MY VET IS THE BEST-BUT MAX IS STILL STRUGGLING....

okay, an update on max. he still has clostridium, no giardia, he is now on two new medications. tylan powder in capsule form and barrium to coat his little tummy. i have had him into the vet on average two times a week. this last week he was there on mon and then again yesterday.

yesterday i noticed a few drops of blood from his little rear end. i called the vet immediately, and they said bring him in right away. i did. he thinks it is a secondary inflammation that results from the toxins that clostridium produces. his intestional system is on overload. they did another fecal. (he has one per week). it looks okay. he is being very good about the barrium, which is very chalky, and you can only give it to them in tiny little doses at a time, otherwise they can suffocate if too much. that about sent me through the roof. and of course the first time i gave it to him on the side of his mouth, he struggled and i caused the syringe to discharge more than i was supposed to give. I ABOUT DIED...THOUGHT "OH MY GOD IVE KILLED HIM." however...he must have just cashed in on one of his lives, because he was fine.

BUT!!! in that process, i discovered that for whatever reason, he likes the chalky medicine. :shock:

now...about my vet. he has not charged me for the last three visits, and the last two fecal exams, or the barrium he gave me yesterday. i have not ever asked him to give me a break. he is, in my opinion, a very ethical and giving vet. i donate food to his clinic instead, because he has been so good to me. any suggestions on another way i can thank him??? its really nice to have a vet that thinks about more than $.

say prayers for max. he is running around playing just fine. i am with him most of the day, so i can watch him closely. i just think it is because he has had two months of continuous diarrhea.

 

Lynn, poor Max and you too! It's awfully hard to take care of a sick little one. Be careful in the administration of barium. Is it in a premixed formula? I know humans who take in can aspirate it, so can cats. If one takes too much of it , it will cause constipation, and in worse senerio, compaction. Of course this is with humans. Is this a new thing that vets do with cats?

Good vets don't need anything for thanks. They are happy that they are helping pets and their owners. If it makes you feel better, give him a nice hand written note or card and send the office some munchies or no munchies.

I'm praying for Max and so is Rene. We send you lots of love! :love_y_t_much:

 

Poor Max....I will keep him in my prayers. Sounds like you've got a really great vet.

 

Hi Lynnhaz. I sure hope your vet gets Max's condition cleared up soon. It's not an easy thing to treat. The only advice I could offer you, is that if your vet is not able to successfully treat Max's condition in the next four weeks, to seek a second opinion from another vet. Sometimes we have very nice vets and I realize that is important. However, successfully treating any condition is more important. I wish Max all the best. I sure hope all of this will be resolved soon. He's such a cutie.

 

Cats are notorious carriers for diseases. They have the organism but don't show any symptoms, or they have symptoms but continue to carry it even after they are better. A lot of times it just takes time for them to clear it. I am not as familiar with giardia and clostridium in cats, but with salmonella they can carry it for months or even years. And using antibiotics can actually prolong the carrier status. If the giardia is gone, it sounds like they are making progress.

Did your vet say what kind of clostridium he has? I am just curious. Tetanus and botulism are caused by members of the clostridium family.

I'm sure your vet mentioned this, but practice good hygiene. Even if the cat isn't sick, you can get sick from him. It sounds like what he has is also pathogenic to humans, so be careful

I work at a vet clinic and a lot of times people will bring in flowers or muffins or donuts with a card saying thank you. The vets always appreciate that and keep the cards in the office. Everyone likes to know that they are appreciated.

 

thank you everyone for replying. i have been offline over memorial day weekend. max is doing okay. still has loose stools. they may be a little firmer...but i dont know... color has changed to a more normal color. now...the barrium. well, the vet said that it would coat his stomach, because he has had so much trauma with the clostridium and giardia.

max amazes me at every turn. he is such a good kitty. after the first dose of the barrium, he started licking the syringe....he actually likes it! which makes it much easier to administer very tiny doses. i think he is only going to be on it for 3-5 days.

the second opinion is a good idea, but i am a little hesitant about that and i will tell you why. in my vets office there is another female vet who is very good, and she has seen max when his primary vet has not been there. she has had very similar opinions about the treatment protocol. now, when i was reading on the internet, talking to several different bengal breeders about the diarrhea, they all seemed to have different opinions on what would firm up a stool. what if that happens when i go to a new vet. i am afraid that if i go to a new vet they will tell me something different...how do i know who is really right? :?

