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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / May 2005Purrs for Omar (long)
Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only help... Omar, my 5-year-old orange buddy, has IBD, but recently in the past 6 weeks or so began drinking excessively and I took him in and had two extensive (and the word that rhymes with it, too) blood panels done within a week of each other and based on his test results we know he does not have hyperthyroidism or diabetes. His appetite has lessened over the last week and his weight (if the scales are correct) shows he's lost about 3/4 lb.since the second set of blood tests earlier in May. My vet wanted me to take him to have the internal medicine specialist do an ultrasound on his kidneys, which I did yesterday. His kidneys appear okay but both his adrenal glands were enlarged and they re-ran an electrolyte panel which indicated that his sodium was low and his potassium was up, so were the ALT liver enzymes. So today they called me in and wanted to run an ACTH test (think I got the letters right) to try and determine if it is Addison's disease (which apparently is much rarer in cats than in dogs). The poor boycat had to have blood drawn 3 times in 1-1/2 hours and he was really unhappy (as was I). The first vet tech who was holding him down so that the vet could draw blood was saying, "Stop it, Omar!" in an unkind voice to him over and over again; I got p*ssed off and said that yelling at him was not going to make him any more cooperative. My vet apologized and I asked to have another vet tech for the subsequent blood draws. She came in with the same vet tech again the next time and I just held Omar down (and didn't let the tech handle him and no one said anything - we got it done okay) while the vet tried to find a vein (which is hard with Omar); the last draw a different vet tech that I knew was more sympathetic held Omar and it all went okay. He and I were ready to go home. Meanwhile, the internal medicine specialist wanted me to start Omar on 10 mg/prednisone tonight (from what I've been reading, corticosteriods are what you treat with for Addison's) even before we got the bloodwork back; I did it and hope it was the right thing to do -- I know the prednisone will probably help with the IBD and help stimulate his appetite, too; the not eating much part also worries me. If you've read this far in my wordy ramblings, many thanks. Will keep ya'll posted. Christine Purrs and purr-ayers are on the way that all goes well for Omar, and that whatever's causing his symptoms is easily treated. FWIW, my friend had a dog with Addison's. He was a black standard poodle named Dazi (pronounced "daisy"), and he was one of the most terrific creatures to ever grace the earth with his presence. :o) He also lived to be 15 years old, which would've been quite an age for a standard poodle to reach even WITHOUT the Addison's disease. My friend was absolutely religious about making sure he was properly medicated, and as a result, you wouldn't have been able to guess, just from looking at him, that he was sick and on daily meds. So if it's Addisons, may Omar have the same great results to being treated as Dazi did. He took his daily pill(s) and thanks to that, he lived a fabulously spoiled, and otherwise healthy, life. Donna, Captain, and Stanley > Purrs and purr-ayers are on the way that all goes well for Omar, and that > whatever's causing his symptoms is easily treated. [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Donna, Captain, and Stanley Donna, reading this was encouraging and I appreciate it - thanks! Christine > Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only help... > [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > Will keep ya'll posted. > Christine Poor Omar! and Poor you! Mega healing purrs that you can find out what this is and it is treatable. > > Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only help... > > [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > Poor Omar! and Poor you! Mega healing purrs that you can find out what this > is and it is treatable. Thanks, Karen -- just knowing that I've got moral support from you and other rpca'ers is helping me deal with the uncertainty. Christine Christine B wrote: --------------------<snip>--------------------- >If you've read this far in my wordy ramblings, many thanks. >Will keep ya'll posted. Poor little man!! Bad enough being sick without all those people sticking holes in him. This seems like one of those rare times when it might not be much better if poor Omar could tell you where it hurt. I hope things work out his way and we're also purring for you as well, Christine. -- Regards and Purrs, O J > Christine B wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > I hope things work out his way and we're also purring for you as well, > Christine. Purrs again. Unfortunately, this is one case where the blood tests and the imaging (ultrasound or CT) is the only way to make the diagnosis. The good news is that it's quite treatable. > Christine B wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > Regards and Purrs, > O J I felt so bad for him these past two days going through this stuff. Thanks, OJ, from both of us. Christine > If you've read this far in my wordy ramblings, many thanks. > Will keep ya'll posted. Please do. We will be purring hard for Omar. Poor boy, I hope he won't have to go through much more testing.  SignatureMarina, Frank and Mere. In loving memory of Nikki. marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki > > If you've read this far in my wordy ramblings, many thanks. > > Will keep ya'll posted. > > Please do. We will be purring hard for Omar. Poor boy, I hope he won't > have to go through much more testing. Marina, thank you so much and thank Mere and Frankie, too. I'll tell Omar about all the extended rpca feline purrs coming here for him. Christine >> > If you've read this far in my wordy ramblings, many thanks. Will keep >> > ya'll posted. