Q) My Cat Has Ascites │ Twin Trees Vet Talk (FREE VET ADVICE PODCAST)
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- čas přidán 21. 08. 2024
- In this video we discuss what ascites is, and the list the many different underlying medical problems (like heart failure, cancer, and low protein levels) that can cause ascites. We discuss the diagnostic tests that are needed to investigate the undelrying cause, and what therapeutic abdominocentesis involves. We also discuss what to do if you notice that your pet has a distended abdomen (this could be an emergency), and provide other tips to ensure that your pet receives medical care in a timely manner, before it is too late.
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Unfortunately my cat MOMO died yesterday. Her kidneys and livers had gotten weak due to an injury she had 20 days ago. Then she got ascites. But I'm glad I did everything I could and was by her side when she had her last breath. I was holding her in my arms when she died. She was the best and will always stay with me in my memory.
Aprashant Ahire We are sending our biggest condolences for your loss. Thank you for giving her a loving home and for being so devoted to her. I can tell that she was truly lovely ❤️❤️❤️ -Dr. Lopez
I have a 3 year old male cat that developed ascites in early June. His stomach made him look like he was a pregnant mama cat. I took him to a vet hospital & they drained the fluid and said testing to find the cause would be about $2,000 and STILL might not show the cause.. Vet said not too soon to consider killing him (yeah, euthanasia IS killing) I declined as he is very alert, very aware, very present, mobile and eating & drinking & using litter box and still very affectionate. I cannot see killing him when he is still VERY alive. My research does indicate that ascites is usually a sign that most likely will be a terminal illness sooner or later and draining the fluid (which cost me $1,000) is only temporary... soooo for now 3 weeks later his abdomen has filled again AND as stated he's very alive, no vomiting or low energy... We're spending our loving time together until it's obviously time to go... NOT a fun experience watching a companion buddy waste away. PEACE... Thank you for posting and your genuine concern for our animal beings.
@Rick X Thank you for visiting our channel and for sharing your story. I am so sorry to hear you are having to go through this with your cat.
It is true that the cause of ascites is usually very serious (often a terminal disesase), and that a lot of money has to be spent on diagnostic testing in order to find and ideally treat the underlying cause. It is good that your vet was honest, because a lot of times with very sick patients, we run a lot of tests only to be left with inconclusive results or to find out more bad news. Having to make decisions driven by the cost of medical care is one of the worst parts about being a vet (especially euthanasias for cost concerns), and I hope that some day all pets will have good medical insurance so that nobody will be put in these situations.
Your cat's quality of life is the number one priority. I made a video about euthanasia not too long ago- would love to hear what you think about it: "The Truth About Euthanasia" czcams.com/video/OWNShvQTnl4/video.html
Sending all of our best wishes to you and your little bud. ❤️ -Dr. Lopez
@@DandyLions $55 for palliative abdominocentesis... I am having a little bit of a hard time believing that. Are they using ultrasound, sedation, local anesthetic? Is a doctor performing the procedure (I hope!). Does she also receive a physical exam? If you are in and out for $55 I am guessing there must be some shortcuts being taken or your vet is bending over backwards to do you a favour. On the other hand, $1000 for purely abdominocentesis also sounds like an inaccurate figure...there must be other costs included in that (diagnostic tests, procedures, emergency exam fees, imaging, sedation). I would expect a visit for therapeutic abdominocentesis to cost somewhere in the triple digits (not double digits, not triple digits). Both of these numbers seem way off to me. Would love to see your invoice. Just curious- were you able to identify and address the underlying cause of the ascites as well? Either way- I am glad you are able to keep her comfortable with abdominocentesis, and hoping she maintains the best possible quality of life for as long as possible. Thank you for your comment and for visiting our channel. -Dr. Lopez
Is he okay now ? Please reply ..
Recently my cat got ascites… the strangest part was he didn’t get it until it was his last days he started off loosing a lot of weight and muscle mass, you could feel his spine it was so bad but then near his last days he got ascites and we took him to the vet and they couldn’t find anything at all wrong with him or what could of caused it, the strangest part was he started sneezing blood the night before he passed.. I would be so thankful if you could give an input on maybe what it could of been especially the sneezing blood thank you!
