Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat Health & Behaviour => Health & Behaviour General => Topic started by: Desley (booktigger) on November 21, 2009, 09:01:42 AM
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3 out of the 5 cats here need to see the vet, Arthur is booked in for this morning, and Zi and Sam are going on Tues (different vets!!).
I got home on Mon to find Arthur had blood in his eye, he seems to be scratching at his ear and catching his eye in teh process - it is his bad eye which does have some sort of scab on it. So both his eye and ear have been bleeding!! And as some of you know, his teeth have been getting worse and his mouth has been bleeding a bit too, so we are going to get him checked over and see what the possibilities of him having a dental are - I dont have a good feeling about it though.
Sam and Zi (the youngest and oldest of my three) seem to have lost weight while I have been away - Sam has been really fussy with his food (my neighbours resorted to giving him cooked chicken cos they were concerned), and he has missed quite a few meals since I have been back, so maybe not just pining for me - dont think it is his teeth though, as when he wants to, he does eat well, and he has been eating his dry with few problems, and has taken his meds with no issue.
Zi is the most concerning, her back end has suddenly gone really thin, and she sometimes seems a bit wobbly on her legs. Her fur has also gone really unkempt and starting to separate. Hopefully it is just something like arthritis and she isn't grooming, but she is nearly 20. her hips dont feel all that prominent though (unlike poor Sam).
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Oh Desley, that all sounds terribly stressful. Sending good luck vibes in abundance. :hug: :hug:
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Oh Des, I do hope they can all be sorted with the least of vet visits....Sending positive healing vibes to these 3 and hope they all perk up soon! Best of luck with them all! :hug: :hug:
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Sending oodles of positive vibes your way Desley, hope they are all OK and that they can carry out a dental on Arthur :hug: :hug:
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Sending lots of positive vibes for this little trio and hope the vets can sort them out :hug: :hug:
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Lots of good vibes for them :hug: :hug:
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Sending lots of good vibes for them all :hug:
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Thanks everyone, I was incredibly stressed and feeling really down about it all yesterday. Arthur has had a steroid jab to calm his ear down, Canaural twice a day and Antirobe once a day, and a dental booked for Fri - I have to get my vets to fax over the bloods in advance. They were also doing free dip sticks to test for diabetes, so picked on of those up to try with him today.
I went and bought another 5 kinds of food for Sam, he turned his nose up at the first two, so I checked his mouth and it is quite red, even the front bits that aren't normally an issue, so chucked some Metacam into his mouth, then made some food quite soupy and added biscuits on the top, so he did eat a fair bit of it, and I have been measuring out his dry and he ate another 30g on top of his wet/dry mix, so feeling a bit happier about him. This will be the first time we have seen the new vet, and she is only with us till Christmas, so not sure whether she will do anything more, or whether it will all change in the new year with the new vet, and still trying to work out how to give him ab's as he isn't drinking cat milk at the moment.
Zi's the least worrying at the moment fortunately!!
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Im glad its looking a little bit more positive today
Its always a worry when they are ill and no matter how we try we still get stressed over them and always think the worst :hug: :hug:
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I certainly have been thinking the worst, not made better by the fact that there are 3 to worry about at the same time, and I dont know any of the vets. I always worry when Sam's mouth acts up though, as he has managed to eat despite having severe ulcers. I also worry that at some point, he is going to need continual pain relief for it, and daily Metacam worries me a lot.
The vet warned me that Arthur's jab would make him drink more - just what I needed, he has already managed nearly half the bowl since I filled it up 2 hours ago!! I might have to put two bowls down tomorrow, as i have to be at work early, then going to the docs straight from work.
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Glad to hear that Arthur is booked in for the dental, hope bloods are still ok and everything goes to plan. What a worry about Sam, poor fella hope something can be sorted. Byron has gone off cat milk too so I'm having to find things she really likes for her weight. Hope Zi's is just an age thing and she is comfortable despite. Sorry you've got 3 to worry about all at once :hug:
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Im glad Arthur's dental is booked in too! Positive vibes for this for him! :Luv2: :hug: :hug:
Happy you managed to get a good amount of food into Sam....Thinking of you all....I would be stressed out too, hope your feeling better in yourself! :hug: :hug:
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i just hope that I am wrong with his dental and he does pull through. Sam has decided he doesn't like the new posh PAH food (glad the girls did, as it was £6 for 12 tins!!) but eating dry and still taking his Felimazole in Primula - wonder if it will work for Antirobe. Will give him some more Metacam and open something new for him. Zi clearly read what I wrote earlier, as she has been limping today and does seem to be a bit dehydrated, despite drinking more - so she has only had wet food for tea. Absolutely exhausted now, and can't go to bed yet as I still have to get some food into Sam and ear drops into Arthur - lets hope I dont do that the wrong way round - plus wash the bowls for the morning.
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Hope everything goes well for them all :hug:
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lots of good vibes for all :hug:
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Thanks - Arthur has an upset tum due to the ab's, so i tried to restrict his food - he got into Sams food, and then overnight decided to rip a bag of dry food open and gorge on it - needless to say he was sick off that!!! At least no diarrhea as well.
Then Zi acted like she was going to be sick, think she got a bit of food stuck, so will have to get the vet to check her mouth tonight.
Sam seems to be eating normally again, and has only had to have 2 doses of Metacam, so will just get him weighed tonight.
On top of this, I had my swine and seasonal flu jabs, so have 2 very sore arms, so hardly slept and have two cats to get to the vets tonight!!
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Cor it never comes in dribs and drabs does it! :hug: :hug:
Glad Arthur's tum seems to be settling! Hope everything went well at the vets on your visit! :Luv2: :hug: :hug:
OH had both his jabs too last week and he was sore across the shoulder's, hope your not too sore today! ;)
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Sending lots of good vibes for Zia, Sam and Arthur.
Hope the vet visit went well, and sending you :hug: :hug: x
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Just wanted to send this: :hug:
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Hope the vet visit went fine yesterday :hug:
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Desley asked me to post this update as she may not get on Purrs until Friday:
Arthur had vomiting as well as diarrhea on Tues, although hopefully that was just the gorging on biscuits, as there was nothing today, but still diarrhea. I have reduced his food, so he is going round scavenging!! He doesn't smell as much now, and his ears look better, but his paws are now filthy, not quite sure where that is coming from. Must remember to starve him tomorrow night, will have to pop him in the bathroom, or Ellie can't eat.
Sam had put 100g on, and hasn't missed a meal since his two days on Metacam over the weekend, so just got him weighed last night. He still looks thin to me, but not as bad as I had suspected.
Zi's visit wasn't at all promising - as she had been fussing at her mouth, the vet checked it for me, and as soon as she opened it, the smell hit, and most of her gums are really red. Vet is fairly confident it is gingivitis rather than dental, so she is on 7 days of Antirobe (tricked her with Primula this morning). Ironically she is the only cat in the house who favours dry over wet!! Then we weighed her to find she had lost 100g since her last checkup, which I think was only 2 months ago. I had changed her diet after her last weigh in, to take out the senior wet, and have now changed her biscuits to adult. What worried me most about her weight was that the vet felt a heart murmur (which apparently was there when I first fostered her, but I wasn't aware of it) and the vet said with her age it was likely progressive and could be the reason behind her weight loss - so am going to get her weighed again in a month and if she is still losing despite adult food and more biscuits, then it is a real worry (although Arthur has pinched at least one of her meals this week). Then I got the vet to check her limp, and one of her hips is in the wrong place!! It feels like an old injury apparently, so nothing much to be done, other than daily Metacam, but at a dose lower than what she actually weighs. So my supposedly healthy 19.5 yo isn't quite as healthy, and I am just praying her weight loss isn't down to her heart.
I still have sore arms and am exhausted, partly cos of worry, and partly cos I am struggling to get comfy!! Just what I want with fundraising all day tomorrow!!
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Do you know? This lady deserves a medal! :hug: :hug: :hug:
Thinking of you and sending positive healing vibes for all your poorly babes! :Luv2: :Luv2: :Luv2:
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Poor Desley. Sending vibes and hugs! :hug:
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Yep, vibes and hugs from me three! :hug:
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lots of good vibes and hope all improve :hug: :hug:
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Tons of vibes from me and Poot too :hug:
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And loads of positive vibes from me and my gang for this trio :hug:
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Thanks for posting Jane, am hoping next week will be better and less hectic than this one - certainly not doing 2 fundraisers next week!!
