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moodynudie

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I'm worried sick about my Sphynx kitten, Fig, and would really appreciate some suggestions. He has been vomiting and having diarrhea for three days now.

On January 1st, I picked up my beautiful 13 week old Sphynx kitten from a breeder who has been breeding Sphynx for over 20 years.

On January 2, my mother and I took him to a local vet for his new kitten check up. I have never seen this vet before, as I am new to the area. The vet does not have much, if any, experience with the Sphynx breed. She was unfamiliar with their specific needs as a breed (i.e. bathing, ear cleaning, etc.). The vet told us that Fig needed his first FeLV vaccination, so we went ahead with the vaccine.

On January 4th, Fig simultaneously vomited and had diarrhea outside of his litter box. The vomiting and the diarrhea continued for the rest of the day, though he was able to make it to his litter box to poop. He's still playful, and eats and drinks small amounts. He doesn't appear to be all that stressed with his new environment: he plays like a wild man, purrs nonstop, and seems to absolutely adore me, so I am fairly certain that he is having a reaction primarily to the vaccine versus stress, though I know how sensitive Sphynx cats are to change.

(My breeder says that Fig shouldn't have gotten the FeLV vaccine and was shocked that the vet would recommend it. She does not believe kittens need this vaccine, and its side effects are too harsh on Sphynxs' sensitive systems.)

On January 5th, my mother took Fig back to the vet in the morning to have him assessed. He had no fever and wasn't terribly dehydrated yet, so the vet saw no need to give him fluids. However, my mother insisted that he be given fluids regardless. The vet also gave him anti-nausea and steroid injections, special diet food (Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal Veterinary Diet), a probiotic (FortiFlora), and, upon our request, Amoxicillin.

He didn't vomit again that day, but he did have diarrhea, and it was basically water. On January 6th, around 5:30pm, he threw up again. It was a light, brownish-tan liquid. He also had diarrhea again.

He wasn't eating or drinking as much, and I was very concerned. He wouldn't eat the veterinary diet food, so the breeder suggested I give him a/d Urgent Care wet food and continue with the kibble he is used to, Royal Canin Babycat. I took her suggestion and last night, he gobbled down a fair amount of both canned and dry food.

Today (January 7th), around 6am, I woke up to see that Fig had had diarrhea in his litter box and that he had thrown up in his bed. This time, the vomit was an orangey-brown color and had pieces of undigested kibble in it. As I was typing this, Fig had more diarrhea. Again, it was water.

I got him to eat a few bites of his canned food, a little bit of his kibble, and a little bit of water about an hour ago. As I was typing this, Fig had more diarrhea. Again, it was water.

Obviously, I am worried sick. Fig is not only my first Sphynx cat, but my first cat of any breed. My lack of experience is leaving me feeling helpless. He still has bouts of playfulness and appears to be aware of his surroundings even when he is in his bed, but I'm terrified for my poor baby boy. I can see in his eyes that he doesn't feel well, and I just want to make sure that I'm making the right decisions for him.

Here is where I really need to hear your thoughts.

My breeder is adamant that Fig should only have Amoxicillin for this bout of diarrhea and vomiting while the local vet was very adamant that we NOT use Amoxicillin because of its tendency to cause vomiting and diarrhea. I chose to follow the breeder and give Fig Amoxicillin. The vet also prescribed .25ml twice daily for 14 days while my breeder told me to give Fig .50ml twice daily for 5 days. Again, I followed the breeder.

However, this morning, I decided to discontinue the Amoxicillin, so his last dose was last night. The vet told me to discontinue the Amoxicillin if I didn't see improvement by Monday (today), and so far, I haven't seen any improvements. I called the vet earlier today, and they said they'd get back to me as soon as they could.

The breeder seems to know what is best based on her 20 years of owning and breeding Sphynx, but I'm very conflicted and don't know who I should listen to-- the vet who has 8 years of medical education (though admittedly has not had experience working with Sphynx) or my breeder who has history dealing with Sphynx.

What do you recommend that I do? I just want my little guy to feel better, and I'm frightened for his well being.

If any of this was confusing or you would like additional information, please let me know. I would be more than happy to clarify.

Thank you.
 

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moodynudie

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Also, I'm sorry if any of this is confusing or if I made any typos-- I'm very overwhelmed right now and I haven't been getting much sleep, as I've been sleeping on the floor next to Fig.
 

