Deeper and deeper.
Tigger Loves Sunshine
I almost feel bad for how kitty-centric this journal has become. The thing is, a lot of people have chipped in to Tigger's bills via Etsy or even straight donating to my paypal account, and I think that (in addition to instant sainthood) they deserve updates.
So. Tigger. When the urinary tract infection returned, they switched him to a quinolone antibiotic, Zeniquin. Last night, while sleeping peacefully in my lap, Tigger's back leg began to twitch. He woke up, looked at me with the most terrified expression I've ever seen on his fuzzy little face, and then plunged into full body convulsions, accompanied by excessive salivation (foaming at the mouth), lots of weird noises and loss of bladder control. He has no history of neurological disorder and seizure whatsoever, and they eliminated low blood glucose, hypertension and a number of other possible causes at the vet hospital (while I waited, destroying kleenex by the box, parked crooked and lacking not only cat carrier and coat but also socks and shoes). He came out of it quickly, recovered quickly, and returned home when the hospital closed for the night. There has been no sign of neurological dysfunction since.
I greatly suspect the quinolones. To quote an article published in the Journal of Infectious Chemotherapy in 2003, "Quinolones are now well-known to have potent convulsant(seizure-inducing) activity, and the activity is often enhanced by concurrent administration with anti-inflammatory drugs". I've got 43 other peer-reviewed professional research papers here that say the same thing. I don't think the vet agrees (to quote, she and the other vet at that particular hospital have "never heard of" a link between quinolones and seizure), though she's fine with keeping him off said antibiotics. Human and mouse model medical research abounds; so much so that the FDA updated the warnings on quinolone class drugs to include danger of peripherial neuropathy and other nervous effects. Finally and most damning, the product information Pfizer provides along with any Zeniquin sale says "quinolones may, in rare cases, cause CNS stimulation leading to convulsive seizure" right there in black and white under "Precautions: (which makes me wonder about the "never heard of" thing- human or animal, a medical professional should read the precautions and contraindications of a drug before prescribing it. I'm sure it's some kind of misunderstanding). I could be wrong, but my fellow undergraduate microbiologists and pre-med people agree, along with the grad students who specialize in antibiotic stuff and my neurology professor (who gave me the e-mail of the small animal neurologist for the CSU Vet School): it's definently something important to consider.
The visit for the reoccurance of the UTI cost $150+. Last night's emergency cost a little over $200. Monday he gets to go in to the CSU Veterinary Hospital for a cardiac assessment, which will cost between $80 and $300. All in all, we're speeding towards $2000. I'm managing, though, thanks to the vast kindness of various internet communities. And Tigger? Well, he seems a bit clumsier than usual and he won't sit on my lap anymore (he was on my lap when the seizure hit, and it obviously scared him like nothing else), but he still loves to purr and cuddle if I go where he feels safe, so he's doing well.
Again, thank you.