I need medical advice ASAP

[catcrazylady]

I know I should be posting in health but more people hang out over here and I need info soon.

Here's the story. Saturday morning Peanut Butter snuck out the door when I was feeding the babies on the porch. He stayed out for a few hours before I could finally catch him and get him back in. Everything seemed fine so no big deal. Usually he screams constantly to go out but Sunday he didn't even ask but other than that he seemed normal. Monday he was lazy but still ate and drank ok. Tuesday morning I told hubby that Peanut Butter didn't look so good. You know that I don't feel good look they get in their eyes? By the time we got home from work last night he was still just laying around but he did come nibble some food and I noticed he was kind of limping. I rubbed his leg but he would just pull away but I didn't feel anything and I also noticed one eye looked funny. By the time we got home tonight the poor baby's paw is swollen and his eye is almost swollen shut!! He won't get up and he is obviously in pain. I am pretty sure I know what happened. He got into a fight while he was outside and had injuries we couldn't see and now he is abscessing! I know he is hurting and I can't stand it!
I know everyone is going to say get him to the vet but I can't afford an emergency right now and getting off work tomorrow early enough to get him in is impossible!! I won't bore you with work details just trust me when I say we can't do it. I can get him in Saturday but I need to do something now.
I have a brand new bottle of Clindamycin which is for abscesses but I don't know how much to give him. It says on the back of the box to give 1 to 2 ML for every five pounds of body weight but the STUPID dropper is in MG's.
Does anybody know how much I should give him?? He has lost some weight during the summer so he is about 16 to 17 pounds right now. The instructions also say to give it to him once a day or depending on the severity. Should I give him more and if so how much?
I know there are lots of you who deal with this stuff everyday so I'm hoping you can help me. I'm sure this is what the vet will do anyway and I will get him in Saturday. Peanut Butter got an abscess one time before after a fight and he stayed down like this until it busted. With all his hair that was the only way we or the vet even knew what was wrong with him.
Please pray for my big boy because he is in a lot of pain right now and momma doesn't know how to make it better.
HELP!!!

[jazzcat]

Poor Peanut Butter!!! I wished I could help. I just tried to call my sister who is a RN and has nursed her cat from fights and abscessess but she's not home from work yet.

Hopefully someone will be able to help you with the dosage soon. Where's Debbie???

[catcrazylady]

Yea, where is Debbie or QSA or anybody who can help! I know they are out there I'm just being impatient. I know how much pain he is in.
As if this isn't enough now I have to worry about which feral he fought with and I'm going to have to have him tested. This stuff just makes me sick and worried. I hope abscess is all that he's got! I didn't hear any cat squaling or fighting but that is the only thing that I can figure happened. I know how he acted years ago when the same thing happened after a fight that I knew he was in.
KIDS!!!!!

Thanks Lori for trying to get the info from your sister. I really appreciate it!!

[lizzielou742]

Oh no! Poor Peanut Butter!! I hope he didn't get in a fight...what if he got stung by bees or something like that? Anyway, I (of course) have no idea how much meds to give him...where's QSA or kimlovescats when ya need 'em? Anyway, I'm sure they'll check in soon to help. Until then, fingers and paws crossed that Paenut Butter gets better soon!!

(((hugs)))

[QueenScoopalot]

Poor Peanut Butter! Is it possible he got stung by hornets or bees? As far as the Clinadrops/clindamycin go, ML and CCS are roughly the same. I'd just get him started asap on some fast. It won't hurt to give him extra, as it is it's foul tasting and chances are he'll spit lots out. Do you have an eyedropper around? One whole dropper = the amount needed to help him out at least for now. Prayers to PB! Typing fast here...I'll pop in later if i get a more accurate dosage...off to shoot a cat. (insulin)

[catcrazylady]

Thank you QSA!! I'm going to SHOOT PB with a whole dropper of meds. At least I can get him started. If anyone can give me a more accurate dose then I will give him that tomorrow.
I know he will feel so much better when these things either open up or go down. I HATE abscesses!!! They are so gross and painful for the kitties!

