Sick of these vets

Pat wrote:
"polonca12000" wrote

Soncek is short-haired and I brush him at least once a week, as there is
always a lot of hair on the brush. I have no other ideas unfortunately.
Lots of purrs and best wishes that Abelard's problem is not serious,


I'm starting to think that it *is* serious. He hasn't kept anything down for
several days now.

I've brushed him many times and never gotten any hair to come out.


Please try to get him to a vet.
Lots and lots of purrs and best wishes,
Polonca and Soncek

"Pat" wrote in message
.. .

"polonca12000" wrote

Soncek is short-haired and I brush him at least once a week, as there is
always a lot of hair on the brush. I have no other ideas unfortunately.
Lots of purrs and best wishes that Abelard's problem is not serious,

I'm starting to think that it *is* serious. He hasn't kept anything down
for several days now.

I've brushed him many times and never gotten any hair to come out.

Light coloured (yellowish) loose stools *can* be a sign of liver problems
and all the other symptoms seem to fit too.
I know you don't have transport at the moment but Abelard really does need
to see a vet.
I also know that you are new to the area that you live in, but in these
circumstances - if no friends can help - I would knock on a neighbour's
door, explain your car is out of order and your cat is very sick and needs
to see a vet urgently, and could they possible drive you there if you paid
for their gas?
Not many people would refuse, surely?

Tweed

Pat wrote:
Abelard is still barfing more than normal, so I called the vet he saw
before. He was not in (his mom had a stroke - little wonder, she must be
around 100 years old) but spoke with assistant. She said he probably needs
more antibiotics, and I should call tomorrow. So I called the other vet in
town and told him the whole story. He was sure it must be hairballs. Yeah,
right.... an Abyssinian with hairballs.

Abbys get hairballs like any other cat.


I don't know what to do. Maybe "nothing" is the wisest choice. I just don't
believe he has a GI infection or hairballs. And for sure it isn't worms,
they were all wormed a week ago. It is so extremely difficult to medicate
this cat, I think the stress of it probably worsens his condition, too. And
I spent a whole week making sure he got probiotics - meaning lock him in a
room alone with a dish.

Maybe someone here has some thoughts on what to do for him. He's got a great
appetite, doesn't look the least bit sick, and isn't losing weight. In fact
he's gained a bit since he this barfing started. He keeps food in his
stomach for a long time - up to 12 hours - before barfing. He has loose,
light-colored stools, and sometimes seems to have a slight fever.

The cat probably has a soft blockage of the intestine, due to
hairtballs or something ingested. Which is what I posted at least two
weeks ago. Did they do a barium study of his GI tract?



This morning was weird, he barfed up last night's supper, then,
*immediately* afterward, barfed a larger quantity of clear thick liquid that
was slightly pink.

That's stomach fluid with blood in it. It's from the GI tract being
irritated - probably from hair.

A few days ago he was barfing something very yellow in
color but not a huge quantity.

Bile.


The alternate vet said if I give him anti-hairball paste for a week and he
is not cured, to take him to Springfield for "a GI series" (whatever that
is). I didn't bother to tell him that I am currently without transportation.

Sometimes I think these vets prescribe stuff they know will not work and
just want to milk us for all they can, at the expense of our pets' health.
I'm about ready to swear off them permanently except for surgeries.

Vet medicine is sometimes an art and not a science. A GI series is
exactly what this cat needs. I highly suspect he has a partial
blockage - probably a soft blockage. He has all the symptoms. If you
give him hairball meds and get some massive quatities of liquid down
him (like chicken broth) he may pass a very large hairball in his
stool.

-L.

"Christina Websell" wrote

Light coloured (yellowish) loose stools *can* be a sign of liver problems

His stools were just light brown, not yellow. But now they are fine, anyhow.

"Pat" wrote in message
.. .

"Christina Websell" wrote

Light coloured (yellowish) loose stools *can* be a sign of liver problems

His stools were just light brown, not yellow. But now they are fine,
anyhow.

Glad to hear it.
Tweed