I have a very sick kitty!

[Laura's Babies]

Barbra, is that why I haven't heard from you?...you thought I was out of town? Nope!! I been right here.. Took some "treats" to Dr. Van's office today when I went.. (Experimented with a recipe and it came out good so I took them some of them).... CALL ME!

I SO hope Gabby bounces back and gets over this hump.. He is already so pitiful looking being as skinny as he already is so any set back would scear me to death... If you need me, call me!

[BarbPond]

Laura.... I will call you in a little while. Waiting for Wayne to call me right now. I even stopped by your house but the driveway was empty and nobody at home. You must have been at the Chiropractor when I came by. It was sometime between 2:30 and 3:00 pm.

Yeah Laura it scared me to death also! That is why I really couldnt think straight today!

Thank you Pomtzu and Taz_Zoee for your latest posts. I am surprised you could view my cat page as I have been working on adding Wayne's two cats (Tic and Tac) all day.

LOL... about Grumbles.... it took us a solid year for me to be able to even pick him up and about another year before he would trust Wayne. He was so very mistreated and scared. He still fusses sometime but now I think he does it just to see if he can scare us!! It dont work as I just tell him to shut up!

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so glad to hear that you'll be giving Gabby more time to heal. Hopefully he'll start improving and he'll gain some weight. I also took a look at your website and you have some gorgeous cats past and present. Since I'm such a big orangie fan I enjoyed seeing all of the orangies. I look forward to seeing and reading more of your posts in the future.

[Medusa]

I'm just now seeing this. I'm so glad that you're not rushing into a decision. As others have stated, FIV isn't a death sentence although I'll admit to never having had a cat w/FIV. It's difficult to know where to draw the line, though, and most, if not all of us, here on PT have been there. Please keep us posted. And welcome to Pet Talk!

[BarbPond]

Up date on Gabby...

He is not in good shape and Laura described his condition in her post...

He is already so pitiful looking being as skinny as he already is so any set back would scear me to death...

Yes he has been eating like crazy yesterday but that may be due to the fact that I was giving him his favorite food, shredded baked chicken breast! But he still has the "run" after he eats. And he is so weak that he cant get up on the bed by himself. I have a shorter bench at the foot of the bed but he still cant make it up. He "claws" his way up on the sofa though. Or just sleeps in one of the many kitty beds I have.

I feel that if we can get him to where he can digest food right then he will improve some. Poor thing he cant put on weight if he cant keep his food in his body long enough for it to do some good.

I have put a call into the vet and he is supposed to call me back, which he will do as he knows me well. Have been using this vet for 15+ years but I have tried some of the other local vets at times. Did not like them at all. There is a good vet in Baton Rouge that Laura uses but I have only been there once and it is a good ways (30 miles) for me to drive with my glasses still not right.

I am thinking that I may just go back to this vet today and talk to him in person! I want to tell him all of what you nice folks have told me and have him do that blood test.

Opinions Welcome.......

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm sorry to hear that he's not doing well. I had a cat that would have severe diarrhea and he also became very thin because everything he ate would come out of him again. This was my RB Starr and he was diagnosed with IBD,irritable bowel disease, and also colitis. He was put on prednisolone which did help but later on he gained so much weight that he could barely move. Yes, I would definitely go back to your vet and have some blood work done or at least talk to your vet more about Gabby. Also ask your vet about vitamin B12 injections. These really helped my RB Starr and they also help to increase the appetite and help to increase energy. Good luck. I'll continue to keep Gabby in my thoughts and prayers.

[BarbPond]

Yeah....

Doc called me back already!!! He said that since I decided to try and keep him a bit longer that he wants to try treating Gabby with 2 different antibotics. Baytril (enrofloxacin) and Clindamycin. He said that I do not have to bring him in again and pay for another visit but to just come get the medecine. He said he would talk to me about the meds when I get there. He also said these meds should help with about any secondary infection that Gabby may have and wants to try this before sticking poor Gabby and doing blood work on him.

He is so boney that I am sure a needle would not feel good at all. This doc is so sweet and gentle with the animals!

Ps: This doc also knows that I love cats dearly and that we dont have much money so he trys his best to save me some $$$. I am sure he will give me the meds for cost price.

