Whew, glad it was something fairly easily solved. Hope his recovery is swift and long-lasting!

[cats4ever]

I'm glad that they found Smokey's problem and that he's doing better now.:love:
Constipation can become a serious condition if not treated.

[Chatanuga]

24 hours after getting home from MedVet.

No vomiting since about 1:30 PM yesterday. Off and on active and perky, noticeably better than yesterday.

Haven't seen him eat or drink yet, but he's been curious around the food bowls, and his skin isn't like yesterday when he was dehydrated.

Since giving him pills last night and this morning were quite a struggle, I'm going to try crushing his pills into a powder and mix that with some canned tuna. The water the tuna's packed in will help dissolve the powder and mix it with the meat. He always gets excited with tuna, even just seeing the can. Hopefully this will make it easier at getting his medicine in him (only has to take his pills for a few days) and hopefully get him back to eating if he hasn't already.

Kevin

[phesina]

That's good news that the vomiting has stopped, and it sounds like he's doing better. Here's hoping things are back to normal soon! We're sending along loads of good wishes and warm healing energies.

:love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:

[Chatanuga]

So last evening, I tried giving him his medicine in some canned tuna, which I thought he would go nuts over. Instead, he kept walking away from it. Around 10:30 PM, he threw up a lot of what appeared to be slimy water with a large hairball (about the size of my thumb) in it. This morning, he was kind of perky, but sometime around 6AM, he threw up a white foamy substance. I tried giving him plain tuna (no medicine in it), and he totally ignored it. He's also starting to get lethargic again.

I've already called off work, and I have a 9AM appointment with my regular vet to have him checked out.

Kevin

[phesina]

I hope the vet comes up with a solution for Smokey and you. Best wishes!

:love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:

[Chatanuga]

So, they are keeping Smokey overnight at my vet's office for observation. They're waiting for some of the tests to come back, but so far everything looks good. He's still not eating, but they're pumping fluids in him to get him back to normal.

Casey's acting very clingy, and looking around for Smokey from time to time.

I'm trying to keep busy around home to try to keep my mind active and from getting myself upset.

Kevin

[cats4ever]

I'm sorry that Smokey had a setback. It is always an emotional roller coaster having a pet hospitalized, not knowing for sure what's going on.
Sending best wishes to you, Smokey and his housemates.

[Chatanuga]

Called the vet's office this morning. Smokey's still not eating. When they showed me the X-rays yesterday, I asked about the stool that is still in his colon, even though he was given an enema on Sunday at MedVet. The vet said that normally when they give a cat an enema, they don't evacuate the stool (preferring to let it move on its own) since it can cause a cat to get dehydrated. Since that is the only thing that they can find wrong, they're going ahead with another enema and will be evacuating some of the stool to try to get things flowing again.

Kevin

[Chatanuga]

Got a call from the vet a few minutes ago. They've evacuated the stool, and things are moving again. I gave the okay for them to do an ultrasound to make sure nothing else is wrong (everything is still coming back negative). If the ultrasound comes back negative, they're going to give him some fluids to help stimulate his appetite and let me bring him home. They said it is quite possible that he's not eating for them because of his nerves (he hates going to the vet's office).

Kevin

[phesina]

Sending love and good wishes to Smokey and you...

:love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:

[cats4ever]

It is quite possible that he's not eating because he's in the hospital.
I hope that his appetite will pick up as soon as he gets home.

[Chatanuga]

So, I got Smokey home this afternoon. On the way to the vet's office, I stopped and got a couple brands of canned food for him as well as some extra cans of tuna for him (and me :)). He's been quite alert since getting home. He has had a couple bouts of loose stool in the litterbox, but after having an enema, that would be expected. He hasn't eaten anything yet, but I'm about to go down and fix him some of the canned food to see if he takes an interest in it before starting on my dinner.

Kevin

[Chatanuga]

So, as of 1:45 AM, Smokey has yet to touch any food, at least that I know of.

I've offered him tuna, canned food, canned pumpkin, and treats. The feeder in the kitchen and the bowl in the upstairs hallway have his and Casey's usual Purina Cat Chow. If he's touched the regular food, it hasn't been anything noticeable. I haven't noticed him drinking any water, but he may have done that when I haven't been around since in addition to their big water bowl in the kitchen I've also put out a second bowl in the upstairs hallway across from the food.

He has had at least three loose bowel movements, indicating that the stool that was backed up in him is getting flushed out from that second enema. And I would have thought that his appetite would have returned by now.

Two other observations I've made are that for a while after returning home, he was drooling off and on. One of the possible side effects of one of the medications that I read was drooling. Also, I've seen him drool when I give him his monthly doses of Revolution between the ears, which he doesn't like. Between the drooling and the fact that he's been sleeping quite a bit since getting home, I'm almost wonder if he was stressed out/worn out from the overnight stay at the vet's office and has been simply too tired to want to eat. They did say that he kept himself all bunched up at the back of his cage that he was in, even when they put a blanket over the front to try to give him some privacy.