@Maci Mccarley, Just seeing this, but I responded to your other comment below. I hope that helps and sending my most sincere condolences for your loss of your sweet cat. Take care
Thank you for this video and for the information about ascites. My 10-year-old cat developed ascites after showing symptoms of serious illness (weight loss, lethargy, weakness in legs, low albumin/high globulin) and my vet did not suggest draining/testing the fluid but told me it was "end stage" disease and a grim prognosis, and suggested I consider euthanizing. She thought it was likely cancer, heart failure or liver failure (he had a small mass on his liver and also mild heart disease). I have been struggling with the fact we did not test the fluid prior to euthanizing, but based on what I have read in these comments, it seems perhaps my vet believed the end was near for my cat and saw no point in putting him through further tests/treatments. I continue to feel guilty, but I hope we made the best choice for my very sick cat. I loved him with my whole heart.
@Cathy Cassinos, Aw I am really sorry for your sad loss. Ascites is always a symptom of a very serious problem, and it sounds like with some of the other concerns you described things were really headed downhill. In older/sick patients, the invasiveness of diagnostic tests and procedures must be weighted against other factors like the expected prognosis, the patient's age and quality of life. Sometimes doing a lot of tests and procedures isn't the best thing for the patient. It sounds like you had a good discussion with your vet, and I trust that you made the best decision for your sweet cat, as hard as it is to say goodbye. Did you know that guilt is just a normal stage of grief? It is your mind trying to explain things to your heart. When we experience loss, it is completely normal for almost everyone to reflexively replay everything in their mind...trying to look for answers, explanations, a way to blame themselves or others. So the fact that your are here looking for answers and experiencing feelings of guilt...it just tells me how much you loved your cat and how much pain is your heart at losing him. There is no reason to feel guilty- you didn't do anything wrong. Thank you for giving your cat an amazing life and for loving him so much. We are sending our prayers and love. ❤️❤️❤️ -Dr. Lopez
@@TwinTreesVet Hi Dr. Lopez - thank you so much for your very kind and helpful response - it actually brought tears to my eyes, tears of gratitude. In re-reading my original post I realize I neglected to mention some of my cat's other symptoms, which included diffuse intestinal inflammation, enlarged pancreas, enlarged spleen, enlarged lymph nodes and a small mass on his liver. Small cell lymphoma was suspected but never diagnosed, as I was unwilling to submit him for the surgical biopsy - something my vet also did not recommend given his frail condition. So yes, he was indeed very sick and I think you are right that my vet probably looked at the whole picture and decided that draining & testing his abdominal fluid would only prolong his misery & not change the outcome.
@Cathy Cassinos Yes, those are really hard decisions to make. I think you can be at peace with your decisions- it sounds like a lot of thought and careful consideration went into the process, and that your vet walked you through the pros and cons of all of the different possibilities. We are sending our love ❤️ -Dr. Lopez
im very sorry for what you went through. this makes me want to become a vet even more. i have the exact same issue with my baby for the past year and a half hes been living with a mass in his liver and now ascites, hardened distended organs, potentially dead liver, masses in his chest, a mass inside his intestine blocking his passages, constant vomiting and diarrhea, constant fever, low white blood cells, anemia so bad they couldnt blood test him at one point. 4 vets told me to put him down and theres no choice, no point in even giving him supplements. i do not trust vets anymore, only internal specialists.i took him to holistic vets, did my own research and hes still with us today. after a year and a half of vets being useless i finally went to a referred internal specialist and he instantly knew what to do. we are now saving money to get the fluid tested as he figured out a non risky way to drain it and to get a needle sample of the tumor that is inoperable so we have a REAL diagnosis. never ever trust regular vets with this kind of serious illnesses, they are too quick to overlook. the last vet i went to told me theres no proof of the tumor hes only 3 hes too young its impossible, when i literally sent him a radiograph of exactly where it is, he just didnt bother reading the actual description. its a waste of time and money. but euthanasia is never the only answer. the amount of times they told me im sorry theres nothing we can do makes me furious considering they told me he would die in a week or 2 and its been almost 2 years! i am so angry at your vets because i was in that same situation. i am sorry this world doesnt give the time and care to animal health like human health. never give up
