[kittycoo]

Well as you all know, each vet visit for Samson sends me into panic mode in fear of what they might find.

It's been ten days since Samson's last visit and Riley's operation.
Riley went in to have her stitches removed and all is well in that department except for a little scar tissue.
Samson had his gazillionth bladder check and had a good stream but with blood. He was fine this morning with clear pees but then had minor discomfort by lunch time with a poo. He has been having Metamucil for a week, and even though he was a little uncomfortable today I did notice an improvement to what he was like previously.

The blood in his urine worried me at the clinic. The vet did an urinalysis and the results are: Samson has a bacterial infection. Damn! I have a feeling he has had it for awhile because there was blood in his urine a few times at the clinic, but nobody seemed overly concerned at the time.
He had been given Clovenia injections but it seems that antibiotic isn't helping with this infection. So now I have to give him Zeniquin in tablet form for two weeks.

So even though it is a nuisance Samson having an infection, I am still overjoyed that he isn't blocked and seems to be doing well in that area. The vet said I was doing a good job.
So a breather for me.
The vet visits are being spaced out now, we go back in two weeks time. Yay.

I even scored a freebie before I left the clinic. The vet gave me a used ( but excellent condition) cat carrier . The carrier I had is in need of repair so it was great to get a new one. When I arrived home I took the old carrier out of the car ( with the kitties inside) and the handle promptly broke! So the new carrier was an omen.

I have been sipping water laced with a stress remedy all day, so by now I am feeling mellow and looking forward to spending the weekend with my kitties. Just wish my vertigo would go away. Yep, another ailment for me! Argh!!!

Hugs to all,

Carmen xx

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[my4cats]

Well at least he is still peeing thats the good side of things.

Shame about the infection. When Puppy had her infection she ended up on a four week course of oral antibiotics to clear it up well and good. I wonder if Samson needs a long term course because of his history?

Two weeks between vet visits?? Fantastic! Mine seem to be weekly at the moment but hoping to space mine out as well.

[kittycoo]

Well at least he is still peeing thats the good side of things.

Shame about the infection. When Puppy had her infection she ended up on a four week course of oral antibiotics to clear it up well and good. I wonder if Samson needs a long term course because of his history?

Two weeks between vet visits?? Fantastic! Mine seem to be weekly at the moment but hoping to space mine out as well.

Yes, Peeing is a celebration in this household.

Samson had a months worth of Antibiotic injection, but they didn't help this infection. The urinalysis had the vet scratching his head. Hopefully the current meds work.


I am sending you and hoping that your vet visits taper off soon.


Hugs,
Carmen xx

This post has been edited by kittycoo: 20 November 2009 - 05:51 PM

[my4cats]

have they ever sent off the urine for culturing? It might be some random bug that needs a specific antibiotic to beat it. Do you think he needs something other than metamucil to soften him up?

Thanks for the . The vet is my second home lol! Im sure you know all about that.

Glad Riley is ok.

[Clan Chattan]

Carmen,

Happiness is a big wee from our bladder boys.I still breath a sigh of relief each day when I see the neatly covered wee in Alex' litter tray.

I hope you can have a relaxing weekend and try to rest.

Elaine and Alex Siamese(President of the Exclusive Bladder Boys Club)

[kittycoo]

have they ever sent off the urine for culturing? It might be some random bug that needs a specific antibiotic to beat it. Do you think he needs something other than metamucil to soften him up?

Thanks for the . The vet is my second home lol! Im sure you know all about that.

Glad Riley is ok.

The vet did an Urinalysis and sediment examination of Samson's urine sample yesterday.
Is that the same as "culturing"? Sorry if I come across as ignorant but this is all new to me.

I was wondering if Samson needed something other than metamucil myself. He hasn't had the metamucil for very long so I don't know if it is the key yet. He certainly wasn't straining too hard the last he did.
The vet did mention another product I could try. Now let me see if I can remember the name.......I think it was something like Duphlax or some such name. Humans can take it too. ???????
Maybe somebody can enlighten me. I should have written it down when the vet said it but with two cats having a consultation and Samson having the blood in his urine, I had information overload.

Yes I know all about the vet being a second home saga all too well. I have somehow missed what your kitty's problem ( sorry ) is but I will send some extra to give you a boost.

* Elaine, you are being spoiled with "neatly covered wee"!!!! Mostly Samson doesn't cover his wees these days, he leaves it for me to inspect. If on the very odd occasion he does cover his piddle, it is in such a slap dash manner that it was hardly worth the effort.
Sometimes he hangs over the side and scratches the bathroom tiles and thinks he is covering the goods. When he is finished "fake covering" he sniffs his piddle, and says to himself "Oh what the heck", and just saunters off. He obviously doesn't subscribe to the theory, that if a job is worth doing it is worth doing properly.
This behaviour has only started after his PU.
I really don't care if he covers his pee or not, I am just happy to see a big pee.

Carmen xx

[CatsRU]

Carmen, it is Dupholac (spelling?) and you can buy it at chemists. I used to use it a lot when I had the boarding cattery. Ask your vet for the dosage but you will need a syringe to administer it - easy peasy.

I am so pleased that Samson seems to be improving every week but it is a shame about the infection and hopefully it will not be under control. Give the brave boy a cuddle from me.