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > Marina, thank you so much and thank Mere and Frankie, too. I'll tell Omar > about all the extended rpca feline purrs coming here for him. Christine Purrs and prayers from TuTu and me that your kitty will respond well to treatment. MLB > Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only help... > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > (think I got the letters right) to try and determine if it is Addison's > disease (which apparently is much rarer in cats than in dogs). ACTH: Adrenalocorticotropic hormone. You spelled it right, and now you know why it's abbreviated! . > Meanwhile, the internal medicine specialist wanted me to start Omar on 10 > mg/prednisone tonight (from what I've been reading, corticosteriods are [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > probably help with the IBD and help stimulate his appetite, too; the not > eating much part also worries me. That sounds like good sound medicine. Yes, elevated potassium with enlarged adrenals fits. There might be some later tweaking of the specific corticosteroid, to something that would retain more sodium. Both from Addison's itself and the corticosteroids, there can be mood swings. OTOH, John F. Kennedy had Addison's throughout his term, and we didn't know as much about treating it as we do now. > > Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only help... > > [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > swings. OTOH, John F. Kennedy had Addison's throughout his term, and we > didn't know as much about treating it as we do now. Thanks, Howard, that is reassuring to hear from you. You know I spent a long time online reading today, earlier before the vet called and asked me to come in, and I read all sorts of stuff about adrenal gland issues, some of which, like Cushings were kinda downers -- I appreciate the info and the support. Christine > Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only help... > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > and his weight (if the scales are correct) shows he's lost about 3/4 > lb.since the second set of blood tests earlier in May. Christine - lots of purrs for Omar and you. I hope that you get a diagnosis ASAP and please let us know what happens. Susan M Otis and Chester > > Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only help... > > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > Susan M > Otis and Chester Tell Otis and Chester I can feel their purrs (and everyone else's) and they are definitely going to help me sleep tonight. I didn't realize how heavy it all weighed on me till I talked to you all here. I sure can't say too much in front of my daughter with her anxiety issues, so thanks for listening. Christine >Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only help... > >Omar, my 5-year-old orange buddy, has IBD, but recently in the past 6 weeks >or so began drinking excessively and I took him in and had two extensive (snip) Poor sweet Omar! Purrs for all his innards to work properly. Theresa Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com Many purrs coming up for poor Omar. -- Britta "There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast." -- Unknown Check out pictures of Vino at: http://photos.yahoo.com/badwilson click on the Vino album > Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only > help... [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > tests earlier in May. My vet wanted me to take him to have the > internal medicine specialist do an ultrasound on his kidneys, which I > did yesterday. His kidneys appear okay but both his adrenal glands > were enlarged and they re-ran an electrolyte panel which indicated [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > again the next time and I just held Omar down (and didn't let the > tech handle him and no one said anything - we got it done okay) while > the vet tried to find a vein (which is hard with Omar); the last draw > a different vet tech that I knew was more sympathetic held Omar and > it all went okay. He and I were ready to go home. > > Meanwhile, the internal medicine specialist wanted me to start Omar > on 10 mg/prednisone tonight (from what I've been reading, > corticosteriods are what you treat with for Addison's) even before we > got the bloodwork back; I did it and hope it was the right thing to > do -- I know the prednisone will probably help with the IBD and help > stimulate his appetite, too; the not eating much part also worries me. > If you've read this far in my wordy ramblings, many thanks. > Will keep ya'll posted. > Christine Purrs going to Omar from a fellow orange cat, who also hates getting his blood stolen by TED while losing weight. Rusty, owner of Winnie > Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only help... > [quoted text clipped - 46 lines] > Will keep ya'll posted. > Christine Purrs on the way >Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only help... > [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] >Will keep ya'll posted. >Christine SignatureSteve Touchstone, faithful servant of Sammy and Little Bit stouchst@JUNKsirinet.net [remove Junk for email] Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html Poor Omar and poor you! Purrs are on their way. SignatureJoy **Don't believe everything you think** > Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only help... > [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > Will keep ya'll posted. > Christine Thanks, Joy, and everyone who is sending Omar (and me) their best purrs and wishes. I hope we get results back soon as Omar's appetite this a.m. was not good for his canned food (and I even tried a can of a/d I had on hand); I was able to get him to eat a bit of the dry food (California Natural and also, this new stuff, Evo for Cats) and I got some good advice last night about mixing it in with his wet food so got some in him that way. Christine > Poor Omar and poor you! Purrs are on their way. > [quoted text clipped - 48 lines] > > Will keep ya'll posted. > > Christine > Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only help... <snipped> > Meanwhile, the internal medicine specialist wanted me to start Omar on 10 > mg/prednisone tonight (from what I've been reading, corticosteriods are what > you treat with for Addison's) even before we got the bloodwork back; I did > it and hope it was the right thing to do -- I know the prednisone will > probably help with the IBD and help stimulate his appetite, too; the not > eating much part also worries me.