Know any good web sites that provide accurate veterinary info for the public to help diagnosis illnesses?

Question

Maybe a veterinary school site? I have a sick cat. I have been to two vets with bloodwork and urine analysis not indicating what the problem is. Antibiotics help but haven't cured. Before I put the cat through more invasive stressful testing, I want to research the symptoms (not eating much, listless, eating kitty litter, licking concrete, sitting in cool places (like sink) more myself.

Thank you all for your responses. I found another question similar to mine that had this site posted as an answer.
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp

Re veterinary schools. I'm at least 600 miles from the nearest one and not able to travel at this time. I appreciate the cautions about diagnosing on line. But sometimes you can get some hints or info.

Kandie K. Thanks for directly attempting to help me find the cat's problem and your suggestions . I am giving her a liquid vitamin supplement She is doing a little better, is off antibiotics and is eating fairly well. But still is not very active and not well. I'll have to keep working with local vets if she gets any sicker. But they discount trying to find out a way to stop the pica, say it is a behavior problem but until she got sick she never did this.

Answer 1

Check this website out. http://www.wvcats.com/diseases.htm It's describing many of the symptoms your cat has, like the licking concrete and eating cat litter, as abnormal symptoms for cats. Sounds to me like maybe a nutritional problem or possibly some sort of protozoa, but I'm no vet. I'm just thinking of the weird things humans do, like eat clay, when they're missing something crucial in their diet. Maybe this site will help you diagnose him. It has a lot of links on a variety of major cat diseases.

Also, here's an article on Feline Leukemia that says that licking concrete and eating cat litter may be a stress reaction (not necessarly caused by FeLuke, but it wouldn't hurt to have him tested for that -- it's a nasty disease). They do make a good point that clumping cat litter is very bad for cats, because they eat it when grooming themselves (it sticks to their paws and even cats who don't intentionally eat litter will ingest some trying to clean it off), and then it sits in their stomachs because they can't digest it. It causes urinary tract infections and can build up so bad in the stomach that they have to surgically remove it. http://www.bright.net/~zimm1/

The other things are common symptoms of so many diseases, it's not funny. If you felt bad, you'd be listless and not eat much, too. Just this morning, I spent some quality time laying in the cold, empty bath tub because I'm 9 months pregnant, had a very bad bout of irritable bowl syndrome, felt feverish and couldn't cool down.

Answer 2

BEWARE of any web site that promises diagnosis and/or cure of anything. Not only is it impossible if a vet that has actually seen your cat wasn't able to, but it's also not safe. There are a lot of strange people out there and some people actually want to help but just don't have the knowledge.
I found a few answers on www.practical-pet-care.com, but they even tell you that they cannot diagnose and treat online. It's a liability thing. I do agree with the poster that suggested you take your cat to a vet school if you have access to one. It might be a bit of a drive, but could be worth it. We have taken a llama all the way to Perdue in Indiana when the vets around here gave up on her. We had to leave her there for a while and signed a release. There were no guarantees, but they took care of her problem and she's fine now.

Answer 3

I would go to a Vet College hospital and see someone. There really is not a good online source of this information. There is a risk with a site that comes close to helping "diagnose" a problem....lawsuits and all. If it is a complex problem, a teaching college is a good place to go. they have big and very well equipped specialities!! I am close to Cornell and go there a lot with mostly my dogs. It can get pricy, but it usually takes less time to find things out.
Good luch though!!