4/7 Alex AMPS 97,PMPS-284,+2-289-My Poor Alex!

Poor Alex had a rough night last night. I gave him his shot at around midnight and at around 12:30 AM I started to notice that he was panting. Wide open mouth panting. Like he does when he goes to the vet. It is very warm in my apartment and I don't have A/C yet. I have to wait until the building turns it on. Jackson was hanging out in the hall on the wood floors too but it didn't seem to be hot enough for Alex to be hyperventilating...but he was. I started communicating with Carolyn who gave me all kinds of things to try to cool him down but finally when I got his temperature(I hadn't ever done it before and it took me a while) it was 103.5 and i had to get him to a vet.I called mine and woke him but he told me to meet him in 1 minutes at 2:0AM. I was scared it might be his heart but the vet took xrays and there was no fluid or anything that could be seen. His murmur may have sounded a little worse but vet couldn't be sure if that was due to the fact that he was so hot or the fever was making his heart murmur sound worse. His eyes were all runny and showed signs of what could be an impending respiratory infection. Vet said that the prednisone i gave him by mistake could have weakened his immune system. He really wasn't sure except for the fact that Alex was burning up and it was safe to give him fluids so he did and as long as he was hungry he felt safe sending him home. He's also on Clavamox.

We got home at 3:00AM and although still panting Alex wanted a snack and then he got on window sill and slept in dining area. He didn't want to come in the bedroom with me. Jackson, oddly enough, stayed with him all night. I guess he loves his brother in spite of the recent 'abuse' ♥

This morning Alex seems to be a lot better. No panting (yet)..but the day is young .... it's going to be near 90 today. His ears are still hot. He ate a big breffis (had seconds)and now he's back n his window sill snoozing. I wouldn't say all P's are in order. He's a little purry but not too playful...I'm grateful that he's hungry and appears to be happy.

My little drama boy scared the crap out of me last night.

Got to run to take my vet to the hospital for a procedure(true story)

Have a nice day everyone :smile: ...please keep your fingers crossed that Alex doesn't overheat today :-|

yesterday

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMBB 91-My Poor Alex!

oh my goodness!

Here's a thought before you leave for the day - is your bathroom floor tiled? and are there windows in it?

You may want to leave him in the bathroom - since the floor will be cooler and if you have a fan, turn it on to at least circulate some air.

and close your blinds - anything to keep the sun out as best you can. I know it beats on the roof, but still -

oh speaking of beating - take some bath towels and wet them with cold water, squeeze em out and place them on the floor - bathroom and window sill where he's napping and anywhere else you can - if he gets really hot, he may lay on the cool damp towel.

and put ice in his water - assuming they drink water.

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMBB 91-My Poor Alex!

Good advice from Hillary!! That was quite a night you had....hope Alex will be feeling much better as the day goes by....
keep us posted...((Caryl & Alex))

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMBB 91-My Poor Alex!

Oh, Caryl, I am so sorry you boy had a rough night last night...glad that your vet is only a phone call away too. I know you must be very worried about him, especially since the weather is going to climb up to 90 (wow! It's going up to 83 here, wierd for this part of town).

That was some great advise you got from Hillary. I know that when it gets hot, even with the a.c. on, my drooler can be found laying on the bathroom floor where the tile is much cooler. You may not like putting Alex in the bathroom, but it's for his own good!

Sending hugs and feel better vines your way (((Caryl & Alex)))

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMBB 91-My Poor Alex!

Oh, that definitely sounds like a scary night! I agree with everything Hillary said too. Perhaps you can put some ice in a zip-lock bag and lay it under a towel? He may be more likely to lay on that than on a wet towel, but I don't know. I remember when Max was still a kitten I didn't have a/c yet in my apartment either. On the really hot days (around 90-ish) I'd bring him to my office (which does have a/c) for the afternoon. I'm lucky that even tho my boss isn't a cat lover, he is a pet lover, so he was okay with it as long as Max stayed in my office.

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMBB 91-My Poor Alex!

oooooh good idea Mindy - ice, ice pack under the towel....

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMBB 91-My Poor Alex!

Poor baby! I hope he feels better today.

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMBB 91-My Poor Alex!

I didn't see any of this before I left and just as I was leaving Alex started panting again. I'm nauseous that I didn't think of that and he's at home in the heat

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMBB 91-My Poor Alex!

I'm sure he'll be okay Caryl! Jackson will take care of him, and make sure he drinks enough water. I'm sure Jackson will also give up the "cool" spots for Alex to lay in.

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMBB 91-My Poor Alex!

What's really bothering me is that this was probably all caused by me giving him a prednisone by mistake

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMBB 91-My Poor Alex!

Don't beat yourself up about it--accidents happen, and he will be fine!

