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Cat Might have Ingested Foreign Object

CarolineG

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1. Millie, 4yo, female
2. Spayed
3. Domestic long hair
4. Approx 12 lbs
5. B - 9, E - 9, A - 8, M - 10. Appetite went from a 10 recently to an 8 this morning. will explain below.
6. Raw fed: mix of viva, lotus raw, small batch, OC raw. mostly beef, venison, rabbit, some poultry but not as much anymore, sometimes pork, lamb. Felix flora and sometimes feline gut soothe. Dried quail egg yolk.
7. Vaccine history: all the kitten shots they get in the first year or so of life, none since
8. I’m worried my cat may have swallowed a foam earplug. There’s a chance she didn’t but she has recently shown interest in them unfortunately. I dropped two and could only find one, and then found one later under something, but it could have been from a different situation because the placement didn’t make as much sense. She vomited once this morning, after being hesitant to eat breakfast, it was 2+ hours after eating breakfast but now she’s currently acting normal. It was mostly partially undigested food and a decent clump of hair but I am extremely traumatized from my other cats emergency obstruction surgery in April. I could be overthinking. I called my main vet but waiting for them to call back. Does anyone have advice or tips aside from keeping earplugs hidden (we usually do and this was a freak accident I am beating myself up for). She doesn’t usually vomit, and has only ever once in her life which is why this flags an alarm for me. Like I said in her beam, she’s acting normal otherwise and her baseline has remained the same. I will be monitoring her after her next few meals to see what happens but I am so nervous sick. her abdomen is not hard, and she doesn’t express discomfort upon palpating.
9. no
10. no
11. no
12. sensitive stomach and occasional inappetance. i worked with Dr Jeff on this and expanded her diet as well as did some homeopathy and she’s been doing well for the past month or so steady with a good appetite.

any advice or words of wisdom are appreciated. willing to do what i have to do but if you think i should pulse gut soothe or do some slippery elm let me know, or anything else. or just wait it out. it’s hard
 
would like to specify that *if* she ate it it was at approx 10pm on tuesday night and it’s now thursday and she vomited around 1pm
 
Ah, that is great added information, Caroline.
Possible ingestion - 10PM Tues
Wed - ate OK? BEAM ok? No vomit.
Thursday - Ate breakfast, then vomited 2 hours later.

First step would be to PM Dr. Jeff, since she is a patient of his and has gotten treatment.

A foam ear plug, in my experience, would be unlikely to cause an obstruction. Observing as you are doing is the best bet for now (your conventional vet may disagree).

Most important is to resolve your trauma from the prior surgery episode - maybe do some EFT?
Your state of mind is actually very important, so while observing, do it from a place of the observing you normally would do, not from worry. Give her extra attention - whatever she loves. visualize, meditate, intend that all is well.

In a few weeks, schedule a conversation with her about not eating non-food items!
Keep us posted when all is well, or if any changes.



Dr. Christina
 
Talked to the triage vet. They’re recommending I go to an emergency vet because the timeline is consistent with foreign body annd they said don’t wait to see how she reacts to her next meal. Even if for just peace of mind. I’m truly so hesitant about this.
 
You need to do what you feel comfortable with. However, a foam earplug will not show up on an X-ray, nor can a veterinarian palpate it.

If you are a client of Dr. Jeff (not merely an HA! member), try to chat with him before an ER visit.

There is no one right answer, ever. Even at the ER, take a few minutes to decide if you want to follow their suggestions. Do do feel you must do all that they suggest.

Dr. Chambreau
 
You need to do what you feel comfortable with. However, a foam earplug will not show up on an X-ray, nor can a veterinarian palpate it.

If you are a client of Dr. Jeff (not merely an HA! member), try to chat with him before an ER visit.

There is no one right answer, ever. Even at the ER, take a few minutes to decide if you want to follow their suggestions. Do do feel you must do all that they suggest.

Dr. Chambreau
Thank you for your sound advice. I agree; working on keeping my composure will be my priority today. I do feel that I should continue to monitor her closely. Weighing the pros and cons especially that she’s an anxious kitty when it comes to the car and vet so it may not be worth it for peace of mind unless it is obviously something. I will also not let my my previous experience shape what this one may look like, and work on healing from that experience. Will reach out to Dr Jeff. Thank you.
 
