Seeking advice for treatment of feline thrombosis

[stanpaxson]

Hello,

This morning at 3:30AM I was woken by my 12 year old cat who was crying and was unable to move his rear legs. I immediately brought him to the emergency vet where he was diagnosed with feline thrombosis and paralysis of both of his rear limbs. X-rays were performed and they confirmed an enlarged heart but they are suggesting that I take him to a specialist for further tests of his heart and for possible treatment of the clot but the doctor could not imply what treatment that might be.

Would any of you have experience or knowledge in the treatment of the blood clot or the possibility that he could regain limited functions of his hind legs? I understand that his long-term prognosis will be complicated by the underlying heart condition but if there is a chance that he could even live an extra year with some happiness and without frequent pain then I would be willing to consider the option.

Thank you in advance!

Stan

[sugarcatmom]

Oh no!! So sorry that this is happening to your cat. Saddle thrombosis is a very serious condition.

Originally Posted by stanpaxson

they are suggesting that I take him to a specialist for further tests of his heart and for possible treatment of the clot but the doctor could not imply what treatment that might be.

There is this rather technical paper from the WSAVA conference in 2006 that might give you more insight into what's going on: http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proce...5750&O=Generic

Originally Posted by stanpaxson

but if there is a chance that he could even live an extra year with some happiness and without frequent pain then I would be willing to consider the option.

Unfortunately there's no way to know how your kitty will do until you actually start treatment. If you read the article above, it sounds like appropriate pain meds are the first place to start, and then go from there. If he were my kitty, I would at least speak with a specialist to see what the options are, but time is of the essence.

I wish you all the best! Do keep us updated when you get the chance....

[stanpaxson]

Thank you so much for the fast response. My vet has been very helpful and even called the specialist to discuss the case in detail. In the end the specialist is hopeful that they can eventually dissolve the clot but said that he anticipates that the reperfusion would be difficult and even after that he believes that my cat would only have a 10% chance of having minimally functional limbs and thus a functional/happy life afterwards.

Due to this diagnosis I am going in at 2:30 today to be with him when they euthenize him. I know it will be hard but it's not for me it's for him, I want him to see my face last before he passes.

Thank you once again for your fast response, very helpful link and sincerity. I can honestly say that it is one of the things that has provided comfort to me at this time.

Thank you!

[stanpaxson]

I also wanted to add that I was able to get him to the vet and get him access to pain medications in less than 30 minutes after he started crying this morning so I feel very good that at least he hasn't had to suffer a lot of physical pain which means a lot to both him and myself!

[diandpat]

Oh I am so sad for you. What a difficult and loving decision.

[stanpaxson]

Thank you! Today I put my little friend to rest but I wanted to say thanks again for both of your replies. I still have one other cat and two dogs that were all very happy to see me when I got home which helped out a lot! I'm going to spend some special time with them today and also think of of my wonderful friend who I pray is in a wonderful place now.