Positive thoughts for Scrapper

[lesliek]

Way to go Scrapper !

[catwoods]

  Good goin', Scrapper!

[JJ]

Poop - what a relief it is for one and all!

[shadowmice]

I don't want to jinx anything, but so far so good, we've been able to get Scrapper's medicine in a flavoured chew at 12mg twice a day and it has seemed to work to stop the seizures without making him excessively dopey. He is still not 'normal' but he seems comfortable.

I found a reference about high blood pressure in cats that listed some symptoms like what Scrapper has been going through. I don't think our vet here has the ability to take blood pressure (they didn't when I was trying to get answers to Tyler's health issues) but I will be asking again. I was just wondering if anyone else had a cat with high blood pressure problems, how they managed it, and what kind of equipment does a vet require to check for it? Would such equipment normally be standard in a vet's office? According to the description in this article, it doesn't sound like a very complicated piece of equipment but not being a vet I wouldn't really know.

http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/cardiovascular/c_ct_systemic_hypertension

Symptoms: (bolded items match Scrapper's issues)
Seizures
Circling
Disorientation
Blindness
Dilated pupils
Retinal detachment
Hemorrhage of the eye
Blood in the urine
Protein in the urine
Bleeding from the nose
Swollen or shrunken kidneys
Heart murmurs
Weakness, either on one side of the body or in the legs
Involuntary oscillation (rolling) of the eyeballs
Palpable thyroid gland (when hyperthyroid)

[Mandycat]

     Thanks for up-dating us about Scrapper.  It sounds like things are under control at the moment and I hope that it continues. 

     Here is one website that describes taking a blood pressure on a cat.

                http://www.lbah.com/feline/hypertension.htm

[JJ]

Shadowmice glad to hear Scrapper is doing better. Would diet apply as in humans where they tell you to cut out the salt? Does pet food have an affect on an animals blood pressure from the ingredients as in salt, sodium chloride, etc?

[lesliek]

Good to hear Scrapper is doing well. Sorry no experience with taking bp on cats or dogs though.

[NedF]

How old is Scrapper? And did your vet rule out a brain tumor? Maybe you could give the vet a call to see if they can check bp.

I'm glad you've found the sweet spot for controlling the seizures without the zombieness. As I recall, it took a couple of months to get Thunder's dose just right.

[ranger]

When Ranger had high blood pressure she started droping to the floor.  She would be just walking along and boom down she would go.  Taking their pressure is pretty simple just like a human.  My vet has one but they are a 24 hour hospital, I think most have them but I would guess a smaller rural vet might not.  Hope that is the problem since it is easily taken care of with a pill.

[Sandi K]

Im glad to hear the cheers helped with the poo concern!  I didnt know Scrapper was dealing with these other problems and very sorry to read this but once again, we have a dear kitty who has a wonderful parent that is providing remarkable care.  Many prayers that you can get things balanced out and that he will start feeling better and be stable.

[shadowmice]

I talked to our vet about the possibility of high blood pressure being an issue and if they could check it.  The local clinic does not have the equipment necessary and she said she was not very familiar with the condition in cats. She was willing to call a clinic in one of the nearby towns to see if they had anything and there is one that supposedly uses a non-invasive method that hopefully wouldn't be too stressful for him to handle. Given Scrapper gets seriously stressed just going to the vets office, I'm always concerned about what types of things I have to have him go through. I'm thinking the potential benefit of the test is worth it especially if high blood pressure really is the culprit and we could treat it easily. I've booked an appointment; the earliest they could give me was June 10. The lady on the phone said it takes about an hour; normally they don't let the owners stay with the pet while doing it but she said to tell them when we get there that he'll stay more calm with me and I should be able to.

The local vets do not have the tools to diagnose anything like brain tumours; they suspect the problem lies "in his brain", as they say, given they have not been able to find anything else on his blood panels or xrays. Unfortunately, we do not have anything more definitive and have basically been working to reduce the symptoms to keep him as comfortable as possible. He's only ten so I would like to think we have many more years together still.

[ranger]

What an hour to take a cat's blood pressure? It takes a couple of minutes they put the cuff on the cat tail or leg and that's it. They cannot be understanding correctly that's crazy.  Where do you live?

[catbird]

Yes, ranger, I don't get that either.  It takes about the same length of time as a human blood pressure, plus perhaps a little time to control an uncooperative cat.  Very furry cats like long hairs sometimes need the area clipped to get good pressure from the cuff, but that doesn't take long, either.

I've had a whole cardiology workup, complete with EKG and ultrasound, done for a cat in an hour.    Maybe that is what they are thinking of?

[JustMe]

I wonder if this vet you are being referred to is new at doing this.  Maybe for vets that perform this on a routine basis it is a faster procedure.  Just my thoughts on it.

The only one of my cats to have blood pressure readings so far is Elvis.  It took us at least an hour on both occasions we had it done.  This was a new procedure for our vet office.  The first time, the vet did it. They had to shave around his tail, and he is a shorthair.  He hated that.  He doesn't like to be handled, nevermind being shaved.  They had a difficult time getting a proper reading as he wouldn't stay still.  He took several readings until Elvis' heart rate had come down to only slightly elevated.   I'm sure having the cuff elevate on their tails is not comfortable.  I know it isn't comfortable for me, and I do my own readings for myself.

The second time, 3 techs tried to do it.  Elvis would not let them.  Vet ended up coming in and taking the reading. 

ETA: If it was me, I'd insist on staying with him during the procedure.  There is nothing that goes on that you shouldn't be allowed to see, nothing to make you squeamish.   

[shadowmice]

Well, tomorrow morning we have our appointment at the other vet hospital to see if Scrapper has high blood pressure or not. Not exactly sure which way I want it go  - at least it would give us an explanation for his problems and hopefully would be easily treatable.

We'll see what tomorrow brings...