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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / March 2008neck problems
Hi everyone! I have a cat that is 14 years old and we noticed last night that she walking funny and her head was hanging down looking at the floor the whole time. We don't really notice if she has been eating or drinking water before this but I have been lifting the water bowl up for her so she can have water as with the food bowl. Her neck looks a little swollen but we can rub it and she doesnt meow in pain or try to pull away. She has been drinking a lot but didn't go to the bathroom very much. She has also been sleeping a lot. My boyfriend thinks its a neck problem and I think its kidney desease but like I said we just noticed it last night so hopefully if its something it is a neck problem. > Hi everyone! I have a cat that is 14 years old and we noticed last night > that > she walking funny and her head was hanging down looking at the floor the > whole time. ------- This is an emergency situation. You need to take her to be seen by a vet ASAP. Best regards, ---Cindy S. > We don't really notice if she has been eating or drinking water before > this [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > noticed > it last night so hopefully if its something it is a neck problem. i will but it being Easter the vets aren't really open. we plan on calling them tomorrow though. thank you >> Hi everyone! I have a cat that is 14 years old and we noticed last night >> that [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >> noticed >> it last night so hopefully if its something it is a neck problem. Please take your kitty to the vet as soon as possible and have her examined. It could be kidney disease, especially if she is drinking more than usual. S.  Signature**Visit me and my cats at http://www.island-cats.com/ ** --- > Hi everyone! I have a cat that is 14 years old and we noticed last night > that [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > noticed > it last night so hopefully if its something it is a neck problem. we plan on taking her tomorrow since it being easter our vet isn't open. >Please take your kitty to the vet as soon as possible and have her examined. >It could be kidney disease, especially if she is drinking more than usual. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >> noticed >> it last night so hopefully if its something it is a neck problem. Good idea....good luck. Let us know how it goes. S. Signature**Visit me and my cats at http://www.island-cats.com/ ** --- > we plan on taking her tomorrow since it being easter our vet isn't open. > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >>> noticed >>> it last night so hopefully if its something it is a neck problem. > Hi everyone! I have a cat that is 14 years old and we noticed last night > that > she walking funny and her head was hanging down looking at the floor the > whole time. Any sudden change in a 14 year old cat, is a danger sign. > We don't really notice if she has been eating or drinking water before > this > but I have been lifting the water bowl up for her so she can have water as > with the food bowl. As in this just started and you are just now doing it right? > Her neck looks a little swollen but we can rub it and she doesnt meow in > pain [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > noticed > it last night so hopefully if its something it is a neck problem. Please have her checked as soon as possible but before panic, do you have other pets? She might have just been played with a little rough (neck swollen). She might also have been bitten mildly in play and have an infection (should feel a slight lump which may be a little squishy, do NOT wait! Hie thee to a vet!). Had this happen once, 2 cats playing. One got poked by a claw (really was an accident) and an abcess developed. Needed immedate surgery to open it then antibiotics for a bit. Time was essential but fortunately, not a very expensive trip that time <g>. She's a skinny cat by nature so we notice our bigger cats eating more than her all the time. But yes, I just started holding the bowl and food up last night since thats when we noticed her having the neck problems. She was ok up til last night. We have 3 other cats.Can't really say it they were playing or not since the family was out all day and just noticed it when we got home. We do plan on taking her to the vets tomorrow since it is Easter and are probably closed. >> Hi everyone! I have a cat that is 14 years old and we noticed last night >> that [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] >then antibiotics for a bit. Time was essential but fortunately, not a very >expensive trip that time <g>. > We do plan on > taking her to the vets tomorrow since it is Easter and are probably > closed. Let