My cat's not eating after vomiting and IV treatment. What's wrong?

If he was recently at the vet for vomiting, and now is not eating or drinking anything, he should be seen again as this would make me concerned about the possibility of a foreign body, or pancreatitis, which would require additional therapy. If your vet didn't do x-rays or bloodwork at the previous appointment it's time to make sure there's nothing more serious going on. However, since your vet just saw Iron I would start by giving them a call with an update, in case they have other input based on their exam findings. Hope this helps and he feels better soon!

Poor Sachi! Significant weight loss and inappetence are certainly a major concern. I'm glad to hear that his blood work (I assume a CBC, chemistry and T4?) was unremarkable. However, foreign body intestinal obstruction/blockages, intestinal malabsorption issues that can cause inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), chronic pancreatitis, or cancerous processes, do not necessarily cause changes on screening blood tests. If Sachi has not yet had abdominal x-rays or an ultrasound, consider talking to your vet about these tests as his next diagnostic step. If he has a foreign body obstructing his intestines, this is a surgical emergency, and these tests would be helpful in obtaining a diagnosis. If pancreatitis, IBD or EPI are more highly suspected, consider talking to your vet about testing for vitamins B12 and folate, as well as TLI and fPLI. I hope this helps!

Persistent vomiting and refusal to eat is concerning, especially in an elderly pet where they may be weight loss or dehydration. Given the clear blood work i would be concerned about a possible obstruction, hairballs, tumours or a twisted bowel are all possible. Xrays may be recommended as well as tube feeding to maintain calorie intake until a diagnosis has been reached

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If there is lymphoma, it is not going to show on bloodwork in any specific way. There are certainly values that may be abnormal if a patient is affected by lymphoma though they are not specific for lymphoma. Regardless, Artie does not have any of the things I would expect abnormal with lymphoma. This bloodwork is concerning for hyperthyroidism and renal disease. Both of these can cause anorexia and vomiting. It is very important to discuss with your veterinarian further treatment options based on these findings. They have more knowledge on the case and should be able to recommend accordingly. Best of luck!

If all his bloodwork was normal that rules out kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes, etc. If your vet did not test for hyperthyroidism than a test should be done. An x-ray and/or ultrasound is defintely needed and will, hopefully, provide more information. He could have an infection, cancer, or obstruction/foreign body to name a few other possibilities. If he is not able to keep food down, I am not sure waiting until Friday is a good idea. He may continue to weaken and may become dehydrated. If your vet can't take an x-ray then you could consider taking him to an emergency clinic or another vet that can. An anti-vomiting injection may be helpfull if your vet didn't give him one. I hope that his problem is diagnosed and treated soon!

I agree with your concerns - not eating for 5 days is certainly not normal. I'm glad to hear that Bentley's blood work was overall normal, but I am curious as to whether or not he was tested for fPL, which is a test to raise or lower suspicion of feline pancreatitis. Possible causes of his sudden loss of appetite not apparent on routine lab testing include pancreatitis, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, intestinal obstruction (I would expect more vomiting, however), among others. The main concern, particularly since Bentley is such a big cat, is that he could develop hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease) as a result of not eating for this length of time, which can be quite severe. If Bentley is still not eating by tomorrow morning, I strongly recommend taking him back to the vet to discuss further testing, such as the fPL blood test or abdominal ultrasound to get to the bottom of this issue. I hope that he is on the mend soon!

I would recommend blood work and an abdominal ultrasound. The ultrasound will be able to evaluate the gastrointestinal tract much better and can sometimes find foreign bodies that the x-rays can't. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.