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#11
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"Liz" wrote in message m... No, not necessarily. A cat (or person) can have a severe infection and still have a normal temp. Absolutely. A friend of mine had pneumonia and didn't have a fever. There are a bunch of pneumonias, & as I understand it, there is one kind of pneumonia which is not associated w/ a fever. However, most pneumonias are. Cathy -- "Staccato signals of constant information..." ("The Boy in the Bubble") Paul Simon |
#12
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There are a bunch of pneumonias, & as I understand it, there is one kind of
pneumonia which is not associated w/ a fever. However, most pneumonias are. Cathy Yep, pneumonias can be caused by an array of things. She had pneumococcus. She said she never had a fever in her life and doctors have told her that some people in fact do not have fever ever. Instead of fever, she has an emotional breakdown - she cries and cries and doesn't know why she's crying (she does not have depression, that's just the way she is). Once the underlying cause is taken care of, she stops crying. Weird, isn't it? |
#13
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There are a bunch of pneumonias, & as I understand it, there is one kind of
pneumonia which is not associated w/ a fever. However, most pneumonias are. Cathy Yep, pneumonias can be caused by an array of things. She had pneumococcus. She said she never had a fever in her life and doctors have told her that some people in fact do not have fever ever. Instead of fever, she has an emotional breakdown - she cries and cries and doesn't know why she's crying (she does not have depression, that's just the way she is). Once the underlying cause is taken care of, she stops crying. Weird, isn't it? |
#14
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"Liz" wrote in message om... Are his blood levels of calcium and phosphorus within normal range? They'll test again on Monday...I'll request a printout of the results. Most feeds today are acidified to prevent struvites. So you'd need to switch him to a neutral food like a kidney diet or a canned diet that is not acidified (IMO, canned is a must for CRF, ARF (acute RF), or a cat with history of uroliths). What are you feeding him now? He's been on dry food only since I got him, but I've been giving him some wet for the past few days. He seems to prefer dry. You did not mention if you are giving him any meds. Some meds can cause ARF or anemia. He's not on any meds. He's always been pretty healthy (he's only 6!) Has he been holding out his right paw at times since he became lethargic? Has the vet examined his paw or x-rayed it? No, it's something that seems to have gotten worse over the past few days. I'll have to get him to walk for the vet. He "sprained" his paw in a fight with the neighbourhood bully cat last year. He hopped around on three legs no problem Does he limp when he walks? The lethargy may be primarily because of the paw - he may be feeling more pain than he shows. I found a very nice text discussing feline anemia and possible causes. It's at http://www.drpetra.com/Cats/Anemia%20in%20Cats.htm I believe you took him in again today. Any news? I didn't take him in yesterday because he used his litter box. I deferred it to Monday, when the vet opens at 8:30 instead of 10. I don't want to traumatise the cat any more than necessary by not letting him go pee whenever he wants! Plus there was a sign of improvement....Timothy jumped up on my bed and started purring loudly, and seemed very alert. Today, it's back to the way it was. So Monday at 8:30 it is. I'll get them to do the full blood work. do you think this list of things to look into is complete enough? blood pH calcium and phosphate levels creatinine urea potassium PCV CBC Is there anything I should add? Toni |
#15
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"Liz" wrote in message om... Are his blood levels of calcium and phosphorus within normal range? They'll test again on Monday...I'll request a printout of the results. Most feeds today are acidified to prevent struvites. So you'd need to switch him to a neutral food like a kidney diet or a canned diet that is not acidified (IMO, canned is a must for CRF, ARF (acute RF), or a cat with history of uroliths). What are you feeding him now? He's been on dry food only since I got him, but I've been giving him some wet for the past few days. He seems to prefer dry. You did not mention if you are giving him any meds. Some meds can cause ARF or anemia. He's not on any meds. He's always been pretty healthy (he's only 6!) Has he been holding out his right paw at times since he became lethargic? Has the vet examined his paw or x-rayed it? No, it's something that seems to have gotten worse over the past few days. I'll have to get him to walk for the vet. He "sprained" his paw in a fight with the neighbourhood bully cat last year. He hopped around on three legs no problem Does he limp when he walks? The lethargy may be primarily because of the paw - he may be feeling more pain than he shows. I found a very nice text discussing feline anemia and possible causes. It's at http://www.drpetra.com/Cats/Anemia%20in%20Cats.htm I believe you took him in again today. Any news? I didn't take him in yesterday because he used his litter box. I deferred it to Monday, when the vet opens at 8:30 instead of 10. I don't want to traumatise the cat any more than necessary by not letting him go pee whenever he wants! Plus there was a sign of improvement....Timothy jumped up on my bed and started purring loudly, and seemed very alert. Today, it's back to the way it was. So Monday at 8:30 it is. I'll get them to do the full blood work. do you think this list of things to look into is complete enough? blood pH calcium and phosphate levels creatinine urea potassium PCV CBC Is there anything I should add? Toni |
#16
