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I'm currently babysitting a very sick cat for a friend who had to leave town. The vet doesn't have a diagnosis. They've prescribed prednisone and Atopica daily. Here's what my friend wrote, verbatim: "Exactly what's going on, we don't know for sure. We know that his red blood cell count is wicked low, that he's producing red blood cells but something is killing them, and that he's tested negative for Kitty AIDS, Kitty Leukemia, and microplasms. The prednisone is a steroid to increase his appetite, and the cyclosporine is an immunosuppressant that will make his own immune system back off, if it's what's eating his red blood cells. If the cyclosporine treatment doesn't work in two weeks, we're going to have to put him down. If it does work, then we'll see how well he does but the prognosis is not great." This is a relatively young cat (maybe 6 years old.) His sister lives in the same household, eats the same food, etc. and is fine. The ill cat has been lethargic and losing weight for a month and a half now. I know that "remote diagnosis" is pretty much impossible, but I wonder if anyone here has encountered a similar situation, and could maybe suggest something else to test for -- or even just share experience, good or bad. My family and I have had cats for decades, and some have died of illness, but never anything as protracted and mysterious as this.
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Mar 12, 2016 01:56
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| # ? May 14, 2024 12:00 |
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