Arthur proved me wrong, and is perfectly fine, although minus 9 teeth!! I have Metacam for him but not used it yet as he isn't showing any signs of being in pain, he is demanding food just as much as before, still trying to scavenge!! He is still on ear drops and the vet did check his eye and nothing, so the blood has been coming from him catching it. Ellie barely acknowledged me while he was at the vets, she wouldnt come out from her den for me, even though I sat there for over an hour!! She is much happier now, so clearly missed him.
Sam is still eating well and back to eating food he turned down a couple of weeks ago!! He does prefer his food with dry sprinkled on it still though. He is also back to picking on the neighbours cat, so is sporting a scratched nose at present!! He has gone off Primula though, so pilling him has been very tricky this weekend.
Zi is still the worrying one, her gums dont seem as red, and I bought some Classic pouches for the girls, so she is having that as well as the Antirobe. She doesn't actually seem to be eating as much, although is still demanding food. If she has lost weight in a month, I will ask for full bloods, in case it is her thyroid. She is also going to have to get used to being brushed more, she isn't a big fan of it. Looks like I might have been wrong to be pleased at her weight loss at her 6 monthly weigh in, it might not have been the diet, and I am just hoping it isn't the start of something serious.
Thanks for all the good wishes
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Hiya hope all improve. our furballs all seem to know how to stres us out
good vibes sent your way
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Great to hear that Arthur has had his teeth sorted Desley and he has to feel better for that. I'm really surprised at Ellie missing him so much too - is he fond of her? Do hope you can find something to pill Sam with, I have trouble giving Fortekor to Pepper lately anything with it in he won't touch and if I don't watch he goes and pinches Byron's food instead. Hope Zi hasn't anything to worry about, though if she's demanding food but not eating much that may be her mouth and hopefully will settle with the abs :hug:
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Yeah, am sure he does. I didn't think they were that close, she does like to rub against him while they are waiting for their food though, and he does occasionally lick her - they never sleep together though. I gave him some unmedicated Primula earlier and he ate it, so will try again with his meds in it later. I hope it is just her mouth, and she could be being fussy with her food at the moment as it has meds in it - her first antirobe she took with primula over it, but not since, but i do put the Metacam straight into her mouth, as both meals have Antirobe in them.
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So glad to hear Arthur's teeth have been sorted and that he is now fully fit (to eat! :innocent: ) :hug: :hug:
Sending positive healing vibes out to them all Des! ;)
Wow Ellie loves Arthur!!! Aw that is sweet and I suppose you feel less stressed because of this! :Luv2: :hug: :hug:
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Thanks - Arthur certainly feels fine, he was back to pinching food again!!
Zi brought up some foamy stuff yesterday and does seem a bit reluctant to eat, although is drinking a lot, so will leave the ab's out of her food tonight and give her something nice and tasty to see if it is just the taste of the ab's she dislikes, and she has plenty of biscuits.
I am less stressed although stll tired!!
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Hope she feels more like eating bless! Positive vibes for her! :Luv2: :hug:
Glad you are feeling less stressed, I think the tiredness comes after being so stressed out! You need a couple of days to catch up!!! ;) :hug:
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Well, Arthur has been back to his scavenging, her bowl looked suspiciously clean last night and I know he had been on the worktop cleaning bowls for me. I am tempted to lock her in the bathroom for 24 hours to see just what she is eating, drinking and toileting (she does go in there through choice, so shouldnt be too stressful). Also, i might be imagining things, but she seems to be limping more, and apart from 2 missed doses, she has been on Metacam for a week. I think I will give her another week and if no better, get the vet to look at her again, it might take more than a week to kick in.
Unfortunately I have now got a yucky cold, think it is just cos my body is now relaxing!!
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Arthur what are you like you greedy boy! :naughty: :Luv2: :hug:
Good idea to find out exactly what she is doing food etc wise.....Do you think the limp getting more noticeable could be cos the weather's gone really cold?
Hope you get over your cold quick Des, they do affect us more when we are feeling vulnerable! :hug: :hug:
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He is getting on my nerves with it again, I wouldnt mind if I didn't have two cats who are losing weight and I need to know if it is him or their health issues.
I hope that is all it is, and she is only on a low dose of Metacam - she always drinks more on it though, which worries me. she is still being picky with food, so despite having about 6 boxes of food in, I will go and buy a selection from the co-op and see what she prefers. I am also struggling with biscuits as the ones she prefers are the senior ones, which have less calories in them!!
Molly has a little tiny lump on her head, will keep an eye on that for a few days before rushing her to the vet!!
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Well, am convinced these cats are trying to make me go grey!!
Arthur is still fussing with his mouth, so giving him some MEtacam till i can speak to the rescue (we had another Christmas fair yesterday, so they were all there).
Got a selection of food for Zia, and think she can only eat certain kinds of food, think Classic is too hard for her gums, which were still red on Thurs, so gave her some of Arthurs Antirobe, which are stronger, so only one a day, but she is a nightmare to medicate, i do everything after she has eaten, and she tries to hide, then I have to syringe Metacam into her, and the last two nights convince her to eat medicated Primula and resorting to wiping it on her paws, so she then wont come anywhere near me, which i hate. She doesn't seem to be limping quite so much today, so at least one thing is sorted, just wondering what we do next with her mouth. She has also brought up two lots of white foamy stuff this week (she is completley indoor through her choice).
Sam and Arthur have had a couple of fisticuffs this week, and Sam has sprayed in the house, so things not looking good there. He also had a really pooey bum yesterday, so had to be held over the kitchen sink and washed down (bizarrely, he seems to allow that more than being wiped with baby wipes - and still speaks to me afterwards!!).
It was also Molly's birthday this week.
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Aw Des they are just keeping you on your toes! What's wrong with grey hair btw? :evillaugh: :hug:
Poor Sam hope something gets sorted for his poorly mouth! Him spraying and him and Arthur being confrontational is gonna be a prob for you! Hope you can get that sorted!!! :hug:
Do you know PAH now do the classic pouches? Think they would be softer than the tinned? ;)
Happy Birthday Molly!!! ;D
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That's right, infact I got the pouches last time and my 2 won't eat the bloomin' tins now :-:
Classic in the tins is soft though I think, I mush(ed) ours up so it was sloppier. Hope you can sort her mouth out poor kitty, glad her limping has stopped though.
Bless Sam!
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I think they are £2.99 a box, mine would not eat the tinned....Maybe I will buy a box and see how they go as I do have a couple who wont eat dry! :hug:
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I bought the pouches for Sam, he was so so with them, but the girls seemed to like it, till i bought them a box of each variety, now they dont want to know!! I think it is too hard for Zia. Am still worried about her, she is still limping, despite daily Metacam, her gums are still red, and she is getting very wary of me cos of putting the Metacam straight into her mouth (can't guarantee she will eat enough food if it is in). Her back end is looking very thin, and her fur is starting to get a bit knotty, but she wont let me touch it. I really dont like our locum vet though (had a fight to get a bottle of Metacam, as she forgot she had prescribed it!!), she is up to see the vet nurse for her weight and gums a week on Tues and take it from there, if she has lost weight, we will have to consider bloods, in case it is thyroid or organs, but am thinking this is the beginning of the end with her, especially as she isn't liking being medicated, she is 20 in April, so she has done really well. I think we might have to bring her bloods forward, she does keep going to the water bowl, although not sure just how much she is actually drinking, she has gone to it at least 4 times since i changed it this morning, but the level doesn't seem to have gone down all that much. hard to check her hydration levels as she is fed up of being grabbing her!!
No more signs of Sam spraying, him and Arthur have only had one spat this week, but my sis had to bring her dog round on Wed, cos we were having family issues, and despite my sis's 6mo JR pup being bigger than Sam, he went for him twice!! He clearly doesn't care he has no teeth to attack with, and he does sometimes get scratched in return. He has been very clingy the past couple of days, he can clearly pick up on my moods. I have had him for a whole year now too, will do a birthday post for him.
