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Post by gillian on Apr 28, 2013 11:31:16 GMT
Hi all - I am new to the forum and looking for the benefit of others' experience.
took my cat to the vet yesterday as she'd lost a lot of weight over a week. They took some blood and she had a funny turn so they kept her in. They called about an hour later saying they'd tested some of her blood and she was severely anaemic and needed a blood transfusion. As my vet has their own 'donor cat' called Dracula, this didn't seem like and issue until they suggested I take her to the local specialist facility for poorly animals.
Eek thought I. Not good.
so we got to the RCV and they explained she needed a blood transfusion but that it could cause heart failure and if she survived that they'd still need to find out the cause. At this point my brain was less concerned as she'd been anaemic a few years ago when she was diagnosed with IBD but the vets were obviously pointing out the serious stuff - tumours etc. but in the last 18 months I don't think there's a bit of her that hasn't been scanned, x rayed or endoscoped!
so my questions is - from others' experience, what could cause it and how worried should I be?
it's been about 18 hours that she went in and I haven't heard anything. I'm assuming no news is good news!
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Post by Ajax on Apr 28, 2013 14:22:28 GMT
I'm sorry I have no experience of this it sounds very worrying - how old is your cat? I do hope you have heard some news by now.
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Post by tonib on Apr 28, 2013 15:43:52 GMT
You must be really worried. I'm really sorry I can't be much help as there must many reason so for anaemia. The vets are the ones best placed to get a diagnosis. Fingers crossed she's OK & they can sort out the underlying cause of the problem. Hopefully someone else here may have some ideas. I did have a look at the following (it is a bit of a wordy document but is quite detailed) & there are a couple of other links on the page feline advisory bureau - anaemia in catPlease let us know how it goes. Sending you & your cat good wishes. |
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Post by gillian on Apr 28, 2013 20:14:12 GMT
Well have spoken to the vets twice today. She survived the blood transfusion - hurrah! Vet said she's been eating and is more hydrated now. Her blood count post the transfusion was good. Tomorrow it seems they will scan her tummy and do blood stuff. However, they seem to think the most likely thing is something to do with her bone marrow so they make need to do a biopsy.
At least the vet seems sensible, logical and calm and says I'll be the first to know. So as suspected, no news is good news.
If it's bone marrow related they suggest it can be treated.
So looking better today :-)
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Post by lotsofcats on Apr 28, 2013 20:22:09 GMT
What a worry for you. I hope that you get promising news tomorrow from the vet. At least she is in the best place. Keep us posted.
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Post by tonib on Apr 28, 2013 21:55:39 GMT
Glad your cat has improved. Hope they get to the bottom of the problem & she gets the right treatment as soon as possible.
The vets sound great & that must be one thing off your mind.
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Post by gladys on Apr 29, 2013 0:07:30 GMT
Anaemia is when the body doesn't make enough red blood cells or when your red blood cells do not function properly. It can be because of many reason including poor diet, intestinal disorders, chronic diseases, infections, and other conditions. When Cooper was anaemia last year they tested for Kidney disease, Cancer, Liver disease, Thyroid disease. Our vets were going to jump straight to bone marrow testing straight away but I asked for more blood test first at the referral veterinary specialists. I guess what I'm saying is make sure they do thorough blood work before jumping to more invasive surgeries. I hope they have more answers for you in the morning.  |
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Post by gillian on Apr 29, 2013 19:14:54 GMT
So turns out gizzy has aplastic aneamia. Apparently this means her bone marrow isn't working. But apparently it can be treated and some cats respond well. So they are starting her off with some immuno suppressants tonight.
Hopefully she's one of the cats that responds well. Vet reckons she's quite bright despite all of this and the bone marrow biopsy so fingers crossed.
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Post by tonib on Apr 29, 2013 19:37:01 GMT
Glad you've got a diagnosis, hope the treatment goes well. Nice to hear the vets reckon she's bright.
As you say fingers crossed. Let us know how it progresses. We may not have been able to help much but the forums always here if you want to talk about it. We all know how much you will be worried about your cat until she is well again.
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Post by gladys on Apr 29, 2013 22:33:29 GMT
We will be sending positive thoughts your way. |
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Post by gillian on Apr 30, 2013 20:44:23 GMT
Gizzy is not progressing as the vet thinks she should be and seems to be getting worse. The vet says we're talking days. Needless to say I am sad but I don't want her to suffer. So thanks for all your kind words and support. It's been appreciated.
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Post by tonib on Apr 30, 2013 20:51:38 GMT
Oh Gillian, I'm so sorry. Just hope she is fooling the vet. We're still here however it works out for you. Take care
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Post by scallywag on Apr 30, 2013 20:53:31 GMT
Oh this is sad news, my thoughts are with you gillian give Gizzy a big {{{HUG}}} from me x
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Post by gladys on May 1, 2013 12:14:23 GMT
Oh I'm so sorry to hear that but will still send positive thoughts to you both. |
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Post by gillian on May 1, 2013 18:52:36 GMT
Oddly today she has been stable and not deteriorated. Just hoping she makes some blood cells overnight now. Thanks for all the positive kitty vibes!
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