chylothorax

[isiscolo]

Do any of you have personal experience you're willing to share about survival times for cats with idiopathic chylothorax?

Comments

[wikdsushi]

Want me to signal boost?

[isiscolo]

If you have a lot of cat people on your flist, that might be helpful - thanks!

[djin7]

I've put down 3 geriatric cats in the last 5 years due to various ailments similar to yours. For me it's not about convenience, it's about them and their pain and suffering. Animals, when they get ill, always go uphill or downhill *fast*.
I've never allowed my emotions dictate how long my cats suffer - even regular doctor appointments can traumatize some animals and cause them to worsen, regardless of condition.

So, if your cat is the type who doesn't like car rides/vet visits and doesn't fare well with meds, or appears to be suffering from shortness of breath, pain, or sleeps all the time, then your path is clear and waiting only prolongs the suffering. imho. Good luck.

[isiscolo]

Thanks for this. I don't have a lot of experience with pets, and have never had to put down a pet. I don't actually know how to TELL when a pet is in pain. Maybe that's part of why I'm so bummed. I'm afraid I'm letting her down through my ignorance.

[djin7]

I do not envy you, right now. As 'seasoned' as I am, I do not wish the choice upon anyone. But a diagnosis such as this requires immediate attention- no hope means no delay as that will lead to suffering if not being experienced already - as I said, they deteriorate fast. I wish you strength.

[malnpudl]

My input would have been pretty much the same as djin7's, for what it's worth. I have, in the past, chosen to sacrifice additional days or weeks of a pet's life that I could have shared in favor of ending the animal's suffering, and been deeply grateful for the ability to make that choice.

In your case it's so much harder, since you don't know for sure that this is definitely fatal. If that had been a certainty and I'd been in your shoes, I probably would have put the cat down before the trip in order to spare her the trauma of being ill in a strange place without the support of her own person/people. But if she might live... hellish choice.

My best suggestion is that you contact etcetera_cat and ask for her advice, since she's a vet tech with many years of professional experience.

[becky_h]

Here via Sushi - 5013c animal rescue person here.

I have done drainage for a cat with FIP based effusion, and it really, drastically, improved the cat's quality of life. I don't know how much it increased her lifespan, but she was so much more comfortable for it that, based on that alone, I'd recommend it for your girl if it's something you can swing financially. *If* she isn't a high strung cat that wigs out at the vet.

The only advice I can give you in regards to your vacation is asking your vet's office if they, or one of the people who works there, might be willing to board her for you.

[isiscolo]

Thank you for the information. She did have the fluid drained as part of the diagnosis. I wonder if I can just get it done again, and if it will help. I'll ask about it tomorrow.

I will ask the vet tomorrow about boarding. I didn't even know this was a possibility, so thanks for the suggestion!

[doire]

I've no experience of this condition, but vet boarding should be a possibility. Our travel insurance covers it for just this type of dilemma.

On the other hand, I've looked after a ailing cat for a friend while they were away and left a sick mouse with another.

It does become clear when they are not happy any more. I wouldn't use not wanting to eat as a main criterion though, sometimes I'm not hungry when I'm not well, but being unable to eat or drink is a bad sign. Sleeping in the sun is not.

[isiscolo]

How does it become clear? I mean, she is moping around generally, not being social. But she is also expressing preferences for e.g. going outside, for being brushed (which she still seems to enjoy). I feel at a loss for understanding.

[r_grayjoy]

Okay, I don't know a huge amount about the condition, and I don't know what you've already done as far as treatment goes. But I might possibly come up with something useful to you? If you've already decided against further treatment and ONLY want to know about prognosis at this point, just ignore the rest of this comment

[isiscolo]

Thanks for your comments. The fluid was tapped for diagnosis, yeah, and he did a little testing to see if there was a particular cause but didn't find anything. I am thinking about asking him to get it drained again. He recommended against surgery because he said that in the cases he or anyone else in the animal hospital had done, it had not prolonged the cat's life. Interesting you say it helps 80% of the time - he implied it was not useful (and actually, my web reading supported this, as it seemed like it usually did not help). In any event, that's a little too expensive for us.

I read about Rutin but I wasn't able to find it here. I should try some other stores, though. I live in a small town so options are limited.

Thanks very much for your suggestions.

[r_grayjoy]

Hey, I'm sure someone who lives in a better-stocked town would be happy to pick up and send some rutin to you. I mean, that's easy enough! Hell, I'm in Philly; they're bound to have it here, right?? ;)

[isiscolo]

Aw, thanks for the offer. I did see it on mail-order, but figured I could find it here; and then I didn't, and it didn't seem like she was doing very well anyway, until just recently. I do have a few other possible stores to check.

[thistle_chaser]

I hate to give negative results, especially when they perhaps don't apply, but reading about idiopathic chylothorax sounds a little like what my poor old Dax went through (congestive heart failure). Fluid would collect in her chest cavity as well (in addition to the sack around her heart). The doctor said the outlook wasn't good at all, but we could extend it by draining the fluids. We drained once during that same visit and then a couple days later I took her to the emergency vet to get it done again. She was so bad I had to put her to sleep then

[isiscolo]

Aw, no, thank you. I appreciate your input. I feel like I can't tell! Is she miserable because she is not eating, or is she okay because she likes to sit on the doormat and look outside? I wish I could speak cat!

[thistle_chaser]

Animals make it so hard! If we could at least tell when they're in pain... I'd think wanting to look outside would be a good sign though -- something she enjoys doing plus an interest in the world outside of herself.