@nayi99 I just saw this. Is your little guy OK? Sorry you had to go through such a difficult illness with your baby. Sending our best ❤️ -Dr. Lopez
So what the good treatment for it
They gave my cat metronidazole injection and dexametasone. How much the chance that he come back normal am very worry please help. He had fever it was 105 and today 103. They but fluid for him because he wasn’t eat 😭 I hope he can come back normal
@wa k sorry my original reply didn’t post it looks like. Did you receive a diagnosis (explanation for why the fluid is accumulating)? The most important thing determining outcome and guiding treatment is the underlying cause. How old is your cat? Really young cats can get FIP and that is very serious. Ascites is always a serious problem- do sorry you are having to go through this. Most medications aren’t just a one-time; especially antibiotics like metronidazole are given twice/day. Good luck 🙏❤️
Hi doc! My 6 months old kitten got ascites when she was 4 months old. She was a very active, always hungry, very affectionate type and I must say she is my favorite of them all. 4 days from now she is vomiting yellow fluids and since yesterday she is very weak. The vet in our area gave him many medications and I also diuretics but nothing has changed. I don't know what to do anymore. I am still looking for a job now so I can't bring her to vet. I love my Emi very much, that is her name.
Hi Juvylyn. So sorry that sounds like a really tough situation. I always make my recommendations from the standpoint of the patient's best medical interest (like if it were a child, what would be the best course of action). From that perspective, I would recommend that this patient see a specialist (like a board-certified critical care specialist or an internal medicine specialist) to undergo testing and try to determine the cause cause of the ascites so that it can be specifically addressed. Emergencies, diagnostic testing, and specialists can be very expensive, which is why it is so important to have good medical insurance from day one, so that you don't have to make life-or-death decisions based on cost. Ascites is very serious and often reflects a life-threatening problem, so I fear that if you wait to long the battle will be lost. There really isn't a DIY fix for serious medical problems like this- you need professional help, diagnostic testing and usually hospitalization. Best of luck and thanks for your comment. Sending our best wishes! ❤️❤️ -Dr. Lopez
How to differentiate between normal abdomen and fliud in abdomen
@laa ki pathshala Really there never be any fluid build-up in the abdomen of a healthy adult pet. The best way to check and see if there is fluid build-up is with ultrasound. In severe cases, your vet may be able to feel the fluid sloshing around (using a technique called ballottement) but we always like to use ultrasound to confirm. Thanks for your question. -Dr. Lopez
My cat jumped out of our second floor window onto concrete and came back home with a swollen abdomen. It's happened on Friday, today is Saturday - it didn't get any better - and we can only take him to vet on Monday. This really sucks. Is he going to die? :(
I always consider a sudden change in the appearance of the abdomen (especially distension) to be an emergency,. Is there an emergency vet near you? How is he acting? I would definitely see if you could get the little guy seen as soon as possible.
Thank you for your reply lovely lady. I've managed to get him seen this morning. He's been given pain relief and is getting ultrasound - he was a lot perkier this morning. I think he'll be fine! I'll try to update you and your viewers when I find out what actually heppened.
@@exysness Oh good! I wonder if he had a little hemoabdomen? Glad he is feeling better!!
So apparently he had pushed out air into his internals upon impact. He was in a lot of pain - probably pressure on his ribs - but had no raptures or intelnal bleeding so we were sent home with some painkillers. Praise God, that was a scare.
@ex Ysness Just saw this update. Thank goodness he is OK. Stay healthy and safe :)
My cats stomach was bloted like Balon , that's why l took her to doctor he gave her injection and her stomach suddenly become very hard , what should l do should l trust this vet?