//// Purrs that this is resolved soon. HUGS Helen M > Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only > help... <snip> > If you've read this far in my wordy ramblings, many thanks. > Will keep ya'll posted. > Christine Mega purrs for Omar. I don't know why, but it seems worse for such a young cat to be ill. SignatureAdrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera) A house is not a home, without a cat. > Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only help... > [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > Will keep ya'll posted. > Christine {{{{{{{{{{Christine and Omar}}}}}}}}}} What a traumatic experience for both of you. Mega purrs coming that Omar gets well very soon! Hugs, CatNipped > Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only > help... > > Omar, my 5-year-old orange buddy, has IBD, but recently in the past 6 > weeks or so began drinking excessively (snippage) > Meanwhile, the internal medicine specialist wanted me to start Omar > on 10 mg/prednisone tonight (from what I've been reading, [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Will keep ya'll posted. > Christine Purrs on the way that Omar is just having a temporary little "thing". Jill > Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only help... Purrs that it's easily treatable and Omar is back to feeling good soon. Soothing purrs for you as well SignatureElise (supervised by Gossamer & Jeeves) pics: http://photos.yahoo.com/dragonandthistle@snet.net Purrs and prayers that Omar checks out ok. Jazz & his mama SignatureIrulan from the stars we come to the stars we return from now until the end of time > Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only help... > [quoted text clipped - 46 lines] > Will keep ya'll posted. > Christine >Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only help... > [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] >Will keep ya'll posted. >Christine Purrs for Omar and for your stress and worry to be relieved soon. Ginger-lyn Home Pages: http://www.spiritrealm.com/summer/ http://www.angelfire.com/folk/glsummer (homepage & cats) http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~summer/index.htm (genealogy) http://www.movieanimals.bravehost.com/ (The Violence Against Animals in Movies Website) Purrs for you and Omar. > Purrs for you and Omar. Glad to see you are still out there, Jen. Hoping to hear more from you. SignatureMarina, Frank and Miranda. In loving memory of Nikki. marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki > Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only help... > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > (think I got the letters right) to try and determine if it is Addison's > disease (which apparently is much rarer in cats than in dogs). Purrs on the way for the pred to help until a more definitive diagnosis and treatment can be found. Sam, closely supervised by Mistletoe I do hope and Soncek sends his purrs that the vets find an easy solution to whatever is ailing Omar. Best wishes and hugs, SignaturePolonca & Soncek > Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only help... > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > kidneys, which I did yesterday. His kidneys appear okay but both his > adrenal glands were enlarged <snip> Again, thanks Polonca and everyone for the support -- I just heard back from my vet about the bloodwork they did yesterday and his test results came back as normal. I have both good and uncertain feelings about this news as my vet said both she and the internal medicine doctor don't know what to make of this; my vet said she'd be making calls on this on Tuesday to see what she can find out. I am RELIEVED that it doesn't appear to be Addison's disease but then, I wonder what it is!?! They still want me to continue with the prednisone. Christine > I do hope and Soncek sends his purrs that the vets find an easy solution to > whatever is ailing Omar. [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > kidneys, which I did yesterday. His kidneys appear okay but both his > > adrenal glands were enlarged <snip> > Again, thanks Polonca and everyone for the support -- I just heard back from > my vet about the bloodwork they did yesterday and his test results came back [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > disease but then, I wonder what it is!?! They still want me to continue > with the prednisone. How strange. And how frustrating not to know. At least they've been able to rule out the more serious stuff, so that's a relief. Purrs that you find out soon what is ailing your poor boy, and that it's easily fixable. SignatureMarina, Frank and Mere. In loving memory of Nikki. marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki > Again, thanks Polonca and everyone for the support -- I just heard back > from [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > disease but then, I wonder what it is!?! They still want me to continue > with the prednisone. Do you know what other tests were done? Possibly renin or plasma cortisol? I can think of some tests that are done in humans, but I'm not sure how you could do them in cats -- some fairly exotic conditions like sitting for a measured time, then standing, or 24-hour urine. I don't know your area, but veterinary CT has been coming down in cost. It's more precise on the adrenals than is ultrasound. If the prednisone gives symptomatic relief, it might be worth slowly tapering it and see if the single course solves the problem. Purrs from Mr. Clark, the resident expert in orange catness. > Christine > > I do hope and Soncek sends his purrs that the vets find an easy [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > > kidneys, which I did yesterday. His kidneys appear okay but both his > > > adrenal glands were enlarged <snip> > Again, thanks Polonca and everyone for the support -- I just heard > back from my vet about the bloodwork they did yesterday and his test [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > what it is!?! They still want me to continue with the prednisone. > Christine It sounds hopefull. Continuing purrs. SignatureAdrian (Owned by Snoopy & Bagheera) A house is not a home, without a cat. Oh my goodness, lots of purs on the way for Omar. Please let us know how he does. Victor > Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only help... > Omar, my 5-year-old orange buddy, has IBD, but recently in the past 6 > weeks or so began drinking excessively and I took him in and had two [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > me in and wanted to run an ACTH test (think I got the letters right) to > try and determine if it is Addison's disease (which apparently is much snipped........ > If you've read this far in my wordy ramblings, many thanks. > Will keep ya'll posted. > Christine Prayers for Omar that the results are not bad. Judith SignatureJudith Latham Stourbridge, West Midlands. UK. Purrs and positive thoughts coming for Omar from Debbie, Daisy, Anna, Sabrina, and Patty > Was hoping not to need to ask for purrs but I think it could only help... > [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > Will keep ya'll posted. > Christine Purrs for poor Omar. Suz&Spicey
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