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Nikki's Story |
Nikki's story begins in October 1999. Her initial symptom's were very unspecific; not eating, not wanting to move much. For the first night I must admit I didn't think much of this at all. She's the sort of cat who would rather not eat, than eat something she's not very fond of, so a silent protest over one meal isn't considered 'up to standards' is not all that unusual. I assumed that she would snack on biscuits during the day while I was out. However, the next night was the same and she seemed a little off colour. I hand fed her where she sat and she seemed to be having trouble eating. At this stage I thought perhaps she had either a cold or perhaps a tooth infection. I booked her in at the vet's but at this stage it still didn't appear to be anything that required urgent attention. (i.e. an after hours vet) |
By the time we went into the vet clinic she was quite obviously in distress, the trip to the vet's brought on severely distressed breathing and by now she was becoming dehydrated from not eating properely. Fortunately, I had been trying to make her drink water otherwise this would have been much worse. This was only 3 days since the first symptoms. |
Within minutes the vet had made an initial diagnosis and my heart sank. There was already talk of having to put her down! A blood test was taken and fluid drawn from her thorax using a large syringe to check on the consistency of the fluid. The blood was used to test for cat AIDS and Feline Leukemia. Fortunately, she was negative for all of these and was immediately put into hospital for intensive care. |
Over the next 3 days her chest would be regularly drained of fluid and she would be intravenously fed large doses of antibiotics and other medications, fluids and nutrients. Further tests were also done to make sure that she did not have FIP and regular x-rays were taken to check on the amount of fluid in her lungs. |
By the fourth day her recovery was good enough to send her home to continue her treatment. This involved several tablets, several times a day until the lab returned the gram stain results. Once the bacteria and any other abnormalities in the results were identified the medication was refined to deal with the specific infection. She continued on this course of drugs for another 15 days with a checkup at the end of each week. |
At the same time samples of the fluid from her chest were being tested at a lab to verify which bacteria were involved in the infection. It's important that this be done, so that medication can be targeted correctly. This process is what your vet will describe as a gram stain. |
During this period she was also on low doses of steriods to help prevent the creation of adhesions on the lungs. At the end of this time she was in fairly good health and another set of x-rays were taken which showed a marked improvement but there were still some 'dark' areas at the rear of the lungs. It was unclear whether this was a small pocket of fluid or scar tissue. |
Her course of medication was tailed off and although she was still a little wheezy after running around, she appeared to be back in good health. She remained in good health, without ever quite getting rid of the wheeziness for a whole month. (Just long enough for her shaved sides to almost grow back) |
On Christmas Day she crashed in the space of approximaitely 10 hours! In the morning she was happy, eating and bouncing around the house, by the time I returned home she was having trouble breathing and was back in the uncomfortable position that denoted a fluid filled chest. |
I rushed her into an emergency vet clinic to have her chest drained again, have more x-rays taken and received more anti-biotics to keep her going until her regular vet clinic opened again after the Xmas holidays. This time the fluid was dark and blood filled, and again large quantities were drained off. The only consolation was the emergency vet's assertion that a relapse is not entirely unknown when dealing with any internal infections since it is hard to tell whether the infection is really gone. |
Back at her regular vet clinic, things were now looking decidedly gloomy. The change in fluid and the relapse did not bode well and there was now a discussion about biopsies and possibly a lung lobe-ectomy. (Removal of one of the lungs) These, of course, were dangerous procedures because while putting a healthy normal cat under anaesthesia is perilous, to do so to a cat with failing lungs is a last resort. |
It was at this stage that I started looking for people to contact regarding further treatment and prognosis. After speaking to Dr Robert King (USA) and one of the professors from Massey University Vet School (NZ) I was encouraged to talk more positively with my vet about more conservative treatments. We started by visiting a referral clinic to get clearer x-rays. I have to admit that I had no idea that there were different levels of x-ray machine, but apparently there are. |
These x-rays clearly showed that one of Nikki's lungs was almost completely deflated although there only appeared to be a small amount of fluid or scar tissue (it still wasn't possible to tell what) at the rear of that lung lobe. We began an intensive course of anti-biotics, high doses given several times a day, that would last a minimum of 8 weeks. She was to be x-rayed weekly to start with to monitor progress. |
Each week there was a little more progress and she continued to be in good health. On the high dosage of tablets she developed a raspy cough but this disappeared within a day of the dosage being dropped back at the 4 week mark. For the last 3 weeks of treatment the dosage was progessive lessenned and her x-ray schedule was dropped back from weekly to fornightly. At the end of 8 weeks all medication was stopped and she had a final x-ray. |
Checkups and x-rays continued on a monthly basis for another couple of months. Each time a little more progress was made with the x-ray showing that the lung was a little clearer. Her general health during this period was excellent, no wheezing or coughing even when she was running around at full speed. Nikki has now been for a 6 monthly checkup and x-ray. Much to everyone's surprise her lungs now look almost completely normal, only a trained radiologist or someone knowing her history would see the tiny scar tissue at the back of one lung. Her breathing now sounds like any other normal cat's. To anyone who saw the pathetic half-dead cat during one of her bad days this is nothing short of a miraculous recovery, but it is not. It takes perserverence and dedication on the part of all participants but if you're dealing with the same situation don't give up. If your cat has the will to keep going, it's up to you to give it the chance. Good luck and please do post your experiences, additional resources or feedback on the noticeboard. |
However, this was definitely the most depressing period. The emergency clinic prescribed large tablets that were apparently vile tasting and I was having to force water and food into her to keep her going over the next few days. Having to do this to an already sick cat is not pleasant but it may be necessary, so be prepared. |
As you can see, she's a 'skinny' cat to start with so for her to skip a meal or not eat very much isn't a watertight signal that there is something wrong. |
During her relapse. She's actually looking much better than in any of her seriously ill phases. You can see the regrowth on her side, where the area has been shaved to drain fluid from her chest. The fact that she's lying on her side is also a good sign. |
Another picture showing good signs of recovery. If your cat is lying on it's back, then its lungs are relatively clear of fluid. The patchy fur is regrowth, both legs have been partially shaved for intravenous drips and both sides partially shaved for drainage at various times. |
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