You are welcome.

About her being an anxious kitty - keep really working on that. It is possible, with a variety of approaches (some are in the Brain and Behavior module in the library) and a LOT of patience, homeopathy, and maybe a consult with Anitra Frazier or others to have her tolerate travel and anything else she is anxious about.

Dr. Christina
 
I would just add that a foam earplug would most likely get stuck at the ileocecocolic valve between the small and large intestine, and the timeline is consistent with that. While the foam will not show up, a filling defect (food visible *around* the plug) or food backed up behind it might. If there is a blockage, getting it resolved sooner rather than later will prevent potential complications from damage to the intestines if the blood supply becomes compromised.

If you have flower essences like Rescue Remedy or Stress Stopper, use that for both of you (for her, just rub on her ears... nothing by mouth). Also, EFT can be VERY helpful for this kind of stress, as well as for any discomfort she may be in.
 
willing to do what i have to do but if you think i should pulse gut soothe or do some slippery elm let me know, or anything else.
Sorry to hear about the ear plug and ensuing worries Caroline.

Yes. Any item, like socks, clothing, ear plugs, mouth guards are very desirable to some cats.

And yes, any of them can create a physical problem. As I believe that Millie was seen. by and had surgery when you brought her to the vet

Aviva (my kitty) has eaten several of my wife's wax mouth guards. She may have vomited a few times, however her BEAM stayed above an 8.

Now's a great time to focus on recovery and adopt the re-growth mindset, let go of the limiting beliefs imposed by our past experiences, symptoms and diagnosis.

That same balance is what you'll focus on as she recovers.

Yes, during recovery is a great time to start rotating probiotics like the ones you already have.

Fresh.frozen green tripe and organ meat (Green Juju goat recipe with a novel protein, heart, and kidney is a favorite of my kitty (even tho the bag says "dogs").
 
Sorry to hear about the ear plug and ensuing worries Caroline.

Yes. Any item, like socks, clothing, ear plugs, mouth guards are very desirable to some cats.

And yes, any of them can create a physical problem. As I believe that Millie was seen. by and had surgery when you brought her to the vet

Aviva (my kitty) has eaten several of my wife's wax mouth guards. She may have vomited a few times, however her BEAM stayed above an 8.

Now's a great time to focus on recovery and adopt the re-growth mindset, let go of the limiting beliefs imposed by our past experiences, symptoms and diagnosis.

That same balance is what you'll focus on as she recovers.

Yes, during recovery is a great time to start rotating probiotics like the ones you already have.

Fresh.frozen green tripe and organ meat (Green Juju goat recipe with a novel protein, heart, and kidney is a favorite of my kitty (even tho the bag says "dogs").
Thank you, she hasn’t been seen yet but I will bring her in immediately if she shows any further signs. her BEAM is remaining high though. she had another meal this evening and it’s been 4 hours no vomiting. she also played very well and is acting normal. I’m monitoring extremely closely and will monitor her more after her next meal which is coming up. Any more vomit and I will bring her in to be seen for an ultrasound. I will definitely look into those foods for her. I appreciate the insight. I’ve just been trying to give her some of her favorite things today, extra love, and act normal so hopefully I don’t stress her out. Also as Dr Jean mentioned, I rubbed rescue remedy on her ears. Regardless of the cause of the single vomit today, I look forward to our 15 min HMDM call tomorrow
 
Ah, I misunderstood.

When I saw tomorrow's call in your calendar entry it says:

still recovering from surgery and | just wanna be prepared to make a couple changes if you have any recommendations. I did buy Adored Beast healthy gut and feline gut soothe for when he's recovered if that would be helpful.
I'm so glad to be wrong about this!

Talk tomorrow.
 
Ah, I misunderstood.

When I saw tomorrow's call in your calendar entry it says:


I'm so glad to be wrong about this!

Talk tomorrow.
oh wow! that looks like the note i included from our april HMDM call about george’s surgery. i wonder if it autofilled when i booked this one. i’m relieved too!!
 
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