Introducing Ben (various medical issues)

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catsrmylife
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Introducing Ben (various medical issues)

Post by catsrmylife »

Hi

I am fostering a gorgeous kitty from Egypt, called Ben.

Ben arrived in the UK last week and has been with me since late Saturday night.

He was found as a kitten just a couple of months old, with hind limb paralysis. It can only be assumed that he had met with some kind of trauma or accident. When they first found him, he had to have some kind of medicine (Decal 12?) and manual expressing of his bladder, but since then, has been using a litter tray by himself. He had a bad bout of flu whilst over there and as a result, there is scarring to his one eye.

Ben only peed twice in 72 hours since I had him, in his tray. Not streams of it but enough to know his bladder isn't just 'leaking' and that he can pee by himself. At one point, I did try to express him manually as I was worried, but when I did so, I could feel a huge stool in his tummy and Ben actually bit me so I knew he was in some discomfort. He was also very snuffly. I was told he only eats dry food so I sprinkled a bit of Bisolvon on it to help break up the mucous. His appetite has been very good & he has been lively and playful.

I booked him in to the vets this morning as he looked so miserable :( He was really snotted up and not a single purr out of him. I could see him physically straining really hard to push a stool out. He did manage to push out 2 small pieces of stool which were hard and then there was some very loose stool & a bit of mucous. Ben had also vomited a couple of times which I believe was due to him being constipated.

The vet examined him and said he most likely has Rhinitis so will always be snuffly. Ben had a convenia injection and of course I will continue with the Bisolvon. The vet could also feel a really hard stool which he says may have been there for some time so they are going to sedate Ben and give him an enema. I am hoping Ben will feel much better once he's been cleaned out. The vet also believes that Ben has control of his own bladder. The vet has also suggested lactulose as a stool softener but said we'll have to experiment with dosages as we want his stools to soften but the last thing we want is for him to have diarrhea.

With regard to his paralysis, Ben has deep pain sensation in one of his hind limbs, it is the one which is quite curled in tight to him. The other limb has no sensation at all and is really crooked. The vet said they could consider amputation of the leg with no sensation (although he twitches it) but that it would unbalance him as he uses the other leg to kind of stabilise himself. It's something to consider for the future but for now, I want to get the more immediate matters attended to with his cat flu and constipation.

I am asking for general advice on Ben (I will provide some photos and footage later). How many times per day should he be urinating on his own? How long should I leave it before I should step in and express his bladder? I am not happy with feeding him the dry, although I do have some Hills c/d for cats prone to crystals/urinary tract infections etc. What do you feed your cats on? Do you feel it would be worthwhile looking at the option for a cart for Ben? He is only about 10 months old and he drags his legs behind him, rather than to the side. I also want to get him some padded leg warmers to protect his legs. I'm in the UK so does anyone know where I can order some from? Also, what about massaging his limbs and giving him some physiotherapy?

This little boy has had such a horrid start in life and I really want him to have the very best chance of a good quality life, keeping him as comfortable and happy as I can.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you so much.xxx
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CarolC
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Re: Introducing Ben (various medical issues)

Post by CarolC »

I am not familiar with bisolvin, but we do have convenia here. There are so many things that can cause sniffles, let's hope it goes away with the treatment.

Regarding the constipation, it could be that he was going fairly normally before transport (you mentioned he is able to defecate without assistance) but only got constipated during his transport to you and adjustment to a new home? That could even happen to a normal cat. Hopefully that's all it is. I would definitely go with the lactulose. My understanding is it is non-habit forming and can be used for a lifetime. Not too expensive considering how long one bottle will last. And I haven't had problems giving it to my cats or dogs, they do not seem to object to the flavor. You mentioned you tried to feel or massage his colon but he was uncomfortable and nipped you. Hopefully when the vet has him emptied he will allow you to check or massage it every day or as needed. Sometimes cats with rear paralysis or tail injuries will have problems defecating due to the nerve injury and can become constipated to the point where the colon becomes enlarged and waste no longer moves through. It is called megacolon. That is something you want to avoid, although I would not jump to a conclusion that he is prone to that, it sounds like he has bowel control. I would keep checking him, and give him the lactulose, and be sure he is both going, and going enough. You will notice if he starts getting backed up again, and may need to adjust the lactulose.

Did he have any pelvic fracture that you know of?

On the urination, I would want him emptying every 8 hours. You do not know yet how well he is emptying. If you could try to check his bladder after he has urinated, you will be able to tell if he is really emptying. If not, then he may need to be expressed.

I think your idea of wet or canned food is a good one. Even if he has been eating kibble, if he will eat canned food I would offer it to him. One advantage of canned food is you can stir a little extra water into it with a fork if needed.