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You really have got it all going on hav'nt you Des! :hug: :hug: :hug:
Hope everything starts to calm down with the puds and your family issues...Please know we are all sending out positive healing vibes to make everything as smooth as possible! :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Poor Zia, hope you can help her it's sometimes so hard with the oldies knowing what to do for the best :hug: Good to hear about Sam and Arthur :)
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Sending Zia lots of good vibes and love :hug: Does she like white fish? I was thinking of coley maybe she finds it easy to eat ,its very cheap and most cats like it.
Sending love to Arthur and Sam too. :Luv: x
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Hope you can find something Zia can eat, and hope her bloods are ok. :hug:
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Can't remember if she likes white fish or not, i know she doesn't like smoked salmon!! She is eating, but she isn't a big wet food fan, she didn't eat it at all before coming here 2 years ago, so I see anything as a bonus. Ironic, actually, that she has worse teeth than Molly, who prefers wet. Just sad at the moment that although she wants to be near me, she is so wary cos i am either pulling at her fur trying to groom her (she is the only short haired cat I have ever known who can get mats on the top of her head!!), or putting medication down her throat.
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Still worried about Zi, as she is still limping despite a months worth of medication, not grooming herself that well and hating me doing things to her. Will have to see what happens when she gets weighed on Tues (if I can move the car by then!!). Her gums are still slightly red, and she yowls for food when there is some still down, so she is clearly getting fussy and she is just hating being medicated, and me fussing her. I think that is bothering me more, that she is even ducking when I go to fuss her, cos she is expecting something nasty. If she has lost more weight, then I also have to decide what to do with regards to testing, as I wont be able to medicate her that well. Her back end clearly is bothering her, as she has just gone for me for touching it.
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Positive healing vibes for darling Zi Des, bless its such a worry when they still show symptoms...... :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Sending more good wishes for Zi :hug:
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Topping up with more vibes and good wishes x
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Thanks, i dont think I will put her through any tests if she has lost some more weight tomorrow, as pilling her really isn't an option, she ran away from me after breakfast this morning clearly expecting me to chuck something down her throat, and I hate it when they start associating you with negative things, especially when you live alone. Might ask if they can listen to her heart again, in case it has got worse, as we might have a new vet in the new year, so they wont know what it was like.
Arthur was really annoying me yesterday, i am trying to cut down his biscuits as his tum is looking a bit large, so he ransacked the cat room trying to find the biscuits, and constantly scavenged when he was allowe out of isolation, and tried to bat Sam round the head. Fingers crossed we can find a new home for him in the new year.
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not had a very good evening with her - she has barely eaten her breakfast, just a bit of Molly's and some dry (although they have had treats today too), and she hasn't touched much of her tea either - I medicated her before hand, and she ran straight in the bathroom and refused to come out. I just hate how much she is cringing at me and running away from me, I am going to see if the vet nurse will medicate her tomorrow for me, so she at least has one day away, cos her reaction tonight has made me want to stop medicating her completely, but I know what will happen if I do that - I wouldnt mind putting her through it if it seemed to help though. If I can't get her eating a bit more though, i might as well give her a break from the medication, as she can't survive on what she has eaten today.
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:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
I've no practical advice to offer - you know the options better than I do - but I know how hard this must be for you. I hope with all my heart that things improve. You will do the right thing whatever it turns out to be.
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Thanks - managed to get her to eat some JWB, rather than the Purely I had put down, but she only seems to eat small amounts and acts like it is a bit of a struggle, so it could be her gums, which isn't good as getting Antirobe into her is a nightmare - she doesn't eat enough wet to mix it, so its either down the throat or mixed into cheese and rubbed into her paws - and I wont be able to pin her down long enough to do that and Metcam down her throat in one go, so will have to pin her down twice a day, which isn't going to be fair on her. She is being weighed tomorrow afternoon, and having her mouth looked at, so will know more then.
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Good luck at the vets tomorrow xx
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Thanks - am on the verge of asking the rescue to take Arthur back though - last night I moved what she hadn't eaten on my bed, so he could come out and not eat it (which i do every night), and he jumped on the bed and scoffed most of it while i was downstairs washing up, then tried to finish off my carrots - and he was only out for 2 hours. Got up this morning and he has ransacked a bag of treats that have been in there for nearly a month. I put down more for her, but if he is now going on the only safe place i had left to leave their food, I can't monitor her without lockign her in a room, and it is important I know what she is eating, and if she is losing weight despite eating.
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He is testing you Arthur isnt he!!! :Crazy:
Positive vibes for darling Zi at the vets! :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Poor Zi - hope she gets on well at the vets and starts to improve and get better.
I know what its like when you live alone and they run away - i had the same with poor Bungly -she was on minimum of 3 tablets a day sometimes more and she used to run off and i felt so bad .
Sophie and FIfi don''t like their eyes cleaning and you only have to look at them and think you will clean them -they both run off and go to bed !
Lots of get well Zi vibes from us here in Lincoln :hug: :hug:
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Decided against taking her to the vets, had visions of falling and hurting her more!! I have Antirobe and Metacam in anyway, and there isn't much more the vets could give her, so just put an Antirobe down her throat (i have some nice extra strong ones in that you only need to give once a day), before giving her some dry, she has had a couple of nibbles, so hopefully that will all go today. I have also found some a/d in the house, she likes that, but has never needed it, so will open that for her tea. I am just a tad concerned about her drinking levels though.
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Thinking of little Zia, hope she perks up a bit Desley and enjoys her a/d :hug:
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Thanks Jane - she hasn't eaten more than her two nibbles of dry and a bit of wet, but is happy sleeping next to me. Unfortunately we have the locum vet I wasn't keen on till March, so not sure what i am going to do vet wise - and I still have to decide what to do with Sams hyper-t. I might take her to a vet at the other practice next week, and see what their opinion is, between her heart, mouth and arthritis.
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Sounds like it could be a good idea to get another opinion Desley as you aren't keen on the locum, you've nothing to lose.
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Sounds like it could be a good idea to get another opinion Desley as you aren't keen on the locum, you've nothing to lose.
Id go with this too! ;) Thinking of you all and sending out the positive healing vibes! :hug: :hug:
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i think i will, the only thing that bothers me is that another vet wont know what her mouth and heart were like a month ago. Gave her some a\d and chicken for her tea, she only nibbled at it before walking away, but have taken it to her in the bathroom (she is in her bed in front of the radiator) and she is now tucking in, so at least she is eating something but not good that she is eating cos I have put it in the bed with her. She has drunk a lot of water today, i filled them up before going to bed last night and hers is practically empty - i hope Molly has had some overnight cos otherwise she has drunk it all by herself - it wasn't that long ago that I was throwing out nearly a full bowl everyday cos they weren't touching it (although they dont like fresh water!!).
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You can give 2 25mgs once a day if you wish, thats what iv done for simon before, first time he was more manky he got the 75mg ones. Unfortuanely antirobe are not good for his tum :(
I hope she picks up and eats well over christmas :hug:
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The problem with the 25mg ones is that she is a nightmare to pill, and i also have to pin her down for the Metacam, so am using the 75mg I have leftover, so she only has to have one a day. I also increased her Metacam yesterday to a 2.5kg dose, as she wasn't eating that well, and gave her some renal food i had in (thought the chunks might have been easier for her to eat) - but she even turned her nose up at chicken last night, so not looking too promising at all. She was also sick this morning, but it was purely liquid. Will have to see what vets are at the other branch on Tues, as there is a vet there I wont see either!! Sam and Molly are booked in for their bloods in Jan.
Arthur drove me to despair again last night - I gave him half a tin of the whiskas senior supermeat with a few RC Siamese biscuits in, and within half an hour he was literally climbing the bookcase to get to the other half a tin. As soon as I let him out he was in her bowl, so I know he got part of her food before I was quick enough to get up and stop him, he was also that desperate for more food that he jumped on the worktop at one part of the evening too, I dont want to increase his food too much as he has put on a lot of weight, but this is getting ridiculous, and I am struggling to cope with him due to other issues going on - my home PC went down this morning, so not sure when i will get back on!!
