FOT Forum
FOT Community => General Discussion => Topic started by: erika on June 24, 2008, 06:55:46 AM
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I just got back from the Pet ER after hearing her cough constantly for the last 12 hours. She had a little cough before, but nothing like this horrible hacking sound. The vet gave her xrays and determined that she has some sort of heart disease that is causing fluid in her lungs. She said it wasn't a murmur but I should get a cardiac consult, which will cost me around 500 bucks, which I didn't have available to me at the time. So they gave her a few shots to stop the coughing and I have to figure this whole thing out. I guess what I mean is I have to take her to the regular vet and see what they say. If I can get her back in the carrier later.
I've heard horror stories about emergency vets recommending cardiac consults only to find out that the cat was going to pass away anyway.
I don't know why I'm posting this I just feel so crappy right now and I don't know what I'm going to do. I know I can borrow money if I need to but I'm scared. This cat hates going to the vet more than anything, and I can't actually administer any sort of normal medication to her. She just won't take it if it's not meat flavored.
I keep blaming myself and trying to figure out ways I could have avoided this.
(http://a15.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/50/l_d876fcc059a7013632f12728c7be48e6.jpg)
She's still coughing. I can hear the fluid. The coughs get wetter and wetter sounding. This is so awful.
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yikes. really sorry to hear that.
me and the wife have 7 kitties and have been through some heartache w/ ones getting sick in the past. i won't burden you w/ the details since i'm sure you're already bummed enough as it is - but we definitely have been in similar situations before and have blamed ourselves repeatedly for what, in retrospect, is something we could've done little to nothing about. you can't avoid this stuff - pets, like people, get sick. all you can do is let them know how much they're loved and play the hand dealt to you as best as you see fit. i hope everything works out.
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ER Vets are generally not the best, especially the overnight ones.
I would recommend finding a good vet to take her to. Your situation isn't uncommon and there are a lot of vets who are more than willing to work out payment plans if they know the other options are 1) the animal doesn't get treated or 2) they treat the animal and you never pay them. There are still a lot of vets who do it for the right reason (wanting to help animals) but they still have to get their costs covered eventually.
Hang in there. Remember, even if she were to die today, she's lived a better life with you than 99% of the animals out there, including humans. Sick pets are hard, for a long time I wasn't able to bring myself to have pets because of how hard it is to deal with them being sick or dying. You just have to remember that she's made you happy and she's had a good life.
All that being said, when we had Mr. Piggy, there was an overnight ER doc that tried to get us to put him down ,and he ended up living a long, fruitful (well, as fruitful as a guinea pig can be) life after that.
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Ugh. I'm sorry to hear this. If you have a regular vet you like and trust, I'd definitely recommend getting their opinion. You want to do what's best for your pet, but at the same time you don't want to spend a lot of money if it's not going to do any good. I know it sounds crass, but I have some experience in a similar situation (I won't bore/horrify you with the details) and it is important.
I'm hoping for the best for Sasha.
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Oh, and don't blame yourself. I did the same thing when my dog died very suddenly and unexpectedly last year and it doesn't really do any good. It seems like you've done nothing but loved and given the best to your friends, so don't blame yourself for anything bad that might (but hopefully doesn't) happen. Like Andy said, you've given her a life far greater than most of us can ever hope to have.
As a word of encouragement, one of our cats was diagnosed with a heart condition when he was a kitten. He has a heart murmur and some sort of structural defect/hole in his heart. The vet recommended that he see a cardiologist but my wife couldn't afford it at the time (she adopted him before we met) and it just never happened. However, his condition sort of stabilized (the murmur didn't get worse) and he's now 11 and doing fine.
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I'm so sorry. I hope she gets better. :(
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Keep us posted, Erika.
Best wishes.
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That sucks. But you really can't blame yourself. I agree with the other posters about how good the pets that are truly loved have it - there's no doubt that they know they are cared for every day of their lives, which is comforting to me.
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Erika, I'm so sorry. That's incredibly hard. Don't blame yourself--I've never even met you, and I can tell that you clearly love your cats and have done nothing but take good care of them.
Good luck.
