My heart is breaking!

[kerrie78]

Ok,

I got Fuzz on Feb 14th, picked him up from the airport, noticed he had a little bit of goopy eyes... no biggie planes, stress, etc. Took him to the vet the next day we put him on antibiotics & eye meds for the start of a little respiratory thing for 10days. All is good. Then he started a little cough a few times a day, 2 days later I take him back in & they start on antibiotics again. 3 days after that he is lethargic, still eating well, and sleeping 80% of the day & labored breathing. We took a digital image on his chest... it was so filled with fluid that you could barely see his heart. We drained 10cc of straw colored fluid from his chest & sent to lab. Results came back yesterday as probable FIP! crycry I know there are really no definitive tests for FIP until postmortem. Having my dogs I've come to realize that rare breeds get rare things....are Sphynx prone to any weird stuff that I or the vet may not know about? The breeder has never had any issues with FIP & her vet owns three of her cats. Any suggestions????????

 

[ElGatoLoco]

That's horrible. I wish you the best of luck with little Fuzz. I had to look up FIP. Yikes. At least he hasn't lost his appetite. I'll be thinking of the Fuzz. ButterBall and Fuzz are about the same age so I'm really interested to see how it goes. Good luck.

 

[kerrie78]

Well he would have the wet version of it what is worse since (they usually die within a few days to weeks) he had all the fluid in his chest. I was hoping this morning to wake up to an imporvement with him but there wasn't. His appetite is getting less voracious. I just wanted to try meds because a lot of cases of FIP are not & people put their cats to sleep & it wasn't FIP & I would flip out if that happened. I know I've only had him for about a month but I don't really work in the winter so I have been home with him everyday since I got him; I'm so attached to him! The dogs are freaking because they know something is wrong they pace in front of his bed all day or if they are not pacing they lay right in front of it.

 

[Rhubarb]

That is terrible! I am so sorry. I had to look up FIP as well. You and Fuzz are in our thoughts. Take care of yourself too.

 

[kerrie78]

Well Today was a HORRIBLE DAY! I euthanized Fuzz today. I woke up he was gasping for air making sounds that would break your heart. He wouldn't move or open his eyes either. He went downhill real fast from last night. The vet said that his abdomen was now full of fluid as well as his chest. I know some people don't believe in euthanizing animals but I couldn't make him suffer & basically suffocate to death.

 

[ElGatoLoco]

Oh that's too bad. I'm so sorry. Fuzz's pictures were great. I hope this doesn't turn you off of the sphynx breed. I know it's not the same but your breeder should at least replace him.

What are your plans now?

 

[kerrie78]

She is she was very upset too, he was her favorite. It didn't turn me off of the breed at all; if anything he made me love them more; even though it was only for a short time their personalities are undescribable! Plus any cat that can deal with my "Baby Huey" brown dog trouble is great, Trouble "over loves" everything & one. I spent all day disinfecting, she has a litter due at the end of March. I really love the Tuxedo's but don't know if I would want another blue right after him maybe a chlt or a blk. I love butterballs face it is so cute!

 

[ElGatoLoco]

That's good. I kind of want a tuxedo too. I could have got one but it was a girl and I really wanted a boy. Besides, I didn't care what they looked like. I knew the kitty would be awesome either way. ButterBall isn't show quality but it adds character to the little clown.

I've been doing more research on FIP. That's the last thing a breeder would want to hear. I hope the next litter is strong and healthy. Keep us updated and good luck.

 

[kerrie78]

The rest of his siblings & other litter he was with are all fine, he just didn't have a strong enough immune system to fight off the coronavirus & it mutated. Although this happened I'm glad I got him because I worked as a Vet Tech for 10 years & a lot of people won't try any treatment so I know he got the best shot at making it. I think a lot of people look at pets as a necessity & they are not; they are a little bonus we get in life & deserve the best you can give them.

 

[Rhubarb]

I am so sorry for your loss....what a terrible day it must have been for you. Fuzz was lucky to have someone who reacted with such love and humanity for him. Please keep us posted about the future.

 

[admin]

kerrie78, I am sorry for your loss.This is a terrible experience for any one.Little fuzz will be in all of our hearts.Please keep us informed on your new kitten,and again im sorry.

 

[kerrie78]

Thank you, everyone here has been great! At least he was sooooo spoiled for the little time I did have him.

