Myrna's Bumps Turn Ugly and Off to the ER We Go on Sunday

On Sunday, Myrna's bumps had multiplied to seven and some were pronounced.  She had a loss of appetite, also.  She also felt warm.  I took her to the ER on Sunday.  She had a fever of 103, up from 101 on Wednesday when she first saw the vet about the bumps.  The ER vet removed two sore scabs and shaved, cleaned and cultured them.  The sores were bleeding and oozing pus.  We will know the test results later this week. They switched her to Clavamox.  

By Monday, she was better and by Tuesday, she was eating much better.  Today, it's back to so-so: eating ok, maybe a bit run down but no fever.  Her stool is loose probably from the antibiotics.  She had two bumps that were very pronounced on the left side, one of which she ripped off the scab with hair.   We cut the hair off from around it and the one next to it which felt rather large.  It looks ugly but the scab isn't ready to come up.  If I can get her to the vet again today, I'll have them clip and clean it.  The other bumps seem to be either decreasing in size or are at least not raising up and getting ugly.  

Here's how she looked after the ER clipped and cleaned the first two bumps. 

Vets think it's an allergic reaction to the use of plastic, or the lasix.  Until the pathology results come back, we won't know if it's localized or if maybe something else is going on that led to the reaction.  Nothing else showed up in the blood work.

Myrna's Allergic, Lumps Appear at Lasix Injection Sites, White Blood Count is Up, and now Baytril

Last week was Myrna's last regular lasix injection. It wasn't going well and got worse. I called the cardiologist and said that Myrna needed a break, the process wasn't working, was causing great pain and distress for her.  We did not inject her over the weekend.  We gave pills instead.  We decided to inject once or twice a week but not at a set time.  Meanwhile, she is receiving lasix pills as a 1/2 tab a.m.; 1/4 tab lunch; 1/2 tab 6:30 p.m.; 1/4 tab bedtime around midnight.  Any shot would replace one of those doses.

So, on Monday, we injected her in the evening and within a couple of minutes a large round lump appeared under the skin at the injection site.  A few hours later, it decreased from the size of a quarter to the size of a nickel but remained rather thick.  We discovered three others on her in areas where she had been previously injected.

The next day, I called the cardiologist.  She thought maybe I had hit the dermal layer and not the sub-q when injecting.  The next day, Myrna saw the regular vet for blood work recheck and the vet looked at the lumps and found that they were above the skin as well as below and they were red under the hair and scabby, also.

She wanted to wait for the blood work before deciding what to do next. Meanwhile, we discussed causes: Myrna has a known allergy to plastic and daily injections with plastic needle hubs and syringes could be causing the lumps.  The exposure to plastic could have made the skin sensitive to touch and could be the cause of her hypersensitivity to being touched as well as being injected.  The injectable lasix brand could be the culprit.  She suggested that I find another brand of lasix to try.

Today she called with the results of the tests: Myrna's potassium is up from 3.6 in June to 4.2-an increase in potassium supplements and putting mashed bananas in her food might be helping.  Her BUN and creatinine

Myrna being "cute"

and bicarb are perfect.  But her white blood count especially the neurophils, is  high, indicating there's an inflammation.  She believes that could be the lumps and that even if an allergic reaction, they are causing or are caused by an inflammation.  So, antibiotic Baytril once a day it is for 14 days and hopefully the lumps go away.

Meanwhile, no injections for a few days unless absolutely necessary.  I will research glass syringes and other lasix brands. And hopefully, the antibiotic solves the lumps and we find ways to protect her skin from this hypersensitivity so that future injections do not cause pain or lumps.

Not Succeeding with Injections of Lasix

Epic fail-either 25 gauge or 30 gauge, but I'm out of space to inject without Myrna jumping up and running off.  Need to discuss with vet-give only pills; maybe inject every other day; give her a break for a few days at least?   The first week of 25 g was great but then Myrna decided otherwise. First few days of 30 g was fine until Myrna decided to stop cooperating.  It might be my technique but it's not working.  And yet, she seems so much more energetic with the shot than when waiting to digest a pill.  HUGE SIGH DAMMIT!

Injecting Lasix Into Myrna with 25 gauge Needles Not Working, Switching to 30 gauge Insulin Needles Which are Smaller

I gave up today trying to inject Myrna with the 25 gauge changeable needles we've been using.  I called the cardiologist and asked to use insulin needles that I can get that are smaller at 30 gauge.  They are thinner, also shorter and won't need to go in so far and risk piercing body or coming out the other side of the "tent".

I had a very frustrating day today which is why I gave up.  I gave Myrna meds at 8:30 a.m. as usual.  I then prepared the injection and got her a few minutes later.  She was fine for a moment but when I poked the "tent", she moved and my left hand that was holding the "tent", became wet.  That meant that the needle poked through the tent-even if I didn't feel it-and the meds injected on top of the skin and onto my hand.  I doubted lasix would be effective on top of the dermis so I gave her pills.  I made up an injection for lunch to replace her lunch lasix pill but she decided at lunchtime to hide under the bed.  She never came out until 5:30. I did feed her under the bed but that was all I was able to accomplish.

