chylokitties

add my Gracie to their ranks :( She's a 13yo tortie who was diagnosed with idiopathic chylothorax last weekend. I found this forum while searching for info and I've read all the relevant threads (I think), but I'm hoping for some advice from the others here who have dealt with this messed up disease. Gracie was tapped twice last weekend - the first time for 250cc and the second for 120 (there was another attempt in between those 2, but she got too cranky and upset for them to get more than 15cc or so) and she was OK for a week - not fantastic, but definitely better (she started Rutin, Lasix, and Prednisone on Weds Sept. 3). She went back in today and the vet got only 35cc. Is that normal? It seems like it's not nearly enough considering how much difficulty she was having this morning, and although she's much improved she's still mouth breathing if she over-exerts herself. Also, she does this thing after she's tapped where she just kind of hangs her right foreleg, like it's hurting her.. it breaks my heart... could it maybe be a pinched nerve or something from the tap?


I'm sorry for all the questions, it's not much of an introduction, eh? :( I'm just really at a loss as to what to do and I hope there might be some help here. Thanks very much! My thoughts have been with the other chylokitties since I found this forum and I hope they are all doing well!

Hi Sourdoahtoast - love your name. :D

Sorry to hear about Gracie, and I'm afraid I can't offer much help, but I know Bassett and I think Ozzy have had ultra-sounds done to determine just how much fluid they have and exactly where it's located so the tapping is more productive. Has Gracie had any ultra-sounds? I know not all vets have the capability of doing ultra-sounds, so it's a more expensive option, but I would think it would be worth it to get the tap done correctly which means it would have to be done less often.

Welcome to PT, and good luck with Gracie. Please let us know how she is doing, and also, you may have noticed that we really really like pictures here at PT. :D

BTW, my kitties are Tubby and Peanut. Tubby is 17 and Peanut is 15, so I'm quite familiar with senior kitties, just not they chylo thing.

hi there,
i'm so sorry to hear about your kitty- its just not fair!

my boy, ozzy has been struggling for a while now- i know what you're going through.
as far as how much he gets tapped for- ozzy seems to get heavy breathing at about 100cc's- but sometimes its hard to tell.
before my vet got their ultrasound machine, they would just do their best...when ozz was first diagnosed, they'd take x-rays before they'd tap him...then they'd just go in blind, and try from each side...now my vet can look and see where the fluid is with the ultrasound, and watch it get sucked out.
i highly recommend an initial ultrasound, if you haven't already had it done. it can tell a lot of things.
my personal opinion, and i'm no vet- if your kitty is still breathing too hard after being tapped, she needs to get tapped for more- i think bassett gets a mild sedative for getting tapped, luckily for me ozzy tolerates it really well.
have you gotten xrays lately? or an ultrasound?

one thing i know, is that you'll definately get support here!!
so keep in touch, and keep us updated...know that we understand how hard this is.
take care
ozzlou

Welcome to PT, sourdoughtoast. I am sorry to hear about your kitty :(.

My cat Bassett has idiopathis chylothorax, too. I would say that having less and less fluid tapped each time is a good thing. It could mean that all the medication is working, and that the fluid production has been slowed down considerably. Bassett's fluid production was happening so fast that she was being tapped for at least 170cc every three or four days, and so that's when we decided to have surgery for her. It was very expensive, but worth it; it seems as thought the fluid has not come back yet. We are still having some difficulties but I do think that this is a step in the right direction. Do you have AIM or MSN? If you ever want to chat, let me know :)

Naomi

Welcome to Pet Talk, although this isn't a very happy thread. Nomilynn and Ozzlou can provide you with as much information as you need and I know that in time you will come to realize that we are a family and care about each other and our pets. Yours is certainly no exception. Do you have any pictures of Gracie that we can see??

thanks all for your kind replies! It's been a rough few days, but Gracie seems to be responding to the meds pretty well - she's eating and using the box and cleaning herself and purring, so she can't be feeling too horribly, I think - thank goodness! Despite my constant torture (I took her to another vet for a second opinion yesterday and it turned out to be a VERY bad experience! The cab ride was horrific for poor Grace and the vet herself was very negative and kept telling me stories about other very sick cats and how awful it was for them and how their owners should have been more responsible and had their cats put to sleep! I got home from that and cried for hours! I mean, I know that some day I will have to make that decision, and I know it'll wreck me when I do, but right now I think Gracie is just not that bad off, and it was NOT the sort of thing I needed to hear. She also wasn't exactly gentle with the physical exam... all in all: Very Bad!) Gracie still seems to love me, so for that I'm grateful.

About her diagnosis: she did have x-rays and an ultrasound as part of her initial workup. The x-rays weren't too helpful since they couldn't see her lungs through the fluid, but the U/S didn't show any masses or significant heart problems. Her blood work was also fine, except for showing a little bit of dehydration - which she seems to have recovered from based on how much nicer her coat feels & that she just seems a little more 'filled-out'. Right now I'm just praying that the meds will work and that she'll continue to get better!

One more question: it takes her few minutes to recover from having a poop - the pushing and not being able to breathe while pushing really take it out of her. She leaves the box and spends the next few minutes laying down and mouth-breathing. I've mentioned this to my vet and he didn't seem overly concerned as long as she takes the time to rest and recover and as long as she DOES recover, but I'm wondering if the other chylokitties experience anything similar?

And finally: I don't have any pics of Gracie on this computer (it's borrowed until I finish upgradning my own PC) but I will try to post one as soon as I can!

Thanks again for your input and help! It really means a lot to be able to "talk" to people who understand that she's *not* "just a cat"

I would just like to welcome you, add my sympathy while you deal this awful problem you are facing and wish you support in your quest for treatment. We all understand how much a beloved pet means to its humans.

Hi again :)

Bassett has never been pooped from pooping but she does have to rest after she's run up the stairs or something. Maybe you could give something to help Gracie poop more easily, like hairball rememdy or something? It seems like she's working awfully hard for it.

Sounds like things are pretty much under control. Good luck and keep up posted! :)

hi-
i hope you won't be going back to that vet! i'm sorry your experience was so horrible!

i observe ozzy daily...is he breathing too hard? is he breathing in and out more than 42 times in one minute? if he is- then we go to the vet, and he gets tapped.

ozzy has never had open mouth breathing...but i would think that poopin should not cause it. maybe call your regular vet- who i hope is a LOT more supportive- and double check with him or her. i don't know gracie- but if i ever saw ozzy open mouth breathing after something like pooping- we'd go straight to the vet. she just might still have fluid. just a thought.

keep us posted, i'm glad the meds seem to be working...you guys have been added to my prayer list- best medicine there is!
take care-
ozzlou