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Vomiting Cat

by johnk - May 31, 2009

Dear Steve,
I recently saw a 9 y/o m/n cat with chronic history of early morning vomiting of undigested food (2-3am), the cat had attitude, I thought the tongue was a little swollen, pale and moist. There was some weight loss, poor coat. I cannot remember pulse but I think it was palpable! the owner described the cat as being cold. However the owner now has gone home filled and out a TCM question sheet I give clients and now she says that the cat doesnt go out into the sun and has been a lot better the last few weeks ( as it cools down) What I was originally thinking of primarily a Liver issue and possibly an early hyper T4 cat. Now I am not sure. My original though was vomiting and to try WLT but now I am thinking more along the lines of a deficient Heat. To me the tongue didnt look Yin deficient and the cat is not excess in body condition. Would a trial on ZBDHW be indicated or do you have any other suggestions.
Thanks. John.

by naturevet

May 31, 2009

Hi John,

Tongues are pretty reliable in cats, possibly more than in dogs and humans. Unless a tongue is red and dry in a cat, I generally don't try Yin tonics, at least not at first. I like your first idea of giving Wei Ling Tang, or perhaps San Ren Tang. Temperature preferences are notoriously unreliable in making a diagnosis. That is, they have poor sensitivity, but reasonably high specificity. The absence of a strong temperature preference, say for heat, doesn't preclude a chilly animal. But if they do seek heat, then you know at least part of them is chilly.

It's quite possible you're right, and that a formula to address vomiting will be called for. In that case Yi Guan Jian might be a better choice. But if the cat is on a routine diet, then the odds of it not being Damp, especially at that age, are slim at best.

I guess the other major option here that constitutes a middle ground is something like Xiao Yao San. This would explain the time of vomiting, the incidence of Damp, the lavender tongue, and the improvement with cooling weather. The formula treats Liver Spleen disharmony causing Damp accumulation and a host of possible abdominal complaints. The Liver Qi stagnation which is injuring the Spleen commonly generates Heat, resulting in a degree of Heat intolerance. Diet is still the undoubted origin of the problem. A Liver diagnosis also explains the 'attitude'. So I suppose, in the final analysis, that's the direction I'd go in first. Xiao Yao San is very unlikely to cause any adverse effects, which is the other thing to bear in mind, especially where there is uncertainty. But the more I think about this Liver Spleen idea, the less doubt I have. If I were you, I'd give it a try.

Good luck whatever you do!

Steve

by johnk

June 2, 2009

Steve, thanks for that advise, I forgot to mention, the cat is on a good home prepared natural type diet. I will try the XYS and report back.
Also while talking vomiting can you give me any clues how to interpret a dog that vomits on XCHT? I thought it had a wiry pulse with active GB25/29. Being realistic I could have lead myself also as it had a history of ACL rupture that had just flared up and ther was agitation, but also I thought there was a purple /lavender tongue so I thought it was a good place to start.

by naturevet

June 2, 2009

Hi John,

There's a possibility it was just due to taste, or was coincidental. If I'm convinced a formula makes sense, I'll retry it at a lower dose and work my way up, after giving the animal a day or two off.

Otherwise, Xiao Chai Hu Tang has a strong upbearing energy. If there is no obstruction in the middle burner, then this upbearing influence can create rebellious Qi, theoretically. This is why hypertensive patients should not take the formula unless the diagnosis is quite certain. So vomiting that persists might suggest the animal is prone to vomiting for another reason besides Triple Burner obstruction. For example, if the animal is actually Liver Blood deficient, it will have a tendency to Yang rising that XCHT can bring out with its upbearing influence and dryness. So if vomiting was actually due to Liver Blood deficiency and Liver Stomach disharmony, XCHT could theoretically expose it.

Hope that helps clear things up a little,

Steve

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