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HELP PLEASE: fever reducer for cats?



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 11th 06, 06:51 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default HELP PLEASE: fever reducer for cats?

My cat, Scottie, is in his 10th day of fever of unknown origin despite
antibiotics, first polyflex, then doxycycline added, now baytril and
doxycycline, polyflex discontinued. He has been hospitalized for a
week today, on IV fluids and tube feedings. His temp goes up and down.
All bloodwork and x-rays normal except for elevated white count. He's
miserable in his cage, obviously. We want him home. Last night he ate
on his own so he didn't have to be tube fed this a.m., but his temp is
still 104. If I knew he would eat at home on his own, we would bring
him home.

The thing is this, his bill is now over $2,000 and nothing has changed.
We're a little worried about the money. Obviously, if we knew there
was an end in sight, we would pay willingly but this could drag on
forever and nothing might change. I am very tempted to bring him home
with antibiotics and an appetite stimulant and will be discusing this
with the vet later today when we go to see Scottie. But I've been
scouring the internet and I sometimes see where people write, "the vet
gave my cat a fever reducer and some antibiotics and sent him home."
But no one says what the fever reducer is.

I know aspirin has to be used very sparingly in a cat and I already
mentioned that to my vet and he didn't seem to favor that idea. I also
mentioned steroids and he wasn't thrilled with that either because it
can suppress the immune system. But would a short course of steroids
hurt anything? And is there something else that might be considered a
fever reducer?

I know Scottie is terrified there, he spends most of his time hiding
under a blanket unless I come to see him. I'm sure he's sick of being
poked and prodded. If we don't bring him home today, we are definitely
going to have to do so on Monday. I know if he would eat here, he
would be better off here but I can't guarantee he will eat. They
couldn't successfully syringe feed him so they have to tube feed him.
It's not a permanent tube, they just put the tubing partially down his
throat and connect it to the syringe. Is that something I could be
taught to do?

Can anyone help me?

Candace

  #2  
Old February 11th 06, 07:19 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default HELP PLEASE: fever reducer for cats?


"Candace" wrote in message
oups.com...
My cat, Scottie, is in his 10th day of fever of unknown origin despite
antibiotics, first polyflex, then doxycycline added, now baytril and
doxycycline, polyflex discontinued.



Candace--I found three articles, did not read them. I hope they help. (FWIW,
I would bring him home.)

http://tinyurl.com/deqw2


  #3  
Old February 11th 06, 07:22 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default HELP PLEASE: fever reducer for cats?


Candace, from a quick Google search it looks like aspirin will do it.

Can you ask your vet?


  #4  
Old February 11th 06, 07:33 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default HELP PLEASE: fever reducer for cats?

Can anyone help me?


Candace, sorry, I re-read your post and see that you will be asking the vet.

The only thing I could think of is this: I wonder if you could physically
cool his body, like my mother did when I had high fevers, with cool
compresses? No doubt he would hate it, but it worked on me.

I am sorry I cannot be more helpful I know how frantic you must be. Maybe
Phil could help. Maybe email him to get his attention?


  #5  
Old February 11th 06, 08:43 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default HELP PLEASE: fever reducer for cats?

I wonder if the stress is exacerbating whatever is wrong? Causing temp
to spike and reduction in appetite. Maybe you should try him at home,
I would probably consider this if it were one of my cats.

Is it possible your cat had any kind of poisening? Did blood work
include toxicity tests? Lastly, could kitty have something viral that
antibiotics are not helping thus the reason for the continuing temp?
Are there any neurological symptoms?

As far as appetite goes I would ask your Veterinarian about the use of
Reglan (spelling?) it reduces nausea and perhaps the antibiotics &
stress are part of the appetite loss....I agree that if you can get him
eating perhaps things will start looking up...

Are they giving him any sedatives at the Veterinary office to "take the
edge off" Perhaps there are barking dogs and unfamiliar sounds and
smells and these could be startling and frightening your cat, I wonder
if sedatives (mild) would be allowed for him given his current status
and stress? Maybe they could add something to his IV?