 

[admin]

Hi every one,
I made a memorial video for fuzz.It's in the video directory.
Thanks Tom

 

[kerrie78]

Thank You! That was so nice! It made me cry!

 

[AngelSphynx]

Hi Kerrie, my name is also Karrie...just with an a. Anyway, I am still getting used to this forum and didn't see this conversation going. My whole heart goes out to you!!
FIP can strike any cat. It is a rare disease but it has nothing to do with the Sphynx being a rare breed. Sphynx cats, although a sound and healthy breed, are prone to any disease just like ordinary cats.
There has been a big wave about Sphynx cats and HCM (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy) going around the internet, but it is not specific to the Sphynx.
I do know, even though it is not a disease, that constipation is a common problem with the Sphynx and Abbysinians as well. Although a fairly mild thing, it is an important thing to look out for for the comfort of the cat and it usually results in bleeding if not taken care of or does not resolve itself.

I'm sorry you lost your baby but just know that you did everything you could and gave him the best life possible when he was here. And, you were being a responsible pet owner by euthanizing him. Anyone that doesn't believe in euthanizing and just letting a pet suffer until it dies needs to go through it and see what it's like. I am giving you lots of kudos for doing what's right for the animal. They depend on you to make decisions for them and determine what's best for them. It was the best thing (and most loving thing) you could have done for him at that point. I know it's never easy. *HUGS*

Rest in peace Fuzz.

 

[kerrie78]

He was the first cat I have personally owned. I was a Vet Tech for 10 years so I have seen lots of people do lots of horrible stuff to their animals... including making them suffer on the account of them not wanting to hurt from the loss of a pet. I think that was part of the reason I got out of the business, I am an outspoken person & clients don't like being told they are being inhumane.

Kerrie

 

[admin]

Kerrie,
you did the right thing.

 

[AngelSphynx]

He was the first cat I have personally owned. I was a Vet Tech for 10 years so I have seen lots of people do lots of horrible stuff to their animals... including making them suffer on the account of them not wanting to hurt from the loss of a pet. I think that was part of the reason I got out of the business, I am an outspoken person & clients don't like being told they are being inhumane.

Kerrie

Wow, I can only imagine...

 

[kalliee129]

Kerri I just had some questions about Fuzz. I'm sooooo sorry for your loss and I know it must be very difficult to talk about, but I was wondering if you could give me some information. You see Meecho constantly gets these runny nose's. She's been tested for FID and tested negative, but from what little I can find on it, it could come at any time when they are young. What signs did you have that there was something wrong with Fuzz? I mean was he low on energy or not eating as much? Meecho seems like a perfectly normal kitten---well maybe not so much a kitten anymore. The reports say that if they do get it they rarely ever make it to a year and this June she will be one year old so I'm like litterally counting down on the calender praying for that year to hit. Basically Meecho has the energy of a cat on acid 24-7. She eats like a horse! Drinks normal amounts. The only thing is the runny noses and sneezing with snot that really should be given to NASA to see if we can use it for chemical war fair. Lately because she keeps licking the snot before I can wipe it off she gets a very dry cough. Since getting her she has been on two different prescriptions but it just keeps coming back. I know that if I keep her shirt on during the day she sneezes less then if I forget to put it on, but she still sneezes. Does any of this remind you of how Fuzz was? If this is hitting a sore spot and you don't want to answer I completely understand. It's still very hard for me to talk about Midnight who I lost in December. Just, after reading about Fuzz I've become kinda perinoid when it comes to Meecho and I want to take this weight off my chest and just be able to enjoy her. I really don't know what I will do if something happens to her. I know emotionally I can't take another loss this close to losing Midnight. Any help would be great. Thanks a bunch.

 

[kerrie78]