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMBB 91-My Poor Alex!

poor alex! But you did good taking him to the drs right away and getting him checked out ... he'll be ok!

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMBB 91-My Poor Alex!

sorry I couldn't talk long before - I'm doing an online training and have to pretend to pay attention you know.

look there isn't anything you can do until you get home. I know easy for me to say don't worry, but try not to worry.

by the time it really gets hot today, hopefully you'll be home and can try some of the tricks we mentioned. using frozen veggies instead of ice cubes is fine too.

also - take some washcloths, wet them, fold flat, put in ziplocs and freeze - this will make homemade ice packs and you can use it as is in place of vegggies

can also remove when frozen and rub him down with it if needed

breathe, and try to stay calm - he'll be fine until you get home

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMBB 91-My Poor Alex!

When it got really hot in the apartment I used to live in (no AC).. I'd leave the shower running full blast with cold water.. cooled the bathroom area off for the cats quite a bit.. bad for the environment yes, but some days I just didn't care.

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMBB 91-My Poor Alex!

(((((Caryl))))) I know you're counting the minutes until you get home. But if there is a single cool floor in your apartment, Alex will find it. He'll go under your bed, he'll stay low, he'll figure it out. He is a very, very smart boy.

 

Alex Update

Got back at about 1:00PM. Vet came up with me to check Alex. His temperature is down to 101.8 and he has an appetite still but he's acting like he doesn't feel well. He didn't pant at all in front of Jaime(naturally) but after I dropped him off and picked up a few things at the store I came home and after Alex sniffed around in the bags for a few minutes he cried and started panting again. Jaime realizes it COULD be a lot of things(ie cystitis being one of them) but he doesn't want to start messing around with a lot of medicines now since he doesn't know what it is). I wish Alex would have done this when he was here because I'd like to give him bupe but I don't want to without calling Jaime first (I asked him before and he said no not yet) and it's not fair for me to bother him AGAIN after he just had a procedure done and he's trying to rest(I am being OCD, I know) but I'm very worried. Every time he starts panting I get so scared.

I shot and hour late and gave ab an hour late because i wasn't here. I am exhausted.I think i'll see if my boys will come lie down with me.

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMPS 97-My Poor Alex!

((((Caryl)))))) so sorry you are going through this with Alex!!! Sending hugs and positive thoughts your way! At least he still has an appetite, that is a good sign! Hope you can figure out what is wrong with him!!! Don't beat yourself up!!!

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMPS 97-My Poor Alex!

(((Caryl))) I think after all you've been through, a good family snuggle/nap is definitely in order!

And again, while it's scary now, I'm sure things will work out just fine. Do your best to keep Alex cool (and keep your cool too! ), and everything will calm down. It's good that his temp is down, and we'll hope that the trend continues and it gets back down to normal!

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMPS 97,+2-80,+4-72-My Poor Alex!

(((((Caryl))))) With you to are for him Alex will come around. Cooling thoughts for all of you.

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMPS 97,+2-80,+4-72-My Poor Alex!

When you are up from your nap, maybe you can pick up one of those picnic cooler ice packs, wrapped in a towel. It would cool him off for hours.

Whatever you do, do NOT beat yourself up. You are doing a super, super job for both your boys.

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMPS 97,+2-80,+4-72-My Poor Alex!

Go to the pharmacy or some place that has exercise/fitness/PT type items.
Get some big reuseable ice packs. I have a couple big ones that I used to wrap around my knee before I got the knee fixed. You can get some big ones and then just keep them in the freezer. They are flexible and full of gel so that they hug whatever limb or joint is injured, so they may be better and less messy than real ice. These packs are good for freezing or for microwaving to suit your achy needs.

You can also use bags of frozen peas or some other veggie if you have nothing else handy.

I always leave the cold water dripping in the bathtub. It''s quite often that I will find one of them sleeping in the tub because it's much cooler.

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMPS 97,+2-80,+4-72-My Poor Alex!

Just want to offer support for Alex and hope he is going to be OK I would have been upset as well if Do Lou was panting since he also has a murmur at what point will you have A/C I agree with the others about the ice and maybe a small fan? :YMHUG: :YMHUG:

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMPS 97,+2-80,+4-72-My Poor Alex!

One heck a day!!!!

You have one heck of a vet on your team.

He'll be ok, you need to believe it, think it, and so will he.

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMPS 97,+2-80,+4-72-My Poor Alex!

Oh, I hope you got a nice rest with your sweet kitties, and Alex feels better, now. I know how scared you must feel.
I'm sending some just a fluke and all gone now vines to Alex. Hope it helps. (((Caryl)))

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMPS 97,+2-80,+4-72-My Poor Alex!

