Cat

Ask a Cat Question, Get an Answer ASAP!

Have your own Cat question?

4 Vets and Cat Experts are Online Now

characters left:

Not a Cat Question?

Question

I have a 12 year old cat, Sadie, that suddenly stopped eating this past weekend. We took her to the vet on Tuesday .. bloodwork (CBC/Chem 21) came back fine .. no indication of kidney or liver problems. Treated with 'subcutaneous' fluids. Brought her back to the vet on Wed for x-ray .. no tumors, obstructions showed up on x-ray but it did show a lot of matter in her intestines. She stayed overnight last night to receive an iv of fluids, antibiotic, and pepcid. They were going to give her something to induce her to eat but she vomited bile again. She is still not eating .. she is urinating but has had no bowel movements. The vet suggested exploratory surgery as the next step to see if there is an obstruction. This seems extreme. This is Sadie's first illness .. she's been a very healthy cat. If the surgery had a definite purpose (e.g. they saw an object on the x-ray) I would be willing. But if she doesn't start eating I don't know what other options I have.

Submitted: 108 days and 7 hours ago.

Category: Cat

Value: $9

Status: CLOSED

Pet's Sex: Female
Pet's Age: 12

Already Tried:
Sadie is still at the vet under their care. I'm suppose to talk with the vet again tomorrow morning to see how Sadie did tonight. If there has been no change (still not eating and still no bowel movements) then they are suggesting surgery. When I visited her this afternoon, she was alert and stood while I was petting her. I hesitate to put her through the surgery when the purpose and outcome is so uncertain. I don't want to "artificially" prolong her life if she is dying of old age. Alternately, I don't want her to be in pain the last days of her life. I don't know when I should consider putting her to sleep. I'm interested in any opinion you may have from your experience.

Posted by CriticalCareVet 108 days and 7 hours ago.

Answer

Hi there,

In a case such as this - especially with the history you report of the tests (bloodwork and x-rays) - prior to exploratory surgery...to get a closer look at all of the abdominal organs, stomach, intestines, liver, spleen, pancreas, etc would be to have an abdominal ultrasound performed.

If you are not familiar with this procedure, this link will help:

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

This would give you a much better idea of what is going on - and more information to decide if surgery is really needed in this case!

I hope this helps!
_____________________________________________________________________
Please click "ACCEPT" if the information I have provided has been of help so I receive credit for my work. Bonuses are always welcome and Feedback is appreciated. Thank you.
The above is given for information only. Although I am a licensed veterinarian, I cannot legally prescribe medicines or diagnose your pet's condition without performing a physical exam. If you have concerns about your pet I would highly advise contacting your regular veterinarian.

108 days and 7 hours ago.

Reply

The article seems to indicate that not all vets have the facilities to offer an ultrasound exam. I'm a bit surprised that my vet did not offer this much less invasive procedure as an option. One thought they has was that she could have swallowed something such as a ribbon which wouldn't show up on an x-ray. Would something like this show up on an ultrasound?

Accepted Answer

Hi there,

While the ribbon may not be clear on an ultrasound - it is much more visible or a pattern of blockage is much more visible on ultrasound.

While not every veterinarian offers this - you can ask your veterinarian where the nearest referral facility is that has a radiologist to perform this procedure as I would strongly recommend this before surgery - if possible - based on your history.

I hope this information helps :) Please let me know if you have additional questions.
_____________________________________________________________________
Please click "ACCEPT" if the information I have provided has been of help so I receive credit for my work. Bonuses are always welcome and appreciated. Thank you.
The above is given for information only. Although I am a licensed veterinarian, I cannot legally prescribe medicines or diagnose your pet's condition without performing a physical exam. If you have concerns about your pet I would highly advise contacting your regular veterinarian

Accepts:
Expert:	CriticalCareVet
Pos. Feedback:	100.0 %
Answered:	8/7/2009

Critical Care Veterinarian

Emergency and Critical Care Specialist

Disclaimer: Information in questions, answers, and other posts on this site ("Posts") comes from individual users, not JustAnswer; JustAnswer is not responsible for Posts. Posts are for general information, are not intended to substitute for informed professional advice (medical, legal, veterinary, financial, etc.), or to establish a professional-client relationship. The site and services are provided "as is" with no warranty or representations by JustAnswer regarding the qualifications of Experts. To see what credentials have been verified by a third-party service, please click on the "Verified" symbol in some Experts' profiles. JustAnswer is not intended or designed for EMERGENCY questions which should be directed immediately by telephone or in-person to qualified professionals.

Cat

Have your own Cat question?

Related Cat Topics:

Question

Optional Information

Answer

Reply

Accepted Answer

Cat

Have your own Cat question?

Related Cat Topics:

Question

Optional Information

Answer

Reply

Accepted Answer

Related Cat Questions