No, it isn't hitting a sore spot; unfortunately you kind of get used to these things when you worked in the vet field for a while. Well there are 2 kinds of FIP; one is effusive or "wet" FIP & the other is "dry" FIP. Fuzz started out when i picked him up on Sat. the 14th of Feb... i noticed he had the start of a little eye infection... to him the the vet on Sunday & put him on antibiotics, eye meds & ear meds because that is a typical upper respiratory thing. He got better but shortly after got worse. Put him back on meds again then very rapidly he declined, went back to the vet & did xray & his chest was filled with fluid; we thought maybe pneumonia, i pulled 10cc of straw colored fluid out of his chest which is signs of wet FIP, sent to the lab & report came back as 99% probable FIP. When kittens get wet FIP they usually don't make it more than a few weeks after diagnosis; their chest & abdomen fill with fluid, FIP actually makes the blood vessels leak causing the fluid build up. "Wet" FIP is the worst they can get. "Dry" FIP is usually respiratory infections coughing, etc. But don't freak because kittens are prone to respiratory problems. FIP is actually a mutated form of the coronavirus which most cats are exposed to at some point since it can be inhaled; it is just some cats immune system cannot fight the virus. Cats with the dry FIP can live for a few years though. I'm not sure what test your vet ran; they can test titers to see exposure to the coronavirus but the only 100% test for FIP is through tissue samples from an autopsy. What meds has your vet tried? I know a vet that sees a lot of Sphnyx & she thinks that they tend to need a stronger medicine for some reason they resist normal strength antibiotics. I wouldn't be too worried of she is that old already. Unfortunately, respiratory infections & vomiting are usually part of kitten fun.

 

[kalliee129]

she was given clavamox drops 62.5 mg/ml and when her cold came back they put her on doxycycline 25mg/ml which cost a fortune!. Maybe I'm just on edge because of how fast I lost Midnight. I mean I left for Paris and he was fine and I came back and in the course of less then a month my baby was gone. It took me a long time to move on and only because I stare at his ashes all the time. As much as I love Meecho there was a time when I swore that I would trade her if I could just have my bubby back. Now as much as it is tiring having Meecho as it's like taking care of two year toddler 98 % of the time I can't imagine my life without her. This is my first sphynx and I did alot of research before getting her on their care and quirks and I have a tendency of almost being neurotic when it comes to keeping things off the "do not" list. When I'm home I am constantly touching her just to make sure her body temperature stay's in the good range. If I see her sit in the sun for more then five minutes I'll close the door so there isn't anything but shadows. Right now it is so freakin hot here and I won't turn the fan on because I'm scared her temperature will drop while I'm asleep. Luckily she's so used to me cleaning her that she's almost gotten to the point where she just sits still. She actually LOVES it when I clean her ears, but I'm so worried about the waxy build up that if I even see a speck I grab a tissue and a q-tip. I think I'm becoming that crazy mother who keeps calling her pedatrician every five minutes when she has her first child. I just wish her cold would go away so bad and I feel so helpless that I can't help her. Luckily she is so hyper and energtic that when I see her take on the dog and run around so fast you can't even see her I sit back and laugh at myself for ever worrying that she is sick to begin with. It was just so scary that the day I was coming on here to ask someone for advise on her cold I saw your post about Fuzz and I've been a wreck ever since. It took alot for me to even ask any questions because I was so scared of the answers but you have made me feel so much better. thank you so much!! I'd give you a hug but since we are a few thousand miles away and I'm currently covered in her snot as she just sneezed on my computer I don't think you would want that

Since you work in the vet field maybe you can tell me...what is it with animal snot. I mean seriously I really think we should use it as a chemical of mass destruction. All our enemies would never know what hit them and it would take them forever to get it off but not before it discolored all their clothes and bedding. This stuff is worse then bleach.

 

[kerrie78]

I am glad that you feel better now, does your vet heat any congestion in her chest at all? Their snot is just like our; plain old mucus. The doxycycline from what I discovered with talking with the vet for some reason isn't strong enough for Sphynx. If you are still really worried I would maybe ask your vet to do a chest xray just to rule out pneumonia. How long was she on clavamox & doxycycline; like us they will develop a resistance to antibiotics as well. There is a antibiotic called Baytril you can maybe talk to your vet about trying on her, it is a very stong antibiotic & that may help her. What has your vet suggested or think it could be? Does she get worse if you take her off antibiotics? If I were in your shoes; i would do the chest xray just to rule out pneumonia. Unfortunately when you own rare breeds sometimes they are prone to & have different quirks about them. I have 2 Bull Terriers & they are a rare breed; I had a puppy years back that developed Lethal Acrodermatitis & I had to teach the vet about that disorder seeing that only Bull Terriers get it & they are rare so they don't see the disorder.