I am concerned about his leg that has sensation but is drawn up. It sounds like a contracture. If possible I would take him to an animal physical therapist and find out if there are any exercises you can do to prevent it being permanent. It may be he will not let you straighten it, you could see if the therapist has any success with that. He's gone through a lot of upheaval with rehoming and right now he may just not feel like doing physical therapy or letting you touch his tummy. Hopefully he'll feel more relaxed once he settles in.

I do not know where to get leggings. One of our moderators is from England and has had some great ideas on creating her own leg protectors. I will see if she can offer any suggestions.

It seems very encouraging that he has bowel and bladder control, or seems to. It was awfully nice of you to adopt him, he will soon learn you are his angel.
:angel:
Have you seen the video about Pookie? Here it is.

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critters
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Re: Introducing Ben (various medical issues)

Post by critters »

I second the lactulose!

I don't think I'd amputate unless I had to because of the additional disabilities. Might a splint help? Contractures aren't much fun if they're permanent.

You might try https://www.facebook.com/groups/CatsWithParalysis/ for legging ideas. I think there are UK people there.
catsrmylife
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Re: Introducing Ben (various medical issues)

Post by catsrmylife »

hi and thank you both for responding.

Just a brief update for now but I am growing increasingly concerned about Ben.

This morning, just 3 days after having an enema, he was straining really hard to poop again. He was very miserable and his tummy was very bloated. Crying a lot, particularly if you touched anywhere near his tummy or his back end. He then vomited so I knew he must be backed up again already. I phoned the vet and booked us in.

Ben peed on the way over to the vets and had already peed earlier in the tray. Not sure if the movement of the car set him off the 2nd time.

He vomited again in the waiting room and was very 'flat' on the vets table. They are very concerned that just a few days after a full enema that he can't go again already. He had a mini enema around 2.45pm today. It's now 3.75 hours later and still no poop :( The vets gave him a pain killer and we've upped the lactulose and added Zantac.

We go for a check up tomorrow and if he still hasn't pooped, they want to x-ray to see if there is something causing this to happen.

As far as I am aware, he pooped for himself before he came over but could it be the stress of travel that has caused this? It just seems a bit odd he was fine before he traveled and now really poorly :(

Is there anything else I can try at home? His tummy is too sore for me to express him :(

Thank you.
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CarolC
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Re: Introducing Ben (various medical issues)

Post by CarolC »

You could try giving him plain canned pumpkin (no spices). Hopefully you will start to see results with the lactulose soon. You might ask the vet about cisapride, it aids in getting things moving. From what I understand you do not want to use it long term but it might be helpful until you get him sorted out.

Did he ever have a fracture of his pelvis?
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critters
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Re: Introducing Ben (various medical issues)

Post by critters »

Yes, did he ever have a pelvic fracture, that they know of?
catsrmylife
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Joined: Fri Nov 01, 2013 8:13 am

Re: Introducing Ben (various medical issues)

Post by catsrmylife »

Hi everyone.

I am pleased to report that (fingers and paws crossed) Ben's poop issues have been sorted out :)

He had to be de-obstipated 3 times in total

He is now on a regime of sunflower oil with every meal of wet food, a sprinkling of Miralax granules, a sprinkling of Peridale Granules and a bit of Bisolvon powder as he has Rhinitis and often has a blocked nose and the sneezes.

The vets also prescribed a small amount of Vomend oral liquid (metroclopramide?) to help with gut motility but this has run out. They didn't specify whether it could or should be used long term but Ben is still pooping without it. I am using a natural supplement called Dorwest Herbs Digestion which contains Rhubarb root, also used to aid motility in the gut.

At times, Ben still gets in the litter tray and is unproductive poop wise and I have used a micralax enema to help things along.

His coat is now getting really soft, flat and smooth so I am hoping this is a sign we are moving in the right direction.

i did ask my Vet about X-ray, mainly to see what was going on in Ben's colon but he couldn't see the point. He did say, however, that he thinks Ben may have been born with deformed hind limbs and in all honesty, looking at the number of cats with hind limb paralysis, assumed to be the victims of being run over by a vehicle or some other such trauma, who don't have any other injuries to suggest otherwise, I imagine that a lot of them are born this way, perhaps as a result of being exposed to panleukopenia whilst in the womb?

For now, I can almost breathe a sigh of relief. Just have to get those leggings made to protect his little scrawny legs :)

Thank you all so much.xxx
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CarolC
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Re: Introducing Ben (various medical issues)

Post by CarolC »

Well, you're a good mom if you gave the little guy an enema! :trophy: I haven't heard of some of the meds and herbs you mentioned, or at least not by the same names, but I'm glad he's so much better! :D
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critters
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Re: Introducing Ben (various medical issues)

Post by critters »

Panleuk frequently causes brain damage (cerebellar hypoplasia, cerebral palsy in humans), but I've never heard of spinal cord injuries from panleuk. Do you do Facebook? https://www.facebook.com/groups/CatsWithParalysis/ has talked about leggings, and it may be that some of them make theirs. I know it's been discussed, anyway.
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