Sick 10 Year old Sphynx! Someone Please Helps! Vets Don't Help!

[ZazooLoves]

Help Someone Please! I rescued two Sphynx cats about 9 years ago from an abandoned house in Illinois. Zippo the boy and Zazoo the girl. They are brother and sister. They love each other very much , and I love them more than they could possibly love me. This morning I woke up to Zazoo throwing up blood. Now I have to explain to you how it got to this point.

Zazoo has been struggling with diarrhea for years now. I've taken her to the vet. I've gotten blood work. Everything normal. I've gotten ultra sounds. Everything normal. I've gotten x-rays, fecal, exam after exam, and still everything was normal. The vet kept saying try this food, and try that food. She has a sensitive stomach so you must feed her this $65 dollar bag of cat food. Nothing has worked.

When I first rescued my cats I was in a different living situation. I was married, financially stable ,going to school. I could afford all of these bills but still they were piling up. Now I am Divorced. Going through the hardest time of my life but things are finally starting to look better. I did a lot of moving recently and I know that cats do not like change. I'm finally in a safe spot for the cats to relax. I know cats feel what the owner is feeling. I've been reading a lot of threads.

Now, Zazoo is worse than ever. She's not eating chicken in rice ( but she does have an appetite because she wants to eat just the chicken but not the rice ) She has chronic diarrhea. She's having accidents in the bed. She dehydrated. And of course this morning she threw up blood. I've tried so much. I honestly don't know what to do at this point. I've taken her to the emergency vet and they just give her fluids send her home and said feed her a bland diet.

On top of all of this I can't afford to take her to the vet right now. Like I said I'm going through the hardest time of my life and I don't have the financial means to continue to get tests right now. If I did I would spend every dime on her. I even made a GoFundMe Page.

I need answers. I need help. And I need it fast. I don't think she's ready to go. I think she has a lot of fight left in her she just needs the right diet. I love this little girl so much and I would do anything for her.

 

[Toa and Ross]

@ZazooLoves welcome to sphynxlair. Sorry to hear Zazoo is so sick. Did she throw up blood again?
I'm not very experienced on this but I'm sure others will chime in. Most important for now is you get her hydrayed again.
Sending lots of healing vibes

 

[ZazooLoves]

@ZazooLoves welcome to sphynxlair. Sorry to hear Zazoo is so sick. Did she throw up blood again?
I'm not very experienced on this but I'm sure others will chime in. Most important for now is you get her hydrayed again.
Sending lots of healing vibes

She hasn't thrown up blood again since this morning. I'm putting water on top of her rice and chicken and she seems to be drinking it. She does look a little dehydrated still.

 

[Toa and Ross]

Glad to hear she didn't throw up blood anymore. And it's a good sign she's drinking and eating!
All fingers and paws crossed for a speedy recovery.
Hugs for you

 

[MollysMom]

Get her off the chicken and rice. If you can, feed a bland cooked meat diet. Make sure to mix water in it so she gets extra hydration. Read this article: My Cat Has Diarrhea - What Do I Do?

Get the slipperey elm bark and s. boulardii that they talk about. Try this before going back to the vet. Send me a pm if you have questions, this method has saved many cats before in my raw feeding group on Facebook.

 

[susi794]

Get her off the chicken and rice. If you can, feed a bland cooked meat diet. Make sure to mix water in it so she gets extra hydration. Read this article: My Cat Has Diarrhea - What Do I Do?

Get the slipperey elm bark and s. boulardii that they talk about. Try this before going back to the vet. Send me a pm if you have questions, this method has saved many cats before in my raw feeding group on Facebook.

Wow! Thanks for sharing this article! Best I’ve read.

 

[susi794]

Looks like you got good advice already. The only thing I have to offer is to ask if you’ve ever tried a raw diet?

 

[MollysMom]

Wow! Thanks for sharing this article! Best I’ve read.

The s. boulardii and slippery elm bark has been total game changers for us. Molly has IBD and using them and watching her diet has helped me keep her off prednisolone steroids for her guts. They are cheap and widely available things that anyone can try with no risks.

 

[Yoda mom]

@ZazooLoves Welcoming you Zippo amd Zazoo to the lair family
Big (((hugs )) to you and positive vibes to you .
I definitely get it - my world was tuned upside down and sideways too -
Amd of course vet bills sit have to happen then ..

So glad you reached out to us

My vet told me To help with hydration ... Clear Unflavored Only pedialyte ( I get the store brand Walgreens oft me om sale )

For poo issues many of us give a little canned pumpkin 100% pure no spices ! Check label
My boy will have a teaspoon only eats of if I microwave it for 3-4 seconds amd check temp eoth my finger before Serving .