@Ash G It's really hard for me to say what could be the matter. A distended, hard or painful abdomen could be a sign of a serious problem. If it persists in spit of the injection your vet gave, the next step would be imaging (x-ray, abdominal ultrasound) to get more information about what is going on in there. Thank you for visiting our channel and good luck-I really hope it's nothing serious! -Dr. Lopez
Hi I recently had a cat who had ascites, it was strange because he started off with loosing tons of weight and muscle mass and he was throwing up, at the end of his days that’s when he got ascites all of the sudden and we took him to the vet and they said they couldn’t find anything at all wrong with him… the weirdest part was the night before he passed he was sneezing blood? I would be so thankful if you would reply giving your opinion on it! Thank you
Hi @Maci Mccarley, I am really sorry to hear about your cat. I can tell that your heart is still grieving and looking for answers. The sneezing blood could have been several things (some related to the ascites, some unrelated...)- was it watery looking blood or did it look really red like when you cut yourself?
Two of the most common causes of ascites in cats are 1) cancer and 2) heart failure, so if the sneezing of bloody fluid was related to the ascites, then it could have represented invasion of cancer cells into the bones and vascular structures of the nasal passages (causing bleeding), or it could have been related to heart failure (light pink fluid that builds up in the lungs is called pulmonary edema, and sometimes that can start to come up the airways in the very later stages. Inadequate protein levels (which can reflect underlying kidney disease/ protein losing nephropathy) can lead to ascites, and kidney problems are often associated with hypertension, which can cause nosebleeds. There is quite a long sequence of diagnostic testing to get to the bottom of why a cat is having ascites, weight loss and other symptoms.
There are a lot of other possible answers as well, but the main thing I want you to know is that just by the fact that you are here looking for answers, I can tell how much you loved your cat and how much he meant to you. May you find peace in knowing that you gave him the best possible life where he was truly loved. Sending my biggest condolences. ❤️ -Dr. Lopez
Thank you, Dr. Lopez. I hope this gal saw your detailed reply & it brings her some comfort.
Hi, i just recently found out that my kitty had a ruptured liver and hence the ascites. Our local vets are not the best and are still improving so maybe that explains why she was sent home with only a livoferol and some tablets, without the dr draining her fluids. I feel like I should be doing more for her, although I know a ruptured liver is the worst case scenario and i should prepare for the worst but the dr said that it’s better to try so I’ve been up for 2 days, taking care of her. Should I be doing more? She hasnt even reached a year old and I just want whats best for her 😔
Hi @Hazirah Zainuddin, so sorry to hear your kitten is that sick. Ascites is usually very serious. Are there any specialists (like veterinary internal medicine, critical care or cardiology specialists) where you live? If you want to do/ understand more about what is causing the ascites and how to treat it, I would suggest getting a referral to a specialist. In very young cats, I am often most worried about FIP, which is always very bad news. Best of luck! -Dr. Lopez
@@TwinTreesVet Sadly no. Our vets are only small clinics, we have yet to develop a hospital for them with complete equipments and staff. Its only just recently that a vet started providing MRI scans 🥲 so far the dr only told me that her liver is ruptured but her kidneys are still functioning-all through an ultrasound. He said a possible cause may be worms from her drinking water, sadly due to covid I haven’t brought her for deworming and I feel very guilty for it since I could’ve prevented this. The dr hasn’t told me what will be the treatment for her liver or if there are any. I’ll be going back to the vet in an hour so I’ll try to get more answers. I’m not sure if her condition is getting worse bc she’s insisting to walk but keeps tumbling (although I do hold her so that she doesn’t hurt her head) and now she refuses to swallow her food and scratches me as I force feed her. She has the energy to walk but doesn’t want to eat so I’m confused how her condition really is. And she hasn’t peed for 12 hours-usually she’d request to go to her litter so I hold her while she does her business. The last time she pooped was yesterday, her faeces were solid but had a bit of liquid. How would you proceed with your treatments if a kitty had her liver ruptured?
