Update on Clyde

Hi everyone, I just thought I would let everyone know who's interested
about my poorly moggy.

Thank you for your email, I don't check this account daily which is
why I've only just seen yours!

I have spoken to the vet this morning who has had Clyde on a drip all
night and anti-biotics. He has done some preliminary tests which have
revealed a severe bladder infection. Kidney fuction is slightly
elevated but he said that was understandable because of the infection
and not a cause for concern at the moment. The vet is going to
continue with another day's worth of anti-biotics and IV liquids and
see how he is tomorrow as needs to clear the blood/pus from his system
in order to gain better urine test results. He's holding off on x-
rays, has said that a number of things can cause the infection. If the
anti-biotics work, then it may be a case of nursing him back to
health, if they don't then it's x-ray time I guess, depending on how
expensive treatment will be.

As for the spinal problem, the vet is completely baffled and now
cannot see how it's related to the bladder infection, he says it's
very rare, but all he can gather is that the two are completely
unrelated and just coincidental. He apparently could've had a back
problem for a while and we just didn't know it until now.

I've had it mentioned to me that some Science Diet MD has been
recalled, I'll mention it to the vet later and ask what other diet
options we have. With Clyde being so overweight he needs a really good
diet food. I shall be posting when Clyde is better to see if you guys
have any advice on dieting fat cats!

Thanks all for your support/advice/help,
Naomi

"Naomi" wrote in message
ps.com...
Hi everyone, I just thought I would let everyone know who's interested
about my poorly moggy.

Thank you for your email, I don't check this account daily which is
why I've only just seen yours!

I have spoken to the vet this morning who has had Clyde on a drip all
night and anti-biotics. He has done some preliminary tests which have
revealed a severe bladder infection. Kidney fuction is slightly
elevated but he said that was understandable because of the infection
and not a cause for concern at the moment. The vet is going to
continue with another day's worth of anti-biotics and IV liquids and
see how he is tomorrow as needs to clear the blood/pus from his system
in order to gain better urine test results. He's holding off on x-
rays, has said that a number of things can cause the infection. If the
anti-biotics work, then it may be a case of nursing him back to
health, if they don't then it's x-ray time I guess, depending on how
expensive treatment will be.

As for the spinal problem, the vet is completely baffled and now
cannot see how it's related to the bladder infection, he says it's
very rare, but all he can gather is that the two are completely
unrelated and just coincidental. He apparently could've had a back
problem for a while and we just didn't know it until now.

I've had it mentioned to me that some Science Diet MD has been
recalled, I'll mention it to the vet later and ask what other diet
options we have. With Clyde being so overweight he needs a really good
diet food. I shall be posting when Clyde is better to see if you guys
have any advice on dieting fat cats!
----------
My cats have done great and lost weight on a combination of Purina OM (dry),
which is a prescription weight loss food, and canned food. Again, purrs for
Clyde's complete recovery.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

I've had it mentioned to me that some Science Diet MD has been
recalled, I'll mention it to the vet later and ask what other diet
options we have. With Clyde being so overweight he needs a really good
diet food. I shall be posting when Clyde is better to see if you guys
have any advice on dieting fat cats!

Hugs and purrs for Clyde. I hope he can come home soon. One of my cats
safely lost a lot of weight on Wellness canned food. For details,
visit his web site: http://community-2.webtv.net/getcathelp/tucker/

I'll also be happy to answer any questions you might have.

On 6 Jun, 15:04, "Rene S." wrote:
I've had it mentioned to me that some Science Diet MD has been
recalled, I'll mention it to the vet later and ask what other diet
options we have. With Clyde being so overweight he needs a really good
diet food. I shall be posting when Clyde is better to see if you guys
have any advice on dieting fat cats!