If you decide to leave kitty at the Vet, can they put kitty in a quiet
area? Make sure cage is high up - not towards the bottom - cats feel
safer when they are up higher.

If you leave him there bring him some blankets and things from home
with your scent on it - maybe even bring his feeding dishes from home
and food. Another thing to try to get kitty to eat is using pureed
baby food - you can syringe this, they have high salt content but some
cats will eat this when all else fails. Also if you take kitty home
ask for some cans of AD and SD.

How old is kitty?
Is kitty vaccinated for everything including Leukemia?
Is kitty from a multicat household and if so, has your Veterinarian
discussed FIP with you?
What kind of Xrays were done? Of this throat/nasal area? Could
anything be caught in his throat/sinus/nasal area?
Does kitty have any dental issues?

It probably would not hurt to get a second opinion from a Veterinarian,
preferably one from a different clinic. Hope things settle soon. Jen

  #6  
Old February 11th 06, 08:54 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default HELP PLEASE: fever reducer for cats?

Hi Candace,

You might want to take a look at this article and see if everything has
been covered:

http://www.petplace.com/cats/fever-in-cats/page1.aspx

Here is what it said for home ca
----------------------------
For mild fevers, less than 104.5F, monitoring your pet at home may
result in spontaneous recovery. Make sure your pet continues to eat and
drink. Take your pet's temperature one to two times daily. If the
temperature rises above 104.5F, this should prompt you to contact your
veterinarian.

Also, look for any areas of infection such as abscesses, skin lumps,
blood in urine or straining to urinate, sneezing or breathing
difficulty. In addition, lack of appetite or lethargy should prompt an
examination and treatment by your veterinarian.
----------------------------

Candace, have they tried different antibiotics? If he does have an
infection, it sounds like the antibiotic is not reaching it or is not
the right one. Too bad they can't tell where it's coming from and do a
culture and sensitivity test.

Have they thoroughly checked his teeth? Abscesses and infections in the
mouth can sometimes cause mystery illnesses. Our cat went through that.

Good luck. If he's eating (or you can force him to eat,) I would be
tempted to bring him home for awhile. Is the vet an internist? We got a
referral from our regular vet to an internist when things got bad with Bob.

Let us know how he's doing,

Rhonda



Candace wrote:

My cat, Scottie, is in his 10th day of fever of unknown origin despite
antibiotics, first polyflex, then doxycycline added, now baytril and
doxycycline, polyflex discontinued. He has been hospitalized for a
week today, on IV fluids and tube feedings. His temp goes up and down.
All bloodwork and x-rays normal except for elevated white count. He's
miserable in his cage, obviously. We want him home. Last night he ate
on his own so he didn't have to be tube fed this a.m., but his temp is
still 104. If I knew he would eat at home on his own, we would bring
him home.


  #7  
Old February 11th 06, 08:54 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default HELP PLEASE: fever reducer for cats?

Excellent article on fevers in cats (from article appeared in Cornell
University's Cat Watch Magazine)
....http://www.judithstock.com/Speaking_...r_in_cats.html

The article suggests for home treatment, "wetting down the pads of the
feet and tail". I have also read elsewhere that rubbing alcohol could
be used on the paw pads.

"We rarely use aspirin for fever," said Dr. Guglielmino. "Aspirin can
be used with close veterinarian supervision but we use it for chronic
arthritis pain and heart disease to help prevent blood clots."

"Aspirin is typically metabolized slowly in a cats system; therefore,
it's used in low doses. In addition, a cat dosage is a small fraction
of the human dosage. According to Guglielmino, most veterinarians do
not try to lower fever with anti-pyretic medication (Aspirin) but
instead try to identify the cause of the fever and specifically treat
the cause instead of treating the symptom.

