Comments on the cat / dog log: Fritz's diagnosis - Saddle Thrombus

Thank you so much for your response and thank you ...

2012-02-02T17:13:36.623-05:00

Thank you so much for your response and thank you for this blog. I feel for everyone here who has suddenly lost a cat to this disease.

I am so sorry for your loss Laura. Everytime I re...

2012-02-02T08:06:16.360-05:00

I am so sorry for your loss Laura. Everytime I read another comment from people who have lost their beloved cat to this disease it sickens me and brings back the emotions I felt just like you when I had to make the decision to put him to sleep. It's not an easy decision you had to make but just know you did the right thing for your sweet Nala. I think the mourning process is a bit harder when you lose a pet to a sudden death like this and you have my sympathies and I hope you can find peace in the decision you made, knowing she is no longer in pain and in a better place.

I just had to put my little Nala girl down 5 days ...

2012-02-01T20:07:04.400-05:00

I just had to put my little Nala girl down 5 days ago due to this terrible disease. My heart is so broken but I am thankful to have found your blog. I was so shocked and had no idea that anything was wrong with her. She was 7 years old. Reading your information has made me realize I did the right thing for her. She fell out of my bed at 3 am and i woke up to her dragging herself around by her 2 front paws with completely paralyzed back legs. I thought maybe she had a spinal cord injury from falling off the bed, but the vet told me she threw a clot and it lodged at the bottom of her aorta, where it branches into her femoral arteries. She tried to get up and couldn't and that caused her to fall from the bed. I had various tests done on her including an echocardiogram. The vet told me that her heart was quite enlarged and her ventricle walls were very thick. I'm trying very hard to be thankful for the time I shared with her and all of the happiness she brought into my life. It's just so hard to lose an animal, especially so suddenly. I'm sorry for your loss of fritz, I'm sure he had a wonderful life with you.

Thanks for your input on this very sad topic. Hop...

2012-01-17T05:05:23.803-05:00

Thanks for your input on this very sad topic. Hopefully as time goes by vets will gain more knowledge on this disease and we pet owners will have more alternatives. I'm glad you had a happier ending to your cat's attack, and I hope he continues to improve. All the best to you and your kitty.

My cat recently experienced saddle thrombosis. He ...

2012-01-16T15:14:48.806-05:00

My cat recently experienced saddle thrombosis. He has been treated for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy for 3 years so I knew this was a possibility. It was heart breaking, and I feel for everyone here who has left their stories of loss and support. Thank you.

The specialty emergency group encouraged me to consider putting him to sleep. We opted for pain control (it worked) and an x-ray (to see if he was in heart failure) and decided to take him home and think about this very difficult decision. No futher treatment was offered. Thankfully, he had a very mild episode and the pain control (first iv, then oral helped). It took him 3 days to develop full use of his limbs, he did not loose appeitite, or thirst. He was lucky.

I'm glad the vet was not able to convince me to put him down. However, quality of life is much more important than quantity, and I don't know what the future holds for him. He is fully functioning and happy at this time but if he has another episode and is in pain, my decision may be very different. He is now on Plavix and I am considering enrolling him in the following study as it may help his feline friends.

http://www.vin.com/FATCAT/

Dr. Hogan appears to have a lot more information and stats on these types of diagnoses in cats (more than my board certified vet cariologist). Though I have not contacted him directly, I think his information needs to make out there to those of us who are seeing our cats in crisis and who can't get any information that is helpful. There is not a lot, but there is some and some is better than none.

I wish you all the best.

you're welcome Waka - and don't beat yours...

2012-01-03T12:44:50.240-05:00

you're welcome Waka - and don't beat yourself up over thinking you missed some sign of this disease. The 3rd commenter on this post happens to be a vet in training (at least at the time he wrote his comment) and you can see he said it is very hard even for a vet to diagnose, so we pet owners would never be able to see it coming unfortunately. The only warning I had was that Fritz threw up about an hour before I found him at the bottom of the stairs, and even that I just took that he must of eaten something (like a bug) in the basement. I went back to bed until I heard him crying out - so I totally understand your feelings of wanting to kick yourself for missing something. For a long time, I wondered how long he layed at the bottom of the stairs in the basement before I woke up and heard him, I thought if only I hadn't gone back to sleep after he threw up, would I have heard him sooner and been able to get him help sooner. It did no good I know now but these are the emotions you go through after something tragic happens. Remind yourself you did all you could do - there is no warning of this disease. Grimace is one tough little guy. Take care

Thanks again, Chris. You are absolutely right that...