Injecting lasix has not been easy this week.  As I've said, the first week was a dream, just not this week. She's been in pain during the injection even as I tried other areas of the body.  Myrna is just too physically sensitive to the touch.  I should have known.  She does not like to be touched or held unless she comes to us to be petted, touched, or held.  When she walks by us and we reach out to pet her, she moves her body away.  If we pet her while she eats, she moves or stops.  I tried setting up a treat time with lasix routine or a routine where she is fed but they never worked.  She would stop eating when I touched her and would recoil.  When I tried to tent her and inject lasix as she ate, she whipped around to say "What the hell?

Someone at the Facebook page had recommended the insulin syringes and I'm glad to have had that in mind. But the cardiologist wanted me to use one needle for drawing up the med and one for the injection so that the needle going into Myrna would be fresh and sharp.  Insulin needles cannot be removed from the syringe so you're using one needle, risking that it can be dulled when poking into the rubber stopper of the lasix bottle, and further risking that it will still be felt by the patient.  I will give 20 units-insulin syringes are measured in units-which is equal to .2 ml.  We will begin Saturday and see how it goes.

The medication is metabolized so much faster as a shot than as a pill given orally.  It has done wonders for her ability to breathe and be comfortable.

When Myrna finally came out and came downstairs at 5:30, and came over to me to be petted, I picked her up and gave her the lunchtime meds and the .2ml shot that I had prepared just in case.  This dose covered the lunchtime 1/4 pill and the 6:30 p.m. 1/4 pill.  It only went o.k. as I still had the 25 gauge needle but at least this time it stayed beneath the skin.  

Injecting Lasix in a Cat Troubles, Vet Visits, Bowel Movements, and other Wonderful Cat Issues

The vet gave us 25 gauge needles to use and we use two at a time: one for the bottle to draw up meds; the other to inject into Myrna.  The first two days my husband assisted and we stuck her and all went well. Then the rest of the week, I was able to do it on my own. She felt no pain, walked away as if nothing happened.  I prepared the med the night before and injected her after giving her the other meds, gave her some food afterwards, etc.  Then, after seven days of no hassles, she suddenly winced on Sunday and struggled.  We got it in but it wasn't easy.  Then it happened again on Monday.

On Tuesday, my husband helped again but it was still not working.  Yes, I had chosen different spots along the neck/scruff line and wasn't repeating myself.  But still, the moment I touched her, she winced, cried, and struggled.

On Tuesday, Jimmy Stewart and Elizabeth Taylor went to the vet for annual check-ups.  By the way, because Bette had an allergic reaction to her shots-rabies and distemper-we had the vet pretreat JS and ET with Benadryl.  The only reaction we had later was that they slept most of the evening but easily woke up to eat and never had a negative reaction.  However, while at the vet getting examined, Lizzie through a fit again. (Last year she almost took out a vet tech when she scratched her face near an eye.  Now her chart is marked "CAUTION."  How embarrassing!)  They put the plastic collar on Lizzie to keep her from biting and it took three to hold her for shots and two for the exam.  Jimmy was a bit better but did protest and struggle a bit when getting shots.   While at the vet, I asked a tech why Myrna was hurting and where else to give a shot and how to go about it.  Basically, she's in pain because an area has been touched more than once-even if not injected-and she's pain sensitive.  They said to work my way around the body-the shoulders, scruff, sides, and flank, just not the spine.  So, I have tried it and it sort of worked. Her shot Wednesday was fine but Thursday was not. She struggled again today even when I tried a new spot.  My technique might need work but I am sure I'm not piercing anything other than skin. I am not getting resistance from her body when I inject.

I'm not giving up but I just think we were fooled into thinking this would be easy because the first week was easy. If she is sensitive to pain, the only thing to do is try to give her the shot regardless.  I struggle to get her each morning just for the pills as it is.  I can't have her anxiety of getting pills made worse by an added fear of getting a shot when she gets her pills. I will instead, do what I did today: get her eventually (but I always get her between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. at the latest although in the past it was sometimes not until 10 a.m.); give her the pills and treats;  then prepare the shot and breakfast; find her later for the shot and then feed her.  If I make sure she has her shot by 9:30 a.m. then she won't be too far off her schedule.  As for her pain, I hate to say it, but we both will have to bear with it.

The other option might have to be using smaller needles and that would mean using the insulin needles that do not change and run the risk of the point dulling after piercing the rubber stopper on the bottle.  We'll just have to wait and see.

Lizzie at the vet hiding under a towel but hissing all the time

Jimmy at the vet hiding under his towel but being quiet and polite

The other thing is her bowel movements, which were very loose early last week after more lasix had been given that previous weekend, are better formed now that she eats bananas in her food. However, I will also try to make rice this week and add rice water to her food.  Rice water has the fibers from rice and is a great natural alternative for anyone and pets when they have loose stool.

Myrna has been doing much better with injectable lasix.  She bounced back last Sunday and has been breathing very well ever since. Problem is, she now goes much more often in the a.m. and I have to time her reactions to what I am doing.  If she went overnight by 5 a.m., she'll need to go again about 8 a.m. but after her shot, she'll go two more times, about an hour apart.  So, 8 a.m., 9 a.m., and 10 a.m. before settling down.  Keeps me hopping as she either needs coaxing, asks for my assistance, or needs reminding and treats of course.  If we don't, she's likely to have an accident.  I'd rather she not.