"Cats do not have elucuronyl transferas, a liver enzymes needed to
break down human medications and can't convert acetaminophen to
non-toxic byproducts," stated Guglielmino. "Acetaminophen is Tylenol
- never use on a cat, it will kill them. Cats cannot tolerate other
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen." "

Lisa
http://www.hoosierkitties.com Hoosier Kitties

  #8  
Old February 11th 06, 09:22 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default HELP PLEASE: fever reducer for cats?


"Candace" wrote in message
oups.com...
My cat, Scottie, is in his 10th day of fever of unknown origin despite
antibiotics, first polyflex, then doxycycline added, now baytril and
doxycycline, polyflex discontinued. He has been hospitalized for a
week today, on IV fluids and tube feedings. His temp goes up and down.
All bloodwork and x-rays normal except for elevated white count. He's
miserable in his cage, obviously. We want him home. Last night he ate
on his own so he didn't have to be tube fed this a.m., but his temp is
still 104. If I knew he would eat at home on his own, we would bring
him home.

The thing is this, his bill is now over $2,000 and nothing has changed.
We're a little worried about the money. Obviously, if we knew there
was an end in sight, we would pay willingly but this could drag on
forever and nothing might change. I am very tempted to bring him home
with antibiotics and an appetite stimulant and will be discusing this
with the vet later today when we go to see Scottie. But I've been
scouring the internet and I sometimes see where people write, "the vet
gave my cat a fever reducer and some antibiotics and sent him home."
But no one says what the fever reducer is.

I know aspirin has to be used very sparingly in a cat and I already
mentioned that to my vet and he didn't seem to favor that idea. I also
mentioned steroids and he wasn't thrilled with that either because it
can suppress the immune system. But would a short course of steroids
hurt anything? And is there something else that might be considered a
fever reducer?

I know Scottie is terrified there, he spends most of his time hiding
under a blanket unless I come to see him. I'm sure he's sick of being
poked and prodded. If we don't bring him home today, we are definitely
going to have to do so on Monday. I know if he would eat here, he
would be better off here but I can't guarantee he will eat. They
couldn't successfully syringe feed him so they have to tube feed him.
It's not a permanent tube, they just put the tubing partially down his
throat and connect it to the syringe. Is that something I could be
taught to do?

Can anyone help me?



Candace,

Did the vet check Scottie's mouth thoroughly? Fever and elevated WBC could
be the result of oral inflammation/infection- which could also affect his
eating. You might want to opt for dental x-rays.

Also, you might want to ask your vet to send a sample of Scottie's blood to
a diagnostic lab for PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing, smear and
culture to
look for bacteria, fungi, and viruses in the blood. Is there any chance he
might have been bitten by a poisonous insect or arachnid? If so, that
should be noted on the blood sample.

I know how you feel about him being at the vet's- but that's probably the
best place for him until he stabilized. I don't think you should bring
Scottie home until you are sure he's not contagious.

Keep the faith.

Phil



  #9  
Old February 11th 06, 11:23 PM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default HELP PLEASE: fever reducer for cats?


Candace wrote:
My cat, Scottie, is in his 10th day of fever of unknown origin despite
antibiotics, first polyflex, then doxycycline added, now baytril and
doxycycline, polyflex discontinued. He has been hospitalized for a
week today, on IV fluids and tube feedings. His temp goes up and down.
All bloodwork and x-rays normal except for elevated white count. He's
miserable in his cage, obviously. We want him home. Last night he ate
on his own so he didn't have to be tube fed this a.m., but his temp is
still 104. If I knew he would eat at home on his own, we would bring
him home.

The thing is this, his bill is now over $2,000 and nothing has changed.
We're a little worried about the money. Obviously, if we knew there
was an end in sight, we would pay willingly but this could drag on
forever and nothing might change. I am very tempted to bring him home
with antibiotics and an appetite stimulant and will be discusing this
with the vet later today when we go to see Scottie. But I've been
scouring the internet and I sometimes see where people write, "the vet
gave my cat a fever reducer and some antibiotics and sent him home."
But no one says what the fever reducer is.

