Healing thoughts needed for Kacey: 10/27 He's gone.

[Prairie Purrs]

Kacey was coughing quite a bit yesterday, so I scheduled a vet visit for this afternoon. I ended up rushing him in a couple hours before his appointment because his breathing became wheezy.

Well, the vet believes that my sweet boy has dilated cardiomyopathy. He gave him a couple of injections (Depo-Medrol and Lasix) and sent him home--said we'd work on a treatment regimen later, assuming those drugs help him feel better tonight.

Could you all please spare some good wishes for Kacey kitty? I know that the prognosis for a 15-year-old cat with cardiomyopathy isn't too good. But I'm hoping that he can stay with me for awhile yet. I'm just all torn up right now--I love that cat so very much.

[lvpets2002]

:( Oh no poor baby Kacey.. Hope you get to feeling better soon.. Do what the Vet & meowmom says.. Sending Lots of Whisker Huggss & Prayersss..

[Killearn Kitties]

All fingers and paws crossed here that your sweetheart bounces back.

[kb2yjx]

Come on Kacey!!! With lots of prayers and love, hope you will be feeling like your old self very soon!!!

[Moesha]

I hope Kacey feels better soon.

[jenluckenbach]

MANY prayers for the beautiful, wonderful Kasey.

[Prairie Purrs]

Thank you all. He's still a bit wheezy, he won't eat, and he's staying under the bed (with Kiri nearby). The vet didn't think he was in critical condition, but I'm so worried about him. The nearest emergency vet is an hour away, and if his heart is going then an hour-long car ride doesn't seem like a good option.

[Medusa]

If you've been following my thread on Pidgelet, then you know she has cardiomyopathy also. She has a few years on Kacey, though, plus her kidneys are bad. I'm sure you're still in shock right now but when you get your bearings, talk to your vet about Atenolol, a beta blocker, which will lower Kacey's blood pressure. The Lasix will help to keep the fluid out of his lungs. Enalapril is also for the heart. Pidge is on all 3. Kacey's case is probably different from Pidge's but you might want to talk to your vet about these drugs. In the meantime, please know that I totally understand what you're experiencing and will keep you and Kacey on my prayer list. Keep the faythe. :)

[Prairie Purrs]

If you've been following my thread on Pidgelet, then you know she has cardiomyopathy also. She has a few years on Kacey, though, plus her kidneys are bad. I'm sure you're still in shock right now but when you get your bearings, talk to your vet about Atenolol, a beta blocker, which will lower Kacey's blood pressure. The Lasix will help to keep the fluid out of his lungs. Enalapril is also for the heart. Pidge is on all 3. Kacey's case is probably different from Pidge's but you might want to talk to your vet about these drugs. In the meantime, please know that I totally understand what you're experiencing and will keep you and Kacey on my prayer list. Keep the faythe. :)

Thank you, Mary! I have been following your reports on Pidge, and I'm so glad she's hanging in there.

I'll definitely ask about the medications. I just hope there's something that can keep him with me, and comfortable, for as much time as possible.

[Emeraldgreen]

I hope that Kacey will do well on the meds tonight and that the vet will figure out a good plan so that you and Kacey can spend more time together.

[Catty1]

Prayers for you and your furbaby Kacey. :love:

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so sorry to hear this.:( Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent his way.

There are way too many sick cats on PT lately. It's just so sad.:(

[AbbyMom]

Prayers and warm thoughts on the way.

[Prairie Purrs]

Kacey isn't doing well this morning. The wheezing is gone, but he's very weak. We're going to the vet in a little while. I hope that there's still something that can be done for him, but of course I won't let him linger on in pain if there's nothing that will help.

I just hope that the universe has a miracle to spare for my Kacey. He deserves a miracle.

[Medusa]

Miracles happen every day and there's every reason to believe that your Kacey is in line for one. We'll say our prayer right now that Kacey will improve and can spend much more quality time w/you. Keep the faythe. :love:

[jenluckenbach]

Kacey, I sure hope you are feeling better. You are worrying us. :(

[Prairie Purrs]

Well, my poor little guy is spending the night at the vet's, where they'll try to stabilize him after a long, frustrating day.

My vet referred me to a clinic about an hour away, where they allegedly could do an ultrasound. After I got there, I was told that they couldn't do cardiac or thorasic ultrasounds. So they did x-rays, which (of course) were inconclusive.

The referral vet didn't think Kacey's heart is the problem, though. The possibilities included pneumonia, a twisted lobe in his lung, and a diaphragmatic hernia. They then told me I could get an ultrasound done at a clinic in St. Louis, about an hour and a half away from where I live (and two and a half hours from the clinic I took him to today).