Has she vomitted anymore blood ?
Alwasy best to vet check
(I got a care credit for emergencies (vet had flyer on the counter smd approval right there over the phone)
you have to be diligent and stay on top of it or interest will suck you dry -
I have never paid a dime of imterest and get 6 mos promos - read fine proton can cal lams ask them questions and see if right for you


My IBD kitty does good on Nutriosurce cat and kitten dry food I get online pretty reasonableness priced
Or Fromm game bird recipe


Is there any chance Zazoo ate or chewed something - plant , string etc

Are you checking her for dehydration with the Turgor test skin test ?


My heart goes out to you and your babies
((Hugs and prayers )))

Please please keep his updated often
Have you called the vet to go R an update ?
Sometimes if they have seen the kitty within the year they will help out
*** we cannot diagnosis but can give suggestions to call your vet about
Ask your vet sbout dosage amd if okay to give Clear unflavored pedialtye to Zazoo as well as the 100% pure canned pumpkin

A lair full of hugs n prayers for sweet Zazoo

 

[ZazooLoves]

Get her off the chicken and rice. If you can, feed a bland cooked meat diet. Make sure to mix water in it so she gets extra hydration. Read this article:

Get the slipperey elm bark and s. boulardii that they talk about. Try this before going back to the vet. Send me a pm if you have questions, this method has saved many cats before in my raw feeding group on Facebook.

Ok So I've gotten her off of chicken and rice. I read the article and she is now on pureed chicken. She doesn't like it too much unless I add tuna. (I hope adding tuna is okay) She started the slippery elm bark today and will start the probiotic s boulardii tomorrow when it comes in the mail. Places mentioned did not have it. She is a little dehydrated but i'm giving her 2 tables spoons of meat broth ( mentioned in article) every 3 hours or 5 times a day. She is still wearing diapers because she still having accidents. Her bottom is raw. Poor baby.

 

[MollysMom]

Ok So I've gotten her off of chicken and rice. I read the article and she is now on pureed chicken. She doesn't like it too much unless I add tuna. (I hope adding tuna is okay) She started the slippery elm bark today and will start the probiotic s boulardii tomorrow when it comes in the mail. Places mentioned did not have it. She is a little dehydrated but i'm giving her 2 tables spoons of meat broth ( mentioned in article) every 3 hours or 5 times a day. She is still wearing diapers because she still having accidents. Her bottom is raw. Poor baby.

When you give her the boulardii, you will have to open the capsule to sprinkle a bit on. It doesnt taste great, so don't be surprised if you have to hide it in something. I hide it in a tsp of some good grain free wet food (the BFF brand is great). Tuna is fine. You can also give some plain pedialyte to help with dehydration... dosing you can find online. We were having awful, runny, reeking diarrhea and the boulardii helped within 48 hours. Just hang in there, try wiping her bum with a bit of coconut oil on a cloth to help get it clean if you have to. It will help it to heal a bit.

 

[Condo commando]

I totally agree with a bland, cooked meat diet. Ditch the rice, ditch dry food (bad for dehydration) and ditch any store bought, processed foods.

For what it's worth my "go to food" for upset kitty stomachs is a whole natural chicken, which I simmer on low heat 4-5 hours. Simmering cooks the meat but what's even more, it gets all cartilage off the bones and that cartilage is a great source of nutrients. Add a little bit of vinegar in the water which also helps leech all the minerals from the bones.

I offer the cooked chicken with broth as soupy as my cats will have it. If it's just water they won't drink it. I have to give them enough chicken to entice them to drink the broth to get to the meat. You can do this for 2-3 days and then freeze the rest in ice cube trays and save for later. You should see results quickly, like within 1-2 days.

Probiotics are a good suggestion also.

 

[Condo commando]

Something else you can sprinkle to make the food smell better for them - grated parmesan cheese!

 

[Yoda mom]

@ZazooLoves ((hugs))) thinking of you amd sweet Zazoo

 

[ZazooLoves]

@ZazooLoves ((hugs))) thinking of you amd sweet Zazoo

Thank you all so much for the replies and help. Here’s an update on Zazoo. She’s still a little dehydrated but we’re still doing lots of fluids. She does not like the puréed chicken but she will eat poached chicken breast pulled into pieces. She’s starting to drink the broth to get to the meat but I have to sit and watch and continuously help her or she won’t do it. She’s still in diapers. This is her second day on slippery elm bark and it’s really helping keep her food down. Neither one of the cats have thrown up anything since we started it. I’m really excited to get the s boulardii in the mail today so we can start that. What dose should I start her on? I know it mentioned you can give a lower dose more frequently to help ASAP. She does need to go to the vet to get fluids but no one will see her because I don’t have the money. I think I can keep her pretty hydrated now that she’s eating and drinking more.

