any suggestions?

RE: any suggestions?

ruths — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 07:51:46 GMT

I definetly second the calicivirus infection with an incidental hernia. How interesting -)))

I sympathise with your OOH predicament - it sounds like fun! But tbh I really would avoid NSAIDs in any vomiting animal, especially a cat. They can be so sensitive to the side effects.

i hope both cats are better today

RE: any suggestions?

Kerry Peak — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 07:02:26 GMT

The only thing that makes me think it's more incidental is that the other cat in the household has shown identical symptoms over the last week - which all started after the introduction of a new kitten into the house. I am fairly sure they have calicivirus. When I spoke to a specialist they suggested that perhaps the vomiting/retching the cat has been doing may have exacerbated the hernia. I agree though it's hard to know. If this was the only unwell cat then I'd be pushing for surgery asap too, however as she is finally turning a corner and eating I might try and delay a few days until she's a bit stronger (she has lost a lot of weight over the last week).

RE: any suggestions?

Niall Taylor — Mon, 20 Jul 2015 06:48:41 GMT

[quote user="Kerry Peak"]I'm assuming that this is an incidental finding, and that the cat probably does have calicivirus at the moment which is responsible for most of it's symptoms[/quote]

I wouldn't bet on the hernia being an incidental finding. It looks like quie a narrow diaphragmatic defect (so a narrow pinch-point), with a lot of viscera around the heart which would be quite capable of causing vomiting and malaise. Even though they're usually congenital they often don't get diagnosed until late as they start causing problems because of adhesions, mild strangulation and effusion around the heart. Although you've had a temporary respite following treatment, there's no reason not to expect another flare-up at any stage.

I'd be operating ASAP before things deteriorae further.

Niall

RE: any suggestions?

Busybee — Sun, 19 Jul 2015 22:21:25 GMT

May be completely wrong here, but could this be a toxin as original presentation? Lilly pollen? Not quite sure how an NSAID would make that feel better but maybe with the fluids on board as well....? Household chemical? (Lingual ulcer?).

RE: any suggestions?

Michael Woodhouse — Sun, 19 Jul 2015 22:08:16 GMT

2nd post with no constructive input to the OP, but thanks to Kerry Peak for the case update, I hate it when they are left unresolved.

RE: any suggestions?

Kerry Peak — Sun, 19 Jul 2015 16:27:06 GMT

Hi again, Thanks to everyone for the replies. Sorry about the issues with the OP - I was struggling with one of the more archaic machines at work. I've scanned the cat this morning and do think this is a PPDH. I can see liver adjacent to the heart and there doesn't seem to be much liver in the abdomen! I'm assuming that this is an incidental finding, and that the cat probably does have calicivirus at the moment which is responsible for most of it's symptoms. It's pretty bright and stable today, with no further vomiting and is now eating so we have a bit of time to decide what to do and when. Thanks again for the replies.

RE: any suggestions?

Utlendigur — Sun, 19 Jul 2015 13:09:40 GMT

Another vote for pericardio-diaphragmatic hernia. To me it looks like the liver is lying ventrally in the pericardial sac on the lateral view.

RE: any suggestions?

Arlo Guthrie — Sun, 19 Jul 2015 12:10:31 GMT

[quote user="Michael Woodhouse"]No offer of help, but maybe rename your attachment as it is clearly pet/owner[/quote]

I've done it. I was wondering which was the owner and which was the pet

Emily Rainbow Kerry Peak

The problem with the OP was that it was cut and pasted from something which added some extraneous formatting code which conflicted with the site. To avoid this, when cutting and pasting from any other application, like an email or a word document, click the icon with a W atop a clipboard above the text entry box when you post, and paste the content into the new window. That strips out any unnecessary code and makes everything format correctly.

Also, suggest a more specific subject title for the original post would help readers see at a glance whether it is something they might be able to help with when skimming through list of recent post titles.

RE: any suggestions?

Emily Rainbow — Sun, 19 Jul 2015 11:52:24 GMT

Sorry nothing more to add Kerry but Arlo Guthrie in unable to read the first few/last few letters of Kerry's original post on my iPhone?

RE: any suggestions?

Linda Filshie — Sat, 18 Jul 2015 23:05:55 GMT

[quote user="Ashley Rubens"]

In that case I'd say very likely a hernia. If the cat is stable then I'd keep it under close observation with a view to work up etc on Monday when you have a full staff as at some point you'll need plenty of assistance for any GA/repair.

[/quote]

Totally agree. The only one I did I had 2 nurses (one doing IPPV and the other monitoring the GA) and an about to graduate vet student assisting with retracting bits of cat so I could get at the dorsal part of the rupture. They're reputedly easier to do when 'fresh' (as mine was) - as both adult cats were ill/pyrexic I wonder if this could potentially have happened an indeterminate while ago and be an "incidental" (not really what I mean but you hopefully get my point) finding.

RE: any suggestions?

Ashley Rubens — Sat, 18 Jul 2015 22:33:59 GMT

RE: any suggestions?

Kerry Peak — Sat, 18 Jul 2015 21:56:10 GMT

I tried to ultrasound her earlier with limited success unfortunately. I am sure theres no pericardial effusion present. I thought there was maybe some tissue around the heart that looked a bit like liver (though could have been lung). I'm not convinced that I can see the liver in the abdomen on the radiograph but I will need to re check with the scanner. I was interrupted earlier but a dog with a broken leg, one that was seizuring etc etc.

The cat actually looks quite stable at the moment so I will hopefully be able to perform some better imaging tomorrow morning.

RE: any suggestions?

Kerry Peak — Sat, 18 Jul 2015 21:53:44 GMT

oops, sorry. was doing a bad job of multitasking earlier. will try and change it.

RE: any suggestions?

Ashley Rubens — Sat, 18 Jul 2015 21:30:19 GMT

Radiograph looks like a diaphragmatic hernia to me... Given. That ultrasound ought to rule that out I'm likewise no help!

RE: any suggestions?

Linda Filshie — Sat, 18 Jul 2015 21:02:38 GMT

Woah! That's a huge heart! Could it be a peritoneo-pericardial hernia? Diaphragm not very clear on the VD and ventrally on the lateral it looks a bit weird. But I guess the ultrasound would have made that obvious - how good are your skills/is your machine?

RE: any suggestions?

Michael Woodhouse — Sat, 18 Jul 2015 21:01:24 GMT

No offer of help, but maybe rename your attachment as it is clearly pet/owner