((((((Rich))))))))
I'm so sorry to hear about your cat....
I had to force feed one of mine a few months ago, and although it's hard (emotionally...I felt so horrible) it's for the best.
I don't have any advice to give you, other than to try to coax him into eating as much as you can - I was told to put some parmesan cheese on top of the food, choose the smelliest one available, and sit there and try to feed it to him by spoon - sometimes that will start things going.
I hope Gilligan is feeling better, let us know how he is.

 

Sorry to hear about Gilligan, I hope the vet can make him better

Best wishes to you both

 

Thank you both for your wishes.

I just got off the phone with the Vet. They finished the Ultrasound and found nothing. Although thats good, it doesn't help to find what's wrong with him. She said there was another Vet present during the Ultrasound that reviewed all of Gilligan's records and has no explanation either. She suggested now that they do a Spleen Asperate (sp?). ALthough I gave them the go ahead, im not sure what good it will do. We'll see. She's gonna call me back when they are done.

 

Did they test him for Lukemia???

When my Pookie got sick I took him to my vet & the first thing she noticed was his pale gums. She immediately suspected Feline Lukemia. His blood pressure was extremely low & his chest cavity was filled with fluid. He was already near death so I agreed to PTS. He did indeed have Lukemia. I lost my boy 11/28/2003 & I miss him still.

 

hugs & prayers being sent to the sweet furry

 

Hi Everyone,

Im so sorry about Pookie. Yes, they tested him for Lukemia. It was negative. The Dr. just called me with some more results. They had tested his stool for parasites and tested him for Infectious Feline Anemia and all came back neg. She mentioned he ate all his food last night which is great. She mentioned some diarreaha though. He hadnt had any of that. Could just be the stress of being at the hospital . She doesnt want to put him on any more meds so we're gonna wait it out and see if it continues or gets worse.

Im picking him up and bringing him home tonight. Im happy he'll be back in his home and more relaxed but at the same time, Im back to square one. There has been no resolution for the anemia and in the condition he was in on Monday, im afraid i'll bring him home and he'll get bad again. We'll see what happens.

THanks for your prayers dmcwlvssr. Every bit helps.

 

I hope kitty recovers!

 

You and your Gilligan are in my thoughts and prayers.

 

I'll keep fingers and paws crossed for your kitty

 

Is your vet good?? Maybe get a second oppinion from a very good well known cat hospital??? I don't know about the antacids...cats can't talk so how do doctors know it makes them feel better????


I know what you feel like. My perisan is almost 14 and I had her since she was born. I freak with the slightest little problem.

I hope all goes well sincerely and again try to get a second oppinion!!

 

This is just some of the info I came up with while doing a search on the possible toxicity/side-effects of Pepcid AC: Although it states it for people- the system is the same.
Liver damage. (This is more likely with ranitidine than other H2 blockers, but is rare in any event.)
Kidney-related complications. Adverse effects on the central nervous system in patients with even moderate renal (kidney) insufficiency have been reported with famotidine and may result in anxiety, depression, and mental disturbances. [SeeBox FDA Warning for Famotidine (Pepcid AC).]
Increased risk for pneumonia in hospitalized patients.
Ulcer complications (perforation, bleeding). Some experts are concerned that the use of acid-blocking drugs may actually increase the risk for serious complications from ulcers by masking their symptoms.
FDA Warning for Famotidine (Pepcid AC)
Famotidine is excreted primarily by the kidney. This can pose a danger to people with kidney problems. Physicians are now being advised by the US Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada to reduce the dose and increase the time between doses in patients with kidney failure. Use of the drug in those with impaired kidney function can affect the central nervous system and may result in anxiety, depression, insomnia or drowsiness, and mental disturbances.

 

just checking in to see how Gilligan is doing. hugs & prayers are being sent

 

Hi Everyone,

I picked up Gilligan from the hospital on Wednesday. He came home and was starving. I fed him a little (didnt want to over do it) and he gobbled it up. All day thurs, fri and sat he ate all his meals. He was doing so well, that i decided not to give him any pepcid or anything else. I just kept giving him the B vitiamin supplement and the potassium. I was so happy but in the back of my mind i knew that whatever was causing the anemia and lack of appetite had not been resolved and could come back at any minute. Well, in Sunday he started vomiting that clear liquid again and eating less.

