auto-immune disease in cats

Ann Maree wrote:
I have 6 other cats besides my Sam. Two ( Tom and Poo ) I found in a
trash dumpster behind a restaurant where I worked years ago. They
were only 2 days old. A co-worker helped me get them out, and to the
vet I went! They are now inside spoiled rotten cats! It was fun
bottle feeding them, and raising them from such an early age! Someone
had thrown them in the dumpster. They were 4 kittens, but an employee
at the vet's office took two for herself. They are now 9 years old.
Another cat, Mama, was a stray when we moved to the country years
ago. We gradually took her in as one of the family too, and she had
two kittens who are also part of the family. ( Ranger and Whiner )
The last one, Storm, my son and I found one stormy night alone on a
country road. He was maybe 5 weeks old. We asked around, but nobody
ever claimed him, so he became a member of the family too!

Now we have a stray black cat hanging around........

Annie

Sounds like you are about to get an eighth cat. This is basically how I
aquired all my cats. they just wandered in and liked the "cut of my jib" so
they stayed. Mine are all outside cats, so they can leave at any time. Not
surprisingly, they stay pretty close to home. The females all hiss and spit
at each other inside the house, but when they are out on the porch sunning
themselves, they get along pretty well. I guess they only consider inside
the house their, "territory". The males seem to get along very well with
everyone. I know I will evertually get another male, but no cat will ever be
able to replace B-K.

chaniarts wrote:
Bill Graham wrote:
chaniarts wrote:
Ann Maree wrote:
My vet has treated other cats with this same auto-immune disease,
and is having really good luck with a cat named Otis. I am
confident he will take good care of my Sam. I guess I was just
hoping to find someone else who has a cat with this problem. I
have an auto-immune disease myself ( Rheumatoid Arthritis ) and
have lived with it for years, so I know what it can do to either a
human body or a cat body! Thanks for your reply dgk and for the
cat purrs for Sam! He is only about two years old, and came as a
stray to us about a year ago. He was scared, skin and bones, and
looked as if someone had thrown some type of acid on him. It took
him a few weeks to even let me touch him. Now he is part of my cat
family ( 6 other cats! ) and loved very much!

Annie

i have a cat that has some sort of a-i disease. we found the giving
him food that had no corn or wheat in it cleared it up after a few
months. we found that rice is ok, but we try to find food that has
no grains or at least they're listed way down on the list of
ingrediants.

This is an allergy, and not necessarily an auto-immune disease. An
auto immune disease is when you are allergic to yourself, or
something that is necessary for your life. Like my psoriases. I am
allergic to my own skin. So, my body kills it off and it dries up and
crumbles away every few hours, and I have to keep replacing it.
Fortunately, my skin is capable of replacing itself as fast as my
body rejects it, so I don't die as a result of the allergy. but this
is sometimes not the case with other auto immune diseases. Thius is
why I try different foods on my cats and give them the opportunity to
eat a variety of stuff instead of trying to keep them fixed on any
one brand, reguardless of how much other people tell me how
beneficial it is. What is beneficial to one cat may not be so to
others.

perhaps. there are similar a-i diseases in humans. coincidently, my
wife has celiac disease, which is one. a manifistation of this is a
skin disorder, very similar to what is experienced by my, and the
OP's, cat.
celiac disease is where the body doesn't have certain proteins to
deal with glutens (present in wheat, rye, barley, and oats) in the
intestines, which causes all sorts of other problems.

however, the good side of this problem is that my wife can safely eat
the cat food.

Ha! That proves that there is some benefit to almost everything... I used to
have a girl friend wh was allergic to glutens. Unfortunately, she loved hot
pastrami sandwiches. I did too, so I would bring them to her. After a while
she dumped me.... I guess she figured that there couldn't ever be anything
good that would come out of our relationship....:^)

On Tue, 12 Jul 2011 19:16:26 -0500, (Ann Maree)
wrote:

Hi, I just found your group tonight, and want to know if anyone here has
ever had a cat that developed an auto-immune disease which resulted in
my cats immune system attacking his own body, with inflammation and an
angry growth in the gums around the teeth? My cat Sam has this problem.
My vet, who I trust 100 %, did a laser treatment on the growth and for a
month Sam was ok. He was also on Prednilsone. Now that he is off the
steroids, the growth is returning. Next week he returns for another
laser treatment, and removal of two teeth. I feel horrible because I
know the pain Sam will be in after the laser treatment. He was in bad
pain after the last treatment, for about a week. I love my little Sam
so much, and would be interested in finding someone who has been down
this path before. I'm sorry, I cannot remember tonight what this is
called?

Thank you!
Annie

An auto immune disease does not 'go away', or 'get better'.

It can only be treated, and managed, with medication.

You cat should STAY on prednisone, and your vet should KNOW this.

Often, starting on a high dose, and then tapering to a lower dose, can
keep it in check.

But taking him OFF the prednisone was a VERY big mistake: it just
allowed the auto immune process to return...with a vengeance.