Yoda mom

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@moodynudie Oh soo sorry to hear little adorable Fig isn't feeling well.
Is the breeders vet close to you ?
have you considered s different vet ?
You can post a thread for lookimg for s vet in your area so members can PM

My heart goes out to you and little fig

What was the vets diagnosis ? I would ask the receptionist for w copy of his chart amd consider a stocks opinion . Agree about not giving the Felv vaccine but you out trust in the vet I get it . I would be gong to a different vet personally .

some antibiotics work better than others
Forgot to ask - did you get a stool sample check ?
Rule out giardia or tritrichomonas ?
we have seen some kittens with it - it's not as common but we have seen it here treated with a different antibiotic (ronidazole for tritrichomonas )
I would start with s baseline fecal test
any chance he ate plants etc?
 
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Sheldon13

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@moodynudie I hope I can help a little.

My biggest concern for h right now is dehydration. Cats don’t hydrate
all that well anyways, and right now he is having both vomiting and diarrhea, making it almost impossible to drink enough fluids. I’m guessing that after 3 days of this he is in a vicious cycle of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea that will be hard to break. My educated guess, based on experience, is that he is in great need of some subcutaneous fluids to catch back up. Getting hydrated again will give his system a chance to get set right again.

Look at his gums. Are they dry (tacky)? What color are they?

Gently pull the skin up on the back of his neck. Does it stay tented up for a while or does it pop right back into place?

Is he urinating?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
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Yoda mom

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@moodynudie it's very important Fig stays Hydrated .
I would recommend a second opinion sooner than later for peace of mind and his wellbeing to get a proper diagnosis and treatment

Sphynx cat with Diarrhea (Giardia)

Following closely for updated
Healing head smooches to Fig and big hugs to you
My vet prescribed Cerenia for vomitting my Sphnyx which worked well .

Treating Your Cat’s Vomiting

CERENIA is the first and only FDA-approved treatment for vomiting in cats. CERENIA allows your veterinarian to treat your cat’s vomiting while working to find the underlying cause. 2
often times Flagly (metronidazole ) is prescribed for certain conditions

 
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moodynudie

Lairian
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Dec 19, 2018
Messages
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@moodynudie Oh soo sorry to hear little adorable Fig isn't feeling well.
Is the breeders vet close to you ?
have you considered s different vet ?
You can post a thread for lookimg for s vet in your area so members can PM

My heart goes out to you and little fig

What was the vets diagnosis ? I would ask the receptionist for w copy of his chart amd consider a stocks opinion . Agree about not giving the Felv vaccine but you out trust in the vet I get it . I would be gong to a different vet personally .

some antibiotics work better than others
Forgot to ask - did you get a stool sample check ?
Rule out giardia or tritrichomonas ?
we have seen some kittens with it - it's not as common but we have seen it here treated with a different antibiotic (ronidazole for tritrichomonas )
I would start with s baseline fecal test
any chance he ate plants etc?

Thank you so, so much for your response. We gave the vet a stool sample and it came back negative for internal parasites.

Unfortunately, the breeder's vet isn't close to me, but I think it's a good idea to look into a different vet.

I can't think of a way Fig possibly could've gotten into any plants--I don't have any in my room.

Again, thank you for the response. I really, really appreciate it.
 

moodynudie

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Messages
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@moodynudie it's very important Fig stays Hydrated .
I would recommend a second opinion sooner than later for peace of mind and his wellbeing to get a proper diagnosis and treatment

Sphynx cat with Diarrhea (Giardia)

Following closely for updated
Healing head smooches to Fig and big hugs to you
My vet prescribed Cerenia for vomitting my Sphnyx which worked well .

Treating Your Cat’s Vomiting

CERENIA is the first and only FDA-approved treatment for vomiting in cats. CERENIA allows your veterinarian to treat your cat’s vomiting while working to find the underlying cause. 2
often times Flagly (metronidazole ) is prescribed for certain conditions



Do have any tips for keeping him hydrated? I have a syringe, but I'm worried that if I try to give him water that way, he'll breathe it in on accident.

Also, I'm working on getting a second opinion from a different vet as soon as possible.

Again, thank you for your help.
 

Yoda mom

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You have the liquid dispensing tool?

when at the vets have them show you how to use it and how to do the Turgor test for dehydration.
If my vet prescribes pills , I ask for a pill popper - Amd ask them to show how to use it

For mynkitty I fill the oral medication dispenser with a little water
gently dispense between the teeth and cheek
Do not tilt head Back

Here is a link with pictures (scroll to bottom of the. Link page )
https://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/outreach...ures/cats/giving-oral-medications-to-your-cat
 
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Yoda mom

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Please keep us updated
Glad you will be taking Fig back to the vet
Positive vibes sent !