Hugs and purrs for Clyde. I hope he can come home soon. One of my cats
safely lost a lot of weight on Wellness canned food. For details,
visit his web site:http://community-2.webtv.net/getcathelp/tucker/

I'll also be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Hi Rene,

Thank you for the advice on the food. I will certainly have a chat
with the vet about it when I talk to him later. I was happy with the
MD merely because he'd lost a fair amount of weight in three weeks on
it. BUT I'm not happy at all about only feeding him twice a day (he
goes about fourteen hours between meals!!!) and he's constantly
begging for food. I know that cats are nibblers and should really be
able to eat small amounts regularly, I don't think it's natural for
them to eat two meals so far apart, but I stuck to it on the vet's
advice, he knows more than me!

I do have my reservations about Hills anyway, even when Clyde was on
RD, he didn't lose any considerable weight (what he DID lose he put
right back on).

I'm hoping to hear some good news from the vet later and hopefully
will be bringing him home tomorrow to nurse him myself.

Thanks for showing me Tucker's site, it does give me hope that I can
slim Clyde down into a heathy cat. He too is "big boned" so to speak
and I know his ideal weight is higher than most cats of his breed.

Naomi

"Rene S." wrote in message
oups.com...

I've had it mentioned to me that some Science Diet MD has been
recalled, I'll mention it to the vet later and ask what other diet
options we have. With Clyde being so overweight he needs a really good
diet food. I shall be posting when Clyde is better to see if you guys
have any advice on dieting fat cats!

Hugs and purrs for Clyde. I hope he can come home soon. One of my cats
safely lost a lot of weight on Wellness canned food. For details,
visit his web site: http://community-2.webtv.net/getcathelp/tucker/

I'll also be happy to answer any questions you might have.
--------
My cats are currently also on Wellness canned food (in addition to the
Purina OM (overweight management) dry). It's a great quality food. (I think
you were the person who initially recommended it to me?). Admittedly, my
cats also eat Fancy Feast, which is not such a great quality food, but they
love it, so I try to alternate between the two. I have come to believe that
any canned food is preferable to an all-dry diet. Before I was educated on
this group about the differences between canned cat foods, I was giving Alex
and Bullwinkle what I consider to be poor quality canned food (i.e. either
Friskies special diet or the store-brand cat food, both of which are full of
byproducts and fillers and who knows what else), and even on these foods
(which they ate in addition to the Purina OM), they still lost weight and
were in much better condition than they had been previously. Alex's diabetes
went into remission on Purina OM and Friskies/Wegmans brand canned cat food.
But now, I want them to have the good stuff, like Wellness (which is
approximately the same price as Fancy Feast, FTR).
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

"Naomi" wrote in message
ups.com...
On 6 Jun, 15:04, "Rene S." wrote:
I've had it mentioned to me that some Science Diet MD has been
recalled, I'll mention it to the vet later and ask what other diet
options we have. With Clyde being so overweight he needs a really good
diet food. I shall be posting when Clyde is better to see if you guys
have any advice on dieting fat cats!

Hugs and purrs for Clyde. I hope he can come home soon. One of my cats
safely lost a lot of weight on Wellness canned food. For details,
visit his web site:http://community-2.webtv.net/getcathelp/tucker/

I'll also be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Hi Rene,

Thank you for the advice on the food. I will certainly have a chat
with the vet about it when I talk to him later. I was happy with the
MD merely because he'd lost a fair amount of weight in three weeks on
it. BUT I'm not happy at all about only feeding him twice a day (he
goes about fourteen hours between meals!!!) and he's constantly
begging for food. I know that cats are nibblers and should really be
able to eat small amounts regularly, I don't think it's natural for
them to eat two meals so far apart, but I stuck to it on the vet's
advice, he knows more than me!

I do have my reservations about Hills anyway, even when Clyde was on
RD, he didn't lose any considerable weight (what he DID lose he put
right back on).

I'm hoping to hear some good news from the vet later and hopefully
will be bringing him home tomorrow to nurse him myself.