us know what the vet says. This sounds serious to me. > She's a skinny cat by nature so we notice our bigger cats eating more than > her all the time. But yes, I just started holding the bowl and food up > last > night since thats when we noticed her having the neck problems. She was ok > up > til last night. Ok, not long term then. Kidney problems from my experience, arent so very fast (at that age, cant rule them out but the sudden dropping head isnt something I've heard with that). > We have 3 other cats.Can't really say it they were playing or not since > the > family was out all day and just noticed it when we got home. We do plan on > taking her to the vets tomorrow since it is Easter and are probably > closed. Call and ask? They may want you to take her to emergency room. Definately do not wait past tomorrow morning if she's still walking around head down. How's she doing now? If it's an abcess, it might be where you cant feel it unless trained. Can get very bad really fast. If she's still peeing though, it's doubtful seeming to be a urinary tract blockage to me. (if she stops, emergency clinic now!) If her condition seems the same now as yesterday, just a bit droopier, I'm guessing an infection of some sort, possibly abcess. Probably accidental play caused if so and those can happen at any age. Dont start kneeding her neck looking for it. It could bust inwards that way and be bad news. (gently checking is ok, feel a lump and you got the cause. Painful but not all pets react to pain like you or I would). > Hi everyone! I have a cat that is 14 years old and we noticed last night that > she walking funny and her head was hanging down looking at the floor the > whole time. Could be cervical ventroflexion which is often a result of potassium depletion and can occur as a result chronic renal failure. When you see your vet tomorrow, ask him to run a full blood workup (complete blood count & serum chemistry) and urinalysis. If her serum potassium level is in the lower half of the normal range ask him to prescribe a potassium supplement. Even if she's not in renal failure, the potassium supplement will help delay the onset. Best of luck, Phil >> Hi everyone! I have a cat that is 14 years old and we noticed last night > that [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > delay > the onset. THats the other possible, but my one experience with this was a slower onset. I'm hoping I'm right and she gets to the vet in time and it's a simpler situation. >>> Hi everyone! I have a cat that is 14 years old and we noticed last night >> that [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > onset. I'm hoping I'm right and she gets to the vet in time and it's a > simpler situation. We had sudden onset of this in a 14 yr old cat. It was potassium deficiency, we supplemented him 2x a day and he lived 2 more years. Nancy > We had sudden onset of this in a 14 yr old cat. It was potassium > deficiency, we supplemented him 2x a day and he lived 2 more years. This is good to know! Do you know what causes potassium deficiency? The main way that I know about is renal insufficiency. I don't know if there are other reasons why a cat can suffer from potassium deficiency. S. >> We had sudden onset of this in a 14 yr old cat. It was potassium >> deficiency, we supplemented him 2x a day and he lived 2 more years. > > This is good to know! Do you know what causes potassium deficiency? > The main way that I know about is renal insufficiency. I don't know if > there are other reasons why a cat can suffer from potassium deficiency. Same here on knowledge base. Probably are other things but I don't know what they are. I wish our lady with the sick cat would update us on how it's gone! >> The main way that I know about is renal insufficiency. I don't know if >> there are other reasons why a cat can suffer from potassium deficiency. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > I wish our lady with the sick cat would update us on how it's gone! Me too. >> I wish our lady with the sick cat would update us on how it's gone! > > Me too. No news since. Thats usually bad news, sorry to say. >>> I wish our lady with the sick cat would update us on how it's gone! >> >> Me too. > > No news since. Thats usually bad news, sorry to say. no that is typical what happens here about 1 out of a 100 come back and tell us what happened >>>> I wish our lady with the sick cat would update us on how it's gone! >>> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > no that is typical what happens here about 1 out of a 100 come back and > tell us what happened That's true. I generally assume the worst--that they never took the cat to the vet. SignaturePosted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com > > We had sudden onset of this in a 14 yr old cat. It was potassium > > deficiency, we