i do know that treatment for clostridium can be lengthy. i am not sure if a month is an adequate time to really gauge the effects of the tylan powder. the info on the internet says it could be 3-4 months.

now i am getting kind of confused and scared. oh dear. :shock:

 

Hi Lynnhaz. I understand that his condition is hard to treat. I also understand what you are saying about getting a second opinion. This is just my take on it. First of all there are so many new drugs and new ways of treating a wide variety of health problems. It's hard to keep up with it all. Sometimes the purpose of a second opinion is to find out if they have new knowledge of how to treat a certain type of health problem. You never know if another vet has the great new treatment that another vet didn't even know existed.

Another way you can approach it is by simply calling different vet offices and asking them how their office treats clostridium in cats. Ask them how long their methods of treatment takes on average, what their success rate is and so on. You'll find that by calling around you may gain more information and then just use your gut instinct to guide you in your decision making regarding Max's health. It certainly won't do any harm to call around and ask these questions. I sure hope your little guy gets better soon. 3-4 months in 'cat months' is a long time.

 

chessmind. :y_the_best: it makes more sense to me now, when you explain it that way. that is a really good idea about calling around. i will do that today.
i think it is important that i stay open to feedback from others. it's kind of like the saying "i listen to everything that is being said to me...not because i need to hear it all, but because i might miss the one thing i need to hear" (i paraphrase). so that is good advice. it may be that someone has a specialty in this area. i will keep you updated. by the way...little maxie also says "thank you chessmind for helping me again..." and we are both glad you are back to the forum after your loss.

 

just an update on getting a second opinion...

so....i got obsessive again and got on the internet. i finally tracked down a vet in phx that specializes in clostridium. his name was given to me by the state board for veterinarians. i left a detailed message with his secretary who will consult with him. i offered to pay for a phone consult if that was appropriate. he travels to different vet offices to consult with them on specific infectious diseases. so...hopefully i will get some useful info. i will keep looking though. there has got to be more than one person specializing in this area.

thanks again for the advice...it gives me some additional hope that either his current treatment is appropriate, or maybe there is something my vet has missed, or not thought of, or maybe not been aware of.

 

Thanks Lynnhaz. I have to admit though, that it's a bit awkward for me to post in the cat forum, when I don't even have a cat. I miss Handsome so much. Where are those little violin emoticons?......Oh here they are! :-({|=

Anyway, enough about me. You are certainly proactive Lynnhaz. Good job on calling around and finding a vet in your area that specializes in treating clostridium in cats. I'm very proud of you. I hope your efforts will be rewarded by having Max in good health again soon. He sure is a cute. :mrgreen:

 

hi chessmind. its taking me a moment to post this because max's little paws keep taking the mouse away. :roll:

i spoke to the secretary again. she spoke with the vet (he specializes in bacteriology) and he would like to see max vs. do a phone consult. which i think under the circumstances is appropriate. he wants all of max's records. the only downfall to this is that he is out of town next week. my appointment is not until the 14th of june.

so...i called my vet and asked the secretary to make copies of his file..."just for my records". i felt kinda wierd, like i didnt want to offend them by telling them i was looking into a second opinion. i mean, it's not like i am going to change vets...i just want good treatment for him with this particular problem. i received a call back later today from my vet...he left a message saying he had done some research on clostridium in bengals and wanted to share the info with me.

so...either he deduced that i was looking at getting a second opinion because i called for his records, or he is just worried about max. well...i mean, i know he is worried about max...he is a really caring vet...but no matter. just want him to get better. my goodness. i think max messes with me a little too, cause it seems the minute i get home, he is in that litter box. then i clean it, and he is right in there again. i probably scoop that box at least five times a day. and then totally change all the litter once a day, and disinfect the box. (not to mention all the hundreds of baby wipes i have gone through!)

and dont worry at all about feeling strange because you dont have a kitty right now. i think it helps to keep that part of your "spirit" alive. plus your advice is so helpful and supportive.

i will keep everyone posted. .....bengals and clostridium, huh?....interesting.... :-k