Oh Caryl I'm so sorry you has such a nite!! Hope Alex feels better tomorrow--Must be some Bldg.Dept where you live to call & complain...It is an early time for such high temps--HUGS to you both!

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMPS 97,+2-80,+4-72-My Poor Alex!

Just dropping in again to see how things are going. I see you are trying to take a nap...I hope you were successful in the venture! Hope Alex is feeling better...oh, btw...do you have a cell phone that can take pictures/videos? Next time Alex starts to pant, try getting a video and then you can show it to Jaimie.

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMPS 97,+2-80,+4-72-My Poor Alex!

Hi - I do hope all is OK, and that Alex is feeling better. You have one great vet - nice he came to help with Alex.

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMBB 91-My Poor Alex!

I hear you. The environment can take a little more abuse if it will help our cats ♥

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMPS 97,+2-80,+4-72-My Poor Alex!

Thanks Deb good idea. Jaime saw him hyperventilating last night. Just this afternoon he waited until he was gone.

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMPS 97,+2-80,+4-72-My Poor Alex!

Thanks for the good ideas..frozen peas is what I have been using as a matter of fact

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMPS 97,+2-80,+4-72,+7.5-85-My Poor Alex!

Hi Caryl

how's Alex doing?

 

Alex Update PM

Thanks everyone for all of the support and the great ideas to cool Alex down. I'm sorry I didn't respond sooner but it's been a helluva day. I thought he was doing better around dinner time and I guess he was. But it's hot in here and NJ stupid cheap supers that want to save money say that they are following the law that says they must provide heat until May 15th...UGH. Alex ate a big dinner a full bowl and then some and was doing his little twirly happy dance while waiting for it...then I opened a can of tuna for me cause it's too hot for anything else, and he and Jackson wanted some of that...but naturally Alex was jumping on the counter for it. By the time the excitement was over, he was panting and overheated an hot again. and Alex has ants in his pants. He doesn't get that if he stays still he will feel better so he got himself all worked up again.

I left him alone for a little over an hour so he wouldn't see me and move around and it seems to have stopped the panting. I had rubbed him down with cold water right before. His temp is 102.4 and I gave him 75ml subQ fluids and am cutting back on his insulin per Carolyn tonight until he is better(because of the fluids..his numbers have been low all day). And starting his ab's at 3AM has left a crazy dosing schedule so tomorrow i can get back on track and he can get the right amount in him.

Tomorrow is supposed to be warm again but it's supposed to break at night and I've canceled appointments to stay with him.

I am exhausted..between Jackson's cyst and then this all in 24 hours , well fear is tiring. :cry:

Thanks all, so much, again. It means so much ♥♥♥

Caryl, Alex & Jackson

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMPS 97,+2-80,+4-72,+7.5-85-My Poor Alex!

Thanks for asking, Ronnie..I just updated...

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMPS 97,+2-80,+4-72-My Poor Alex!

Thank you, Kathy. That means the world to me because they do ♥

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMPS 97,+2-80,+4-72-My Poor Alex!

He is a very good vet but he's a personal friend as well. I had taken him to the hospital for a procedure. He was with me so he offered to come back and see how Alex was doing before I took him home. This isn't normal protocol I don't think....although it would be lovely...right?

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMPS 97,+2-80,+4-72,+7.5-85-My Poor Alex!

maybe a stupid question and maybe u answered it already, but do u have any electric fans u could try?
we have the same issue here, they still have the heat on and in the evenings, it's warm in our apt..we're on 6th floor and we get lots of breeze from the lake, but stil it gets hot u know?

hope tomorrow is a little better for u guys. Hang in there Caryl cat_pet_icon

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMPS 97,+2-80,+4-72,+7.5-85-My Poor Alex!

I hope Alex can breathe better tonight, you are right to be concerned. ((((Caryl))))

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMPS 97,+2-80,+4-72,+7.5-85-My Poor Alex!

Or take a cue from the old movies -- an ice block or ice substitue in front of a fan!

What timing, Caryl -- both of the boys on high maintenance at the same time.

I meant what I said. You are taking amazing care of them.

Try to care of yourself too. :YMHUG:

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMPS 97,+2-80,+4-72-My Poor Alex!

Thank you, Jay...you know how much I love my boys. This is very scary for me

 

Re: 4/7 Alex AMPS 97,+2-80,+4-72,+7.5-85-My Poor Alex!

I never saw that..
I am trying..I'm hanging in tomorrow.

Love you..Thanks ♥

 

Hope Alex is feeling better today and is on the upswing- it's awful when these things happen. Glad so many folks were there for you-

 

Hi Caryl, We hope that Alex is feeling better today. Heat can be really awful on cats. I have used the bowl of ice cubes with a fan blowing on it with great success (for people and cats!). Healing vines and cooler weather are heading your way!

Ella & Stu