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Hope Arthur calms down Des, he is on a right food mission! :shocked:
Thinking of you and sending positive vibes your way! :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Thanks - have decided that I am going to get Sam and Zi weighed this week, and if both have lost weight, he will have to go back to the rescue so I can see if it is him pinching the food, or whether it is their health issues. He has had issues with Sam the past couple of days too, the other night Sam was trying to play with his new toy, and Arthur kept batting him round the head!!
Zi seems to be eating a bit more, so increasing the Metacam was probably a good idea. I have decided to take her to see one of the other vets to see what their opinion is, and still not sure on the bloods, part of me thinks it is just her age catching up, but part of me wants them doing in case things are worse than I think. She doesn't seem to be limping too much today, but her hips are a lot more obvious and she is walking differently, plus not happy at me grooming her legs.
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I dont think I have ever known you take a cat back to rescue Des, Just shows how much Arthur is affecting you all..... Hope that the other's weight issues will sort out, it would be perfect to happen with Arthur there but I just cant see it now! :hug: :hug:
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The only one I have done is Rolo, his spraying finally got too much for me, but it worked out very well for him. I just think I need Arthur out of the picture so we can see if the weight loss is due to him or their health issues - I dont think it is purely him, but I dont know how much is down to him - I think he is affecting Zi's weight more. Will see when I can get Zi seen by a vet before ringing the rescue though. She is eating more on the higher dose of Metacam, I just hope it isn't affecting her kidneys/liver too much.
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Oh yes I forgot about Rolo! :shy: but remember it stopped his spraying! :wow: :hug:
I do hope you can get to the bottom of this for Zi, glad she is eating more with the upping of her med....Hopefully it wont be to much of a strain on her! :Luv2: :Luv2:
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It certainly did, and he got a very good home. Zi's appointment is booked for 12, and I am going to get Sam weighed before then, so I will know the score with both of them by 12.30.
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I hope the appointment brings good news and you can get there and back before the snow arrives again
love
Tab
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Good luck at the vets Desley xx
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Well, an interesting morning - took Sam up to my branch, and the receptionist weighed him for me - he has lost 100g, which is what he had gained last month, and he is drinking more - his bloods are booked for the 17th Jan (he was due his repeat thyroid levels, but am going to get full bloods done on him), I am concerned as he has had raised liver enzymes, and did lose 300g when I first got Arthur, and hasnt put any of it back on yet.
Came home, quick chat with neighbour before taking Zia to the other branch of the vets, who were mad busy, and nearly got lumbered with the locum from my vet who came to help - luckily I had told the receptionist why I didn't want to see her, so they changed me to see a different vet. Zi has gone from 3.17 to 3.22, so at least a slight weight gain. Her mouth is still bad, apparently her heart murmur is unusual in that it is at the front of her heart, and not where you would expect one, didn't get her to feel her arthritis. She spent a while feeling her abdomen and then said she wanted full bloods, so not sure if that is a good sign or not. Quick discussion about what we would do if her kidneys werent' great, which was a bit upsetting, and we are debating trying her on the new Anti-inflam, which has been mentioned on here - begins with an O and is a pill format. It is only licenced for 6 days though, the vet is going to check if it can be used long term, but i would have to sign a waiver - as she is 19.5 with other health issues, to me long term doesn't really mean that much, so if I can get her to take them, I would give it a go as they are kinder on the kidneys. I have also done something I didn't think I would do, which was accept the Convenia jab to see if it helps her mouth, she has eaten a bit more tonight. Unfortunately I had fed her this morning, so she has to go back tomorrow for her bloods, and the vet wants lab ones doing, so I wont get the results until next week. So more promising than I thought, but that does depend what her results bring - they were great for a cat her age 7 months ago, but that was before Metacam, weight loss and drinking more.
I finally made the call to the rescue, was putting it off and off, spoke to quite a few people first, but I have to for my own cats health - I dont think it is just him, but it will allow me to monitor them more easily.
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Finger's crossed that you get to the bottom of this with Zi and Sam.... Do hope Sam can get some weight back on! :Luv2: :Luv2:
Wonder if she thought anything may be enlarged Des, hope thats not the case! ;) :hug:
How long would it take for Arthur to go back? I hate the thought but to be honest he is such a character I really dont think it will affect him too much....More grub for him! :naughty: :Luv2: :hug:
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Thanks - I hope Sam can gain some weight too, I have spent one year battling his weight, dont fancy another year of it - I had hoped that once he was on medication, it would go well, and he could go down to 2 monthly weigh ins - he got to a high of 3.9kg, but then Arthur came along!! I am more worried as he has had raised liver enzymes in the past, and 300g is a lot to lose in a month, so I hope it hasnt affected his liver, esp as he seems to be drinking more, but hopefully that is just the dry food.
That's what I wondered, as she suggested bloods after having a feel.
Well, today just went to the vets again and then to the rescue!! Did treat myself to some retail therapy aftr that though. Will probably be Monday at the earliest before we get the results, although the vet are open on Sat, it just depends on the lab I suppose.
Took Arthur back today, and any doubts I had were stopped when i got home - Ellie is a different cat, she has hardly bothered with me the past week or so, barely playing, and the only fuss has been when I have laid near the den to get to her - but she is back to how she used to be, i can get her to come out of her den just by rubbing my fingers together, and she has had such an energetic play session. I thought she would pine as when I took him they were both laid together in the den, but maybe things weren't what they seemed.
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Good to hear that Zi has gained a little weight and hope her bloods come back ok, hopefully Sam will eventually gain some weight too. Hope things work out well for Arthur :hug:
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Thanks Jane - I got some reduced chicken in Tesco today, so they have all had some for a treat, and the girls have had extra Temptations - will give Sam some dreamies, see if we can't get a bit of weight on him.
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Aw bless Arthur but it definitely does sound the right thing has been done, maybe he bullied Ellie a bit more than they actually got on! Im glad she is back to enjoying herself as she is still only young and need the play etc! :hug:
I do hope now that all in your house (including you) can get a routine back and get on with getting better! ;) :hug: :hug:
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it does, I still cant get over the change in Ellie, must get her on CatChat this week. Zia even came down a few of the stairs last night too, and Sam has been slightly less clingy (just sitting on me rather than demanding to be picked up all the time!!).
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Desley asked me post an update on Zi because she's not sure when she'll got on the pc:
Her bloods have come back, and her kidneys are failing - vet described it as renal insufficiency - her urea is 15.5 (was 12.6 in Apr), and her creatnine is 193 (that was fine in Apr) - top end of the scale is 177, so not overly high. The problem with her is controlling her arthritis, gingivitis and heart murmer while helping her kidneys - apparently she can't have Fortekor while on Metacam as the two together make the kidneys worse, I can't take her off/reduce her Metacam as she wasn't eating much on the lower dose, so obv in some discomfort. The vet is waiting to hear back about Onsior (sp?) long term - it is a tablet NSAID that is supposed to be kinder on the kidneys, but only licenced for 6 days use. However, whether I can get a tablet down her is a different matter, she is hating me again at the moment for medicating her. At the moment, we are trying renal food, and possibly Ipatkine (sp?) - I am not going to pick that up until I know she will eat the renal food though - her phosphorus is fine at the moment. Vet said that it is more just making her decline comfortable, and she is nearly 20, so I am going for quality, and if she wont eat renal food, I am not going to stress about it, as not eating will make her liver and kidneys worse.
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Aw! So sorry to hear this, Des did have her doubts about her.....I know that whatever the outcome Des will do best by Zi! :hug: :hug: :hug:
Hope she manages the special diet and has some quality time left! :hug: :hug:
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Sorry Des - Clapton has been doing fine on Ipakitine as he rarely touches his renal food. The bonus is that regular food is a lot cheaper and they get to enjoy eating it. It is only about £12 for a 150gram pot from VetUK (1g measure per meal so lasts ages)
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Desley, i am thinking of you and Zia. :hug:
Sending her good vibes .x
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Sending lots of good vibes for Zia xx
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Im so sorry to hear that Zia is not doing well, hope she stabalises and you get to have some quality time with her :hug: :hug:
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Thanks everyone - luckily Zi likes the renal food, although she is a big fan of dry and thinks the renal dry is great, so I have noticed she has drunk more this weekend (I had just got them on Tesco supermeat, which she ate more than any other wet I have used!!) - the vet wanted me to put the binders on the renal wet, but think I will see how we get on with just the renal food. Novartis have come back to the vet about Onsior, while it isn't licenced, they do allow people to try a 6 on/2 off cycle, so we are giving it a go - the tablets are very small, so tricked her like I do with Sam - will need shares in Primula at this rate though!! The only problem is you have to give 48 hours between Metacam and Onsior, so she really struggled walking yesterday - she does seem a bit better today, so will see how she gets on with Onsior - they also cant guarantee it wont affect her kidneys as she already has issues, but worth a go, especially if she continues to not notice it in cheese, it means it is a bit less stressful for her.