Thanks for showing me Tucker's site, it does give me hope that I can
slim Clyde down into a heathy cat. He too is "big boned" so to speak
and I know his ideal weight is higher than most cats of his breed.
--------
I don't mean to keep sticking my nose in here, but I will tell you that my
cats gained weight on Iams Weight Management. I currently feed them the
canned Wellness or Fancy Feast once or twice a day (around 1.5 to 2 oz of
canned food per day per cat, although your kitty may require more), and I
leave the dry Purina OM out for grazing. I don't see them eating very much
of the dry food though. In the past, they used to eat a lot of dry food. I
have a total of five cats and all of them are currently a healthy weight.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

"Naomi" wrote in message
ps.com...
Hi everyone, I just thought I would let everyone know who's interested
about my poorly moggy.

Thank you for your email, I don't check this account daily which is
why I've only just seen yours!

I have spoken to the vet this morning who has had Clyde on a drip all
night and anti-biotics. He has done some preliminary tests which have
revealed a severe bladder infection. Kidney fuction is slightly
elevated but he said that was understandable because of the infection
and not a cause for concern at the moment. The vet is going to
continue with another day's worth of anti-biotics and IV liquids and
see how he is tomorrow as needs to clear the blood/pus from his system
in order to gain better urine test results. He's holding off on x-
rays, has said that a number of things can cause the infection. If the
anti-biotics work, then it may be a case of nursing him back to
health, if they don't then it's x-ray time I guess, depending on how
expensive treatment will be.

As for the spinal problem, the vet is completely baffled and now
cannot see how it's related to the bladder infection, he says it's
very rare, but all he can gather is that the two are completely
unrelated and just coincidental. He apparently could've had a back
problem for a while and we just didn't know it until now.

I've had it mentioned to me that some Science Diet MD has been
recalled, I'll mention it to the vet later and ask what other diet
options we have. With Clyde being so overweight he needs a really good
diet food. I shall be posting when Clyde is better to see if you guys
have any advice on dieting fat cats!

Thanks all for your support/advice/help,
Naomi


Naomi

I am so relieved for you & for Clyde to hear this new update.
Even though he isn't out of the woods yet it sounds promising.
Was he purely on dry food all this time with no wet food at all?
Having had a male cat myself, my vet advised me not to put him on
total dry food but to break up the feedings with some wet food.
It seems males develop problems with urethral obstructions
on pure dry food. See this site http://www.thepetcenter.com/exa/uo.html
Now this may not be Clyde's problem but it is one of many conditions
connected to bladder infections.
My question to the vet would be if this is purely a severe bladder infection
what could have caused it. Which could be a multi of reasons of
possibilities
but has to be look into so you can eliminate future recurrences.
Hugs sent to Clyde & prayers for speedy recovery.
And a big hug for you for all your efforts and to know your not alone.
Take care.......

Diane

Hi Rene,

Thank you for the advice on the food. I will certainly have a chat
with the vet about it when I talk to him later. I was happy with the
MD merely because he'd lost a fair amount of weight in three weeks on
it. BUT I'm not happy at all about only feeding him twice a day (he
goes about fourteen hours between meals!!!) and he's constantly
begging for food. I know that cats are nibblers and should really be
able to eat small amounts regularly, I don't think it's natural for
them to eat two meals so far apart, but I stuck to it on the vet's
advice, he knows more than me!

Naomi,
I wanted to caution you that your vet might not agree that canned is a
good idea. One of my previous vets said canned food was "bad" for
cats. Sadly, many vets are uneducated in feline nutrition and know
only what Hills tells them. About the two feedings: actually, that's
more like what would happen in the wild. Cats hunt and eat what prey
they can catch, and don't have access to small bits of food throughout
the day. They would eat a meal, rest, and hunt later in the day when
prey was out again.

Here's a good web site about feline nutrition: http://www.catnutrition.org/home.html

Firstly, thanks all for your kind comments and more helpful
suggestions. I shall be looking at the websites in depth shortly...

.... I spoke to the vet last night who said that Clyde was doing much
better having had a days worth of IV and antibiotics. He said there
was also less blood in his urine, so things were looking hopeful for
bringing him home today and he said no x-ray needed.

However, today he called me to say that there was more blood this
morning than last night and he really felt that Clyde needs an
ultrasound or x-ray to try to get to the root of the cause. He's not
ruling out bladder stones, BUT he said he couldn't palpate any, but
because of his weight, he couldn't get a proper feel anyway.