[kittycoo]

Carmen, it is Dupholac (spelling?) and you can buy it at chemists. I used to use it a lot when I had the boarding cattery. Ask your vet for the dosage but you will need a syringe to administer it - easy peasy.

I am so pleased that Samson seems to be improving every week but it is a shame about the infection and hopefully it will not be under control. Give the brave boy a cuddle from me.

Oh thankyou!!! Syringe? No problemo, I have many of them handy.
Hmmmmm ".......Hopefully it will not be under control" ???? LOL I know what you mean though Don't put a mozz on me. LOL.

Yep, the infection is an annoyance but I am sure we can get him better.

Carmen xx

[CatsRU]

Sorry Carmen - Should not have had a NOT - typo. Hugs.

[Clan Chattan]

Carmen,
urine cultures -a specimen of urine is sent to pathology for microscopy examination.A Small amount of urine is place in a Petri dish which contains a growth medium.The specimen is left for a few days to see if any bugs grow.The pathologist then can send a report to the vet to suggest the type of antibiotics needed to clear up the infection.
How much Metamucil are you sprinkling on the food each day? try to persevere with it he may just need that fibre.
Alex has always been a tidy lad,so it is easy to scoop out the clean litter into another tray.His bladder control thankfully is very good since his surgery.He is a 'holder oner' when he travelled from QLD to Tassie he must have left home at around 7am and I collected him at the airport at about 6pm and no wee in transit.

He was so ill for such a long time and thankfully he is happy and bossy etc. There is still that sinking feeling when he has an episode of cystitis.These lads of ours will always be more prone to cystitis because of the urethral reconstruction.

I am sure Samson will settle down soon along with Riley. You will of course remain the personal servant to all your cats.

The vet visits will eventually become less frequent.

Elaine.

[aboutTaya]

I do hope Samson's infection clears up quickly. Sounds like he and Riley are doing pretty well though so will have everything crossed for continued good progress!

[kittycoo]

Carmen,
urine cultures -a specimen of urine is sent to pathology for microscopy examination.A Small amount of urine is place in a Petri dish which contains a growth medium.The specimen is left for a few days to see if any bugs grow.The pathologist then can send a report to the vet to suggest the type of antibiotics needed to clear up the infection.
How much Metamucil are you sprinkling on the food each day? try to persevere with it he may just need that fibre.
Elaine.

Thanks for explanation Elaine.
The new vet clinic I go to now has all the high tech stuff in house. They may have kept the specimen to leave for a few days, I don't know. When the vet came back into the room after what seemed an eternity, he said something about an unusual bug and bacterial infection and prescribed a different antibiotic.
Do these tests always take a few days to see if bugs grow or is it possible that there can be a more speedier way to get results? Just wondering as the vet seemed very sure of himself. Of course I will ask him questions when I see him next.

Re: the Metamucil. I am sprinkling approximately 1/4 of a teaspoon over Samson's meals.

I hope the antibiotics do something soon. Samson is still going a little too frequently to the litter tray and sometimes goes wandering in my son's bedroom to find a place to pee.
I guide him out of the room of course and he ends up in his litter tray.
I will give the floors a thorough cleaning today, in case there are any spots I don't know of.
Tonight's dose of meds will only be his 3rd.
I am not 100% sure but I think Riley may have seduced Samson last night.
I had gone to bed just before midnight. Samson was sleeping on the lounge chair so I left him there ( I have plastic lining the chairs, just in case). Riley had just woken up and came into my bedroom for a pat. She raised her bottom when I ran my handr down her spine.
I settled under the covers, Riley jumped off my bed and wandered off.
Suddenly I heard some noises from Riley like the ones she made whenever Samson was on top of her and had her by the scruff of the neck. I sprung to action and turned on all the lights. I found Samson and Riley in the kitchen. Riley up one end of the room and Samson at the other looking guilty.
What to do? Like I said I am not 100% sure because I didn't witness anything. They may have been playing rough, I don't know. Riley does like to play and maybe Samson just wasn't in the mood.

I wasn't taking any chances so I managed to pick up Riley and put her on my bed.
After a bit of attention she settled down on my blamkets and slept the whole night there separated from Samson.

So fact or paranoia? Who knows? Paranoia seems to take over at times after the year I've had.

For the moment all cats are sleeping the rainy day away. Sounds like a good idea.

Carmen xx

[burmeselover]

I can explain the urine terminology:
Sediment examination is when a small sample of the urine is spun down in a centrifuge to force sediment (crystals, casts, bacteria, blood) to the bottom of the test tube. The sediment is then drawn off and a dye is used to highlight the different components of the sediment and the sample is placed on microscope slides for examination.

[kittycoo]

I can explain the urine terminology:
Sediment examination is when a small sample of the urine is spun down in a centrifuge to force sediment (crystals, casts, bacteria, blood) to the bottom of the test tube. The sediment is then drawn off and a dye is used to highlight the different components of the sediment and the sample is placed on microscope slides for examination.

Thankyou BL!

Carmen xx

[my4cats]

I would still ask if a 'culture and sensitivity' has been done. This determines exactly what it is rather than just identifying a bacteria under the microscope.

If its an ongoing problem I would get it done to make sure he is on the right anti-biotics. It can take a couple of days for the bacteria to grow (in the medium). Once they have isolated exactly what bacteria it is they can start testing it with antibiotics to see which one is most effective. Only thing is is that its not cheap. Around $100. Up to you though. See what your vet says.

Good luck.