endoscopy

maggie101

Member
I am considering whether I should have this done for my cat or put her on steroids probably for the rest of her life.She's had ultrasound,gi pannel,and thyroid tests that turned out normal.Since the doctor does not know what is wrong,there will be alot of trial and error.I was going to skip the blood work monday because she seemed ok but after hanging up the phone,she threw up 10x in a row so I called back and got the results last night.Has anyone had this done for their pet?I read that there are risks-some fatal.How much did it cost?

Laura
 
Laura, Sorry to hear about your cat. My parents just went through this with their dog. They could never figure out why she kept thowing up esp after eating. Finally, they went to the university of TN and they ran tests (cheaper than at their vet) and this was one of the tests. They found out that her esophagus is too narrow. They recommended having her eat smaller meals spaced out and eating with an elevated bowl. Also, my mother holds the dog (small dog) up rights after eating (almost like burbing a baby). They said this has helped and if it doesn't, U OF TN said that they can make the narrowing area bigger if need be. They went to the university because after going to so many vets, including one near me in FL, they did research and found out about the university has school for vets and of course they take live animals so students can learn. The procedures are cheaper because you don't pay for the vets time. So maybe you can try elevating the food and feeding smaller meals during the day. I hope you find out soon and best of luck to you and you cat.

Kim
 
My cat is 12 1/2 yrs old.I used to feed her many small meals a day til I started working more.I give her canned food.Right now she is on Hill's Prescription Z/D which I thought was helping til monday.If I get it done Texas A&M does it.I do not feed her dry because of the moisture in canned.Her normal weight is 11 pds.She is now 7.8 and eats alot.

Laura
 
Not sure why you're not consulting with your Vet on the risks and the cost? That would be my first resource.

So sorry your kitty is sick. Hope you can get her well.
 
We had to do this with our youngest dog. He is what they call a "happy vomiter". He was digesting his food and not losing weight, but was vomiting clear fluid daily. It was very similar to acid reflux.
We ran tests for food allergies, came up with nothing, and a full blood panel and couldn't find anything there.
My vet suggested an endoscopy to look for any structural abnormalities, and stomach parasites.
They were looking for this stomach worm that can only be found through endoscopy. Stomach Worm Infection (Physalopterosis) in Cats | petMD
Stomach Worm Infection (Physalopterosis) in Dogs | petMD
It can be one or more worms that embeds in the stomach lining. This cannot be found through fecal exams. In most cases, they have to pluck the worm(s) out of the stomach lining.
They can get this worm by ingesting an infected insect.

They didn't find anything through endoscopy. My vet suggested we switch from raw food to cooked diet, and that worked. The only reasoning we can come up with is that our boy's allergies were compromising his immune system and he couldn't handle the bacteria load in raw food.

If the dietary change didn't work, they were going to have to perform a barium swallow test to look for a hernia.
They can sometimes find a hernia through endoscopy, but they can miss it too. The swallow test is how they usually find a hernia.

Diagnostic testing for chronic vomiting can become costly, because it's a symptom of so many conditions. It's just a process of elimination.
Honestly IMO, the risks associated with chronic vomiting is greater than not performing the test to find the source. I would not put any of my pets on long term steroids unless it was the very last option.
 
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I would like the endoscope done but since my parents pay the bill,I called to put her on steroids,dewormer,and b12 injection.There is only one kind of steroid for cats so I hope this works.

Laura
 
Laura, I hope your kitty gets well. I understand where you're parents are coming from. It is very expensive. and not everyone has the funds to pay for all the diagnostic testing and it still doesn't guarantee an answer. I think we racked up somewhere close to $4,000 on all the tests performed on Romeo.

Just curious...what is your vet's reasoning for the steroids? What will that accomplish?
Have you looked at your cat's food as a source of vomiting? Food allergies was the first thing we looked at. Can you try a more natural food- with no preservatives? I'm not a fan of Hill's pet food at all. It's at the bottom of my list for quality food.
Petco employees go through nutrition training and they can help you choose a higher quality food.
 
Hill's is at the pit bottom of my list.It is what the vet prescribed for her and it has helped.She had difficulty eating her food before-wellness core-which she had eaten most of her life.I don't think its the food.She vomits even if there's no food in her.She also could not defecate.Since all her blood work came out normal the next step is endoscope or steroid,deworm,and b12 injection.I just bought her meds today.It will be difficult giving it to her since she does not want me to open her mouth.

Laura
 
Just my luck!My 8 month kitten has a bacterial infection so I also have to give her a pill and liquid.

Laura
 
My kitty had a terrible bout with an unknown illness. The final diagnostic step was an endoscopy. We chose, before proceeding with the endoscopy, to begin administering Pepcid ac. She continued to improve and the endoscopy was unneeded. Have a look around to see what you can find out and if this simple step might help. Best of luck to you!
 
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Thanks!I will mention that to the vet.She has not vomited since taking steroids-4 days.Maybe the steroids similar to pepcid.She is still losing weight and has not used the litter box though she eats alot.How is that possible?She sees the Specialist for a checkup next week.

Laura
 

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