Barb Moermond <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Well, with hindsight, the first seizure she had was in December of 97: I was doing something with her (smearing a paw with hairball gunk or something) and she kinda tipped into my lap and was yelling. The first bad seizure was about a month later, she was on a chair in the living room and stood up and then fell off the chair screaming and was on the floor stiff with her back arched (Halloween style) with her head back and foaming at the mouth. Lasted maybe 15 seconds and she was completely drained. Then about three weeks later she had another one. and again, one more about 3 weeks after that, but then end of March, early April, she had 2 seizures 2 weeks after the previous one and 10 days later she had 5 or 6 throughout that day. Foaming at the mouth wasn't always there, but always tipping over sideways all stiff and the arched back and vocalizing and also loss of bladder control and they just exhausted her. It was horrible. At the end of April (the vet she saw in January said it wasn't worth testing for FeLV because at her apparent age (8ish) she'd already be showing symptoms - DUH, maybe THESE are the symptoms.... still ticked at that guy and always warn people away from him) vet #2, a housecall vet (she's the one who heard the heart murmur- and it resolved within a couple months), got enough blood to do a FeLV test, but she wasn't having any of a 2nd needle to get blood for a toxo test. She came back positive for FeLV and we were referred to either the vet school or the Cat Care Clinic (I chose CCC, am still there) for further treatment. The first day I took her to to CCC, she had a seizure on the way there... she'd vomited this time and I come trotting in with my poor baby and they gently took her and pointed me to the bathroom and I honestly cant' remember the rest of that visit. But the vet I was working with had (at that time) a felv+ kitty and it was the 2nd one she'd had so I figured we were in good hands. $$ being a huge factor (lack thereof, naturally) I was unable to have a CAT scan done to determine if it were a brain tumor ($600) and wouldn't have been able to afford the surgery if it were. She had the weird pupil stuff that some FeLV+ kits have - unequal dilation that varied. Her ocular pressure was actually a little low - they checked for uveitis because that can cause unequal dilation too. Her bloodwork was fine as far as I can remember. We put her on the pred and interferon and I had her on an aloe based probiotic powder that I can't for the life of me remember the name of... and she got the mix in baby food and was just an angel about meds time (the treat of plain baby food immediately post medicine COULDN'T have had anything to do with that, could it?) She had to have her meds twice a day, at roughly the same TIME every day or she'd have a bad day - i.e. seizures - so that Sunday I got up to use the bathroom at 7 or 8 and didn't give her her meds until I really got up around noon, she ended up having seizures, that was one lesson I learned quickly. Around about the middle of July, the pred didn't seem to be as effective and we added the phenobarb to her mix and it helped and I didn't see any major side effects. Late middle of August, I was petting her and felt a lump in her side. Took her in and there was a big mass in her lower intestine and the cytology came back lymphoma. She was ready to go about 10 days later, she wasn't there anymore and was just sitting, not sleeping or doing anything, just sitting and staring off into space. I had the vet come over the soonest she could, but that meant poor Ninja had to wait a day or so after she was ready. But she had a very peaceful passing at home and I learned so much from her and really miss her attitude:) Didn't even discuss a necropsy, I was already in hock with the regular bills and the cremation fee - she's in her box in the living room, looking over all of us.So we had a working diagnosis of possible meningioma, and while we were never able to verify what exactly was causing her seizures, we were able to control them. hope this helpsBarb+Smoky the House Puma+El Bandito Malito
"My cat the clown: paying no mind to whom he should impress. Merely living his life, doing what pleases him, and making me smile."
- Anonymous
----- Original Message ----
From: Susan Hoffman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Wednesday, November 1, 2006 11:55:15 AM
Subject: Re: Treatment for Seizures: Dharma
OK, we gotta talk. What type of seizures, what frequency, what led to the vet suspecting meningioma? Connie has dramatic grand mal seizures but has been maintained successfully on phenobarbitol for about 10 months now. We ruled out FIV, FeLV, FIP, toxoplasmosis with blood work but have not done the diagnostics to see if a brain tumor is involved.
Barb Moermond <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:Oof, that's tough, seizures are so hard to watch. Depending on the underlying cause of the seizures, there are different meds. Phenobarb is usually the first one reached for. Personally, when Ninja had seizures and the occurrance accelerated, all we knew was that she was FeLV+ and had a grade 3 heart murmur. The vet put her on a prednisone taper. The thought being that if there's a growth or swelling of some sort, the steroid would lessen it. Well, we learned that with Ninja and whatever was causing her seizures, that 5mg of prednisone twice a day was the only thing that held them at bay. We were unable to taper the dosage without her spiraling into what I called her 'bad days'. After about 2.5 months of this, the prednisone wasn't enough and we added phenobarbital to her mix and her last 2 months were seizure-free. Based on the type of seizure she had and the frequency and the drugs that were able to control them, the vet believed she had a meningioma (a type of brain tumor).That's all I know about seizures in cats and treating them. Hope it helps!Barb+Smoky the House Puma+El Bandito Malito
"My cat the clown: paying no mind to whom he should impress. Merely living his life, doing what pleases him, and making me smile."
- Anonymous
----- Original Message ----
From: Hideyo Yamamoto <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [email protected]; CRF Family <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Wednesday, November 1, 2006 8:31:16 AM
Subject: Treatment for Seizures: Dharma
Dharma had a couple of seizures last night it could be from epogen, or dex shot, or from FIP I was reading about the treatment and if underlying the cause of seizures is difficult to treat (which can be the case with Dharma if FIP is causing it, it suggest as follows:Phenobarbital is considered the initial drug of choice for feline epilepsy. Diazepam (valium) may also be effective but is more likely to cause liver problems. The dosage must be adjusted individually to minimize side-effects.- do you have any experience with any -- if epogen is causing seizures which is a possibility, does it mean I should not give it to her anymore?:I will be making a call to the vet this morning.. but any insight maybe appreciated.