After checking on him a few minutes ago, he seemed like he just wanted to sleep and wasn't in distress or anything. I'm hoping things change for the better by morning.

Kevin

[cats4ever]

Drooling and inappetence could also be a sign of nausea. Is Smokey already on an anti-nausea medication?

[Chatanuga]

They did give him an injection of Cerenia at the vet's office. There were tablets given at MedVet for Cerenia as well, but unlike with Chessie and Casey, Smokey has been impossible to get pills into. With him not eating, crushing the pills into a powder and missing with canned food or tuna hasn't worked either. I haven't seen any drooling since last evening though.

As I was getting around for bed, Smokey did come upstairs and got into the litterbox where he passed some gas. This morning when I got up, he came up the stairs and was rubbing on my legs a bit. When I went to put some spilled food from the upstairs food bowl back in the bowl (from Casey), Smokey came over and sniffed at the bowl and began aggressively rubbing his head against my hand.

Downstairs as I was fixing Casey's morning pumpkin, Smokey did lick some of the pumpkin from the spoon, but not all of it like he usually does. I offered him a couple treats, and he's refused those.

Kevin

[Chatanuga]

As I was getting out of the shower earlier, Smokey came upstairs. When I tapped the food bowl in the hallway, he did run over and sniff at it a bit. Then as I was getting around, he went over to it twice on his own and acted like he was going to dig in before something down the stairs distracted him.

Just now as I was downstairs making my lunch, I opened a new can of tuna for him. He quickly came out and sat on the floor next to me. I got some of the water from the can on my finger, and he sniffed at it but didn't want to lick it. I put some of the tuna and water on a small plate and put it in front of him. He sniffed it (last night he never paid it any attention), but he still didn't eat.

So it seems like he's starting to take an interest in food, but not actually eating. He also peed in the upstairs litterbox, indicating that he's been drinking some water.

Kevin

[phesina]

Well done, Smokey!!! You're doing great! You and your dear Chatanuga, both!

Keep on keeping on, slowly, slowly..

More loving good wishes and healing energies are being sent to you!

:love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love: from Sparkler and Galaxy and Pat

[Chatanuga]

Smokey's still making signs of improvement. This afternoon while in the living room where he and Casey were I had my front door open with the storm door shut and locked, Smokey saw something outside and was very alert and wanting to go after it, standing on his back legs to look out the window with his tail going wild. Around 7:30 PM I saw him going into the kitchen, and when I glanced in, he was checking out the feeder. A little while ago, I changed out the water in the water bowl in the upstairs hallway, and he took an interest in that as well.

I'm also about to give him a dose of Mirtazaphine transdermal ointment that the vet gave me to give him. It gets applied to one of his ears and is supposed to stimulate appetite.

Kevin

[phesina]

That's great! :love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:

[Chatanuga]

Good news! Got home around 7:30 PM this evening after stopping to get groceries. Casey was curled up and just waking up as I walked in. Smokey was walking towards the door, happy to see me. While putting stuff away, I heard somebody eating at the feeder. I turned around, and it was Smokey.

Once groceries were put away, I opened a new can of pumpkin for Smokey and Casey. It's primarily for Casey to help pass hairballs, but I also give some for Smokey. Tonight, he was quite eager to lick the spoon when I was done dishing it up, and then he started meowing like he usually does, wanting me to hurry with the rest, which he ate along with a few treats.

A little while ago when bringing laundry upstairs, he followed me up the stairs, and when I went to go down to the kitchen, he stopped at the top of the stairs to eat from the food bowl that I have out.

Kevin

[phesina]

Wow! That's terrific!

What a great job, Smokey!

Keep on keeping on ;).

:love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:

[Catty1]

Fantastic! Smokey, you have such a loving and caring furmom! :love:

[cats4ever]

This is great news!
Smokey, your dad did a terrific job to help you.

[phesina]

Dear Kevin, thanks so much for being such a wonderful Dad for Smokey! You and he make a great team. Together, you rock!

:love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:

[Chatanuga]

So last evening, Smokey had a normal bowel movement in the litterbox, which indicates that whatever was causing things to get backed up a week ago is now cleared up. :)

He's also still eating and drinking very well. In fact, he seems to really like drinking from the water bowl I have out in the upstairs hallway. Normally, their food and water are both down in the kitchen, and I then leave extra food and water out in the upstairs hallway when one or both have been to the vet so that when they get to quarreling afterwards, if somebody gets cornered upstairs, he'll have food, water, and the upstairs litterbox. Since he likes drinking from that bowl so much, I'm going to be leaving it out 24/7 if it gets him to drinking plenty of water.

Kevin