Loss of appetite
Hi there,
My 7 year old neutered longhair male tabby Sasha has suddenly lost his appetite. He has been an indoor cat all his life. Sasha is normally a ravenous eater and eats dry kibble throughout the day and 1/2 a can of Fancy Feast in the morning and at night. Recently he won't eat any solid food at all. He just looks at it, licks his lips and runs away. I took him to the vet who said his blood work was normal. He also took x-rays which showed everything as normal except for an white fuzzy spot in his intestine, which he suspects may be a mass causing the cause of his loss of appetite. Sasha normally vomits out his hair once a week, and because I can't remember when he last did this, I suspect this mass is his own hair. The vet prescrbed some Amoxil anibiotic and 1ml of Lactalose to help him eliminate the mass. The vet also said tto watch for vomiting, as this would indicate a worsening condition warranting a barium x-ray. Right now, Sasha is still energetic, drinks water, doesn't vomit, and is very alert. I hope that everything goes OK, and he starts to eat soon. I am always reminded by the vet of fatty liver disease. It's been about 3 days already, since I last saw him eat solid food. I started the lactulose today, and I'm hoping he eliminates whatever problem he has in his intestine. Has anyone else ever had this happen to their cat? I would appreciate any suggestions . Thanks |
Loss of appetite
wrote in message oups.com... Hi there, My 7 year old neutered longhair male tabby Sasha has suddenly lost his appetite. He has been an indoor cat all his life. Sasha is normally a ravenous eater and eats dry kibble throughout the day and 1/2 a can of Fancy Feast in the morning and at night. Recently he won't eat any solid food at all. He just looks at it, licks his lips and runs away. I took him to the vet who said his blood work was normal. He also took x-rays which showed everything as normal except for an white fuzzy spot in his intestine, which he suspects may be a mass causing the cause of his loss of appetite. Sasha normally vomits out his hair once a week, and because I can't remember when he last did this, I suspect this mass is his own hair. The vet prescrbed some Amoxil anibiotic and 1ml of Lactalose to help him eliminate the mass. The vet also said tto watch for vomiting, as this would indicate a worsening condition warranting a barium x-ray. Right now, Sasha is still energetic, drinks water, doesn't vomit, and is very alert. I hope that everything goes OK, and he starts to eat soon. I am always reminded by the vet of fatty liver disease. It's been about 3 days already, since I last saw him eat solid food. I'm assuming you took him to the vet today and the vet felt it was justified to send him home without hosptalizing him. I don't think you should wait for him to start eating on his own. You are right to be concerned about the onset of fatty liver due to his loss of appetite. Offer canned tuna or chicken baby food to stimulate his appetite. Warming it up a bit helps too. If he won't eat that then ask your vet for a 35 ml catheter tip syringe and A/D food and syringe feed him at home. He should eat a mimimum of one can of A/D daily and preferably more. I wouldn't wait too long before bringing him back to the vet if he does not resume eating. J. dvm I started the lactulose today, and I'm hoping he eliminates whatever problem he has in his intestine. Has anyone else ever had this happen to their cat? I would appreciate any suggestions . Thanks |
Loss of appetite
Thanks for the advice.
Actually, he came back from the vet yesterday. The vet didn't feel that it was necessary to hospitalize him, and wanted to try him as an outpatient at home with the antibiotics and Lactulose. He is very uncooperative with syringe feeding of his medication, and I hope I don't have to resort to syringe feeding him food as well. Now, he is very wary of me approaching him, because I have to hold him very firmly in order to give him the medication. I will try the tuna and chicken baby food tonight and see how it goes. Thanks again. |
Loss of appetite
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Loss of appetite
wrote in message oups.com... wrote: Well, Sasha never ate any of the tuna. Now I've started to syringe feed my buddy Hill's A/D from the vet. Hopefully his appetite will return soon. He still drinks water OK and doesn't vomit. Also, his behaviour is still the same as normal, except for a decrease in his activity level. I still don't know why he stopped eating all of a sudden. You ought to arrange a recheck with your vet very soon. At this point there may be changes your vet can detect which will aid in making a diagnosis. An abdominal ultrasound exam would be a good idea, especially to investigate the potential lesion on his intestine. You may also want to ask your vet if s/he thinks it might be appropriate to prescribe an appetite stimulant such a ciproheptadine. Placing an esophageal feeding tube may also be an avenue to consider. J. |
Loss of appetite
You know something is wrong, and sometimes it takes more than one vet to
find it. I would definitely take her to another vet today for a second opinion. She's counting on you to be persistent to get to the bottom of the problem! Good luck, Rhonda wrote: Well, Sasha never ate any of the tuna. Now I've started to syringe feed my buddy Hill's A/D from the vet. Hopefully his appetite will return soon. He still drinks water OK and doesn't vomit. Also, his behaviour is still the same as normal, except for a decrease in his activity level. I still don't know why he stopped eating all of a sudden. |
Loss of appetite
Rhonda wrote:
You know something is wrong, and sometimes it takes more than one vet to find it. I would definitely take her to another vet today for a second opinion. She's counting on you to be persistent to get to the bottom of the problem! Good luck, Rhonda wrote: Well, Sasha never ate any of the tuna. Now I've started to syringe feed my buddy Hill's A/D from the vet. Hopefully his appetite will return soon. He still drinks water OK and doesn't vomit. Also, his behaviour is still the same as normal, except for a decrease in his activity level. I still don't know why he stopped eating all of a sudden. Sorry I didn't update sooner... Sasha's appetite has returned, but he is still not eating as much as he used to. I have supplemented his diet with syringe feedings of Hill's A/D (about 36mls). I'm just happy that he doesn't run away from his food like he used to before. The course of antibiotics has ended, and I hope Sasha is on the road to a resumption of his full appetite. His drinking is normal. I noticed a bowel movement the other day. The stool did not seem abnormal. Urination seems normal as well. Thanks for the advice. |
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