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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / February 2007Update on Roxy: inconclusive
Roxy spent today at the animal hospital having tests. The doctor is now certain that herpes is not causing this, but he doesn't know what is. Her eye itself is fine, though. The problem is in the conjunctiva. She was anesthetized while they poked and prodded at the conjunctiva. He did something called a "CT stain", which analyzes cell tissue from a swab. He saw some weird cells in the stain, and wasn't sure what they were - some kind of infection, but he didn't recognize it. So he gave the data to a pathologist to have it analyzed. He didn't want to biopsy her flesh right now because it's so swollen and inflamed, and it hurts her a lot. He's hoping to get some answers without having to do that. Meanwhile, he sent her home today with 3 new meds: an oral antibiotic, a topical one (drops), and some pain medication. And I'm $550 poorer. :( And we don't even know what it is! Her eye looks worse, probably because of the tests. Right now she's under my bed and won't let me near her. If I try to reach under, she hisses and growls. She must have had a really terrible day. :( I went into my bedroom a little while ago to try to give her pain meds, but I was unable to lure her out. I don't want to get her all upset and stressed over a struggle to drag her out from under the bed. But I'm sure she'd feel better if I could just give her a dose of the pain stuff. I'm not even going to try to give her the other meds until I succeed in numbing her pain a bit. Poor girl, this is heartbreaking... :( At least her bloodwork was fine. She had that done before being put under. Kidneys are fine, other levels are normal. I should find out tomorrow what the pathologist has to say about the stain. Joyce > Roxy spent today at the animal hospital having tests. The doctor is > now certain that herpes is not causing this, but he doesn't know what [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > so swollen and inflamed, and it hurts her a lot. He's hoping to get > some answers without having to do that. <snip> Poor Roxy, I hope the pain meds are helping. Purrs for her problem to be diagnosed and cured asap. Purrs for your nerves and your wallet.  SignatureAdrian (Owned by Snoopy and Bagheera) Cats leave pawprints on your heart. http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk Poor Roxy. However, the vet is doing a great job getting a specific analysis of the infection. There are many that won't do that and just throw broad spectrum antibiotics at it and I think you have a lot better chance of getting somewhere with the specifics. I really hope she calms down for you soon. Poor baby. > Roxy spent today at the animal hospital having tests. The doctor is > now certain that herpes is not causing this, but he doesn't know what [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > > Joyce > Poor Roxy. However, the vet is doing a great job getting a specific analysis > of the infection. There are many that won't do that and just throw broad > spectrum antibiotics at it and I think you have a lot better chance of > getting somewhere with the specifics. I really hope she calms down for you > soon. Poor baby. Yes, I should have just gone to this vet from the start! They are very pricey, and at different times I've felt like they were just generating cash flow by doing a whole bunch of extra stuff. In this case, though, I think the extra stuff is justified, and it's worth the cost. She does seem to have a mysterious problem, and no way around it, it's going to cost to find out what's causing it. I thought it would be a good idea to put her in my bedroom with me for the night, and separate her from the other two cats. So I set up a litter box, food and water for her, but then I couldn't get her to come in! She growled, hissed, and ran away from me several times. Poor thing, I think she was just so anxiety-ridden, in pain, and probably angry as hell about the day she'd just been through, that she wasn't putting up with one more thing from a crazy human. So I gave up and went to bed, allowing all the cats to come and go throughout the apartment as they pleased. When I woke up in the middle of the night, guess who was sleeping on top of me? :) Then when I got up this morning, she was back to her sweet-natured self, the little darling. Her eye still looks funky, of course, but she seems to be in much better spirits. She was even rolling around and rubbing her head on a catnip mouse, so I broke out the dried catnip for everyone. She ate her breakfast, let me pet her, let me give her her medicine, and sat gazing at the room calmly as she always does. What a relief! Thanks for all the purrs, everyone! Joyce > When I woke up in the middle of the night, guess who was sleeping on > top of me? :) [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Joyce Oh good! I"m glad she took her medicine fine and seems happier. > > Poor Roxy. However, the vet is doing a great job getting a specific > > analysis [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > > Joyce *Phew* Glad to hear she i feeling better :) Re: Update on Roxy: inconclusive by jXwXeXrXmXoXnXt@sonic.net Feb 14, 2007 at 06:43 PM <snip> Then when I got up this morning, she was back to her sweet-natured self, the little darling. Her eye still looks funky, of course, but she seems to be in much better spirits. She was even rolling around and rubbing her head on a catnip mouse, so I broke out the dried catnip for everyone. She ate her breakfast, let me pet her, let me give her her medicine, and sat gazing at the room calmly as she always does. What a relief! Thanks for all the purrs, everyone! Joyce _ _ _ _ _ Poor little Roxy. At least I hope she does not hurt so much after having taken her medicine. Purrs that the vet can find out what is wrong. Elisabet On Feb 14, 11:43 am, jXwXeXrXmXoX...