@Hazirah Zainuddin Aw. I am so sorry to hear this. Very, very sad. This is a patient that needs access to a critical care facility. I would refer that patient to a critical care hospital immediately. So very sorry. Sending prayers ❤️
@@mynameishidden3179 hi there~ unfortunately my kitty passed not long after i last updated here :(
@@mynameishidden3179 my condolences :( it heartbreaking to see a kitty go but i hope you know that you did your best and its the endless amount of love youve shown them that really matters! sending prayers your way
How long can cats with untreated ascites live?
@JVC it really depends on the cause. Ideally, you want to run the necessary tests to find out what is causing the ascites, and then hopefully address/manage those. SOmetimes you find terminal problems (end-stage heart problems, cancer, FIP), but many are manageable. I had a patient (a cat) that had ascites, and it turned out he had a problem that could be cured surgically! Here is the journal article I wrote about it: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26193979/ I hope it's not too serious (although ascites often is...) and that you have access to a good team of veterinarians and specialists. Best of luck! -Dr. Lopez
@@TwinTreesVetthanks for the link I can't wait to read about ascites that can be treated w surgery
Subcutaneous fluids should not cause this right?
@ALY, No, subcutaneous fluids, if administered properly (the correct volume and correct location) should not accumulate in the abdominal cavity. The fluid is administered under the skin, and so can temporarily cause a localized swelling (feels jelly-like) at the site where it was injected. That's kind of a complicated question though, because heart failure is one of the many causes of ascites, and sometimes patients with underlying heart disease can develop ascites as a symptom of heart failure, which can sometimes coincide with receiving subcutaneous or intravenous fluids (heart patients are very sensitive to fluids). Thanks for your question and hope that helps. Hope your little guy is ok
@@TwinTreesVet thank you! vet said that my cat has felv and stomatitis. After 5 days of antibiotics and pain meds his stomach suddenly went bigger. Xray says that its just water.
@@TwinTreesVet He had an ascites. Vet said it was because of the virus or infection. The xray was not too clear because of the water. I cant see his organs. Im sad. I feel like the xray copy was not good. Or is it really just like that when they have ascites?
We're giving him subq fluids for 4 days while on antibiotics then stopped. The moment we stopped the subcutaneous fluids, his stomach became really big.
It was not big when we we're giving him subq fluids
My cat might die of this help!
Jianmin Li - Oh no I am very sorry to hear that. Ascites is usually a sign of a serious problem. The best strategy is to run the necessary tests to figure out why the fluid is accumulating, so that you can treat the underlying cause if possible. Is your cat old or young? -Dr. Lopez 🐈
Twin Trees Vet my cat has ascites after we gave him fluconazole tablet for fungi but that doctor not sure if it is from that tablet. We did blood work his ggt is elevated,but alt and ast are normal his bilirubin is 7 am really worry. They gave him metronidazole injection and they give in him fluid because he wasn’t eat. Am very worried🥺😭
@@Walaak91 what was the underlying cause? how is your cat?
@wa k Oh no! I am really sorry- I didn't see this comment until I saw David's comment. To me ascites is always a really serious problem, usually reflecting major underlying problems with the body. It is like when you are driving your car and the engine light comes on and smoke starts coming out of the hood.
Liver toxicity is a known potential side effect of fluconazole, and liver failure can definitely cause ascites (when the liver can no longer make enough protein- the albumin levels will be low causing fluid to leak out of the vessels; also sometimes the pressure within the liver vessels can be altered leading to fluid leakage).
There are a lot of different reasons for ascites, so in these situations I try to not get tunnel vision and perform all of the necessary tests to get a diagnosis. Is he a young cat or an old cat? In young cats I always worry about FIP. In older cats, I worry about heart problems, cancer, liver problems, sepsis.
Anorexia itself can lead to liver problems in cats (hepatic lipidosis). If a cat doesn't eat well for more than 5 days, a feeding tube may be needed. Patients with liver failure often require intensive care and the involvement of a Veterinary Critical Care or Internal Medicine Specialist.
I am sorry that you are going through this very difficult and very scary situation.
We are sending you all of our best wishes.
Dr. Lopez
@David The Student Thank you so much for checking on @wa k. I didn't see her comment until I saw yours today. I am so appreciative that you checked in. You really are a caring person. Thank you again.
Dr. Lopez