PS: @moodynudie ** I found if I put an extra dish away from the food dish they drink more
Mine love a round 6 inch Corning-ware dish over the smaller bowls
 

Catzzzmeow

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So sorry your baby is not feeling well. I agree if you don’t feel 100% confident see a second vet. I tend to go with what my vet says and share what my breeder has told me. Will be looking for updates.
 

Toa and Ross

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Sending healing vivbes to Fig and hugs to you. Seems like you're being a great mom for him and doing all you can. Seeing a second vet can be a good idea when you're not sure about the first one.

My boy Toa was sick the first months I had him, vomiting and diarrhea like your Fig. Tested on everything, tried different meds. Took a while but then the diarrhea stoppes. He's now a healthy big boy. So hang in there!
 

moodynudie

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UPDATE:

I called the vet this morning and they prescribed Fig a medicine called Metronidazole. When I asked what it did, they said it was an antibiotic that was more centered around the GI. I had also requested more of the Hills Urgent Care prescription diet food because it's all Fig will eat, but apparently they don't carry Hills anymore, so they gave me what they claim is the Royal Canin version of that food (Recovery RS). Hopefully, he doesn't react negatively to the food switch. It was a bit odd, though, because they didn't ask to examine Fig again--they just had me come and pick up his new prescription and food.

Earlier today, around 11:00am, Fig got up from his bed and came to greet me when he saw me come into the room. He ate some kibble and drank a bit of his water. I was able to spoon-feed him about a spoon and a half of canned food.

He peed once around 11:30am, but has yet to poop today. He hasn't thrown up today either, at least as far as I can tell.

Since then, I haven't seen him get up to drink any water or eat any more of his kibble. I bought him a drinking fountain, so we'll see if that encourages him to drink more water. Fingers crossed.

My mother is coming to visit tomorrow to help me care for Fig, so we'll probably use that as an opportunity to have him seen by another vet for a second opinion.

Do any of you have experience with giving your kitten Metronidazole? Also, does anyone have any tips on how to get Fig to take his pill? He already isn't eating all that much, so I don't know how much good it would do to try and hide it in his canned food.

Thank you all so much for the warm wishes. They mean a lot. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't terrified to see my baby in this state, but I'm hoping I can get him feeling better soon.
 

Yoda mom

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@moodynudie thank you for the update!
Many of us have had kitties prescribed metronidazole (Flagly )
Worked wojders for my for my pets
Also a side note - the prescription food I needed at the vet was not available ...so I wemt to chewy.com and ordered it - there is s drop does me ue to dill in your vets info and chewy contexts your vet -
Amd the food was cheaper with autoship which helped too for long time feeding .

A must for me is a "pill popper "
You can ask your vet for one
Amd or order online -
It has a split rubber tip , insert pill amd give
He didn't like it at first - after a few days he just was relaxed and very easy to pill using the pill popper ..way better than trying with my fingers !
(Vet can show you how to use it or there are videos )

Hopeful you will see improvement soon! Mertonidazole is good stuff
 

Yoda mom

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Yoda mom

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Let us know how Fig likes his fountain :)
Be sure to take it apart at least weekly for cleaning
They get slimey to the naked eye .
The motor should be taken completely apart too
It's easy - I soak parts in a bowl of water with white vinegar and rinse thoroughly

Healing vibes to Fig !


Ps forgot to ask if you are bringing a stool sample to second vet ?
Rule out giardia or tritrichomonas we have seen in some newly brought home kitties

Glad the vomitting subsided !
 

Toa and Ross

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Good experience with Metrodinazole here! When my boy Toa was a kitten and dis have diarrhea this med worked really well.

In my experience with sick cats it can be "trial and error" to see what works. When my boy was so ill the vet did do a lot of check ups but at one point it was "we don't know, but try this". Sounds a bit rude but that wasn't the vets intention. There is just a lot we still don't know about the health of our cats.
Hope these meds will do the trick for Fig. Sending more healing vibes
 

moodynudie

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Update:

My mom, who has been telling me that I’ve been overreacting to Fig’s condition and that my distrust in the local vet was misplaced, came to visit. The second she walked in the door and saw Fig, she was horrified over how much weight he’d lost, so we immediately rushed him to the emergency vet. I kept telling the local vet (and my mom) that I could feel his spine, that I thought he was dehydrated, but the local vet didn’t feel the need to see him yesterday.

We are currently at the emergency vet. I provided them with a stool sample, but I haven’t gotten the results back yet.

They said Fig definitely has an upper respitory infection, that he’s dehydrated, and that his heartbeat is irregular, which could be indicative of a heart condition. He’s getting x-rays and blood work done as I type this.

I’m absolutely terrified.
 
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