bcb1200
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 25745
posted
So...we have 2 Maine Coon cats in my family. They are brothers and are 6 years old. The are indoor cats and have never been outside.
One of them has had a dental problem since he was a kitten. It is called plasmacytic lymphocytic stomatitis. Basically we were told it was an autoimmune disorder where his gums essentially are rejecting his teeth. We had most of his teeth pulled as a result to help with the inflammation. This was years ago. Even with no teeth, he is mostly a happy cat although he would still drool bloody drool from time to time.
When I got my lyme / bart Dx in May I started doing reserach and found that my cat's condition can be caused by Bartonella! I made an appointment with our vet and had the cats tested. They came back as "+1", a weak positive, but technically negative. I asked about using Galaxy Dx for testing. My vet hadn't heard of them but woudl do research.
Luckily, my vet allowed us to try 21 days of Zith for him. We just finished our 2nd week and guess what...the swelling / redness in his mouth is almost GONE. His breath is NORMAL. There is no sticky, bloody drool! He is responding to treatment. We had tried antibiotics early on, but they didn't target Bart / BLO. He is basically healing.
I reported this to our vet yesterday who was thrilled. Apparently she just got some continuing education on Bartonella and got much for info on Galaxy DX and also the latest research in cats. Zith is a good drug, but they now say Doxy is better. SO after we finish this 21 days of Zith, BOTH cats will go on Doxy for a few weeks.
THis makes me very happy...but also makes me curious. My wife seems to have some Bart symptoms as of late. Could we have gotten it from our cats? How did they get it? (Probably born with it.) Is that where I got it? We have occasionally been scratched when they are scared, etc.
Still..this wouldn't explain how I got my lyme. There is no chance they have lyme as they have never been outside.
Either way...I'm glad one is responding to treament thus far.
-------------------- Bite date ? 2/10 symptoms began 5/10 dx'd, after 3 months numerous test and doctors
IgM Igenex +/CDC + + 23/25, 30, 31, 34, 41, 83/93
Currently on:
Currently at around 80% +/- most days. Posts: 3122 | From Massachusetts | Registered: May 2010
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posted
Bartonella is called cat scratch fever for a reason. People often get it from an infected catch scratching them. You have to be really careful or they will just keep infecting you.
Posts: 526 | From NJ | Registered: May 2007
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posted
I got Bart from my cat 32 years ago. When I was 7 years old. Documented case. Lymphodema the size of baseballs under my arms. Had them excised and drained. Fevers, fatigue, leg pain.
My case was severe. Not all people will get this. This is why it is so serious.
Glad your kitty is getting better.
[ 11-12-2010, 02:50 PM: Message edited by: TS96 ]
-------------------- Bart Henslea 1976 Fibro/CFS/arthritis 2004 Lyme diagnosed 2007 3 1/2 years treatment with oral combos, Cowden, IV roc. BW herbs. Off all abx in 12/10. Feeling good. Posts: 647 | From NY | Registered: Dec 2007
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nefferdun
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Member # 20157
posted
Your poor kitty. I am glad you found out what was really wrong and he is responding to treatment.
-------------------- old joke: idiopathic means the patient is pathological and the the doctor is an idiot Posts: 4676 | From western Montana | Registered: Apr 2009
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Sammi
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It is great your kitty is feeling better! It sounds like you may have helped educate your vet also.
Posts: 4680 | Registered: Oct 2000
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Tammy N.
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 26835
posted
Oh My Goodness! Thank you so much for this post!! Something is not right with my kitties. I have a Mom and 2 of her babies. Mom is now 6, kids are 5. I have had off and on problems for years with all of them. Last June Mom kitty had severely swollen gums around fangs. One fang broke off. Vet insisted that stump and 2 others needed to be removed. This has upset me more than I can say. And since the surgery she has not been herself. I have been so upset about it. I've been saying to the vets that I think her body had effectively contained some sort of infection in those gums and since we messed with them, this infection has now spread throughout. No one "gets" what I am saying. I really need to find a vet who will work with me on this.
Someone else on LN shared the name of their Lyme Literate vet. I really need to look into all of this.
Can't thank you enough for this post. Tammy
Posts: 2238 | From East Coast | Registered: Jul 2010
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Tammy N.-- Have you tried a vet that knows homeopathy? This might help the never been well since surgery. Safe, cheap and effective (if the right remedy is picked).
Posts: 236 | From Illinois | Registered: Feb 2009
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TF
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 14183
posted
bcb, you said there is no chance your cats have lyme as they have never been outside.
My next door neighbor's 2 cats (cats are not related to one another) both have lyme and they have never been outside. The neighbor has lyme also.
Here are possible ways indoor cats can get lyme:
ticks get into the house:
on people's clothing (like after you do yard work) on fire wood that you bring into the house on a Christmas tree that you bring into the house at Christmas on other plants or flowers or other things that you bring into the house on mice that get into your house through screens on windows or a screened in porch etc.
I know a person who had mice in their house and they saw the ticks on the mice when they would kill them. This person's wife was not outdoorsy at all and she got lyme and one coinfection. This is most likely how she got it--from the mice bringing in ticks.
This happens a lot in high-rise apartment buildings in New York City, I am told. People get lyme from the mice in the building.
There used to be a person on LymeNet who got bitten by a tick that came off of their Christmas tree in December.
Most people with lyme are tick magnets due to their pheromones. So, when you come into the house, you can be carrying ticks that then roam all around in your house infecting those that live there.
After doing yard work, it is best to throw your clothes into a hot dryer for 30 minutes immediately. That will kill any ticks that are on the clothes. Ticks cannot survive being dried out. They CAN survive the washing machine.
I am glad your cat is getting well !! You may want them tested for lyme disease now also.
Posts: 9931 | From Maryland | Registered: Dec 2007
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BoxerMom
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Member # 25251
posted
When my Bartonella flared during my treatment, my gums would be red and swollen. When I looked up the symptom on the Web, I saw that it was a common symptom of Bartonella henselae in cats.
I told my husband I had "cat gums."
After much antibiotic treatment, my gums are now pink and healthy.
I'm so happy for your cats. We also have a Maine Coon.
posted
I have always wondered if I got sick from my cat. She lived to be 23 and we had to put her down. However, She had alot of neuro symptoms. She also had a sever respiratory infection as a kitten and never regained her voice from that infection. My dog used to steal her food all the time and was scratched on his nose more times than I can count. My dog was diagnosed with lupus that responded to tetracycline(and yes he herxed). My husband noticed that when I flare the dog flares and also the dog has symptoms similar to what the cat had. Chlamydia can be passed from cats to owner too as well as bart. I would never own another cat. I am done with animals when the dog dies. Sorry to all the animal lovers out there I mean no disrespect.
Posts: 433 | From new york | Registered: Dec 2004
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Tammy N.
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Member # 26835
posted
hoot - yes, thanks for the suggestion, I have tried with my homeopathic vet 3 times on this. Had some very modest improvement. My homeo vet does not think Lyme really exists. She thinks its just the immune system that needs to be corrected. I would love to consider antibiotics AND homeopathy. But my homeo vet won't go for it.
I was just thinking maybe I should share with her about Lyme (and cos) being created as a bio weapon. Then maybe she will see it is not just a natural occurrence in nature.
I really have to deal with this cat thing (all 3 of mine). I don't want to keep getting re-infected!!!! Oh my, there is so much to consider when trying to get out of this Lyme hellhole. I feel like this is just another huge issue that gets added to the pile of things to research and figure out.
Take care, Tammy
Posts: 2238 | From East Coast | Registered: Jul 2010
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