supplemented him 2x a day and he lived 2 more years. > > This is good to know! Do you know what causes potassium deficiency? CRF is probably the most common cause of potassium depletion and hypokalemia in cats- and its a vicious, self-perpetuating cycle. Rapid urine formation- from any cause (CRF, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, diuretics, sub-q fluids)- is another. Acidified diets that don't contain enough potassium. Severe/chronic vomiting and/or diarrhea. Adrenal tumors. Potassium depletion and hypokalemia aren't exactly the same. Serum potassium levels aren't a good indicator of total body stores of potassium because most (>95%) of the body stores of potassium are contained in tissue- not in the blood. Ergo- a cat with normal serum potassium levels can have a deficit in her total body stores of potassium which can lead to declining renal function---> which leads to further potassium losses--> which leads to a further decline in renal function and the cycle goes on and on. Signs of mild or subclinical hypokalemia are often dismissed as signs of aging- like reduced appetite, reduced activity, subtle weight loss, poor coat. If your cats are over 7 or 8, a potassium supplement will probably make them feel a lot better and would probably delay the onset of CRF. All my older cats get a potassium and omega 3 supplement. I highly recommend them for all middle-age and older cats. Phil >. All >my older cats get a potassium and omega 3 supplement. I highly recommend >them for all middle-age and older cats. Hi Phil, what form do those supplements come in and what dosage do you give daily? -mhd "Phil P." <phil@maxshouse.com> wrote: >>. All >>my older cats get a potassium and omega 3 supplement. I highly recommend >>them for all middle-age and older cats. >Hi Phil, what form do those supplements come in and what dosage do you >give daily? >-mhd I use 3-V Free Form Liquid Omega-3s from DVM Pharmaceutical's now IVX Animal Health. This is an improved version of 3-V Caps Liquid HP. The omega-3s are in the, well, "free form" so it doesn't have to be broken down by pancreatic enzymes to be absorbed. IOW, the Free Form Liquid has the highest bioavailability of all the different types of omega-3s. The dose for cats 5-10 lbs is .5 ml (but I give all my cats a little more) which contains 160 mg of EPA and 104 mg of DHA-- high potency stuff and its balanced with Vitamin E. For the potassium supplement I use Tumil-K powder - 2mEq - which contains 468 mg of potassium gluconate (78 mg elemental potassium)- *Don't* use potassium chloride or especially potassium citrate. Tumil-K comes in caplets, powder and a gel. These are the doses I give *my* cats Speak to your vet before giving your cats any supplements. Good luck, Phil >"-mhd" <hamandcheese@betweentheknees.com> wrote in message >"Phil P." <phil@maxshouse.com> wrote: [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > >Phil Thanks Phil and of course I would run any thing like that past my vet first but I just want to file this away in my useful stuff to know category. Are these supplements palatable or could they turn the cat off its food? -mhd >> > We had sudden onset of this in a 14 yr old cat. It was potassium >> > deficiency, we supplemented him 2x a day and he lived 2 more years. [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > my older cats get a potassium and omega 3 supplement. I highly recommend > them for all middle-age and older cats. Thanks, Phil, you are such a great resource. >> > We had sudden onset of this in a 14 yr old cat. It was potassium >> > deficiency, we supplemented him 2x a day and he lived 2 more years. [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > > Phil Where do you get the potassium and omega 2 supplement? What brand? How much to you give them? If I can't isolate the dose to just my 9 and 10 year olds will it hurt to give it to them all (2 almost a year and one 4 year old)? They're already getting 500mg/day/each of L-Lysine to prevent outbreaks of FHV/Rhinovirus - do you think this would interfere with the potassium and omega 3 supplements? Hugs, CatNipped > >> > We had sudden onset of this in a 14 yr old cat. It was potassium > >> > deficiency, we supplemented him 2x a day and he lived 2 more years. [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > > CatNipped All your cats would benefit from omega-3s, but I wouldn't give potassium supplements to the younger cats. Potassium shouldn't interfere with L-Lysine. Speak to your vet before giving your cats any supplements. Phil >> >> > We had sudden onset of this in a 14 yr old cat. It was potassium >> >> > deficiency, we supplemented him 2x a day and he lived 2 more years. [quoted text clipped - 60 lines] > > Phil Thanks, Phil, I will. Hugs, CatNipped
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