 

[kalliee129]

She was on both of them until the bottles were empty. I would say each was about two weeks worth maybe less. The vet hears absolutely nothing in her chest or stomach and says other then the runny nose she incredibly health. When she would go off the meds it didn't really change anything. I mean it would go away for about a week or more but then come back. She doesn't seem to have any other problems except for the stuffy runny nose. It gets clogged up from time to time so I take a hot wet baby cloth and will clean out her nose as much as possible. I've wanted to take one of those baby booger sucker uppers (yeah I don't know what their really called) but the ends are to big for her nose. We actually hit 95 degrees here today and I noticed that she didn't sneeze or have as much congestion in her nose all day. Now that it's night and the temp has drop down to 54 degrees she is sneezing a little bit more. Now if a cat has pneumonia what would the syptoms be? She hasn't been running a feezer or anything. I will definately ask her vet about Baytril, maybe that will be the one that gets it done.

As far as the vets not knowing much since they are a new breed, when I first took Meecho their both the doctors there did ALOT of research just so they could treat her. I was actually very impressed that they would go out of their way to make sure she is getting the best care. It kinda helps that everyone there has totally fallen in love with her. I think sometimes they call me for checkups just so they can try to see her

 

[kerrie78]

I know that with Fuzz he didn't have a rattle in his chest either but it was completely filled with fluid; sometimes if there is a lot you may not hear any congestion. Pneumonia symptoms are similar to ours, fever, listlessness, coughing, but she isn't really having any of that just the sneezing right? Maybe she has like a Sinusitis? I looked through some of my vet reference books, I'm going to past an excerpt below about sinusitis; If it sounds similar to what you are dealing with maybe talk to your vet about the possibility of it? It is so hard to try & figure out what things are when they aren't in front of you, but this sounds similar to what you have described. It just may be that she needs to outgrow this; it sucks when you don't know for sure what is happening & since they can't talk it makes it worse. But usually when they are constantly shedding a mucus there is something causing it & I'm sure your like me & want to find it, fix it & be done with it. So here is something else to maybe explore.

Chronic sinusitis, often associated with rhinitis, and other chronic nasal diseases can be very frustrating to diagnose and treat. The sinuses around the nose may become chronically inflamed as a result of many different disease processes. Certain bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites can cause sinusitis in cats and dogs. Cats with viral sinusitis can experience damage to the nasal bones. Usually chronic cases of sinusitis will have bacterial infection secondary to the underlying cause. Non-infectious causes include foreign body, allergies to inhaled molds, pollen, or other allergy-provoking substances, dental disease, polyps, and cancerous and non-cancerous tumors. If nasal discharge occurs from only one nostril, an infectious cause is less likely.

Affected animals will sneeze a lot, paw at their noses frequently and have a nasal discharge. Cats with chronic sinusitis are especially prone to experience loss of appetite, which may be related to impaired sense of smell.

Treatment of sinusitis is directed at the symptoms and the underlying cause. Antibiotics, anti-fungals, and parasiticides may be given, as appropriate, to fight various infectious agents. Quite often bacterial infections need to be treated for a month or more, and in some cases antibiotics may need to be given chronically. Since so many cases of sinusitis are associated with secondary bacterial infections, antibiotics often lead to temporary improvement in an animal patient's symptoms regardless of the underlying cause of the sinusitis. Corticosteroids are given in cases of allergic sinusitis; attempts should be made to remove the inciting allergen if possible. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy and sometimes surgery are employed in treating malignant tumors. Surgery is sometimes performed to remove infected bones of the nasal and sinus cavities.

If your cat is not responding, it is possible that a cause other than bacterial infection or allergy may be responsible for the sinus condition. Your cat may require additional diagnostics. These might include rhinoscopy (endoscopic examination of the nasal passages), contrast radiology, and biopsy.

 

[Moonstone]

If I understand well (english is not my language) your pretty girl is in good health except this nose problem ?

It could be some kind of allergy, or fungi, or some kind of virus which becomes chronicle.

I've a cat who had a chronic infection in the left eye due to the herpes virus, The eye was "dirty" every day, and I saw that the poor cat suffered a lot because he closed the eye very often...
Several vets and I have tried lots of antibiotics, and other meds, but the only thing that is working ( a true miracle ! ) is a "paste" made with Lysine. In france the "paste" is called ENISYL-F from VETOQUINOL LABORATORY.
From the day I gave him this paste, the eye became ok, no more infection ...a new life for my poor Hanky, and for me.
The keratite stays, but the infection disapeared...
Try to give her Lysine, if it works it is a chronic herpes virus, if not, it should be an allergy or fungies.
You will eliminate a possible cause at least!