Scary routine checkup result!!!

I took my Marius to the vet yesterday (Monday the 19th) for his routine checkup and booster shots. The vet was most impressed at his weight loss! He had been put on the Science Diet weight loss for cats, since he was 17 pounds and should be around 14.5 or 15. He said he looked great and everything was fine. Marius got his 2 boosters and we headed home. Not 15 minutes go by and he started vomiting. It got to the point that I had a plastic mat that I would put under his face for him to throw up on, I would take it outside and rinse it off, just in time to come back inside and repeat the process. Then he had diarrhea. That was it, I called the vet and asked what to do. They told me to bring him back in and they would watch him for the afternoon. When I dropped him off, they told me to call back around 2pm to see how everything was going at that point. At 2, I made the call, and they said he'd only had a couple of dry heeves, and I could come and get him at 3:30. I was relieved. With all that water loss, I was afraid he would become dehydrated. I picked him up at 3:30 and brought him home. About 5 minutes later, he threw up blood. This really scared me. I immediately called the vet back and asked what to do. They asked me was color it was, and well...I said it was red. Their response was that after having vomiting and diarrhea bouts, it can cause irritation resulting in the blood present when he threw up. They said to watch him, and if it started to change color (got darker), that's when to worry. They thought it might have been brought up from the car ride home. Well, he did it again about 15 minutes later. I was so worried and sobbing so my husband called back to see if there was anything we could do. They said to keep food and water away from him for the day. Now that I think about it, they should have mentioned that when we brought him home. I did have some water out because I thought that water is good when you're sick, because you get really dehydrated. So, we put him in our master bathroom for the evening. He only threw up one more time, and the color seemed to be a little more washed out, so that was a good sign. He went through the night without any more incidents. I felt so bad! I never expected him to have such a bad reaction! Now, I'm thinking that I don't want to give him boosters if this is what's going to happen again!! I'm also concerned at what to do now. Am I to give him some water today? How much? What about food?
Has anyone had an experience like this?? http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/confused.gif

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"In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats." - English proverb

Wolflady,
I have never had an experience like that before, but I wanted to let you know how glad I am that Marius is better. How old is he? And hasn't he had these same boosters before? I just find it so strange that they affected him that way this time.
I'm trying not to overreact about your vet from the tone of your letter. But were they caring enough in this situation? Maybe its just the way you said it, but I think based on that treatment, I might just try and find me another veterinarian. I have heard so many good things about "cats only" vets. We obviously don't use one since we have dogs and cats, but you might want to look into that. You might have a better response next time there is a problem.
Maybe Marius could have some wet (canned) food today in small amounts and you could gradually increase his intake if he's keeping it down. You know he must be hungry.
Good luck to you and to Marius. I know you were frightened. I am so glad you had your husband to assist and comfort you.
Logan

Thank you Logan. It really was a frightening experience. I really did think it was odd that he reacted so badly! He's somewhere between 4 and 5 (vet's best guess...he was around 1.5 yrs when I took him in off the street) years old. Now that I step back and look at everything, the vet could have been a little more helpful on what to expect and treatment for the next few days. When I went to pick Marius up the vet said that it was a reaction similar how a human reacts(meaning, how the area hurts where the shot was given) to a tetnus shot. He didn't seem to concerned. At this point, I thought that made sense, but after the vomiting blood thing...I'm not so sure. That seems a little extreem. I was a little annoyed that they didn't call me back to see how he was doing. I think it's because there's so many people here...but I agree...maybe looking for another vet is a good idea. A Cats only vet sounds good! I wonder if there is one in the area.
The canned food is probably the best way to go, since it will be soft and have moisture in it. I'm sure he's pretty dehydrated. I'll keep you posted on his progress.
Karen

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"In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats." - English proverb

Wolflady....Your note had a familiar ring to it. I also visit the dog posts and just recently one of the dog owners had a somewhat similar situation as a result of shots at the vets. Hearing two of these stories so close together makes one worry! Wonder how widespread these reactions are? I sure hope Marius will start feeling better really soon. You must have been scared to death. I know I would have. Please let us know how he does.
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Wolflady-

As far as care after stomach upset - the best thing to do is offer very small amounts of water and an easily digested food (homemade chicken and rice in a blender is really good). If they keep it down for four hours, offer a little more and a little more frequently until they're back to their normal feeding schedule. If at any time the vomiting starts again withold food and water for another four hours minimum. If you're worried about dehydration, pinch a little of their skin between your thumb and finger - if it snaps back, they're okay. If it stays pinched up or puckered up, they need to go to the vet for IV fluids.

As far as the reaction to the shots - I have heard of a reaction before, but the response is usually a stiff, wooden, hunched over posture, with little or no movement or interest in the world around them. It usually lasts about 24 hours. I have never before heard of the gastrointestinal reaction, though. I'm sure it was very distressing for both you and Marius. I'm glad he's better now.