@sonic.net wrote: Thank goodness you got her meds down her. I so understand not wanting to stress them out more, but knowing they need a med. I wish we could explain that it was because we loved them, or they could, like, psychically understand it. Vets can vary so much. Sounds like this one is worth the cost. Purrs everything is fixable. Patm > Then when I got up this morning, she was back to her sweet-natured > self, the little darling. Her eye still looks funky, of course, but she [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > medicine, and sat gazing at the room calmly as she always does. What > a relief! I'm so glad she is doing so much better again. I'm late sending purrs, but we've been thinking of you and Roxy all the time. When I read about her hiding and hissing at you, it brought back sad memories of Frank when he was ailing in his last months. Mostly he seemed to be OK and not have any pain, but sometimes he would hide under the bed and I couldn't get him out for his medicines. It always made me feel so very bad. But we are purring for Roxy to continue improving, and a few purrs for your nerves are on the way, too. SignatureMarina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. Stories and pics at http://koti.welho.com/mkurten/ Pics at http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/ http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki Joyce, how is Roxy's eye? Did they ever find out what exactly is wrong? I hope she's doing well. Rhonda > Then when I got up this morning, she was back to her sweet-natured > self, the little darling. Her eye still looks funky, of course, but she [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > medicine, and sat gazing at the room calmly as she always does. What > a relief! > Joyce, how is Roxy's eye? Did they ever find out what exactly is wrong? > I hope she's doing well. Thanks for asking! She's doing *slightly* better, in a non-linear progression - ie, sometimes she looks a lot better, other times her eye looks about the same as it was when it was worse. Hasn't gone back to the very worst, though, at least! Maybe it'll just be a slow recovery. I never got an exact diagnosis, no. The best they could give me was "non-specific infection". So we're throwing a bunch of antibiotics, plus some anti-inflammatory ointment, at it. If it doesn't get better in two weeks (from the start of the current regimen), then she'll need a biopsy of her conjunctiva. :( I *really* hope not to come to that point! That will re-inflame her eye and will be painful. But if it's not a bacterial or viral infection, then the only other possibility is a tumor. So, I still have my fingers crossed that it's not that! Joyce > > Joyce, how is Roxy's eye? Did they ever find out what exactly is wrong? > > I hope she's doing well. [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > or viral infection, then the only other possibility is a tumor. So, I > still have my fingers crossed that it's not that! Oh, I hate that not knowing. I hope she gets better enough not to have the biopsy. Did they do a culture and sensitivity to see what antibiotic the infection responds best to? Maybe that would be better before they do a full-blown biopsy. It should only take a swab. Good luck to Roxy, Rhonda > Did they do a culture and sensitivity to see what antibiotic the > infection responds best to? Maybe that would be better before they do a > full-blown biopsy. It should only take a swab. Yes, I think they did all that. They performed a cytology, which is an analysis of the infectious cells in the swab they took. They even had a pathology consultant look at it, because the vet who is treating her didn't recognize any of the cells (of the infection). They did give me two new antibiotics - one to be applied as drops and the other to be taken internally - plus an anti-inflammatory. She was already on one antibiotic, which they had me discontinue. So I think they did consider which medication would be best, otherwise why would they have changed her medication? Thanks, Joyce It does sound like they did that. I hope she's better soon. Maybe explain to her in detail that she has to have a biopsy if she doesn't show more improvement. Sometimes the threat of another trip to the vet will scare them enough for them to get better. :) Rhonda > Yes, I think they did all that. They performed a cytology, which is > an analysis of the infectious cells in the swab they took. They even [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Thanks, > Joyce > Thanks for asking! She's doing *slightly* better, in a non-linear > progression - ie, sometimes she looks a lot better, other times her > eye looks about the same as it was when it was worse. Hasn't gone > back to the very worst, though, at least! Maybe it'll just be a slow > recovery. Sounds like a waiting game - purrs for your nerves meantime! Is she easy to medicate? SignatureMarina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. Stories and pics at http://koti.welho.com/mkurten/ Pics at http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/ http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki > Sounds like a waiting game - purrs for your nerves meantime! Is she easy > to medicate? Of my three, she's the easiest. It's a little hard to get drops and ointment into her eyes - ideally, I should have three hands for that job. :) One to grasp the back of her neck (great for making cats more docile), one to hold open her eye, and one to apply the medicine. Since I have