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Poor Sasha from Baltimore. Pets above People really should be the slogan for 2008, and Sasha the Space Champ (hey, it's better than Sasha the Rapist) is proof of why they are high on the list. Though my cats drive me bonkers at 4 a.m. every morning I'd be torn up if they got sick.
Get well Sasha!
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[four hours of sleep later]
She stopped coughing pretty much :) I'll see what the vet says this afternoon.
Thank you all for the kind words and happy thoughts. I'm just not all that emotionally equipped to deal with this stuff.
(Sasha was born a Space Champion)
(http://farm1.static.flickr.com/22/27672944_7cd9da93c2.jpg)
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Hang tough, Marylanders. Owen is rooting for y'all.
(http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/1928/503554815lzj2.jpg)
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My 10-year old cat passed away two months ago from heart failure. It was pretty hard.
All started out about a month prior when I rushed him into the pet hospital because he was panting (not coughing). This was because he was having trouble breathing due to respitory failure (fluid in the lungs) resulting from heart failure. He was also cool too the touch due to poor circulation.
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Hang tough, Marylanders. Owen is rooting for y'all.
(http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/1928/503554815lzj2.jpg)
Owen looks like a gangsta.
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Erika,
I am so sorry to hear this sad news. My prayers are with you and Sasha. Let's do this Sasha! We are all rooting for you.
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Erika, nice to hear Sasha pulled through...keep the updates coming.
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Depending on the situation, a vet who makes house-calls is often worth the extra money.
So glad to hear Sasha's feeling better, Erika. Keep us posted.
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I'm sorry, erika. Good luck.
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Thanks. After removing my mattress and box spring (queen size) I was able to get her into the carrier and to the vet, who unfortunately wasn't able to view the xrays the other vet gave me. They're going to try to look at them later this week. (If I have to take my laptop in there I'll do it)
Basically they told me that she has a little gallop in her heart, she's too fat (16lbs!), and we should wait and see if the coughing comes back. Eventually I'll need the cardiac consult at some point but it's not a critical situation.
Thanks everyone for letting me voice my mini-pet-meltdown... I forget that she's not a kitten anymore and these things should be somewhat expected.
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Yeah, after seeing that one picture that shows her belly in all its glory, I was going to say that one of the best things you could do for her is slim her down. I restrained myself because I figured that kind of advice wasn't really what you needed/wanted to hear right now. But at the least less weight will mean less strain on her heart and less pressure on her lungs, so it's an obvious step that could make a big difference.
It's so horrible when animals are sick. The helplessness drives one insane. But don't blame yourself, kiddo. It does no good.
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you should start feeding her kitten food. every kitten I've ever seen was small.
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Be thankful that you've gotten a warning. Kitties can be really good at hiding the fact that they're sick.
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I guess I should start eating baby food.
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Ericka,
I am really sorry you are going through this. No recommendations, just my best thoughts.
Our one-year-old cat is sick as well. As of a few days ago, his eyes went all Marty Feldman on us, and we could not figure it out. On the heels of losing our older cat in a car accident, we are kinda wigged out. We are still getting to the bottom of it.
Keep us posted.
-Jon
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I hope everything goes OK, JonfromMaplewood.
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Yes, that would be very disturbing.
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One of our cats puked this morning. I think it was a sympathy yak for S.C. Sasha. I would have preferred they just sent a card.
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Jon I'm sorry to hear about your bad luck with the kitties! I hope everything turns out ok :-\
Senor -- thank your kitty for the yak. Sasha always appreciates a good yak.
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My dog yakked this morning too. But she does that about 30% of all mornings. All the same - let's say it was a sympathy yak as well.
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Yeah, good thoughts, Erika. Just do whatever you reasonably can and then leave it up to faith. I lost a cat to a congenital heart disorder in 2004 and it was pretty devastating - a LOT of medical attention (including a visit to a heart specialist on the Upper East Side) got us an extra week or two with him, but in the end it wasn't meant to be.
But I will be thinking of you guys!
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My little guy Burt pukes a lot but always acts healthy and spry. I guess I always thought it was normal for cats to vomit more than us humans. Am I wrong?
Erika, seriously, my heart is with you. These little fuckers really do become like family members, and I know how devastated I would be if I lost my furry pal. I'm doing my best to send you guys good vibes.
