| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name
 | Date | Lines | 
|---|
| 5000.1 |  | TENAYA::KOLLING | Karen/Sweetie/Holly/Little Bit Ca. | Wed Oct 09 1991 14:53 | 5 | 
|  |     We have our fingers and paws crossed for Brandy.  please let us know
    how she is doing.
    
    Karen, Sweetie, Holly, and Little Bit
    
 | 
| 5000.2 | Keep up the Medication! | CGOOA::LMILLER | hasten slowly | Wed Oct 09 1991 15:39 | 17 | 
|  |     If it's any consolation, my cat LUCKY, has been having siezures for
    approximately 18 months now (he's 13).  He's has all sorts of tests
    unfortunately we are not near a Vet or research facility so we don't
    have access to super sophisicated machinery.  The vet has come to the
    conclusion that he probably has some slow growing tumour.  He was first
    on cortizone and has been on phenobarbitol since Feb 1991 (15 mg/day).
    He is a horrid grumpy cat (always has been) but by hiding the pill in a
    teaspoon of tuna - he gobbles it down and then screams for more but ...
    he's on CD - life is tough!  Touch wood he has not had a siezure (that
    I have known about) since he started pheno.  When I go away even my
    neighbour can cope with him. (and the rest but that is another story).
    
    It took a while to find the correct dose - one where he won't keel over
    if the kitten pounced on him!
    
    Keep it up - it's usually worth it.
    
 | 
| 5000.3 |  | CRUISE::NDC | Putiput Scottish Folds DTN:297-2313 | Thu Oct 10 1991 08:33 | 13 | 
|  |     Debbie -
      The brain is VERY sensitive to oxygen deprivation so it sounds
    reasonable to me that seizures could result from a heart problem.
    Do you know what medication Brandy is on?  I'm just curious.  I had
    one year of nursing school many years ago so I'm familiar with meds
    like Digitalis (no relation to DEC ;^}  which strengthen and 
    regulate the heart's contractions.  
    
    It sounds to me like you're doing all the right things and Brandy is
    still quite happy.
      Keep us posted
      Nancy DC
    
 | 
| 5000.4 |  | WR2FOR::CORDESBRO_JO | set home/cat_max=infinity | Thu Oct 10 1991 12:29 | 5 | 
|  |     When Ken (my husband, not my cat) had his near fatal asthma attack, just 
    before he went into respiratory arrest he began having seizures.  These 
    were due to lack of oxygen to the brain.
    
    Jo  
 | 
| 5000.5 | all her meds | GIAMEM::TOLLES |  | Fri Oct 11 1991 08:06 | 14 | 
|  |     
    Brandy started out on 1/4 of a 1.25 gram tablet of aspirin every
    other day along with 1/4 of a 10 mg tablet of hydralazine twice a
    day.  Her heart continued to enlarge and the seizures began so she 
    was changed to 1/4 of a 30 mg tablet of Cardizen twice a day.  The
    aspirin was stopped.  She had more seizures so the Cardizen was 
    increased to 1/4 three times a day.  More seizures and the
    phenobarbital was begun, this I believe was one tablet (1/4 gram
    I think).  One tablet a day.  She was terribly doped up so it
    was decreased to 3/4 of a tablet a day, spread out into three
    pillings (that goodness for that pill popper!).  
    
    Next Friday I'll find out if the pheno will be stopped and a
    new heart med started.....
 | 
| 5000.6 |  | GIAMEM::TOLLES |  | Fri Oct 11 1991 14:34 | 19 | 
|  |     re: 5008.0 and .1
    
    I think this is related to cardiomyopathy (Brandy's problem).
    
    Last Spring I'd brought her in for something (I think she was pulling
    out her hair or something).  I mentined that I could hear something
    wrong with heart heart so he listened, and sure enough, he could
    hear it also.  This is when I was advised to bring her in to 
    Dr. Harpster at Angell in Boston.  Dr. Harpster did an ultrasound.
    
    Sometime during this whole thing (not the visit with Dr. Harpster),
    it was thought that she might have a thyroid problem (as she'd
    lost alot of weight), which I had done.  The blood test didn't
    show anything wrong with her thyroid.  So that much has been
    ruled out.  
    
    Our vet did say she got the cardiomyopathy from a virus somewhere.
    
    deb
 | 
| 5000.7 |  | WR2FOR::CORDESBRO_JO | set home/cat_max=infinity | Mon Oct 14 1991 12:21 | 6 | 
|  |     Sounds like your vet suspects Hypertrhophic Cardio.  My male, Kalliste,
    had this, and he was also put on the cardizem.  Cardizem is a human
    heart medication that is used to regulate the heart beat.  In
    Kalliste's case this helped prevent blood clots from forming.
    
    Jo
 | 
| 5000.8 | slight update | GIAMEM::TOLLES |  | Tue Nov 12 1991 10:29 | 4 | 
|  |     Just to let everyone know that I am still waiting to hear from Dr.
    Harpster at Angell Memorial with his opinion of Brandy's last heart
    test.  I will be at the vets on Friday picking up Majik from his
    neuter, so will ask my vet to contact him.  Thanks.  deb
 | 
| 5000.9 | warm thoughts & hugs | MCIS2::HUSSIAN | Christmas is only 6 weeks away!! | Tue Nov 12 1991 14:50 | 6 | 
|  |     Deb,
    
    I hope everything works out for you & for Brandy. Please keep us
    posted!
    
    Bonnie
 | 
| 5000.10 |  | SONATA::MCCURDY |  | Wed Nov 13 1991 13:29 | 2 | 
|  |     we also hope evey thing works out well..
    Kate, Happy, Preschie, Kissy
 | 
| 5000.11 | update | GIAMEM::TOLLES |  | Tue Nov 19 1991 07:39 | 12 | 
|  |     Well, I heard from my vet last night.  The heart test shows that her
    heart is not causing the seizures.  It is believed that she has a brain
    tumor.   Tests would confirm this, and there is always the possibility
    of surgery, but right now we are unable to afford this.  
    
    So, I'll make her life as comfortable as possible, spoil her rotten,
    and hope when the end comes that I can get her through it as easy
    and comfortable as possible.  Gosh, this is hard.  
    
    Thanks everyone.
    
    deb
 | 
| 5000.12 | That's awful | MCIS2::HUSSIAN | Christmas is only 5 weeks away!! | Wed Nov 20 1991 13:31 | 6 | 
|  |     Deb,
    
    I'm so sorry to hear about Brandy's condition. She's so lucky to have
    you. Spoil her some for me too, OK?
    
    Bonnie
 |