2012-01-03T10:39:47.671-05:00

Thanks again, Chris. You are absolutely right that I am reluctant to get my hopes up because of everything I have read and heard. I fear the day that this happens all over again and know that nothing will be able to prepare me for the sudden shock and agony of this experience the second time around.

Your advice to live each day as it comes is a good lesson for me - I tend to plan for everything in advance, and in life you simply cannot expect to do that all the time. I kick myself for not recognizing any warning signs, but this site has helped me understand that even having all that knowledge probably would not have prevented this from happening.

I am grateful to you, Chris, for providing a forum for people to get more insight into how horrifying this disease is and for allowing us to find solace that we are not alone. I hope that in time more definitive prevention methods will be developed. It's all just too painful.

waka, I am by no means an expert in this area - in...

2012-01-03T09:09:03.625-05:00

waka,
I am by no means an expert in this area - in fact I had never heard of saddle thrombus until I came home from having my sweet Fritz put to sleep and started researching it - my way of trying to find a way to cope with what had just happened. But I seem to remember when reading up on the disease that a very few cats do survive and live on after the attack, so the fact that Grimace is returning to some of his normal activities to me is a very good sign. I know you're probably afraid to get your hopes too high because of everything you've heard and read. And as for what you're feeling about whether you are doing the right thing, all you can do is go day by day and make the best judgment you can based on how he's doing. With Fritz, he could only drag himself across the floor with his front legs and kept going in circles, howling in pain the whole time and all the way to the emergency vet. Because of the distance we had to travel to the emergency vet on a weekend, it was about an hour after I found him before we got him to the vet. And timing after the attack is crucial, so maybe you getting him to the vet sooner helped too. We were old he would require intenive physical therapy even for a hope to walk again and he would be in a lot of pain for months, if he could survive that morning which they felt was very doubtful. Grimace is walking around and doing normal things and it sounds like he had a much lighter attack to me (again no expert just my impressions) It's just like people, some die from blood clots while others pass the clot and live on.

Chris, I very much appreciate your kind words of ...

2012-01-03T08:30:44.103-05:00

Chris,

I very much appreciate your kind words of encouragement. It really brought tears to my eyes that I was able to get a response so quickly, be able to voice my grief and have somebody understand.

Grimace has made leaps and bounds in his recovery that I did not mention before: he is jumping into the bathtub (he is even vocally demanding fresh water from there), sitting in front of people and staring until they start petting him (somewhat creepy, but very endearing), is grooming himself (no more stinky butt) and eating plenty of his new low-protein food (his favourite thing to do from before). He pretty much does everything he was doing before - albeit with much reduced gusto. He cannot jump onto the kitchen counter (to look for food) anymore, which is a bit of a blessing I suppose.

My dog has been giving Grimace his space, but she is always curious how he's doing. I wonder how she will do when he's gone, since he was the one who was able to get her to stop peeing/pooing indoors when we first rescued her. I'm sure she will adjust, but it will certainly be difficult.

The morning that this all started was such a shock to the system, and I feel so grief-stricken to read about all the other stories previously posted. It very easily could have gone that way for Grimace as well - I have no idea why he was spared that morning. I just know that in some ways, it was the best holiday season for me because I was able to give him a chance to survive and I have had the chance to say goodbye properly.

I can now openly say without hesitation that I am a proud, "cat person," as well. I love Grimace so much and just want him to have the happiest last days possible.

I still struggle every day with my decision - what if he is in pain the next time this happens? Wouldn't it have been easier or better for him if I never allowed that to happen by putting him down that day? Wouldn't it also be easier for me? Should I put him down now so he never goes through that again? Am I being selfish for keeping him around?

I'm pretty sure there are no right answers here. Regardless of how much longer he has, I am so thankful for the good times we have had together. I've taken more photos of him in the last couple weeks than I have ever taken in his first 10 years.

Cherish every moment you get with your furry friends. Their lives are always far too short.

Thank you for listening.

dear waka, I can truly appreciate the agony you...