[lvpets2002]

Sorry to hear that your Precious Baby is sick.. I sure hope the meds will work & fast.. Come on wittle baby & get to feeling better real soon.. Sending Lots of Prayers & Huggss..

[BarbPond]

Well first off let me say that Gabby never did loose his appetite! It just would go right through him.

I went and got the meds and he also put him on Hill's prescription diet for gastrominal problems, in the can. I got the meds and when I got home I fed Gabby the new food and he ate about 1/3 of the can. I then gave him his pills which he didnt like too well. But I got them down him with only one tiny scratch from a hind claw. He sure wanted to get away!!

Doc had a big grin on his face when he saw me and he motioned for me to come into the back hall. He said he was glad I didnt have Gabby put to sleep. He said "I figured you would be back soon." When I asked how he figured that he simply said, "Because you are one of the sweetest persons I know and because I can tell how much you love you cats!" I was caught off guard by that and didnt know how to reply so I just gave him a hug and said thanks! He told me to call him and he would return my calls if I had any questions.

[BarbPond]

Thanks to everyone here that has helped me with this problem! You are all a bunch of nice, caring, pet lovers!

Hugs to all....

[Medusa]

Sounds like you have one of the good guys for a vet. That's so important! We're praying here for Gabby and you. Keep the faythe.

[kaycountrygal]

BarbPond, I just went to your site and read about all your lovely cats and how they ended up with you & hubby. I'm glad you now have a hubby that appreciates & loves cats. Yes, You certainly do have a lot of experience with cats. I do hope Gabby gets to feeling better. It sure sounds as if you know what to do and how to take care of him.

I hope your vision gets better and that the computer glasses help. It was good to read about you and your cats. Kay in NC Th 1.28.11

[Freedom]

I hesitated to return to this thread; now I'm glad I did.

I went to look and meet all your cats, what a lovely clowder you have!

I also did some checking on FIV online -- as I have one FIV+ boy, never hurts to recheck stuff. So, those things that you listed from th cat medicine book, I found here too:
http://www.animalhealthchannel.com/fiv/symptoms.shtml

I didn't remember that FIV progresses in stages. This is the bit I remembered:
FIV & Opportunistic Infections

Opportunistic infections are the major cause of death in FIV-positive cats. They usually develop in the skin and the gastrointestinal tract. Some common symptoms are poor coat condition, persistent fever, and loss of appetite. Other symptoms and conditions include the following:

And it is under that section that they list the anemia, weight loss, and other things you had listed.

So, if you can treat each symptom, that should help.

The reason I was afraid to come back is, as I thought about how you and Laura described him, 5 pounds and so thin, I sort of ended up leaning the other way. I'm glad you are going to push forward and give another try!

Those 2 meds should cover infections. I wonder about something for the anemia? That makes a person feel tired and sluggish; if that is addressed, it may help him feel better.

Prayers for Gabby, and for you, from RI.

[BarbPond]

I wonder about something for the anemia? That makes a person feel tired and sluggish; if that is addressed, it may help him feel better.

I said in one of my posts while just rambling on... I have anemia myself so I know how it makes you feel. It got so bad last November that I had to go to the hospital and get 3 pints of blood. I was so tired that I was having a really hard time walking from one room to another! I felt almost 100% better after I got the blood! I now take 325 mg of Iron each day. But Iron supplements can to mess up your digestive system at times. But that is something we can check into later on.

I am going to go to that website you posted and do some reading. Thanks for posting it!

[BarbPond]

Freedom....

The cat veterninary book we have is:
Cat Owner's Home Veterninary Handbook
by, Delbert G. Carlson, D.V.M. and James M. Giffin, M.D.

It is a good size book with over 400 pages in it. We use it fairly often.

We also have a book on Cat Emergency Treatments.

Gabby Update:
He is taking his meds for me like a good boy! He also likes the new food and as soon as I get his bowl out he starts meowing like crazy! I have been giving him just a 1/3 of a can at each feeding and I am feeding him about 3 times a day. Dont want to overload his tummy. His motor skills are improving some as he can now jump up and down from the kitty benches. Right now he is sleeping in the sunshine on one of the benches. I think he is feeling a bit better already but still looks real sick.