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I had a cat that would barf to say hello. She would barf while walking and not even slow down.
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I lost a cat to a congenital heart disorder in 2004 and it was pretty devastating - a LOT of medical attention (including a visit to a heart specialist on the Upper East Side) got us an extra week or two with him, but in the end it wasn't meant to be.
I lost Sammy to lung cancer that same year, Jason. He was 13. I went to West Palm Beach for a third opinion. There was really nothing we could do. It was really frustrating and sad. (Just to be clear, there were no smokers in the house.)
Best wishes to you and Sasha. Hope she's okay!
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She had a wheezing fit last night and coughed a little this morning. I'm going to have to borrow money from my parents. If I don't spend a few hundred dollars on tests to find out what's wrong with her I'll never forgive myself.
It just sucks because if I had managed my money better I wouldn't be in this trouble. I've taken vacations that cost more than what these tests will cost. I just don't have the cash right now.
Looks like I'll be eating PB&J for the next few months.
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She had a wheezing fit last night and coughed a little this morning. I'm going to have to borrow money from my parents. If I don't spend a few hundred dollars on tests to find out what's wrong with her I'll never forgive myself.
It just sucks because if I had managed my money better I wouldn't be in this trouble. I've taken vacations that cost more than what these tests will cost. I just don't have the cash right now.
Looks like I'll be eating PB&J for the next few months.
Here's hoping nothing serious is wrong but if Sasha requires major surgery or whatever I'm sure plenty of FOTs are willing to donate $5 or $10 bucks to the cause. I am.
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I was watching "The Savages" last night, and thought of you, Ericka. There is a secondary story in the film about a sick dog. Close enough.
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Thank you sploops. I have some ideas on how to raise some money.... I'll post them later today or tonight if anyone wants to help out. I don't want somethin for nothin, ya know?
I've never met such a nice group of people in my life.
Jon I almost watched that last night and thought better of it...
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Erika, as far as "something for nothing", i wouldnt worry about it. in my humble opinion, if money was needed for your cat, theres really nothing you or anyone could do to compensate that im donating to a good cause.
just say when.
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Erikaaaaa, please let us know your Paypal address so we can help out your Powercat.
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Yeah - from each according to his abilities to each according to his needs!
We dropped about $1000 on my dog a couple of years ago when she started shitting blood. ("Strawberry jam diarrhea" is what they call it in the biz, apparently. Sorry, folks.) Thank goodness we could afford it. I'd be happy to throw a few bucks towards helping out a good cat.
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I'll throw some money in as well.
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Interesting, Bryan. My sister's dog recently went through a five-day bout of the runs that culminated with what Martha called red currant jelly diarrhea. Martha, who used to be a doctor, said she'd smelled gastrointestinal bleeds and that was the smell she was getting off the dog. The vet, however, was not impressed, merely prescribing an antidiarrhea medication and saying nothing about the exotic poop. The dog's all better now, so there's nothing urgent going on here, but I'd still very much like to know what your vet said about that strawberry jam diarrhea, just in case the problem recurs.
Oh, and I'd kick in some money as well, erika.
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That sounds pretty similar to what my dog Poppy went through. There was never a definitive diagnosis. (That could go in the "Movie Titles You'd Like to See" thread - Diagnosis: Diarrhea.)
Poppy had been vomiting a lot, and around the time of the strawberry jam incident, she was basically not keeping any food down. She spent almost a week at the vet's, on an IV and on anti-diarrheal and anti-nauseant medications. They mostly just kept her hydrated and stable until her body started to recover. There was speculation that she'd eaten something poisonous, but we didn't think that had happened.
Immediately after all this, that dog food contamination scare hit the headlines. The food we'd been feeding Poppy wasn't recalled, but some other brands by the same manufacturer were. We've since changed her food to something better (California Naturals + plenty of real food) and there's never been a repeat performance. She does continue to have a pretty sensitive digestive system, though. I can't be sure that her food was the culprit, but it does seem likely.
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http://www.friendsoftom.com/forum/index.php/topic,3362.0.html
Well done, Jason.