Also: ask your vet about PAIN MEDICATION for your cat.

Managing pain in an animal they treat is one of the MOST IMPORTANT
things a vet is SUPPOSED to do.

That your vet didn't, is NOT a good sign, IMHO.

If I was in your shoes, I would be looking for a BETTER vet. A MUCH
better vet.

Yours is NOT doing a good job, AT ALL, IMHO.

Laser treatments, and removing teeth, AFTER your vet ALLOWED the auto
immune process to RESUME, by stopping the prednisone, is grounds for
filing a complaint with your state's veterinary practice board.

Is there a University based veterinary school anywhere near you?

You NEED a more experienced veterinarian, ASAP.

You have already run up some VERY BIG vet bills, and until the auto
immune process is PROPERLY CONTROLLED, they will continue.

You vet may be doing the best they can...but they are NOT doing what
NEEDS to be done, to properly treat your cat.

Amazing... How some hyperactive asshole has the gall to talk like
he is a veterinarian with intimate knowledge of the condition of a
cat he has never even seen.

Only on the Internet... Hopefully.
--












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From: Gandalf ingold1234(at)yahoo(dot)com
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats.health+behav
Subject: auto-immune disease in cats
Date: Wed, 13 Jul 2011 22:17:07 -0400
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On Tue, 12 Jul 2011 19:16:26 -0500, AMaree_716 webtv.net (Ann Maree)
wrote:

Hi, I just found your group tonight, and want to know if anyone here has
ever had a cat that developed an auto-immune disease which resulted in
my cats immune system attacking his own body, with inflammation and an
angry growth in the gums around the teeth? My cat Sam has this problem.
My vet, who I trust 100 %, did a laser treatment on the growth and for a
month Sam was ok. He was also on Prednilsone. Now that he is off the
steroids, the growth is returning. Next week he returns for another
laser treatment, and removal of two teeth. I feel horrible because I
know the pain Sam will be in after the laser treatment. He was in bad
pain after the last treatment, for about a week. I love my little Sam
so much, and would be interested in finding someone who has been down
this path before. I'm sorry, I cannot remember tonight what this is
called?

Thank you!
Annie

An auto immune disease does not 'go away', or 'get better'.

It can only be treated, and managed, with medication.

You cat should STAY on prednisone, and your vet should KNOW this.

Often, starting on a high dose, and then tapering to a lower dose, can
keep it in check.

But taking him OFF the prednisone was a VERY big mistake: it just
allowed the auto immune process to return...with a vengeance.

Also: ask your vet about PAIN MEDICATION for your cat.

Managing pain in an animal they treat is one of the MOST IMPORTANT
things a vet is SUPPOSED to do.

That your vet didn't, is NOT a good sign, IMHO.

If I was in your shoes, I would be looking for a BETTER vet. A MUCH
better vet.

Yours is NOT doing a good job, AT ALL, IMHO.

Laser treatments, and removing teeth, AFTER your vet ALLOWED the auto
immune process to RESUME, by stopping the prednisone, is grounds for
filing a complaint with your state's veterinary practice board.

Is there a University based veterinary school anywhere near you?

You NEED a more experienced veterinarian, ASAP.

You have already run up some VERY BIG vet bills, and until the auto
immune process is PROPERLY CONTROLLED, they will continue.

You vet may be doing the best they can...but they are NOT doing what
NEEDS to be done, to properly treat your cat.

On Wed, 13 Jul 2011 15:57:12 -0700, "Bill Graham"
wrote:

Ann Maree wrote:
I have 6 other cats besides my Sam. Two ( Tom and Poo ) I found in a
trash dumpster behind a restaurant where I worked years ago. They
were only 2 days old. A co-worker helped me get them out, and to the
vet I went! They are now inside spoiled rotten cats! It was fun
bottle feeding them, and raising them from such an early age! Someone
had thrown them in the dumpster. They were 4 kittens, but an employee
at the vet's office took two for herself. They are now 9 years old.
Another cat, Mama, was a stray when we moved to the country years
ago. We gradually took her in as one of the family too, and she had
two kittens who are also part of the family. ( Ranger and Whiner )
The last one, Storm, my son and I found one stormy night alone on a
country road. He was maybe 5 weeks old. We asked around, but nobody
ever claimed him, so he became a member of the family too!

Now we have a stray black cat hanging around........

Annie

Sounds like you are about to get an eighth cat. This is basically how I
aquired all my cats. they just wandered in and liked the "cut of my jib" so
they stayed. Mine are all outside cats, so they can leave at any time. Not
surprisingly, they stay pretty close to home. The females all hiss and spit
at each other inside the house, but when they are out on the porch sunning
themselves, they get along pretty well. I guess they only consider inside
the house their, "territory". The males seem to get along very well with
everyone. I know I will evertually get another male, but no cat will ever be
able to replace B-K.