2012-01-03T06:21:38.894-05:00

dear waka,
I can truly appreciate the agony you're feeling right now. Even though it's been almost 4 years since we lost our Fritzy to this disease I still remember the horror of that morning and the overwhelming sadness and disbelief that followed. Maybe your little Grimace will be the exception - he certainly sounds like a tuff little guy and the fact he's made it this long and doesn't appear to be suffering is very hopeful. I can understand completely your feeling of worry to leave him home alone at this point. Just try to take it one day at a time and treasure each day like you have been. I am praying that Grimace can pull through and return to a normal happy life. Take care

My 10 year old dark grey cat, Grimace was diagnose...

2012-01-03T00:08:19.627-05:00

My 10 year old dark grey cat, Grimace was diagnosed with this on 12/22/11. My story starts very similar to previous postings: one minute he was trying to get into the cupboard underneath the sink (to steal food), and the next he was dragging his right rear leg across the floor. Other than the fact that it looked like he had no bones in this leg, he was very quiet (no howling). He kept flicking his tail as if extremely angry that his leg wasn't working properly. His breathing also appeared laboured and fast-paced.

All I could do was stare in shock while my sister (visiting for Christmas holidays) searched online for what could be wrong. Needless to say, we were at the vet's within minutes receiving the diagnosis: saddle thrombosis. At that point, he had lost mobility in his left rear leg as well. The vet explained the prognosis - poor chance of survival now and even after treatment. However, the one encouraging thing about Grimace's case was how calm he was and how he did not seem to be in any pain.

I calmly told the vet that I would need a few minutes to call my husband (who was at work) before making a decision. My sister looked on reassuredly, and as soon as my husband got on the phone, I immediately burst into tears. As hysterical as I was, I tried desperately to explain the situation coherently and to plead for us to give Grimace a chance. My husband (being the kind of person that says, "it's just a cat,") agreed without question. I thanked him for supporting me and asked the vet to go ahead.

The short version is that Grimace stayed at the vet's for two nights and I picked him up on Christmas Eve. While at the vet's he was able to eat only on the first night, and regain mobility in both rear legs, but his left leg was weak and no femoral heartbeat could be heard.

I cried for days while nursing him: baby aspirin, buprenorphine, atenolol. I must have held him for hours each day while he purred his way to sleep. I force fed him baby food (chicken) on Christmas Day - probably the saddest I have ever felt because I was all alone (husband had to work out of town). He drank water on his own the whole time, but was so lethargic that he would settle down and "hug" his water bowl. It was so heartbreaking! He used his kitty litter and would come out with caked on litter on his paws.

I've always thought of myself as a dog person and not a cat person(we rescued a beautiful Shepherd-mixed dogs about 7 years ago) - when did I fall in love with my cat? It happened when he CHOSE me all those years ago as kitten. I was clearly his favourite.

I'm somewhat happy to say that it is January 3rd, and Grimace is still with me. He still has random bouts of coughing fits (sounds like he's working on a furball) from fluid build-up in his lungs. He's now on Lasix as well. I've also been working with my homeopath, who has kept in contact with me throughout the holidays and helped me get Grimace eating on his own again.

The reason why I continue to be saddened is because I feel guilty to leave him during the day for any amount of time and fear walking in to see him writhing in pain. The whole time I am out of the house, he is always on my mind. Have I really become this crazy cat lady? I feel like some kind of cat stalker.

Please don't get me wrong, I am so truly grateful for each day that I have left with Grimace - every morning that I wake up and see him, I am so thankful for the miracle. It's just also really hard to live this way - never knowing when the end will suddenly come again.

I cannot believe that Grimace is still alive - even if he does not last much longer, he truly is a miracle cat!

he looked so beautiful. I'm sorry for your los...

2011-06-09T17:31:14.195-04:00

he looked so beautiful. I'm sorry for your loss.

dear suleyca, I am so sorry to read of your recent...

2010-09-07T09:13:20.306-04:00

dear suleyca,
I am so sorry to read of your recent loss. Mickey shoulds like he was a wonderful cat and I'm glad you had the chance to spend more time with him his last year of life. This disease strikes us cat owners so fast and without any warning and quite often in very young cats like our Fritz and your Mickey only 3 years old, when you think you have so many years ahead of you together. It is truly tragic and my heart goes out to you and your family. Just know that your parents had to make a very difficult decision and from my research the only humane one really for this disease. Mickey is now free of pain and in a better place. I know your grief is very fresh right now, but I hope like Mitch wrote here today that in time you will be able to move past your grief and find it in your heart to save another cat who needs a good home. All the shelters are so full with hardship cases. You will know when the time is right. Take care and treasure your memories with Mickey.