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Very similar indeed. Gigi has a fussy digestive system, and my sister had just made an adjustment to her diet. G. didn't vomit as much as Poppy, but the diarrhea was terrible. I think the jam effect was probably just the result of days and days of insult. It was scary, though.
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It was scary, though.
Yeah. It looked like the crimson lifesblood of this sweet animal was gushing out of her rear. Simply horrifying.
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It was scary, though.
Yeah. It looked like the crimson lifesblood of this sweet animal was gushing out of her rear. Simply horrifying.
Thanks for that visual, Bryan. Get well soon, Sasha.
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I lost a cat a few months ago because a few warning signs, I thought were from the cat being crazy. She was always a skinny minnie cat would would sometimes run from/attack ghosts and do other lunatic things, so it just didn't occur to me there was something really wrong. She was the barf cat I wrote about above.
So she got a blood clot and was in terrible pain and half paralyzed and had to be put down. A few times earlier, she had done this thing where she couldn't walk and looked like she was in pain, but then quickly got over it. I think I've posted about this before. Still sad to think about. For real: :'( :'(
If I would have taken her to the vet the first time, it's a relatively easy thing to fix or prevent from reoccurring. Saddle thrombosis. It actually kills a lot of cats.
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General sympathy to everyone on this thread who lost a pet - it sucks so much. And yeah, you gotta do whatever you can. Even though I could really use that money now, I don't regret blowing it on my late cat (Murray) for a single second. I never thought I would spend that kind of money on a sick pet until I had one.
The other thing is (and I'm sure no one cares about this) it was my first semester as a full-time teacher and it temporarily made me into a mean, flaming asshole.
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My (now-healthy) Poppy wishes your cat a speedy recovery.
(http://img187.imageshack.us/img187/948/home001ade6so7.jpg)
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Hope things are going okay, Erika. I just came back to the board after a month-long separation from my computer. Best wishes for Sasha..my heart goes out to you.
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How's she doing, by the way?
She still has asthma attacks from time to time, and won't tolerate some of the medication that's specifically for respiratory disease. We've tried a few different things. So she's just on a high dose of prednisone twice a day to suppress the attacks. No major side effects except she drinks more. I can tell when she's having a good day or a bad day... more good than bad right now.
And I'm left knowing that my cat will die because my friends and I smoked around her for 9 years. So there's that, too.
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It's been almost 2 years since this all went down... I still think of how everyone here helped me (even though Jason isn't still "here" all the time... he was the one who really got the effort rolling) and Sasha is doing better than ever.
Actually, she's become a huge pain in the ass again. Knocking things over when I sleep, playing incessantly in the middle of the night, chirping at the birds early in the morning. And when she's not doing that she's still a total lap cat. It's awesome. She's still on medication but rarely has an issue and hasn't had any more emergencies save for one about a year ago.
She's my soul-cat. I love her so much and I don't think she'd be here if I wasn't able to diagnose her and pay for all the x-rays, emergency bills, cardiac consult, initial medications, etc. etc. It still means the world to me and I'll never forget it.
Cat nip!
http://www.facebook.com/v/283992481935
Belly rub!
http://www.facebook.com/v/193854481935"
(Yeah she's still fat but I can't seem to be able to do anything about that. She's always been fat and she'll always be fat.)
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Awww, I'm glad she's doing well.
I wish I could rub Zowie's belly without worrying about losing a hand!
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Sasha was bottle-fed and a runt so I think that's why she thinks she's a human baby.
I actually have a bellyrubbin series:
http://www.facebook.com/v/223184946935
http://www.facebook.com/v/220074496935
Do you have another kitty named Wowie?
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Yay for good cat news!
I love the ABC ad in the background of one, and the Wally Wackamen (sp?) episode in the background of the other.
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Sasha was bottle-fed and a runt so I think that's why she thinks she's a human baby.
I actually have a bellyrubbin series:
http://www.facebook.com/v/223184946935
http://www.facebook.com/v/220074496935
Do you have another kitty named Wowie?
no, we got Zowie when I was going through a David Bowie phase.
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I'm glad to know Sasha is doing well.
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no, we got Zowie when I was going through a David Bowie phase.
So the name is pronounced "Woe-wee"?