This morning I called the vet to see if they had gotten the results in for the asperate of the spleen that they did. When the vet called back, he infomred me that they found that Gilligan's spleen tested positive for lymphoma. He also said that in the ultrasound that they had done it showed a small lump on the liver, about 1/2 cm, that more than likely was also cancer.

He said that my options are either to put him on chemo or to Euthanize him. He said that removing the Spleen didnt seem like a good option because more than likely the Liver was affected too. So to put a 17 yr old cat through that didnt make sense. He said that if it were his cat, he'd put him on Chemo and see how he does. He said its 9 weeks of a weekly treatment, followed by every other week, and eventually monthly. He said, that in general cats dont react to chemo like humans do. The dont get as sick. In the cases where a cat cannot tolerate it though, it would probably need to be put to sleep.

Im very confused right now and dont know what I should do. I have to think about it. He seemed so happy the past 3 or 4 days that Euthanizing him at this point doesnt make any sense to me. Its not an option.

Any advise would be appreciated.

 

This is exactly what my cat Lucy had, she was only 12 years old, She also went though Chemo but unfortunately a week before she had a major operation to open her up to check she really did have lymphomas, (she did and was infested with them, liver, kidneys, bowel, spleen) She stopped eating and went down hill very quickly (within the space of about 10 hours) and we decided to have her put down (worse night of my life)

If I had to do the Chemo again I would without a hesitation, she seemed fine on it, although she seemed a little nausous (sp) after the first treament, but it really did pick her up, I was also told by my vet that she would have a 5% chance of complete recovery, well I had to give her that chance.

Good luck on whatever you decide

 

If it were mine

If it were my cat I'd first do the research to see if the type of lymhoma the cat has is treatable, i.e., what is the success rate and will it stay in remission. When my cat Snow was diagosed I did a lot research and learned that treating some cancers only works for 3 months.

I wouldn't rush to euthanize the cat until his quality of life goes down.

My prayers are with you. I have a very sick 20 yr. old right now that we suspect has cancer so I know what you are going through. I've had 4 others, all under the age of 5 die with cancer.

 

Oh God, I'm so sorry to hear this...what heartbreak!

I read the previous posts briefly... in regards to his renal failure...I wanted to point out that elevated potassium levels occur with inadequate renal function...sounds risky to be giving him potassium supplements.

With renal failure there is weight GAIN as the illness progresses & fluids are retained. Giving an overlaod of fluid can cause heart failure, pulmonary edema etc.

Ask your DVM how the chemo that he/she plans to use will be tolerated with your babies impaired renal function.

Ask how virulent the progression of lymphoma is regardless of chemo. Ask the same question relative to the liver mass.

Ask if the QUALITY of your cats time left will be adversely affected by the chemo...chemo can have some devastating side effects

Sometimes the cure can be worse than the cause...

Ask the DVM to cite specific cases in his experience & the outcome

Ask him to be specific to both the liver cancer & the lymphoma...

Get your answers & then follow your heart... (BTW I know just how anguishing this is)

 

I read the previous posts briefly... in regards to his renal failure...I wanted to point out that elevated potassium levels occur with inadequate renal function...sounds risky to be giving him potassium supplements.

Thanks for all the great advise. I've added some of the points you brought up to my list of questions to ask the vet. One thing Im confused about though, is your quote above. What the Dr. prescribed Gilligan is a med called Tummil K. It's a Potassium supplement for cats with Renal problems. I was under the impression that cats that had renal problems needed the supplement. Quite the opposite of what you stated.

 

awe, I'm so sorry It's so sad to see your cat sick.

My Jazzy who was 10.5yo when I lost her, just died about a month ago. I know how you feel.

I hope your kitty makes it... and I understand what you're going through.

This forum is great for advice and support.

Let us know how Gilligan is doing.