Sam is still looking thin, so have had to give him some cat milk, and he is drinking more water, so hope there is nothing too serious there.
Arthur is doing fine at the rescue, he isn't picking on any cats there!!
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Glad Zi likes the renal food. Max always preferred the dry, so we went for ordinary senior wet food with the phospherous binder, which kept him going fine for ages as he never had Fortekor either :hug:
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Really good to hear that Zi is happy with the renal food and I hope that this treatment helps her.
Good luck with Sam's weight and glad Arthur is ok, it would be lovely if he soon gets a nice home.
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Thanks guys, I am quite amazed actually - I have been putting down more of the renal food than I would have if she was on normal food (as she used to share Molly's pouch, Molly now gets more food), and impressed at how much of it she is eating, to say she only ate dry food before coming here. I am picking up a bag of renal food from the vets tomorrow, didn't want to rely on Royal Mail again, it has been dodgy this week. If she is eating more in general, that might help her a bit, as the vet says when they lose weight and muscle, it does make arthritis worse - she lost weight on Senior food, but not sure how renal food compares in calories.
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So glad to hear she is enjoying the renal food, that is one weight off! :wow: Sam bless, hope he gets some more weight on, is he eating much dry to make him drink more, or maybe the heating is affecting him? :hug:
Glad to hear that Arthur is doing well back in rescue bless! :Luv2:
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It is, and I have got a second tablet down her tonight - she stops as soon as she has got to the tablet, but as long as she continues to stop after, and not before, i will be happy. I might give her Primula on the two days off just so she gets a bit of a treat. I have increased his dry with his weight loss, but it might just be the heating - he is the only cat that goes out!!
I was pleased to hear he was doing fine, and Ellie is still so much happier without him - she is more vocal though.
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Just out of curiosity Des, I just ordered dome "Specifics" weight loss food for Kylie. They also do a renal dry which also contains psyllium so is probably quite high fibre/low cal. I think Hill's renal is quite high fat as Kylie likes it. I didn't order any specifics renal dry as Clapton doesn't eat biscuits any more really and I know a lot of people think dry renal food is a no no - especially for cats that don't drink a lot of water. Luckily Clapton does.
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That is one of the samples the vet gave me, it comes in 150g trays though, and she has never been a big wet food fan (so getting to her age without kidney issues is quite good really), so too much for her. I am happy with her eating renal dry, it is about quality for her, not quantity, so I would rather her eat something she enjoys, and she gets some wet down every day just in case.
Unfortunately, I only got 3 Onsior down her before she twigged what I was doing, so had to put her back on MEtacam, 24 hours of no pain relief really affects her, and still not sure anything is really easing her limping. Her mouth is quite stinky today, and her front tooth looks like she might have broke it. I can't believe she still has gingivitis, and not sure how that has started - does anyone know if it is connected to CRF?
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Her mouth is quite stinky today, and her front tooth looks like she might have broke it. I can't believe she still has gingivitis, and not sure how that has started - does anyone know if it is connected to CRF?
I don't know about gingivitis but certainly mouth ulcers are common with CRF. Korky had them and there was nothing the vet could do that didn't also aggravate his kidneys. It was one of the many factors contributing to our decision to let him go :hug:
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Thanks Carol - I actually suspect that her gingivitis has something to do with Arthur's stay, Sam has possible calici, but he rarely comes upstairs, so unlikely to have come from him, but Arthur did pretty much daily pinch some of her food. I might try and get some more Antirobe into her.
Sam and Molly have their bloods done on Tues, I am concerned for Sam's, as he is looking really thin at the moment (so got some cat milk for him today), and still drinking a lot - I am hoping that the 300g weight loss in a month hasn't affected his liver, or that it isn't his kidneys with his hyper-t being under control. No real concerns about Molly except a bit of a loose tum, but I suspect she just cant tolerate certain foods anymore with her age - she has LactoB in every meal now.
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Another mixed vet visit
Sam has lost a bit more weight - he is now 3.59, his heart murmur isn't overly worrying, but when she checked his mouth, it was red with ulcers - I wish he would stop eating for a day when they flare up, as he continues eating, so I have no real way of telling when they are bad, so he has had some Antirobe and Metacam for that this week, and he has eaten more. His bloods haven't come back too great though, his thyroid levels are at 83 - I thought they were 78 previously, but his records state 98, either way they are still high, so he is now on 5mg Felimazole a day, but his tum doesn't like it, so I might ask for some Vidalta for him tomorrow. His liver values are also high, 2 are quite high, and one is borderline, but they dont know if it is true liver disease or related to his hyper-t. They are talking about doing the op regardless of what his values are next month because of his liver and heart murmur.
Molly's bloods came back unremarkable, apart from a bit of high globulin and cholesterol. She had a dodgy tum last week, and the vet was suspicious of something, but bloods didn't confirm it, so she has to go back in a month and if no better, she wants a scan doing. I personally think it is a food intolerance with age, and she was on Whiskas last week - have put her on Felix now and she has slightly more solid poos.
I went to the rescue yesterday and ARthur was all over me - unfortunately when one of the other cats came for a fuss he did tell them to go away!! I also found out one of Ellie's babies died this week, he couldnt shake off the cat flu that they all had. RIP little one
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It's never easy with your lot, is it? :hug:
Very sad to hear about the little one that didn't make it.
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Aw, hope Same feels better when the meds kick in! :Luv2: Hope you manage to sort Molly out, food intolerance it could be! ;) :hug:
Shows Arthur is a loving bully still! :innocent: Glad he is doing well though! :Luv2:
RIP Ellies babe xxx
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Hope that all goes well for Sam and that Molly improves so a scan isn't needed. Bless Arthur :Luv2:
RIP little kitty xx
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Thanks everyone - I did notice this weekend that Sam is losing a lot of fur, I got loads of by brushing him and still was covered when he sat on me, bless him. The litter tray looks lots better since I changed Molly onto Felix, so I suspect she can't tolerate certain foods anymore - and it looks like she is struggling with dry.
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So what could the fur shedding be related to? Is it part of any condition? Hope he picks up Des, the stress of Arthur has played its toll! :( :hug: :hug:
Id keep Molly on Felix see how she does and how her weight goes! ;) :hug:
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Sorry, never responded to this!! Fur loss could be hyper-t related
Sam and Molly are both off their food a bit, so have bought them something new, Molly is booked in for a check up on Wed, and if Sam doesn't eat the new food, I will have to resort to Metacam, which I dont want to do with his high liver values. Am not convinced his hyper-t is that controlled, as he looked a bit sweaty last night - he is still on the higher dose though.
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Sending more healing vibes out to your lovely babes Des, hope all goes well with them both! :hug: :hug:
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Can you get felimazole down twice aday as it does work better that way? So difficult with these oldies, i always wonder what im going to do when gooeys nose needs steroids but his joints need metacam :-:
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Sam is on 1 5mg a day rather than 2 2.5mg, as while he comes running for the pill bottle of an evening, he didn't agree with me in the morning - he goes out as soon as I go downstairs and often doesn't come back till I leave the house!! He is being picky with his food, but has tucked into certain things and is still eating his biscuits, so not his mouth, just only wanting certain things, so will have to go and get some more Sheba and Whiskas Oh So tonight.
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Hope that Sam tucks into his dinner tonight bless him! :Luv:
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Well, I am sure my three want me to go grey before I hit 30 - have had a bad week with all 3, and am at despair point.
