From:
julie_fossa@yahoo.com
Date: 2005-08-27 03:30:31 UTC
Subject: Neurological troubles -URGENT
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <1674146.1125113431426.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
I'm looking for help from anyone that has any thoughts or suggestions to take to my vet about a two year old female that came in 8/22/05. Small, roughly a pound in weight.
Medical history briefly includes being vaccinated with DHLPP when a tiny kit. 3 days later collapsed. Valiant efforts pulled her through, but it was a slow recovery. (pretty much supportive care)
Roughly 4-5 months later, similar relapse. Again, pretty much supportive care pulled her through.
Roughly 4-5 months after that, a similar relapse. This time, Sasha was taken through Amoxi and Biaxin for helicobacter along with carafate and baby food. She responded well and had no problems until roughly a year later -now.
This week, she was surrendered, as her family wasn't able to deal with her extensive care and wanted what they felt was best for her. She had lost weight and was grinding her teeth severely. She was also walking in a circle, for a short time -a minute or two, when she was put down after hand feedings. This just started with the onset of this recent illness.
Once she came to me, I noticed her gums, the inside of her mouth and lips were bright red. She was started on Amoxi in the event it was an infection. I also noticed the circling after sitting her down. Also, her eyes were very pinched.
Treatment included diluted Gerber Chicken 20 minutes after Carafate. She did not accept this well. The second day, pain meds were added, and at this time, I switched her diet to Carnivore Care, which she accepted more readily, possibly due the palatability of the food, possibly due to the pain meds. After she was doing better, I dropped the pain meds.
On the morning of the 25th, since she was doing so well, I dropped the pain med. By evening, she did not want to eat. I gave her a dose that evening. (Buprenorphine, 0.03ml) Within 10 minutes, she was unresponsive. It had not affected her this way before, but it was a slightly larger dose than I had used earlier (0.02ml). I called her vet; he said she would just sleep it off, which basically she did. However, by morning, she was having little twitches, which I suspected was seizure activity. Her temp was also elevated; 103.4 degrees. Blood glucose was 129. He told me to give her a dex injection, which I did. It didn't help, or it didn't appear to.
She wouldn't eat during the day; by afternoon the twitches were much more profound and frequent as it seemes like she would go into a seizure and then calm down for a while.
I took her in to see her vet at 4 pm. He feels it is neurological. Doesn't feel she can see. He didn't say, but I suspect she is responsive to deep pain reflex, as when he pinched her foot hard, she did pull her foot away.
She has not received any OTC flea or other medication. She does not go outside, and the cats in the former household did not go outside either.
Her vet is wondering about encephalitis or meningitis. Anyone with any experience with either of these illnesses? Would this fit? Any suggestions for tests?
Her vet is calling in a prescription for Phenobarbitol in the morning. She is seizuring/convulsing almost constantly this evening. He had me give her more pain med to help her sleep through this. I did feel when I was holding her earlier this evening, she is aware. I did get about 3-5 mls of Carnivore Care with 0.3 ml Baytril in it and she took it willingly until the seizure activity got so bad she couldn't. That is when I gave her the last dose of pain med and she went to sleep, but still twitched and her head/neck layed distorted.
Seizures/convulsions involve muscles that move legs, head and tail. Also, the muscles of her face twitch causing her whiskers to move around, her ears to move in odd ways - front to back and like they fold together top to bottom at times, and sometimes her eyes, which had been staring without blinking, will blink along with the muscle contractions. At this point, she is not vocalizing.
One other thing, her food is exiting much the same color and form as it is when fed so I doubt she is getting much nourishment from it.
Another bizarre behavior I noticed before she completely collapsed today is she would go to a corner and push her head into it.
Current meds: Lactated Ringers. Amoxi/Baytril, Carafate and Buprenorphine, with diet of Carnivore Care, when I can get anything into her.
Thank you to anyone that can shed some light on this unusual illness and how you would go about testing and treating.
Julie
(419)233-4658