only the standard two hands, this takes a bit more skill than I have, but I do the best I can. I usually hold her eye closed for about 10-15 seconds afterward, so she won't immediately shake all the stuff out. Smudge isn't too hard to give medicine to either. I guess she and Roxy are about the same. I haven't even tried it with Licky (he's still young, so it hasn't been necessary). He finds it traumatic when I give him Advantage. (And he remembers things! I always put on latex gloves when handling that stuff. One time I used a latex glove for some other reason, and when Licky saw the glove on my hand, he hissed at me and ran away.) He is not going to be easy when it comes time to give him medicine. And I dread having to take him to the vet - I can't imagine getting into a carrier! (At the moment, you'd never know he's like this - he's curled up in my arms like a little angel, purring away.) Thanks for the purrs! Joyce > > Sounds like a waiting game - purrs for your nerves meantime! Is she easy > > to medicate? [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > about 10-15 seconds afterward, so she won't immediately shake all the > stuff out. Caliban needed some eye drops when he came to me - he had goopy eyes. He was impossible to hold and medicate at the same time, and I developed a method where I'd soak some tissue in the eye medicine and wipe his eyes with the tissue. You're probably not supposed to do it this way, but his eyes did improve, so I guess some of it went deep enough into his eyes. But his eyes didn't seem to be sore. This would probably not work with Roxy. > Smudge isn't too hard to give medicine to either. I guess she and Roxy > are about the same. I haven't even tried it with Licky (he's still [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > getting into a carrier! (At the moment, you'd never know he's like > this - he's curled up in my arms like a little angel, purring away.) Mir is a little angel in respect, too. When I had to medicate the cats for ringworm, she would just cower in my arms and open up wide like a good girl when I stuck the syringe into her mouth. Caliban was a whole nother story - I basically had to sit on him while prying his mouth open. He never seemed very upset afterwards, though. SignatureMarina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. Stories and pics at http://koti.welho.com/mkurten/ Pics at http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o185/frankiennikki/ http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki > > Joyce, how is Roxy's eye? Did they ever find out what exactly is > wrong? > I hope she's doing well. [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Joyce Still sending purrs for Roxy's eye. SignatureAdrian (Owned by Snoopy and Bagheera) Cats leave pawprints on your heart. http://community.webshots.com/user/clowderuk > Right now she's under my bed and won't let me near her. If I try to > reach under, she hisses and growls. She must have had a really [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > At least her bloodwork was fine. She had that done before being put > under. Kidneys are fine, other levels are normal. Awww - hugs to both of you and purrs that she's feeling better soon. I know that TED trips can take a lot out of a kitty but she'll come around. I hope that you get news ASAP. Susan M Otis and Chester > Roxy spent today at the animal hospital having tests. ... I should find > out tomorrow what the pathologist has to say about the stain. > Joyce It sounds like you have a good vet who will find out what the problem is so that Roxy can get the treatment she needs. It is expensive, but less expensive than just guessing and trying one ineffective treatment after another and Roxy will recover faster. I know what you mean by heartbreaking. It's terrible when they hide and don't trust you and worrisome because they need the medication to get well. Maybe you can bribe her with treats. Best wishes to Roxy and to you. Annie > Roxy spent today at the animal hospital having tests. The doctor is > now certain that herpes is not causing this, but he doesn't know what [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > > Joyce Poor little girl!! What an awful time for her. Purrs that they find the problem and soon!! I've missed a lot of what's been happening with Roxy but what I have read sounds like quite a trial -- purrs for you and Roxy, Joyce. Christine > Roxy spent today at the animal hospital having tests. The doctor is > now certain that herpes is not causing this, but he doesn't know what [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > > Joyce We are still purring and praying for poor Roxy. Hope this condition doesn't last too long and everything is ok. Lily & her mama SignatureIrulan from the stars we come to the stars we return from now until the end of time. > Roxy spent today at the animal hospital having tests. The doctor is > now certain that herpes is not causing this, but he doesn't know what [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > > Joyce > and inflamed, and it hurts her a lot. He's hoping to get > some answers without having to do that. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > reach under, she hisses and growls. She must have had a really > terrible day. :( //// Many purrs and prayers that this is resolved soon, and she's on the mend. Helen M > Roxy spent today at the animal hospital having tests. The doctor is > now certain that herpes is not causing this, but he doesn't know what [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > > Joyce Oh no! Lots and lots of purrs and best wishes for Roxy and hugs for you, Joyce, Polonca and Soncek
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