Sunday, October 21, 2012

Bosco in very critical condition (suspected poisoning)

Ref: http://myanimalcare.org/2012/10/20/boscos-sudden-high-fever/

As I sit here writing this post, Bosco is fighting for his life at the clinic. I just got home.

To all my friends, I only ask that you join me in praying for Bosco to be strong, to be at peace and to be free from pain and suffering.


 Although the clinic is closed today, the vet was kind enough to let me visit.


But he said Bosco looked very down.



 He wasn't interested in food at all, and had to be force-fed.


But the biggest blow came when his temperature was taken. It was sub-normal. So low that the thermometer did not even register a reading. Something was VERY wrong. It has gone to the other extreme, which is worse (than having a high temperature).



 I held Bosco to keep him warm.




 


Then I drove out to buy a hot water bottle.



But he did not want the hot water bottle and kept moving away from it.



 He wanted to sit with me.




 



 


 But he was meowing; he was trying to tell me something.




The vet told me there was nothing else that could be done for Bosco. The signs do not look good at all even though he could walk and was alert. He is going down and we were going to lose him, he said.

I texted my friend, Cathy, and she said as long as Bosco had not given up, it might be good to get a second opinion. I spoke with the vet and he agreed. The strange thing is, Bosco's bio-chemistry test results came back and everything looked normal. The vet said we still do not know what is the cause of his condition. It could be too many things.

We left the catheter (for the drip) on Bosco, and Cathy came over to drive me to another clinic. This clinic could do lab tests and has an X-Ray machine. We have to try everything.

While waiting, Bosco urinated on me and his urine was extremely yellow. The urine was syringed to be test but it looked really bad. "Nothing" could be seen from it and this was very bad.


Further blood tests were made, and we were shocked to see that the colour of Bosco's blood had turned from red to BLACK. It was black. Not dark red, but black. All symptoms point to suspected poisoning. By now, the blood tests showed his liver and kidneys were deteriorating. The prognosis is VERY grave. I have to be prepared for the worst now.


This vet was very sure it is not FIP.


If it is poisoning (the most likely cause), the only thing which can be done is to put him on drips to flush out the toxins. We do not know what toxin he had ingested, so an antidote is not possible. It must be a very deadly poison because in milder cases of poisoning, putting on drips would have solved the problem. And Bosco had been on drips since yesterday, at 1pm when I brought him in immediately at the first sign of trouble.  I already wasted no time. In fact, when I called, the vet said I could wait and monitor him for another few hours. I didn't even take that chance. And at that time, all I saw was his salivation. I already brought him in.


The vet said cats are actually very sensitive to many chemicals, including some kinds of plants. But cats are also very careful in choosing their food. The kibbles that I feed him (and the rest) are kept in closed containers. The home-cooked food is served fresh. I don't think it is food poisoning from the food that I feed because everyone else seems to be alright. It must be from something that Bosco had ingested by himself. Raven goes around with him, but she seems to be fine.


This vet now will do everything possible for Bosco, but he said it would take a miracle to save Bosco's life. Yes, miracles...we can only pray for that to happen now. What can be done has already been done.



Bosco was put on drips again, and the light blue gadget you see in the photo is a "warmer". It warms the fluids before it enters the body. He is also on a heating pad. His body still feels very cold, especially the extremities (the paws). I held his paws to keep them warm.



 He still responds to me when I talk to him.


Luckily Cathy was free, and we stayed until the clinic closed. I'm very thankful Cathy came with me and drove me to this clinic.




Before we left, I told Bosco to stay strong, to get well soon and that we will come see him tomorrow. "Raven is waiting for you at home, so please get well and I'll take you home. You're a strong and brave boy, Bosco."

Bosco is at peace and I cannot see any signs of pain on him. Maybe he is already too weak.

The deterioration is so acute and sudden. He was still able to walk around at the first clinic, but by the time we got to the second clinic, he was already very, very weak.

The clinic is closed now, but the vets were all still there and the senior vet (who attended to Bosco) will still be going in in the evening again. He will call me if there is any need to (but this would be a case of "no news is good news", so, "no phonecall is good, I suppose"). The hospitalisation area is also monitored by CCTV and the vet will keep a check on all the animals. Cathy and I will go in tomorrow and hope to see Bosco feeling better.

Dear friends, please join me in praying for Bosco. Please pray that the fluids will flush out the toxins and Bosco will get well soon.Thank you so much.

And thank you very much, Cathy.


We moved this bench out to the front porch yesterday specially for Bosco and Raven to sit on.


Raven must miss her big brother very much.