As well as getting Sam some more different food, I also got some ab's for him this week, but he is now being picky at taking them in cat milk, so am struggling to get two Antirobe and 1 Felimazole into him - just praying he doesn't go off Primula anytime soon. He is due for his repeat bloods and weigh in the next week or so - it will have to be the week after next though I think. Read Dr Addies site to see what else we can do for his mouth, and I felt even worse after that, as the bulk of things she recommends just aren't practical - I can't get 6 weeks worth of Antirobe into him, I have only done 4 days and it is tricky, although I will try one week on, one week off with the 2 week dose I have and see if that is better, he can't have continual Metacam cos he has high liver values, he refuses Classic cat food, Interferon sounds like it would be too stressful (either injected into the gums, which requires anaesthetic - he is high risk atm, or sub-q - not sure how he would take that, but it would mean a lot of vet visits), can't do SEB with honey, as it has to be rubbed into the gums - I can barely look at his, never mind touch them. I am going to discuss with the vet about tests to see exactly what is causing this, as it has been an issue for over a year now.
Zia has lost weight again - she is back down to the 3.17 she was before Christmas, she is off her food - can't tell if it is just renal food she is fed up of, or that her gums are plaguing her more - they are still red, and I have just finished a bottle of Metacam, so she has had over a bottle, plus Convenia and Antirobe and still no better. Have given her adult wet last night and this morning, she has eaten a bit more, but then not touched her dry, so not enough to maintain her weight, never mind gain. She hasn't bothered with Molly's fish or chicken. She is still limping as well, and brought up some white foamy stuff after she had been to the loo this morning. Will monitor for the next few weeks, and hope she improves.
Molly is my biggest worry, she went to see a different vet on Wed, she has lost weight again this month, he feels her heart murmur is worse than the locum vet described it, and he doesn't feel her abdomen feels like a normal cat abdomen, so she is booked in for a scan on Fri. He is also debating scanning her heart, although he is no expert - he hasn't given any indications what it could be though, so I am obviously thinking the worst. I am taking the day off so she doesn't have to be there as long, and plan on camping out in the car park to wait for her!! I have bought her chicken and fish, as well as some Felix supermeat, she has been a bit picky with her food since and I have fed her in odd places to make sure she ate something!!
So continued vibes needed please.
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Oh, Desley :hug:
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What a worry Desley, hope your vet can sort something out for Sam's and Zia's gums and that the scan on Molly doesn't show anything untoward :hug: :hug:
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Sending tons of positive vibes your way Desley :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Lots of vibes and :hug: :hug Desley
Zoe
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Lots of vibes for them all to get better from us in Lincoln.
Sending lots of theses too :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Sending vibes, Desley and hugs for you. :hug:
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Sending lots of good wishes and some of these :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Oh dear, it's bad enough when one is poorly, let alone three :hug: Hope there is some improvement soon.
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:hug: :hug: :hug: Its so difficult when they're ill and I think mouths have to be the worst of all areas to deal with. Hope there's some improvement soon and sending lots of 'come on and eat up all your food' vibes.
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:hug: :hug: for the 4 of you :hug:
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Thanks everyone, not one of them has eaten all their tea, although Molly has polished off some chicken and the most wet food - although I had to feed her the chicken in her new den (my bed base, it has a slight hole in it, that she loves, so no new bed for me!!), and she ate part of her wet food half in and half out of it!! I thik Zi might benefit from some Antirobe, but haven't figured out how to get it into her yet, she is the hardest of the two to get Antirobe into. She is eating more adult than renal food though, so it isn't going to do her kidneys any good, might have to look at binders for her, but not sure she eats enough wet food to do any good - I assume they dont work on dry food? The Metacam should be helping her gums though, which is what is baffling me. I suspect like Sam, there are certain foods her mouth wont allow her to eat.
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Hope things pick up :hug:
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Sending lots of positive vibes for Molley, Zia and Sam.
:hug: :hug: :hug: for you.x
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Garnier is good for grey hair! :innocent: :hug:
Sending positive healing vibes to all the poorly babes, its bad enough when one is ill never mind three! :scared: :hug: :hug:
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might have to look at binders for her, but not sure she eats enough wet food to do any good - I assume they dont work on dry food?
You can put some in a plastic bag and shake it. The binders will stick to the food - Ipakitine will anyway.
Hope they all pick up :hug:
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As well as getting Sam some more different food,
Read Dr Addies site to see what else we can do for his mouth, he refuses Classic cat food,
Would he eat Applaws Des? - thats also recommended on Dr Addies site.
Sending positive vibes for them all :hug:
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Thanks everyone.
Thanks for the tip Mark - she is back to eating renal dry now, so not sure what benefits there are to binding renal food? My other problem with using binders on adult wet is that she does pinch some of Molly's, and Molly doesn't need binders. I moved her dry food bowl last week, and wonder if that had put her off eating?
Gillian - he does like Applaws, but I am reluctant to go with that as the only wet food with it only being complimentary (and dont think she makes that very clear at all on her website). I was also shocked at how much that was in PAH on Sat - £7.35 a box on special offer, over £8 normally.
Unfortunately, Zia isn't as daft as Sam, and I only managed to get half of the Antirobe dosed Primula into her - Sam however will eat 3 full blobs, 2 dosed with Antirobe, 1 with Felimazole, and would probably come back for a fourth!!
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so not sure what benefits there are to binding renal food?
I doubt if there are any. They say you can add binders to renal food but surely the phosphorus should be low enough anyway? - I'm also sure that even cats with renal disease must need some phosphorus?
Have you tried Whiskas supermeat - that is just meat & byproducts - there is no soya etc added to it. The senior version just has oils added.
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i would hope the phosphorus is low, no point having it as renal food otherwise!!
Am sure mine used to love the senior supermeat, but the last lot I got was given to the fosters, as they wouldnt touch it - and Zi barely eats half a pouch a day, so even if she did like it, I would have a lot of wastage. She did really like the Tesco supermeat, and ate more of that than she had done previously, but was then diagnosed, so until this week has been on purely renal food (apart from the bits of Molly's she has pinched). I suppose I should be grateful I have got 5 weeks worth of renal food into her!! They do like the Felix supermeat pouches (Molly is better on Felix than Whiskas).
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I think Whiskas is the only one that doesn't have soya added to it so it is more like Classic. PAH used to sell a basic fishy supermeat that mine (especially Alice) loved, but they stopped selling it. It was just like Kit-e-Kat used to be before they bought out Jelly & Gravy type foods. It used to be just a slop that cats seemed to love. :evillaugh:
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Desley just a thought re tableting Zia. I used to use Primula but found that a decent blob of Dairylea worked better with Billy who is our main problem when it comes to mediaction. All the others love it too. Worming (milbemax) is a doddle in our house now. Also dairylea lasts longer as all individually wrapped whereas primula tubes don't last that long.
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How are your 3 doing now Desley?
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Might try them with some, although they got very loose on Tesco's supermeat, and they dont eat enough to get through a tin. I might try Dairylea rather than PRimula, but dont think it would work any better on Zi, she seems to twig half way through the cheese that it isn't right - and Antirobe has a lot of powder in it.
Sam has just finished a one week course of Antirobe, his gums dont look too much better though, so might not do one week on, one week off. He is eating well though.
Zia is still being picky with renal food, I am getting some renal dry into her, but only by mixing it with adult dry, but at her age, quality is the utmost thing.
Molly is having her tests today, we are setting off in about 30 mins, and I am staying in the car park till she is ready. She is feeling a bit boney at the moment, and her poos have gone loose again, although we did have one good day with them this week.
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Glad to hear that Sam is eating well at least and good luck for Molly's tests today :hug:
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Not good news for Molly unfortunately, the scan showed a 3-4inch piece of thickened intestine, and she has also lost some more weight, so the likely diagnosis is lymphoma. She is going to have a short steroid jab today and sent home with tablets - have never had to tablet her, and she does hiss at me when I approach her, so not sure how that will go down!! She is back Tues/Wed and if I can't get tabs down her, then she will have steroid jabs. Fingers crossed these help reduce the inflammation and give her a decent amount of quality time.
So, both my girls are terminal, and it remains to be seen what will happen with Sam.
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Im sorry about that Desley. I hope she accepts the tablets and doesnt fight too much
:hug: :hug: :hug:
love
Tab
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Thanks TAb - seems unlikely knowing Molly though. Might be coincidence, but I had Ginger for 4 years and 1 month, who was my longest owned cat until Molly, I have had her for 4 years and 2 months, and it did briefly pop into my head when it was her 4th anniversary how much she would beat Ginger by.
