Ktns, I recognize that you are one big, frayed nerve at the moment. I'm right there with you, because I live on a farm with a boatload of animals with various medical concerns that I manage every day. The only difference is that I've been doing this for decades, so I have a somewhat more experienced perspective from which to respond. Please understand that I'm just trying to share some of my experience in the hope that it will help you help Chii.
It seemed (at least via text) that you were really just talking down to my vet, and being pessimistic about any progress/attempts to take care of Chii.
You're not entirely wrong about my attitude toward most vets. I've dealt with a lot of vets in my lifetime, and I can count on one hand (with several fingers left over) the number of vets I've dealt with who I consider to be really exceptional ... or even as knowledgeable or as good at dealing with human clients as I think it's reasonable to expect them to be.
What I have learned about vets over the years is that they are, indeed, human. They are - as are we all - sometimes imperfectly knowledgeable, forgetful, overworked, overwrought, under-educated, and yes, frayed. Yet many of their clients (myself included) often impose an expectation of unrealistic perfection on them. That expectation has caused me a tremendous amount of frustration and anger toward vets in the past, and still does occasionally when realistic thinking evades me.
Over the years my unrealistic expectations have been largely replaced by resolved disappointment. It has, much more productively, also been replaced by my assuming responsibility for overseeing and actively advocating for my animals' health care. This includes researching my animal's health concerns, networking with others dealing with similar animal health issues, and partnering strongly with my vets. Long gone are the days when I blindly accept everything my vets say or recommend without question or input. I question everything, and my vet and I discuss treatment and management options. We listen to each other and bounce ideas off of each other. And when all is said and done, I implement whatever treatment strategies make the most sense to me based on my own research, my vet's input, and most importantly, on what I believe to be in the best interest of the individual animal.
The point I'm trying to make here is that I feel it's crucially important for caretakers to assume active roles as advocates for their animals' veterinary care and to become partners with their vets, rather than servants to imperfect veterinary masters.
Whew! Off that little soapbox ... for now.
Im really cautious as to force anything on her without the vets take on it.
Do I really need to get back on my soapbox again so soon? LOL! If I were in your situation, here are the things I would be discussing with the vet immediately:
1) assist feeding
2) feeding tube
3) appetite stimulants (cyproheptadine, mirtazapine)
4) antiemetics (cisapride, metoclopramide)
to answer your questions her tests were run Sunday morning.
You mean, this last Sunday morning, 5/13? How were her liver values then? Had they changed since the last blood test? OK, another brief soapbox moment - You should always request and keep copies of ALL labwork run on your animals for any reason. Vets rarely have time to go over an animal's history during a vet visit, so it's really up to owners to keep a handle on their own animal's health status and any changes over time. Also, I can't tell you how many times a vet has told me that my animal's bloodwork was "fine" or "perfect", only to find that it was neither fine nor perfect as soon as I saw the lab report myself.
I get that shes not 100%, and that our time is limited the longer it goes, trust me I cry about it every couple of hours. The vet doesnt want to seem to do anything except wait for when the tests come back
Channel those tears into advocacy with your vet tomorrow. No matter how good the vet is, he will never have the sort of emotional investment you have in the welfare of your cat. He also will never know your cat the way you do. At the end of the day, YOU are the one who is ultimately responsible for your cat's health care decisions. YOU make the final determinations regarding her course of treatment, and YOU are the one who implements that treatment on a daily basis.
How long do you keep waiting, or testing, or forcefeeding? I know thats usually up to the owner, but I mean whats reasonable?
Well, you're right, it is up to you. It's all up to you. But here are a few cat facts that may help you in your decisions. It's common for cats to stop eating when they don't feel well for whatever reason. Usually, when a cat's body recovers from whatever was making it feel oogy, the cat starts eating again. Occasionally, though, something goes funky, and the cat continues to refuse food even after the body appears otherwise healthy. In those cases, assist feeding (or even a feeding tube) can sometimes kickstart the appetite and get the cat eating on her own again. Sometimes that can happen after a meal or two, and sometimes it can take months of assist feeding before the cat miraculously starts eating again. Strange and befuddling creatures, these felines.
Of course, it's also possible that your girl may have an insidious illness that has eluded diagnosis thus far. If that's the case, she will probably become more symptomatic over time, hopefully making diagnosis and effective treatment possible.
Im afraid if we force feed her shes going to start vomiting again. Isnt that a step backward?
There are antiemetics to control vomiting. My boy, Noddy, vomits everything he eats without his metoclopramide twice a day. Again, this is something you need to advocate for with your vet.
Also... she had surgery on Thurs, could the stress of that and the tense action of the muscles hurt the incision?
Feed small meals frequently. That should prevent her stomach from overfilling. I syringe feed Noddy small meals frequently throughout the day. Anything more than 40 ccs per meal makes him vomit. Your girl may need even smaller meals more frequently while she's recovering from surgery. Your vet should be able to guide you with this.
we cant force him to come up with something, or can we? Idk...
Vets don't respond well to force. Too many of them don't even respond well to partnering or advocacy. Part of your job as a pet parent is to find a vet with whom you CAN partner effectively. If that's your current vet, great! If not, keep looking.
Laurie