We're now going to wire-net the gaps in the gate so that Raven cannot go out of the house. She is so small, she sneaks out very easily. We also do not know what may be poisonous in our garden, if there is any. There are tiny toads coming in. Could that be the cause?


As I now write this and I look at my 7 cats around me, I know Bunny's Place is a fair and necessary compromise for total freedom outside.


I had actually planned to slowly introduce Bosco to the brood. When Bosco first came a month ago (on 27th September), he was sneezing yellow mucus and had eye discharge. Two days of Vetri DMG did the trick and the discharge stopped. After a week of monitoring, I took him for neutering. Then, Raven came with mange and I had to put Revolution on both - that was 11 days ago. Raven did not react to the spot-on, but Bosco did after 4 days. The "burn" spot was quite bad so I brought him to the vet's but the vet said it was alright. Just some iodine would do. I had wanted to get him and Raven vaccinated but seeing the burn spot from the Revo, the vet advised me to wait a bit. And the next day was yesterday when he stopped eating.


I sure miss having Bosco sit next to me on the sofa now. I would do anything to have him back, safe and sound.


Updates at 4.49pm - The first vet just called me. Bosco's hematology blood test results from yesterday just came back and it is quite shocking. Bosco practically has no white blood cells (the reading is ridiculously low). There are many possibilities the that could lead to this, but now, it may not have been food poisoning. It could be blood poisoning due to an acute infection. It could also be parvo virus (though he did not have the classic symptoms). The black-coloured blood indicates that there is a lack of oxygen and very poor circulation. This explains why his body temperature is so low.


I need to protect Raven now since the cause of Bosco's condition is unknown. The vet advised me to give Vetri DMG and to let Raven be in a stress-free environment as far as possible. I should also get Raven vaccinated tomorrow.

23 comments:

claire said...

I pray that he pulls through!

Maybe someone is poisoning strays? =(

chankahyein said...

Thank you, Claire. At this point in time, I can only think of Bosco. All else comes later, but yes, that could be a possibility which crossed my mind. If someone is doing it, that is indeed very sad.

peggy tiong said...

Bosco, I pray that you get well quickly

azura said...

dear Bosco, please be strong dear. So sad reading about our suffering.
I pray Bosco's health is restored

H said...

We are praying for Bosco to pull through.

Poison is not necessarily ingested through food or drinking water that the cat had eaten or drank but also when the poison is on the cat's fur or paws it may have ingested it by licking it when he was grooming himself.

chankahyein said...

Dear Azura and Peggy, Thank you very much.

chankahyein said...

Yes, it could be that too.

Connie said...

Dr Chan, try to give him to drink coconut water. I heard its very effective for cat that been poison.

chankahyein said...

A friend just told me that too, but the clinic is now closed and I cannot contact the vet. We would just have to pray that the fluids will work. Thanks, Connie.

Mei Kueen said...

We will pray that Bosco will pull through. Hope miracles will happen.

Wil said...

Praying for Bosco now.Hope miracles happen n he pull through. Mayb u should check on other community cats?Worry evil neighbour r trying to poisoning them.

chankahyein said...

Thanks, Wil and everyone, for your kind wishes. So far, everyone is fine (Rosie, Ginger, Snow White, Raven, Mr G - they all came for breakfast today).

pooi ling said...

Dr. Chan, I hope that bosco would get well so that you can bring him bck. This is very shocking indeed. Best of luck yea!!!

chankahyein said...

Thanks Pooi Ling and everyone. I hope and pray for that too.

Jennifer Leong said...

Very sorry to hear this. I hope all will go well for Bosco and all. Take care.

Cathy said...

We are all praying for Bosco. His situation is very grave but we'll remain optimistic and hopeful.
Be strong, Bosco. Be strong, Kah Yein. (((HUGS)))

You are most welcome and see you tomorrow. :)

Mei Leng said...

Be strong Bosco, miracle has happened to Brave who was so close to death, u too, be brave !

Wong Yoke Mei said...

Hang in on there Bosco....Fight fight fight, don't give up! We will pray for your speedy recovery and everyone is waiting for you to come home.

cindy said...

IS the cage supply with Oxygen? Such as those for premature babies --- incubator?

I had a cat that had blood that was black -- lack of Oxygen because of lungs disease.

IF THE vet called ... ASK FOR OXYGEN ... Bosco needs that badly.

chankahyein said...

We already asked while we were there. The vet said not at this moment. I trust he knows what to do. Thanks.

Maneki Neko said...

We send our love & prayers to Bosco, to Raven, to YOU. All the best from Crumpet, Maneki & Amanda

Fui Chin Khoo said...

Bosco, please be strong and get well soon

Billy said...

Yes, sad for the innocent animal. Sadder for the guilty one.