No cat really replaces another; they're all so different. I miss my
past cats and treasure the ones I have now, knowing that someday they,
or I, or both, will be gone.

On 14 Jul 2011 07:16:22 GMT, John Doe wrote:

Amazing... How some hyperactive asshole has the gall to talk like
he is a veterinarian with intimate knowledge of the condition of a
cat he has never even seen.

Only on the Internet... Hopefully.

Maybe, but his advice wasn't all bad. It is a good idea to get a
second opinion so checking with another vet can't hurt except a bit in
the old wallet.

And he's right about tapering off Prednisone rather than just stopping
it; that's well known. Prednisone inhibits the body's production of
steroids and just cutting it off leaves the body without even its
normal steroid production.

Also, my understanding from when my own cat needed to take Prednisone
was that cats handle that drug better than people do and can be on it
for long periods of time. People can develop serious side effects with
extended use.

Thank you for your reply, but you are talking as if I don't have a brain
in my head! I do have blonde hair, but I not dumb!

First of all, I KNOW, I repeat, I KNOW about auto-immune diseases, and
PREDNISONE! I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, and have had it for over 20
years! It is an auto-immune disease! I KNOW auto-immune diseases don't
"go away"! I have been on and off Prednisone ( and other medications )
for years! You can stop Prednisone without a gradual weaning off IF
only on it a s-h-o-r-t time. As for taking Sam off the Prednisone it
was only because his growth was returning EVEN on the steroids, and it
is dangerous to be on Prednisone for long periods of time. As I said a
few sentences ago, I have been on and off it for years, and
know/understand the side effects and potential harm of Prednisone quite
well!

I have had my vet for over 20 years. He is a wonderful, kind, caring,
man who is extremely intelligent, and one of the best vets in our area.
He came highly recommended years ago, and if you knew him, you would
realize how wrong your opinion was!

Sam WAS on pain medication! He is NOT in pain now, and only was after
his laser treatment. Sometimes not all pain can be completely
controlled with medication! I was only looking for someone who had a cat
with this same problem that I could talk with, and never ever expected a
person in this nice group to say rude comments about my vet. I don't
have "VERY BIG" expensive vet bills either. My vet is like a part of
our family after so many years, and is very fair with us financially.
Our account is always paid the day of service. My cats all love him,
and show no fear of him or his staff.

You tell me what you would do if you were "in my shoes", well, I
wouldn't want to be in your shoes. I try to be a nice person, and I
like almost every person I meet. How you can sit there and tell me how
horrible my vet is when you have never met him, his wife, his staff, my
cats, or me?

You must have had a very bad experience with a vet sometime in your life
to give such an opinion when you have no idea on earth what you are
talking about!

Thank you to everyone else here for your kind words and offer of
support. I think even Gandalf meant well, ( I really do believe that
and think you are a good person who loves animals! ) but oh my gosh was
Gandalf, you are so wrong!


Annie & Sam

John Doe wrote:

"Amazing... How some hyperactive asshole has the gall to talk like he is
a veterinarian with intimate knowledge of the condition of a cat he has
never even seen.

Only on the Internet... Hopefully."


Thank you John Doe! While I wouldn't call Gandalf an "a______", we do
agree with what you wrote!

Annie & Sam

On 14 Jul 2011 07:16:22 GMT, John Doe wrote:

Amazing... How some hyperactive asshole has the gall to talk like
he is a veterinarian with intimate knowledge of the condition of a
cat he has never even seen.

Only on the Internet... Hopefully.

No, I'm not a vet; I just worked for one.

Bad vets are as common as bad doctors.

I've met many of both.

No pain medication after OBVIOUSLY painful surgery?

Really? *REALLY*???

The is NO EXCUSE for that. No way, no how.

I would be filing a written complaint for that alone.

Add in the other f*ck-ups, and that vet would be in BIG TROUBLE, if he
did that to my cat...but then, I wouldn't have LET him.

When you put your trust in a supposedly highly trained professional, and
they DON'T DO THEIR JOB, there is no excuse.

A licensed veterinarian should know MORE about using prednisone than I
do, not less.

F*ckups with basic medication like this can result in deaths to beloved
pets.

And NO PAIN MEDICATION after surgery?

Really? *REALLY*???

I would be writing letters, if this was my cat.

Ann Maree wrote:
John Doe wrote:

"Amazing... How some hyperactive asshole has the gall to talk like he
is a veterinarian with intimate knowledge of the condition of a cat
he has never even seen.

Only on the Internet... Hopefully."


Thank you John Doe! While I wouldn't call Gandalf an "a______", we do
agree with what you wrote!

Annie & Sam

Vets have a big problem. They all have it. It is the fact that their
patients can't communicate with them. In this respect, their job is much
harder than that of a human doctor. And the good ones...The honest ones...
Suffer just as much when they make mistakes as do human doctors. It is
certainly a job that I couldn't handle. I am very glad that I devoted my
life to fixing machines, rather than living things. My mistakes only cost
money, and money can be replaced with work.