Well, I knew that Kacey couldn't handle another night without some support, and if whatever's wrong requires surgery he's too weak right now to make it through. So it was back to my regular vet for the night.

I'm hoping the vet can make him more comfortable and give us some time to find out what we're dealing with. I can't believe I'm having so much trouble finding someone who can do an ultrasound!

Please keep my sweetie in your thoughts tonight. It's going to be a long night without him, and the road ahead doesn't look too bright right now.

[jenluckenbach]

Non-stop prayers for Kacey.

[Medusa]

Oh my, you're right, it shouldn't be so difficult to find someone to do an ultrasound. I guess I've been fortunate in that respect. Of course, you know prayers are continuing here for Kacey and you. :love:

[Emeraldgreen]

Do you think your vet would be able to find a vet willing to come and do an ultrasound at your regular clinic? My local vet doesn't have an ultrasound but they have an ultrasound vet come and do ultrasounds all day every so often. This is how my cat Jimmy was able to get one recently. I'm sure it would be worth it for both vets in the end as they would both make money. Maybe your vet has a few other clients who would benefit from ultrasounds. Even if they could line up 3 or so, it would probably be cost effective for your vet to set it up. Just a thought.
Prayers that Kacey will stay strong and the mystery will be solved and fixed! :)

[Prairie Purrs]

Do you think your vet would be able to find a vet willing to come and do an ultrasound at your regular clinic? My local vet doesn't have an ultrasound but they have an ultrasound vet come and do ultrasounds all day every so often. This is how my cat Jimmy was able to get one recently. I'm sure it would be worth it for both vets in the end as they would both make money. Maybe your vet has a few other clients who would benefit from ultrasounds. Even if they could line up 3 or so, it would probably be cost effective for your vet to set it up. Just a thought.
Prayers that Kacey will stay strong and the mystery will be solved and fixed! :)

That's something I'm going to ask about so perhaps I won't have to go through this if any of the kitties need an ultrasound in the future (something that's likely to occur because I have two cats with heart murmurs). Kacey needs the testing done right away, so I'll undoubtedly have to travel somewhere. But I'm really surprised that there isn't such an arrangement. In Denver my neighborhood vet had an ultrasound person come in once a week, and I had a backup clinic across town that had its own ultrasound machine. So it was a little shocking to have a vet in Springfield (a city of 100,000 people) tell me that I'd have to go to St. Louis to get an ultrasound done.

[Prairie Purrs]

Kacey is home for now, but we're running out of options.

After watching him for a couple of days, the vet believes that there's something preventing material in his stomach from getting into his intestine. His stomach is terribly gassy and bloated. Surgery doesn't seem to be a possibility--he could probably make it through the surgery itself, but the vet doesn't think it's likely that he'd be able to recover.

On the other hand, he's showing a little bit of improvement today. If that were to continue, I think I may want to give surgery a try. I'm so torn. I don't want to put him through the misery if it's futile, but what if it's something that could be fixed?

[jenluckenbach]

So sorry that this is turning out to be a mystery. And one with hard choices. Looks like wait, WATCH and see will be the plan of action.

Prayers for sweet Kacey.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Playing the waiting game is always a hard thing to do but in his case it sounds like a good choice. I hope he'll continue to improve. He'll remain in my thoughts and prayers. Please take care. (((HUGS)))

[Medusa]

It's so difficult not knowing what to do. If only our furkids could talk, even if only when they're sick or hurt so we could know how to fix it. We'll be sure to double up on the prayers for sweet Kacey and you, too. Keep the faythe.

[Prairie Purrs]

Thanks, Jen, KAK, and Mary, for your continued prayers for Kacey.

Unless there's a major change, I'm going to have to let him go on Monday. He's just too weak. I know he has to be hurting, and if he's in obvious distress before Monday, I have the vet's home number. For now, he's resting as comfortably as he can. And I've been spending a lot of time telling him that he's the best cat in the world and that I love him. And trying not to sob where he can hear me, because he gets upset when I cry.

There's never enough time. Fifteen years--not nearly enough.

[Catty1]

Oh, poor you and poor Kacey. :(

It's a long shot - if something is blocking his digestion, would it be worth it trying a small dose of lactulose or even olive oil to see if that would help move things? Or some pepcid to coat his tummy, it might help his appetite?

I am so sorry to hear this...and that 'what's wrong' can't be pinpointed.