Mitch, I am so glad you have decided to adopt a ho...

2010-09-07T09:05:21.895-04:00

Mitch,
I am so glad you have decided to adopt a homeless sole and give him or her a new and wonderful life with you. I did the same thing 2 weeks after we lost Fritz - that's when we found Lola at the humane society or should I say she found us, as she made it clear she was the one we should choose. It is very healing to know you are helping another cat have a good life. I wish you all the best.

Hello all, My cat Mickey passed away this Labor D...

2010-09-07T01:10:51.928-04:00

Hello all,

My cat Mickey passed away this Labor Day the 6th. The exact same thing happened. I was not home at the time (at my fiance's after attending a wedding) but my parents were. They were awoken at 5:30 am to his howling and crying. It seemed as though he were trying to make the litter and messed the floor. Then they said he was meowing and in so much pain.

They rushed him to the vet and the vet said the prognosis wasn't good and my parents decided to euthanize him.

When I found out, I immediately broke down in tears. At the time, I just could not understand why he couldn't be saved, but when I searched for his illness and the more I read about it it was definitely the best thing to do.

I just hate that he was scared. I'm glad he wasn't alone, but I wish I were with him.

We got him my first year of highschool, and it was the best summer ever. He was so active and adorable and we LOVED him. He was there for me when I was sick, or upset. He would instinctually peek his head through my door if I were crying and ease his way next to me and look at me and rub himself against me. He would lick my hair as a kitten and sleep on my chest.

As we both got older I began working and would rarely spend time with him. I was unemployed for a year now and was home more and spent time with him and he would sleep in my bed when the fall or winter came. Winter will be coming soon and I will miss him purring next to me.

Mickey, I hope you know how much we all loved and appreciated you even if your meowing annoyed us sometimes! But we annoyed you too on occasion. But the love was always unconditional and you were FAMILY to us.

I need to warn my cat lovers about Saddle Thrombus. I'm upset to learn that it is rare and it had to hit us like this. But I'm glad I'm aware of it. Fiance has two cats of his own, very young so I'll make sure they are taken care of and the vet looks out for these things.

Thanks for the article, and thanks for reading.

Mickey 1997-2010

Thanks Chris...I needed that. Like you said, I to...

2010-09-06T20:44:27.156-04:00

Thanks Chris...I needed that. Like you said, I too have lost other pets but they were old or had an illness that gave us time to prepare. I guess this is the similar to those whose pets are killed by a car, etc. You are right, time makes it easier to bear.
Thanks again...I already am ready to save a life at the shelter so I guess I am going in the right direction!

Mitch, Reading your comment, I could feel the pain...

2010-09-04T11:15:27.582-04:00

Mitch,
Reading your comment, I could feel the pain that is still so fresh to you and remember it well. It has been just about 2 1/2 years since we lost Fritz to this horrible disease, and all I can say is that it will get easier with time, although the pain never really goes away. I have lost pets before, usually to old age when you have time to prepare yourself for their passing, but with Saddle Thrombus it is so sudden and unexpected that it hits you like a ton of bricks. It is a difficult decision to let them go, but you made a selfless decision and the right one in my opinion for your precious Athena. Just know that she is resting comfortably thanks to you, no longer suffering, and will be waiting to meet you again one day. Take care Mitch.

One week ago today my precious 10 year old Athena ...

2010-09-04T01:10:49.851-04:00

One week ago today my precious 10 year old Athena died from this damn disease. As with the others on these posts, she was fine right until the episode. I never in a million years would have guessed that one of the most precious things in my life would have died out of the blue like that...it is like a blow from a hammer to my head. I am having a very hard time coming to grips with this. I liken this to when my father suddenly died from a heart attack..no warning and no chance to properly say goodbye. she was in extreme pain and the best thing I could do for her was end her misery. Thank god I have an amazing vet who was equally upset by this and assured me i was doing the right thing in ending her misery. No pet and no pet owner should have to endure this nightmare.

One week ago today my precious 10 year old Athena ...

2010-09-04T01:10:26.151-04:00

You're welcome Helen. Jake was a very lucky k...