I know aspirin has to be used very sparingly in a cat and I already
mentioned that to my vet and he didn't seem to favor that idea. I also
mentioned steroids and he wasn't thrilled with that either because it
can suppress the immune system. But would a short course of steroids
hurt anything? And is there something else that might be considered a
fever reducer?

I know Scottie is terrified there, he spends most of his time hiding
under a blanket unless I come to see him. I'm sure he's sick of being
poked and prodded. If we don't bring him home today, we are definitely
going to have to do so on Monday. I know if he would eat here, he
would be better off here but I can't guarantee he will eat. They
couldn't successfully syringe feed him so they have to tube feed him.
It's not a permanent tube, they just put the tubing partially down his
throat and connect it to the syringe. Is that something I could be
taught to do?


I am surprised they are doing that without sedation, actually. It's
not someting I would want to do at home. I would be more inclined to
try to syringe feed him only by mouth.

As for fever reducers, I don't know if a medication other than aspirin,
but we used cold packs made from rubber gloves filled with water and
wrapped in towels - just chill them in the fridge, and wrap them in a
towel, and place them on his feet and under his chin.

The elevated count and fever suggest infection somewhere - I am
wondering if it isn't in the intestines/bowel since you said before he
wasn't pooping much (IIRC). Have they tried antifungal meds? At this
point I would be thinking it is something other than a bacterial
infection.

Good luck and keep us posted.
-L.

  #10  
Old February 12th 06, 01:04 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default He's home was: HELP PLEASE: fever reducer for cats?

I probably shouldn't have brought him home but he's home. I knew I
would second guess either decision I made but I thought he would be
better off here. He came home all perky and happy and inspected
everything and purred and looked good. But, it's only been a couple
hours and he looks worse already. I think he has a sore throat from
the tube being shoved down his throat so much. I noticed a couple days
ago that he swallows hard, like it hurts. Well, he's doing that no, a
lot. He ate some treats, promptly barfed them up. Ate some a/d,
barfed a bunch of fluid up and that's after I had given him an oral
reglan. He hadn't been barfing at the vet but he was also on IV reglan
there. I just think it's because his throat hurts, though, and not
that he's actually nauseated. But, if he can't eat, he would have to go
back and have the tube again, and then the vicious cycle would
continue. What can you do for a cat's sore throat? Cetacaine?
Probably not. The vet is closed now and he won't be back 'til Monday.

I read all your responses. He does have some gingivitis but the vet
said his mouth could not be the cause for all this. Yes, he may have
something fungal. Cocci is the only one he was tested for. No, he's
not on any anti-fungals. I honestly don't know if we can afford to
take him to specialists at this point. We have spent $2,300 since Feb.
2 and that kind of is depleting my emergency funds. We haven't even
paid off all of Abbey's bills from last spring. Almost but not quite.
I hate that it has to come down to money for an animal sometimes. It's
different when it's a human and they have insurance or even if they
don't, they can still get some mediocre medical care. With pets, it's
all about the cash.

I just don't know what to do. He has to eat but I don't think he can.
I have oxazepam and cyproheptadine for appetite stimulant. The vet
said to use either altho he prefers the oxazepam. Maybe I should just
wait until tomorrow to try to get to him to eat. He as tube fed today
and ate on his own last night so he can go until tomorrow without
eating. Maybe his throat will feel a little better by then and he
would be able to eat? Is it common for a cat's thraot hurt to hurt
after 7 days of tube feedings? I would think it's a logical assumption
but what can be done for this?

I truly hope he isn't infectious to our other cats but our theory was
that he was here for 3.5 days sick before being hospitalized and so
far, they are fine, and that was a week ago.

Someone mentioned FIP. Yes, that was discussed briefly. He is
positive for the corona virus (as are most cats, I know) but his titers
were not very high so it wasn't really indicated, I guess. A
possibility but not one the vet apparently feels is a strong one. My
other cats are also positive for corona virus.

Any sore throat suggestions?

Candace

 




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