The best way to handle that is to stagger their vaccinations by a few months, i.e. rabies in January, FeLV in March, Upper Respiratory in May. This would also enable you to identify which inoculation is the culprit, if it is only one. Most of the time, though, they can take them individually. You may even be able to stagger the years - the upper respiratory shots can be given every three years now, and the rabies vaccinations are also good for three years, but I live in a state that has a pervasive rabies problem, so it still has to be given every year here even though it is effective for three. I don't know how California's laws are, but this may be an option too. I think it might be good to consider another clinic, too, because this should have been discussed with you when it became clear that Marius was becoming ill from his shots. But, like you say, they may have just been extremely busy.

Anyway, I hope some of this helps.

Pam, that is very strange that someone else had similar problems not that long ago? Maybe different mixtures of vaccines can cause these reactions??
4 Feline, thanks for the advice. The chicken and rice sounds like something I will try tonight. The check for dehydration is also good to know! Thank you! Last night after work, I rushed into the bathroom to see how he was doing (I was so nervous about what I would find). He was lying in the sink to stay cool, but all seemed ok. I got some of that wet fancy feast cat food, and gave him a small spoonfull every hour. He kept it down, and I was so relieved. But I was still worried about starting him back on his dry food so soon, so I think I will make him up some chicken and rice (must the the healing food for all of us sick folks and cats alike http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif ). He still is a little warm to the touch and really pink around the eyes and ears (you can definitely tell when a white cat isn't feeling well), but he was looking even better today. He even gave me his chirrup greeting this morning before I left for work.
I think I will look into staggering the shots. He only got the FELV and upper res, so something didn't agree with him. He got his rabies in 1999, so it's good for 3 years. I'm almost scared to ever get him shots again after this horrible experience!!

Thank you for all the advice and your concerned inquiries http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif It's nice to know there is support out there! I'll keep you posted on his progress.

Karen

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"In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats." - English proverb

Both of my cats have their routine check-up appointments tonight and will undoubtedly be getting some shots. I haven't been looking forward to this because of the hassle of getting them into their carriers, but now I have new worries with vaccine reactions here and on the dog board. I'll be glad when it's all over.

Pam,
let us know how your babies do!! We'll all be thinking about them and hoping that you don't have an experience like the one I had!

Karen

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"In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats." - English proverb

We're home and all went well! http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif I watched the tech very carefully as she loaded the syringes and said a little prayer that she knew what she was doing and that the vaccines were safe. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif

I also had very little trouble getting them into their carriers either. I tossed a "Pounce" in Trev's carrier and he debated about going in to get it and his stomach won out! http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif Andy doesn't have the same love affair with food so he wasn't "buying into" the Pounce trick. I did manage to get him in, though, without too much trouble. Here's another tip that I used tonight that was helpful. I brought both carriers into the bathroom earlier in the day and kept the bathroom door closed all day. When it was time to get ready I carried each cat, one at a time, into the bathroom. The reason I chose the bathroom, is that there's no place to hide if they should somehow squirm out of my arms. It worked like a dream. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by Pam (edited February 21, 2001).]

I almost forgot.....I told the vet tonight about Cat/Dog/Pet of the Day. He said he will visit!! http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif

Wolflady.....How's Marius doing tonight?

Pam,
I'm so glad that your babies did just fine! http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif It's such a relief, isn't it? Marius looked so much better last night and this morning. His "pinkish fever" has just about disappeared and he was purring and making his usual chirrup chatter! I was so glad. I gave him a few pieces of his regular dry kibble this morning. I had him on the soft stuff last night. I think I will mix the wet and dry today. That was just the most horrible experience! I never want to put him through that again! Hopefully he has forgiven us! http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif

That carrier technique is a good one. When we first moved into our new home in CA, the bathroom is where the cats resided for quite some time while all the unpacking was going on. We left the carriers in there, so they would sleep in them! http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif

Let us know if your vet visit's the site!
Karen

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"In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats." - English proverb

Thank goodness Marius seems to be on the road to recovery! What a horrible couple of days you both went through! I picture Marius as looking very much like my Andy (white cat) so I think I sort of have an extra soft spot for him. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif Give him a kiss on his little pink nose for me! http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif

I'm also very glad to hear that poor Marius is okay http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/smile.gif, after reading all the posts on this topic. Very scary indeed! I agree with Logan that you should switch to a cat-only vet. It's always better to get caring attention from the right vet. I think it would really help in frightening situations like that.

Thank you Pam, will do! http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif It was so cute last night, I went into the bathroom and sat on the floor with Marius. He immediatly climbed into my lap and had his motor going as hard as he could possibly have gotten it. It was great to see him almost back to normal. He started rolling around in my lap and at one point he started to slip off, and he put his paws around my leg as if to say "no! I don't want to fall off!! I want to stay in your lap all night long!!" http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif
Thank you too, Margaret. I tell you what, I've never been so worried in my life!! Every cat that has ever shared it's life with us never had any (health)problems at all. I think I will look into the Cat only vet and see if there are any in the area.

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"In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats." - English proverb