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Oh Desley, i am so sorry about Molly. Boy was diagnosed with Lympoma , but he also had a mass in his pancreas :(
I dont know if you remember or not but Boy was refered to RVC and i was told it was important that he was fed solely on Hills D/D venison tinned diet. Well he was fine taking it for a short time and then just refused to eat it :(
I still have some left would you like me to send them to try for Molly or do you prefer to discuss it with your vet first? Let me know .
Sending you all lots of :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: and lots of good vibes for Molly and Zia.
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Just caught this thread. So sorry, Desley, thinking of you and your little ones.
Re: Tableting. when Truman wasn't eating I ground up his Fortekor tablet with water and syringed it into him.
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Think of you and yours Desley, sending good vibes x
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Thanks, it probably is, although tehy aren't recommending any treatment other than steroids. They haven't mentioned a special diet, even though that is what Mabel had, so must ask when I pick her up.
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Poor Molly hope that the meds help her lots xx
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Thanks, Molly has eaten well since coming home from the vet, even if she has been spoiled by having the plate held to the hole to her den!! Zia hasn't eaten much today though, I thought I would try to reduce the Metacam yesterday, clearly not a good idea!!
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Glad to hear Molly has eaten well, Schui was like that though infact he would eat much more if I spoon fed him! poor Zia - sounds like she needs some pain relief.
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I am glad she is eating too. I have just given Zi some Metacam, but her reaction was the main reason for trying to reduce it - as soon as she saw the syringe, she immediately backed away from me and tried to hide, even the thought of Temptations after isn't enough to stop her hating it - I know I only have two options though, have her hate me every night or let her go, as she has proved what happens when she doesn't have Metacam, and that impacts on her quality of life - but how much does hating being medicated impact? She looks really thin on her back end tonight.
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Can't you give her the Metacam on food or even on her Temptations?
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She is very picky with her food, so woudlnt be able to guarantee she would get enough. Hadn't thought of using the TEmpations, although it does seem like a lot of liquid.
Haven't been able to get Molly's tablet into her today - she doens't like primula, ate round the piece in her plate of fish, and is refusing her AGAIL with medication but happy eating chicken!! I did tell the vet tableting wouldn't be possible.
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Oh right, she has quite a few drops then.
I can sympathise with getting the tablets down, Pepper's Vidalta has done the rounds with 4 different meals today and still not accepted - even just tried Salmon - but it's still there, I sometimes have days like this!
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YEah, as she is on the cat metacam, it is 2.5 on the syringe.
Fingers crossed you can get Pep's Vidalta into him.
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So sorry to hear that Molly is terminal also Des, hope you are able to get the meds into her with the least fuss! :hug: :hug: :hug:
Positive vibes for Sam also! :hug:
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I've only just read this, Desley. I'm so sorry about Mollys results. :care: Hope the treatment they give her helps and sending you big hugs.
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Thanks - tried crushing her steroids into her wet food this morning, she is being a bit fussy about eating now!! But she does have an odd appetite, she is the only cat who doesn't demand I get up at a reasonable time, and wasn't bothered by being starved for her tests. She seems happy enough in herself though, which is the main thing, and spent most of the night on my pillow curled round my head - we actually started off sleeping with noses touching!!
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Molly had a check up on Wed, she has put weight on, but felt a bit more bloated, so he wasn't sure if it was the bloating putting the weight on. She is eating very well though (although that is probably the steroids) and is getting two plates of chicken on top of her cat food. She was enjoying playing yesterday too, and seems very happy and content in herself, although we had a bad day on Thurs, which I suspect was the after effect of going to the vet. He said to take her back in 3 weeks unless there was any symptoms, but she hates going, and there isn't really anything he is going to do, so will put that off as long as possible.
Still having this dilemma with Zi, I feel awful at her reaction to being medicated, but know it is the only thing giving her quality of life. Her mouth is quite smelly, and I can't get Antirobe into her, so will see about getting her in for a Convenia jab, even though i am not convinced it did any good last time. I wont be able to see the nice vet this week though, so not sure whether to risk the vet i dont like - who might not agree to give the jab - or hold on another week and see the nice vet.
Sam is also due his repeat bloods, but I need to speak to the receptionist first, as I need a way of the permanent vet at the other branch getting the results, rather than the locum at my branch, as she is only there for another 5 weeks.
I just hope that our permanent vet is nice, it is awful being in a situation with such poorly cats and not having a decent vet who you can trust.
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More bad news unfortunately - Sam went for his repeat bloods today, and he got some blood near his mouth, so we checked it hadn't come from there, and the vet nurse noticed a tumour near his tongue - apparently the majority of tumours in that location are cancerous, and even if it is benign, it isn't an easy place to deal with. We are going to see the vet on Wed to see what his views are, and hopefully he can have steroids, but it looks like it is just a case of keeping him comfortable till it gets worse. His bloods will be back on Mon, but we didn't bother weighing him. So technically, all 3 are terminally ill, I just can't believe this.
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Sorry Des :hug: - mind you, BB had a lump removed from under her tongue when she went in for a routine dental, she's not suffered any probs since - and it turned out not to be cancerous thankfully. :hug:
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Oh dear poor Sam, will be keeping fingers crossed it doesn't turn out to be serious xx :hug:
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Sorry to hear this.
I just dont know how you can cope - I really dont.
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Sorry Des :hug:
Also can add a happier note, simons squiffy mouth bits also werent cancerous
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There are no words.... :care: :hug:
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:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
Hope it doesn''t turn out to be cancerous.
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Strewth Des, you seem to have hit the anti-jackpot.
I am feeling very flush cos I just got a big wodge of backdated DLA money... would you let me buy your babies some Applaws? I don't know if you remember when I had Ollie... he had a brain tumour and I provided palliative care for almost a full year before he reached the point where I knew I couldn't do anything to keep him comfortable.
Some things that really helped:
Applaws Kitten soft food. Soft and squishy and apparently delicious
Learning to do sub-cutaneous steroid jabs at home as Ollie hated his cat box with a passion and being carted off to the vet every few weeks was making him miserable... and violent :-:
Accepting that some things that may have made his life longer (pills) were not making it better - he got really distressed being pilled and must have been a real bruiser in his youth as he was incredibly efficient at applying claws and teeth to soft delicate people-skin when the mood took him
Accepting that everything I did needed to be for his benefit, not mine.
Remembering that cats hide pain well so by the time they let on that something hurts they may have been putting up with it for days/weeks
Boiled eggs! Mash, add cheese and/or a little bit of chicken or turkey mince. Nice and soft for the sore of mouth and loads of lovely protein
oh yes, and have some of these: :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Sorry to hear this.
I just dont know how you can cope - I really dont.
me too, I would be so heartbroken with all the probs, I dont think I could cope......a sick Franta totally exhausts me and that includes the injection giving. I was better at it last time but still exhausted.
Sending loads of these :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
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:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
from me too.
love
Tab
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Thanks everyone, I am completely thrown by this, I knew this year wasn't going to be good, but this is just unbelievable, it is only 2 weeks since I found out Molly has cancer - one of my friends said maybe it is a sign I need to have a break - am sure losing all 3 of my cats in a short space of time isn't the best way to achieve that!! Just hope we can buy them all some time, or that the VN was wrong and it is just a really bad ulcer, although she said it didn't look infected. Unless the vet is very persuasive, I wont be having a biopsy done, as there is his heart murmur, raised liver enzymes, mouth ulcers, possible calici and hyper-t to take into account - I always knew he wouldnt have a long life, we have had 15 months, and he shows no signs of it bothering him, although this does explain why he stopped eating certain kinds of food - ironically, softer foods like Natures Menu.
I have no idea how I am going to cope with potentially losing all 3 in a short space of time.
Becca, I do remember Ollie, you threw me with a different user name!! I will pm you.
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Nothing helpful to say I'm afraid other than :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Sorry Des - I don't know what to say, except I hope Sam's mouth can be sorted. Goos luck :hug:
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Sending loads of :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: for you Desley.