2010-05-03T07:17:44.735-04:00

You're welcome Helen. Jake was a very lucky kitty to have found you to share his life. There are diseases beyond our control that take them from us too early, but in the end we can console ourselves that we gave them the best possible life filled with love while they were on this earth. I hope it is getting easier each day for you. I know it took me a long time to get over it, even after we adopted another young kitty. It was about 2 weeks after we lost Fritz that I found myself drawn to our local humane society's website just to look. There were so many homeless soles and I felt drawn to go visit them, and of course once there, we were hooked. While I still mourned Fritz, adopting Lola helped us too. Her personality is so much like Fritz was. After he died I went around and tried to find all the toy mice he had hidden, but once Lola was on the scene, she kept finding more of them. I hope eventually you'll consider sharing your home with another kitty. You'll know when the time is right for you. Take care.

Dear Chris, Thank you so much for your kind words...

2010-05-03T01:44:01.247-04:00

Dear Chris,

Thank you so much for your kind words and for posting what I wrote about Jake on your blog.

In a way it helps to think that someone who is going through this pain will read about Jake and know that once there was a wonderful cat named Jake who was very much loved and who gave unconditional love in return...

Helen

I am so sorry to hear about Jake and that you are ...

2010-05-02T07:55:04.622-04:00

I am so sorry to hear about Jake and that you are suffering the same sadness we went through 2 years ago with Fritz. Reading it reminded me so much of that day with him, and my other cat Gidget was acting much the same as your Max was, which just adds to the anxiety because you can see how it is affecting him too. It really is a horrible thing to witness and you have my sympathies. I hope that someday there is more known about this disease so that other cats can be spared the agony. But you made the only decision you could to stop Jake's suffering and he is at peace now thanks to you. I know you are going through a lot of mixed emotions right now, but it will get easier soon. You are in my thoughts, and again, I am so sorry for your loss of your sweet Jake.

Thank you for your post as I am still trying to co...

2010-05-02T01:32:24.192-04:00

Thank you for your post as I am still trying to come to terms over the loss of my Jake =(^.^)= to Saddle Thrombosis! He was such a love and didn't deserve for this to happen!

I came home from work on Thursday to find vomit all over the living room. Max (Jake's brother and litter mate) was sitting beside Jake in the doorway to the bathroom with a look of panic on his face that screamed HELP HIM...HELP HIM!!!

Jake was screaming in pain, he couldn't move his back legs, his eyes were dialated and his respirations were shallow. His "regular" vet's office was closed but I found another that had later hours. I was afraid to move him as I didn't want to cause him any more pain...

I got my precious baby to the vet while fearing the worst as I have never seem an animal in so much pain. The vet was wonderful and she explained what had happened and what his prognosis would be - which was not good!

I just couldn't let my beloved Jake suffer any more and knew I had to let him go. I said my goodbyes and told him that I would love him forever and ever and kissed his sweet little head.

The vet asked if I wanted to see him afterwards and I said I did. She walked into the exam room afterwards carrying Jake like the precious baby he was all wrapped in a big, fluffy white towel. He looked so beautiful and so free from pain. I almost expected him to jump from her arms and go racing down the hall!

His brother is still looking for him as do I. We miss you sweetheart but we know you are in a better place...

Love you Jake!

Dear rck, I was so sorry to read about your loss. ...

2010-03-30T07:03:42.659-04:00

Dear rck,
I was so sorry to read about your loss. Reading your comment brought back the pain and sadness that we felt 2 years ago when we lost our Fritz on that horrible Saturday morning. I know you are suffering right now and can't get the final images out of your mind and it will take some time to come to terms with what has just happened. It is truly a horrible disease that takes cats way too young and I hope some day a cure is found so that other pet owners have more options than we have had. You made a very hard unselfish decision yesterday, and because of you Bandit is no longer suffering. Again I am so sorry for your loss and hope you can soon look back on Bandit's life and enjoy the memories without all the pain.

Yesterday we lost our 13 month old Tabby Bandit. H...

2010-03-29T23:25:18.374-04:00

Yesterday we lost our 13 month old Tabby Bandit. He was a gorgeous boy and he had a great life, although short. Early morning Bandit was under the bedside table meowing loudly trying to pull himself around with his front legs- his hind legs were cold and in pain. It was clear something was terribly wrong so he was rushed to the emergency vet and they found he was suffering saddle thrombosis. The chance Bandit was given to survive his ordeal was 5%, so we made the decision to have him euthanized. His last moments were spent panting on oxygen and it will scar me forever. I still get emotional when I look at his baby face in his last taken pictures. I will never forget him, he was a young, beautiful cat.