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"Phil P." wrote in message ... "Toni from T.O." wrote in message .. . How? H. felis isn't easy to rule in or out. Parasitemia is cyclic, so the absence of the organisms from blood doesn't rule out haemobart. We didn't catch it in the blood until the *fourth* consecutive day's smear. Did your vet examine *fresh* blood or did he refrigerate the sample and send it to a lab? That can also produce a false negative because the organism usually detaches from RBCs in refrigerated, anticoagulated blood. You'll also get a false negative if you examine the blood while the cat is being treated with a tetracyline because the organisms are absent while cats are being treated with tetracyclines. The blood was sent off to a lab, so I suppose it was refrigerated. He is actually not on tetracycline, nor was he when the blood was drawn. I have the prescription, but am waiting for the go ahead to start administering. Also did your vet determine the *type* of anemia? A nonregenerative (and normocytic, normochromic) anemia is usually associated with CRF -- a regenerative anemia is usually associated with H-bart. Its very important to determine the type of anemia from the *start*. It's non-regenerative. There are many causes of anemia - (e.g., hemolytic anemia from oxidative damage [eating onions or other oxidative substance]. autoimmune hemolytic anemia, Cytauxzoon, etc.) -- I can't go into all of the possible causes now. Determining the cause can be very difficult - especially in outdoor cats. In many cases, Epo or transfusions are necessary until the cause can be found and corrected - so make sure your vet is prepared. His PCV is 22, same as last week. His heart murmur is probably physiological and due to anemia. Anemia reduces blood viscosity -- as the PCV decreases, blood becomes more like water, making it easier for turbulence to develop. Its more difficult to produce turbulence in normal blood because its more viscous Stroke volume also increases in anemic cats to compensate for the loss of oxygen-carrying cells (RBCs). The combination of the reduced blood viscosity and the increased stroke volume (increased velocity) can produce a heart murmur in a perfectly healthy heart.. The vet did say Tim's blood is thin. One last note, if the anemia was due to CRF, your cat would probably have a dilute urine from the loss of the kidneys' ability to concentrate urine. Also, a concentrated urine usually distinguishes prerenal azotemia from primary renal azotemia. So the first order of business is determining your cat's urine specific gravity (USG). Check. They're doing a culture today, and hopefully will check that too. I understand your anxiety and frustration - I've been there too many times - but you gotta keep the faith! Best of luck. Phil Wow, thanks for a very informative post. You're either a vet or an extremely experienced cat owner! Toni |
#17
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"Phil P." wrote in message ... "Toni from T.O." wrote in message .. . How? H. felis isn't easy to rule in or out. Parasitemia is cyclic, so the absence of the organisms from blood doesn't rule out haemobart. We didn't catch it in the blood until the *fourth* consecutive day's smear. Did your vet examine *fresh* blood or did he refrigerate the sample and send it to a lab? That can also produce a false negative because the organism usually detaches from RBCs in refrigerated, anticoagulated blood. You'll also get a false negative if you examine the blood while the cat is being treated with a tetracyline because the organisms are absent while cats are being treated with tetracyclines. The blood was sent off to a lab, so I suppose it was refrigerated. He is actually not on tetracycline, nor was he when the blood was drawn. I have the prescription, but am waiting for the go ahead to start administering. Also did your vet determine the *type* of anemia? A nonregenerative (and normocytic, normochromic) anemia is usually associated with CRF -- a regenerative anemia is usually associated with H-bart. Its very important to determine the type of anemia from the *start*. It's non-regenerative. There are many causes of anemia - (e.g., hemolytic anemia from oxidative damage [eating onions or other oxidative substance]. autoimmune hemolytic anemia, Cytauxzoon, etc.) -- I can't go into all of the possible causes now. Determining the cause can be very difficult - especially in outdoor cats. In many cases, Epo or transfusions are necessary until the cause can be found and corrected - so make sure your vet is prepared. His PCV is 22, same as last week. His heart murmur is probably physiological and due to anemia. Anemia reduces blood viscosity -- as the PCV decreases, blood becomes more like water, making it easier for turbulence to develop. Its more difficult to produce turbulence in normal blood because its more viscous Stroke volume also increases in anemic cats to compensate for the loss of oxygen-carrying cells (RBCs). The combination of the reduced blood viscosity and the increased stroke volume (increased velocity) can produce a heart murmur in a perfectly healthy heart.. The vet did say Tim's blood is thin. One last note, if the anemia was due to CRF, your cat would probably have a dilute urine from the loss of the kidneys' ability to concentrate urine. Also, a concentrated urine usually distinguishes prerenal azotemia from primary renal azotemia. So the first order of business is determining your cat's urine specific gravity (USG). Check. They're doing a culture today, and hopefully will check that too. I understand your anxiety and frustration - I've been there too many times - but you gotta keep the faith! Best of luck. Phil Wow, thanks for a very informative post. You're either a vet or an extremely experienced cat owner! Toni |
#18
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do you think this list of things to look into is complete
enough? blood pH calcium and phosphate levels creatinine urea potassium PCV CBC Is there anything I should add? Toni Yes, the most important: total carbon dioxide. This will tell you if his blood is acidic and correcting metabolic acidosis is critical. |
#19
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do you think this list of things to look into is complete
enough? blood pH calcium and phosphate levels creatinine urea potassium PCV CBC Is there anything I should add? Toni Yes, the most important: total carbon dioxide. This will tell you if his blood is acidic and correcting metabolic acidosis is critical. |
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