I don't think he got stung but I don't know for sure what happened! I would think that if he had gotten stung on Saturday that he would have swelled up a whole lot sooner. I have him laying on a towel in the chair and I noticed a little bit of blood under his paw so I'm pretty sure it is an injury. At any rate the antibiotics will help.

Thanks everyone for the concern and quick responses. You know how we go into panic when the babies are hurt!!!

Just to make sure everyone knows I can promise you that if I thought it was any more serious than abscesses I would sell the house to take care of him!!! I really believe that this is what the vet would give him anyway. I just wanted to point that out because it may have sounded liek I didn't want to vet treat him. I guess I'm feeling guilty too!

[lizzielou742]

CCL, don't feel guilty!!! I understand and I am sure everyone else on here does too. Like you said, you can't get him in to the vet until Saturday, and since you know what to give him, it's not exactly emergency status yet. But yeah, since this happened on Saturday it is weird that he didn't start swelling until last night...but whatever happened, he's in good hands with you

[Grace]

I'd give him 3 cc/ml now. You say he is around 15 pounds?


And you really need to get him to the Vet. An abscess on the head can be very serious. You also need to make sure he gets lots of fluids. If he won't eat canned food, then give him water with the syringe. Offer him milk, ice cream - anything like that.

[catnapper]

Poor Peanut Butter! I wish I could help you. I'm not much help. I'll be keeping him in my prayers though. How soon would the meds start helping him? Right away or will he need a few days to start feeling better? I know I start feeling better within a day of taking antibiotics and such. {{{HUGS}}} to you and a tender hug to Peanut Butter

[catcrazylady]

Grace: Thanks for the dosage!! Don't worry he is going to the vet Saturday. I have seen a couple hundred abscesses at the shelter and I know they can get really ugly! His eye is swelled shut and is draining but it is clear liquid like tears. He will see the doc first thing Saturday morning! I just didn't want to wait before strting him on meds. The shelter vet will be at the shelter tomorrow so I can also call and ask her how much to give him until we go. I wanted something in him tonight!

Lizzielou: Thanks so much for all your kind supportive words. I'm being a big worry wart! I just hate to see them sick or hurting.

Catnapper: I hope they start working SOON! They should help him within a day or so I would think. At least stop things from getting worse! Thanks for the prayers and kind words.

[Lacey]

Oh! Poor Peanut Butter! Wish I knew more about to help out, but my skills are pretty limited to "put peroxide on a cut and then apply band-aid". Sending good thoughts and prayers your way! As well as love and scritchies to Peanut Butter!

[catcrazylady]

Good news in just the last few minutes!! PB got up and ate and drank! Then that stupid abcess on his head over his eye ruptured! It is so gross but I'm so glad because now the pressure will be relieved. He is already feeling so much better. The antibiotics should take good care of him now! I'm so sorry for the panic, freaking out post!! I see this stuff all the time at the shelter and I knew it wasn't a huge deal but I still paniced. GEESH!!!
Thank you all for being so understanding and being there for me!

Sirrahbed: aren't you glad you didn't see this earlier. You would have had to call and talk to a freaked out meowmie! You already did that when Magoo bit me! We will have to talk one day when I'm calm. (My friends would all say...dont hold your breath for that day!!)

[CatDad]

Panic is fine, at least I think it is. I did enough of it when Joey got sick.

Good thing that you had the medicine for him to take.

I don't have anything to add, but I just wanted to send prayers and good thoughts for PB. I know he will be fine.

Please let us know how he is doing.

[jenluckenbach]

Sorry, I just saw this now.
Read your bottle. Somewhere it should say how many mg/ml of medicine. Then do your math. (ex) if it say 5 mg medicine per 1 ml dose you would give between 15mg and 30 mg for a 15 pound cat)
I am glad that it is draining. you could always place a warm wet compress on it for a while. it will help.

[catnapper]

I'm so glad to hear that the pressure will be gone now! See... PT prayers came through again!

As for paniking... I wouldn't know ANYTHING about that! I never got upset when a little boy I know fell off the roof. Nope. Not me. I was the picture of stoic indifference!

And if I knew Debbie's number that night, she wouldn't have understood anything but "boohooo" and a lot of blubbering! Deb, how does anyone around her survive without you?