Help Gizmo Overcome His Mystery Illness

Hi there! My name is Amber and I'm seeking help to figure out what is going on with my cat Gizmo. Our sweet orange boy just turned 12 this year and has had some mystery illness since the end of June this year.

It all started when I found some bleeding in his gums around the end of June. My fiancé Seth and I took him over to Banfield to have him checked out. We have a package with them that helps cover annual immunizations, blood testing, annual tests and dental cleanings. They also give discounts on their services which is why we decided to purchase this through them. They stated he had a tooth that was reabsorbing and they prescribed him Clindamycin to help clear up any infection he might have had. We were going to take him back in July to have his tooth pulled and his yearly dental work done. About 3 or 4 days into taking it he began shaking his head and had lots of wax and discharge coming from his ears. We took him back to Banfield and they started him on some medicated drops called Tresaderm and a flush called Oti-Tris.

Right before storm the storm in the Houston area on Monday, July 8th. I called Banfield to let them know the drops weren't helping and it seemed that the ear issue had worsened. He had also developed sores on his chin, body and had discharge coming from his rear end and nipples. They booked an appointment and advised to continue the drops. We saw the vet either that Wednesday or Thursday and he was then prescribed Clavamox, another antibiotic, Gabapentin, an ointment called Animax, a probiotic called Forta Flora and they said to discontinue the medicated drops but to keep using the medicated flush. He still was not improving and that's when we decided it was time to seek a second opinion from another vet. So I did some research and found a vet called True Animal Vet. They did say reactions to these medications aren't typical in cats. Which was also something the other vets stated at Banfield. However, it seems to have only started when we introduced the clindamycin and ear drops to him.

We took him to True Animal Vet and the vet advised to continue the antibiotic but also gave him a steroid called Prednisolone. We were also to continue all the other medications and switch him to a prescription food and we also gave him a flea topical incase. She advised it could be some type of allergy and even mentioned that due to his age the underlying cause could be cancer. The quote she provided is a little pricey and out of our budget. We just took him back for a follow up visit on 8/1/24 because the spots on his body and his rear end weren't healing properly and he needed to be shaved. Luckily the spots weren't lesions but they're still bad. We're having to bathe him 2-3 times a week and are now using a stronger antibiotic called Veraflox. I'm seeking any type of advice and seeing if anyone's seen something like this before. I'm also now seeking donations because it feels like we arent getting anywhere with his treatments. We are getting a skin culture done this week and if we cannot figure anything out with that we may need to look into testing him for cancer. Keep in mind our sweet boy has been eating, drinking and going to the bathroom as usual. I also figure with the tik tok I created maybe it could reach more people and the video could potentially be monetized. Which could help pay for any future care or testing for him. It may also reach someone who's had this experience or maybe a vet that has seen something like this. If you are unable to donate I ask this, please give my Tik Tok a like, view, share or comment to help boost it

Here's the link:

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRotwJSj/

Incase link won't work here's my profile link:

https://www.tiktok.com/@ambsreneee?_t=8odMnDWaPLb&_r=1

I appreciate any kind of support for my sweet orange boy. He's my first cat and I feel that he still has some years left in him. I hate seeing him suffer and I'm trying anything and everything I can. Thank you