 

[Blackcat1313]

Hi, I am sorry your Zazoo isn’t feeling well. It does sound like she is slowly improving. Do you know how to check cats’ gums to make sure she is properly hydrated? You know her best—if you think she can wait, SAFELY, wait. If not, I’d also recommend the CareCredit. I also have a kitty with tummy troubles (non-Sphynx) and am following this closely. I wish you and your baby the best.

 

[MollysMom]

Thank you all so much for the replies and help. Here’s an update on Zazoo. She’s still a little dehydrated but we’re still doing lots of fluids. She does not like the puréed chicken but she will eat poached chicken breast pulled into pieces. She’s starting to drink the broth to get to the meat but I have to sit and watch and continuously help her or she won’t do it. She’s still in diapers. This is her second day on slippery elm bark and it’s really helping keep her food down. Neither one of the cats have thrown up anything since we started it. I’m really excited to get the s boulardii in the mail today so we can start that. What dose should I start her on? I know it mentioned you can give a lower dose more frequently to help ASAP. She does need to go to the vet to get fluids but no one will see her because I don’t have the money. I think I can keep her pretty hydrated now that she’s eating and drinking more.

Glad to hear the slippery elm is helping. Don't be afraid to mix tuna packed in water with her broth and food for a few days to get her eating. For the boulardii, mix 1/4 of a capsule (assuming its a 250mg capsule) 4-6 times a day. It also says you can give it every 2 hours to get the diarrhea to stop. At least the first 3 doses I would give at that every 2 hours schedule if you can. Like I said, don't be surprised if you have to hide it in some wet food, etc to get her to take the boulardii. Fingers crossed that it will do the trick for her!

This is a recipe for home made pedialyte:
Give the child a drink made with 6 level teaspoons of sugar and 1/2 level teaspoon of salt dissolved in 1 litre of clean water. Be very careful to mix the correct amounts. Too much sugar can make the diarrhoea worse. Too much salt can be extremely harmful to the child. Making the mixture a little too diluted (with more than 1 litre of clean water) is not harmful

And this is how to dose it:

Four tablespoons every hour is the goal for a 10 pound cat. It is possible to overdose on Pedialyte so after approximately 8 tablespoons of this spaced over several hours begin to give some tepid water and continue to give the Pedialyte, several tablespoons, every 4-5 hours in between.

The pedialyte mixture will help keep her hydrated if you can get her to drink it. If you have to syringe anything, put it a few drops at a time inside the side of the mouth so they don't aspirate on it.

 

[Condo commando]

This is a great update. Now I don't know what the difference is between poaching and simmering but they sound the same to me.....basically you cook the chicken in water over low heat. Be sure you use bone-in meat because the bone cartilage has a bunch of nutrients.

You can't feed just this forever because it's not a balanced diet so you need to start thinking what else you are going to give her. If you want to stick with cooked food this is an option U-Stew for Cats

 

[Condo commando]

@MollysMom great intel!

 

[ZazooLoves]

Okay update on Zazoo and Zippo. Neither one has pooped since starting the probiotic and slippery elm bark. But neither has thrown up so that is great. They are both going pee. Zazoo is eating and drinking her fluids again. Today I will be getting pedialyte.

As far as the chicken I’ve just been using chicken breasts. Should I be getting a different part of the chicken with bones? I’ve been told to get the whole chicken. But I don’t want to waste anything. Also once she starts going to the bathroom and it becomes a normal consistency what food should I put her on? I will be starting to work soon so I won’t have an hour to make a meal for my cats every day.

 

[Condo commando]

The bone is good for all the minerals that are on the cartilage plus it's cheaper to buy the whole chicken. It'll also last you a while.

Start by poaching/simmering the whole bird so the meat falls off the bones. Low heat, at least 4 hours. When it's done put it in the fridge to cool. It's very important to take out the bones because they're a choking hazard. Take out the larger bones with a spoon but you need a strainer to get all the little bone fragments - very important because the bones break off into little splinters that you can't see! Definitely use a strainer.

The last step is to make ice cubes with the chicken and broth. I did a whole chicken last weekend and got 50 ice cubes. I threw out a lot of the liquid but if your cats will drink it there's nothing wrong with freezing that too. Store everything in a plastic freezer bag. You would just have to remember to take the cubes out the day before feeding them so they dethaw....I sometimes forget so I use the microwave.

HOWEVER....this is not a "balanced meal" so you would need to transition to something else. I feed raw but I think canned food is not bad. The Natural Balance original formula is a good middle of the road pick between quality and price. You save if you buy the 6 ounce can instead of 3 and just divide it into 2 meals (and yes they actually give you 6 ounces instead of 5.5 like everybody else). I hope this helps.

