Names have been changed to preserve anonymity
| My cat, Hatte is 14 1/2yrs old. She was seen at the vet in Jan
after what we thought was a seizure and some uncharacteristic aggression. Blood tests all came back normal. X-rays showed constipation, arthritis, and bone spurs on the lower part of her spine. The dr recommended Metacam for the pain. I trusted the vet. She became less aggressive and seemed happier, until about two weeks ago. I brought her in because she wasn't eating. They found her to be in acute renal failure. They put her on an iv for 24hrs. She showed an extraordinary drop in creatinine, so I opted to take her home for a day and give her subq. We returned to check her levels a day later, only to see them rise again. She spent the next3-4 days on an iv. I stayed with her every minute the vet was open - spoon feeding her, petting, talking,etc. On the fourth day the dr said she was no longer responding to the iv fluids and could go home for her last few days. The vet offered to come to my house over the weekend to put her down. Within 24hrs of bringing her home I have decided they are crazy. She is obviously sick, but her quality of life is far from even considering euthanasia. I decided to continue with the subq's daily. I also asked the vet for an appetite stimulant - which works when I can get it in her. We have our challenging moments - she occasionally has episodes of throwing up (mostly clear fluids), she is drinking and urinating excessively, its often a struggle to get her to eat enough, she usually hides under the bed once a day. On the other hand, she likes to be in the same room as me, she still sits in her spot in the kitchen to stalk the mice while walking back to check on me every 15min or so. She plays with her string each day for about 5-10minutes, she loves hanging out and watching the birds/squirrels, she is voluntarily eating some (with a little nudging), she has recently started greeting me at the door, and still talks to me a bit. I'm taking her back to the vet in about an hour. I'm hoping her blood levels are at least the same if not better. Maybe if that is the case the vet will now consider her on maintenance rather than death row. I think she needs something for the acid in her tummy, possibly some special food (though anything at this point is good for her to eat), maybe a phosphorus binder. I know that her kidney failure came from the Metacam. I spoke with the company and they even agreed that was the cause. I have contacted the FDA, state vet board regarding the issue. Though I don't agree with my vet all the time, I do believe they care and mean well. Yet, I never received any information on the medication and how dangerous it actually can be. In fact a study I read last night said some outrageous number like 1 out of 3 cats taking oral Metacam on a regular basis go into kidney failure. Had I been given that kind of information I would never have agreed or administered the drug to her. I kick myself for trusting my vet and not doing more research on it beforehand. She was perfectly fine before this medicine. |