HUGE PT Prayers for Kacey.:love:

[Medusa]

Sometimes it takes a while for things to come to me and during the night I was thinking about Kacey and praying and I remembered a friend whose cat had the same problem. He was just about ready to have surgery done on his cat to remedy the situation but he was really concerned about both the surgery and the expense when the word "bran" came to him. He gave his cat bran and she has been fine ever since. I can't recall exactly how old the cat is but I was there when he adopted her and that was 7 years ago and she was at least 2 years old then. It's a long shot, I know, but perhaps discuss it w/your vet? In the meantime, you know we pray w/out ceasing here......:love:

[jenluckenbach]

Kacey, you know I am praying for your comfort.

[Medusa]

Ok, I just got an email from my friend about his cat who had a similar problem and this is what he did.

CVS Natural Lax powder ~ has psyllium husk ~ teaspoon powder & water ~ Use oral syringe about 3 or 4 ML ~ squirt in mouth

He also gave her lactulose from his vet as Candace suggested. So it wasn't bran that he gave her but he was on the right track and that was a couple of years ago and his cat is doing great. Perhaps suggest this to your vet before you have Kacey PTS. I know that you say Kacey is gassy so this may not apply but it's worth a chat w/your vet about it. Good luck, sweetie. I know how troubling this is and you want Kacey to be at peace. :love:

[Catty1]

Prayers again! I wonder what your vet would think about the bran etc idea.

HUGS to precious Kacey.:love:

[Medusa]

My friend just emailed me again and he told me that he mixed everything w/tuna juice so that it was more palatable. I'm afraid that psyllium husk might cause her to be even more gassy but there are other things that you could try. Maybe your vet will have other suggestions as a substitute.

[Emeraldgreen]

My friend just emailed me again and he told me that he mixed everything w/tuna juice so that it was more palatable. I'm afraid that psyllium husk might cause her to be even more gassy but there are other things that you could try. Maybe your vet will have other suggestions as a substitute.

My vet recommended a fiber powder for one of my cats at one point. I used one called Pure-le Natural. It is sold in most drug stores I think. It is a super fine powder that is taste free. It is 97% pure fiber and can be 'hidden' in wetfood or even water. Maybe this would work?

If Kacey still has gas, it is probably so painful. If the gas is blocked by poop, then hopefully the fiber can help get things moving so the gas moves too. Gas pain is so underated! It can be debilitating. :(

Prayers that Kacey will make it through this. :love:

[jennielynn1970]

Awe... poor Kacey. I hope that he is improving and that you won't have to have him PTS. You'd think the vet would be able to do something for him being gassy and bloated, and that whole ultrasound thing.. geez. I'm surprised they don't have something available that is closer.

Prayers going out for you and Kacey.

[Prairie Purrs]

Thank you all for thinking of my Kacey. It means a great deal.

Sadly, Kacey can't eat anything at this point, nor is he interested in drinking. He just can't keep anything down. He even has trouble swallowing Nutri-Cal. And he is terribly, terribly weak. The vet has tried all the medications he can think of, and there's no chance Kacey could survive surgery (even if we knew exactly what was going on).

I'll be taking him back to the vet tomorrow, to set him free from the pain. I know he's ready to go, and I am going to have to summon the strength to release him. Even if I second-guess myself forever (and I will), it's what I have to do for him now.

[Killearn Kitties]

I'm so sorry. I'm sure you will be doing the right thing for Kacey.
My thoughts will be with you and beautiful Kacey tomorrow.

[jenluckenbach]

my prayers are with you. Rutherford will be waitng to greet his twin.

[Prairie Purrs]

my prayers are with you. Rutherford will be waitng to greet his twin.

I've been thinking about that all day. It's just about the only comforting image I have.

[Medusa]

Oh I'm so sorry. I know the pain that you're feeling right now and I also know the strength that it will take to help Kacey to the Bridge. You have all your PT family w/you in thought and prayer and so many RB babies waiting to help Kacey. My Puddy will be there and she's fierce! Please know that a special candle burns for you and Kacey tonight. :love:

[Catty1]

{{{{{hugs}}}}}

You are so right...however long they are with us, it is never enough.

I hope Kacey's passing is peaceful, and that you are all right, as all right as anyone could be. :love:

Is there anyone that can go with you?

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so sorry to hear this.:( I hope that he has a peaceful trip to the Bridge. My thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time. Please take care. (((HUGS)))

[Emeraldgreen]

Prayers that Kacey will cross over to the bridge with peace today. No more discomfort. :love:

[Prairie Purrs]

Kacey left peacefully this morning. See Cat Memorial. (http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=147622)