He says that he recommends an ultrasound before x-rays as he won't
need to be put under general anesthetic for that. If the ultrasound
doesn't show the root of the problem then he said he'd need to do an x-
ray.

This is going to be one very costly stay at the vet's, but we've gone
this far, we have to carry on. I just dread the vet saying he needs an
operation, because THAT will cost a fortune and my husband will NOT be
happy! If it's going to make Clyde better, then we have to do it and
try to find the cause of the problem so it doesn't happen again.

I will talk to the vet when I see him about diet. I did ask about
whether any Science Diet MD had been recalled in this country, but he
said not, but it had in several other countries. I will ask what our
other options are and see how he feels about canned food.

For now it looks like another day without my big lad, my son (not to
mention myself!) was so pleased at the thought of Clyde coming home
today, I just hope that he doesn't bring it up before bedtime tonight!

Will keep updating as I hear more news.

Thanks again all,
Naomi

"Naomi" wrote in message
oups.com...
Firstly, thanks all for your kind comments and more helpful
suggestions. I shall be looking at the websites in depth shortly...

... I spoke to the vet last night who said that Clyde was doing much
better having had a days worth of IV and antibiotics. He said there
was also less blood in his urine, so things were looking hopeful for
bringing him home today and he said no x-ray needed.

However, today he called me to say that there was more blood this
morning than last night and he really felt that Clyde needs an
ultrasound or x-ray to try to get to the root of the cause. He's not
ruling out bladder stones, BUT he said he couldn't palpate any, but
because of his weight, he couldn't get a proper feel anyway.

He says that he recommends an ultrasound before x-rays as he won't
need to be put under general anesthetic for that. If the ultrasound
doesn't show the root of the problem then he said he'd need to do an x-
ray.

This is going to be one very costly stay at the vet's, but we've gone
this far, we have to carry on. I just dread the vet saying he needs an
operation, because THAT will cost a fortune and my husband will NOT be
happy! If it's going to make Clyde better, then we have to do it and
try to find the cause of the problem so it doesn't happen again.

Many years ago, we adopted a 3-year-old dog, after not having been told that
three months earlier, the dog had been hit by a car and sustained internal
injuries. These had been left untreated as he was in the care of a
"collector" (a person whose house is illegally filled with animals - this
woman had about 20 or 30 dogs and cats, and she was genuinely trying to take
care of them. They were all spayed and neutered and well-fed, but there was
no money for catastrophic medical care). As soon as we got the dog home, we
saw his breathing was labored. We took him to our vet who told us that the
dog should have had surgery three months earlier and that his diaphragm was
herniated and basically it was only a matter of time before his intestine
would strangulate and the dog would die a horrible death. She said we either
needed to have the surgery or euthanize, but the dog could not go on like
that. (We had had this dog for all of two days when this conversation was
taking place). My husband told me that we couldn't afford the surgery. I
told him to phone the vet and "tell her to kill the dog." Of course, the dog
was on the operating table the next morning. Alvin (the dog) subsequently
developed some complications, and it appeared that a second surgical
procedure might be required. Again, my husband said we couldn't afford it.
Again, I told him to phone the vet and tell her to "kill the dog." To make a
long story short, the dog did manage to recover without requiring a second
procedure, but he was in the hospital for three weeks and the bill was over
$1500. That was over 15 years ago, and we were barely making ends meet. I
charged the bill on a credit card, and it took us over a year to pay it off.
But...We had our wonderful Alvin for almost 12 years (until he was nearly 15
years old and just couldn't go on anymore). Your husband will complain about
the money, but he'll get over it.


I will talk to the vet when I see him about diet. I did ask about
whether any Science Diet MD had been recalled in this country, but he
said not, but it had in several other countries. I will ask what our
other options are and see how he feels about canned food.

For now it looks like another day without my big lad, my son (not to
mention myself!) was so pleased at the thought of Clyde coming home
today, I just hope that he doesn't bring it up before bedtime tonight!

Again, many purrs for Clyde's complete recovery. Thank you for continuing to
update us.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.