 

[ZazooLoves]

The bone is good for all the minerals that are on the cartilage plus it's cheaper to buy the whole chicken. You can poach/simmer the whole bird and the meat just falls off the bones. Low heat, at least 4 hours.

After it's cooked it's very important to take out the bones because they're a choking hazard. You can put the whole pot in the fridge to cool. Then you can take out the larger bones with a spoon but you need a strainer to get all the little bone fragments - very important because the bones break off into little splinters so definitely use a strainer. The last step is make ice cubes with the chicken and broth. I did a whole chicken last week and got 50 ice cubes which I have in the freezer. You would just have to remember to take them out the day before feeding them so they dethaw....I sometimes forget so I use the microwave.

HOWEVER....this is not a "balanced meal" so you would need to transition to something else. I feed raw but I think canned food is not bad. The Natural Balance original formula is a good middle of the road pick between quality and price. You save if you buy the 6 ounce can instead of 3 and just divide it into 2 meals (and yes they actually give you 6 ounces instead of 5.5 like everybody else). I hope this helps.

Because of certain reasons I cannot cook the whole bird and store it in the freezer. Is there a smaller piece of the bird I can buy with bone in and cook?

Also I know the pedialyte is 4 tablespoons every 4 to 5 hours after the initial 8.

S boulardii is 1/4 of pill every 2 hours.

Slippery elm is 3 times a day.

How much should I be feeding them? When should I switched to canned food?

 

[Condo commando]

Ok, I guess I would just get whatever bone-in chicken parts and use that. You want to give it enough time on low heat so that everything falls of the bones....that's how you take advantage of having bones. IMPORTANT - take out all the bones after cooking....use a strainer.

You can do this food for a few days to give the kitty's system a chance to recuperate. Also to hydrate. Let them eat as much as they want in one sitting, then take it away. You can space out the feedings depending on how much they eat at one time...if they need to gain weight, do more. Mine are fine and they know the drill so I can do 2 sittings in a day and they'll eat everything and be fine. Cats that are used to grayzing might take a while to get the hang of it.

Switch to real food as soon as they are back to using the litter box regularly. I would think a week at most? You can start with one regular food meal a day, then increase little by little.

I'm sorry I can't speak to the pedialyte or probiotics but let's tag @MollysMom so she can add her suggestions

 

[Yoda mom]

@ZazooLoves Continued positive vibes amd head smooches

@MollysMom hoepfully can chime in with more info


Hows her bumm ? Did the vet mention if you can use vetericyn spray or A&D ointment

I would ask your vet what you can use on her bumm for some relief

Also be sure the pedialyte is clear unflavored
The vet can give dosage

 

[MollysMom]

Because of certain reasons I cannot cook the whole bird and store it in the freezer. Is there a smaller piece of the bird I can buy with bone in and cook?

Also I know the pedialyte is 4 tablespoons every 4 to 5 hours after the initial 8.

S boulardii is 1/4 of pill every 2 hours.

Slippery elm is 3 times a day.

How much should I be feeding them? When should I switched to canned food?

Feed them as much as they will eat in a sitting. Give them 1/2 a cup of the meat and broth mixed together and see how much they finish. I assume they have lost weight because of this. You could buy bone-in chicken thighs to cook (which would be cheaper) and make sure you remove all the bone before feeding it to them. You can also make bone broth with any type of bones, and not worry about cooking the chicken with bones. Often at the meat counter in the store you can find or ask for soup bones for cheap. Beef bones, pork feet, whatever will work. A great way to do it is in a crock pot and let it go for 8-12 hours.

As this is not a balanced diet, you can't feed them this forever. But for a week or 2 until they get their bowels sorted it won't hurt. Here is the thing about switching to canned food: there are a lot of things in it that can cause digestive upset (especially in sensitive guts). Carageenan, xanthan gum, peas, potatoes, wheat and other grain starches... all those things are not species appropriate for cats to eat (they are obligate carnivores). They use ìt as filler in canned and other pet foods to help make the product cheaper to make. Is feeding a raw or cooked diet permanently an option for you? You would HAVE to buy ready made raw, OR make your own and mix meat with a powder like Food Fur Life or Know Better Pet Foods premixes. Alnutrin is another brand. All of those add what is missing to the meat and make it a complete meal. Canned food would be okay in the sense of a bit here or there, but it shouldn't comprise the whole meal or it might upset the gut again.

Also, if you compare making raw/ cooked with the cost of canned... it is comparable if not cheaper. Thinm outside the box too to get meat sources. It doesn't just have to come from the grocery store. Local butchers, people who hunt, even people you know who are getting rid of freezer burned meat (that has no added seasoning) would all work.