I do hope Sam's mouth gets better.x
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Sam's bloods came back yesterday - his thyroid level is now down to 53 from 83, but the vet wants them down more - she did suggest putting his dosage up to 7.5mg (5am, 2.5pm) - but he isn't interested in anything first thing - all he wants is to go out, and will then stay out till I go to work, especially now it is getting warmer. So ironic that we finally have his levels under control when we can't do the op. She said that it was going to be a very fine balancing act to keep all his different conditions under control, as she would be dubious with steroids due to his high liver values, and if we do go down the steroid route, we cant give him Metacam if his mouth bothers him, and the obvious problem of medicating a cat with a sore mouth, although that isn't that big a deal at the moment, as he doesn't notice what you put in Primula, as long as he gets it daily!! Her advice (without seeing him) was not to put him through much and just accept he wont have as long.
I found some inner strength last night though - while I dont think any of them will see the year out, it is never about quantity here, only ever quality, and when I think about what the alternative was for the three of them, it does help - Molly would have only had weeks at the rescue, she has had just over 4 years here - and that is why losing these three wont stop me continuing to help oldies, I think it would be an insult to these three to not be able to help the next Molly. They do say everything happens for a reason, although I have no idea what that reason could be at the moment.
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You do an amazing thing for all the oldies you ever take in Desley, you give them a life they wouldn't necessarily have the chance to live elsewhere, give them all the treatments they need where they are tolerated, and allow them the dignity to leave when they have had enough. They could not ask for any more :hug: :hug:
I'm the same with the FIV babies, I can't see that I'll ever have a home without them :shy:
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:hug: Clare's right and it's never easy Desley, I was saying the other day I'm just going to foster oldies rather than adopt - but it would still be long term because I couldn't give them up and so it wouldn't be any different to what I do now. I'm with you though, it can mean alot of heartache but they need someone :hug:
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Thanks everyone.
GOOD NEWS!!!! Sam saw the vet last night, who couldnt find any sign of a tumour, his mouth is incredibly red and inflamed, but he is confident it is just 'calici mouth' - although said not to give him antibiotics, which sounds odd to me!! Overall, the vet is very happy with him, he has put weight on, his heart rate is normal, his heart murmur isn't overly worrying. He wants to keep him on the same dose of medication, rather than increasing it, and see him again in a month for more bloods - there is a chance that as his mouth was so bad on Fri that his thyroid levels weren't accurate, as the calici could have suppressed it. HE isn't pushing for the op at the moment, as he has never been overly hyper-t, and his weight has always been relatively stable - still not convinced, but that is something for a different time. HE wasn't overly concerned about his liver values either, although until his thyroid levels are down more, we wont know if they are causing the liver issues, or he has a slight underlying liver problem. Oh, and he has earmites too!!
I was soo relieved, I had really been dreading going to the vets last night, but soo glad I did.
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Yay!! that's great news, give Sam a big cuddle from me :hug:
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Very pleased to hear this :hug: :hug:
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Brilliant news, Desley. :)
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Yay ;D :hug:
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Fabulous news ;D :hug: :hug:
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Thanks everyone, just need to get him eating more now, his eating has really tailed off this week, and unfortunately Ellie has found where his food lives, so although the bowls are always empty, I think she is helping him!!
Molly's tum feels a bit odd this week, I am hoping it is just cos she is gaining weight with eating more (I found some biscuits she can tolerate too, thanks Jane), but I am not going to stress her with a vet visit just yet - they might make us go back next week before giving more steroids though, but there isn't much the vet can do for her, and she hides for a day afterwards, I'm not willing to put her through that unless they force me to.
I think I need to take Zi for a weigh in though (unfortunately I have no car today), she looks quite thin today, and she wont let me touch her back legs. Her mouth doesn't look as red though, which is good.
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Hows everyone doing?
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Molly does feel to bulge at one side, but is eating well, and still being her usual self, although allowing slightly more than she used to. It is a month since her diagnosis, so I have been a bit teary the past few days, as I know it wont be much longer. At least I know her well enough to know when she has had enough.
Zi was weighed last week and has put on a tiny bit of weight, from 3.17 to 3.18. She is going to see the vet a week tomorrow.
Sam is still looking really thin to me, and he is losing bits of fur on his back, whcih is odd. HE is due back at teh beginning of April. I have found somewhere to feed him that Ellie doesn't seem to have twigged.
Arthur has to go back to the vets this week, his eye has gone all cloudy, poor thing. I do feel guilty for taking him back to the rescue, but I know it had to be done for my cats sakes.
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Glad hear Molly is eating well :hug: and that Zi has put on a little bit of weight too.
Poor Sam but good that you've found somewhere to sneakily feed him!
I often think of Arthur :Luv: hope that his eye is ok, how old is he Desley?
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Thanks.
We didn't know how old Arthur was, I registered him with my vets as a 17yo off your estimate looking at his pic, but he could be younger.
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ah, yes I remember now! mm it can be difficult to tell.
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Molly's steroids ran out yesterday, and the vet wouldnt give anymore without seeing her again, so had to put her through the stress of a vet visit today. She has put weight on, but did feel bloated, so he couldnt say how much was due to the bloating, but other than that he is happy with her, as she is eating well and acting normally. We are going to try and reduce the steroids to every other day, but if she starts acting like it is a problem, I can increase them again, and he doesn't want to see her for 3 months, which I am glad about, as she is in hiding again, and I am out tonight, so she wont get any comfort at bedtime.
Zia is going for a check up on Mon with the other vet (who I prefer really), and then back the week after with Sam!! I really should try and get shares in my vets!!
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Glad to hear that things are going well for Molly enough to be able to consider reducing the steroids now, hope that she is fine with that but at least you can up them again if need be and good luck with the next vet visits xx
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YEah, it will be nice to just have her on a maintenance dose, and the fact he is happy to not see her for 3 months is promising. I told him I would see him the week after next with Sam, and he said 'oh, the mouth cat!'.
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It is promising :)
aww poor Sam it's a shame when their mouths are a constant problem, thankfully Schui's was never sore once his teeth were removed but he was on steroids prior to that and his mouth was terrible.
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It is promising, Desley. If not shares, then I think your vet might at least offer you a loyalty bonus!
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All I got from my vet when I went through a phase of frequent (expensive) visits a few years ago was a Christmas card. :rofl: Glad Molly is doing well Desley and fingers crossed for Zia and Sam.
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:-)
Mixed checkup for Zi really, her mouth is still quite bad, so we have tried Convenia for her, and as it is pretty much 3 months since her last bloods, we have done repeat bloods, and there might be decisions to be made once they come back - hopefully tomorrow, but maybe Thurs, as the vet isn't in on Wed. She has put weight on, back to her Christmas weight, but the vet said she could be peaking and then lose weight again, so we shall have to see on that, she doesn't actually eat all that much. What is the most worrying is that she has started with loose poo with blood in it - the vet felt her tummy and couldnt feel anything, so we are going to wait for bloods and then decide what to do next, although the Convenia might help. Someone in the waiting room thought she looked in good health though!!
I really dont know what I will do if her bloods show her kidneys have got a lot worse, as keeping her on the MEtacam will continue to make them decline, and shorten her lifespan, but it keeps her comfortable - how much can you justify keeping 2 conditions under control knowing it is making another condition a lot worse and shortening their life?
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While at the rescue yesterday I got to see Arthur again, his eye doesn't look good, bless him. The vet thinks it is because of his lack of eyelid, and did suggest surgery to try and correct it, but there were no guarantees, so the rescue said as long as the cream worked, they would do that instead, which I agree with. The poor lad has piled on the weight since going back to the rescue though, and needs to diet!! I do feel guilty about taking him back, but with everything I am going through with my own cats, it wouldn't be fair on them, especially with his scavenging.
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Aww bless him, he does sound as if he loves his food :Luv:
Hope that the cream works well on his eye xx
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Im glad you got in to see Arthur :Luv2: You had to do the right thing by taking him back as your girls need your time at the moment (and Sam ;))
I hope the blood tests come back ok and you dont have that horrible decision to make.
:hug: :hug:
love
Tab
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Thanks, I do wish there had been a way to keep Arthur here without his scavenging impacting on my own cats health, but there wasn't, without him being isolated. He just needs an only cat household so he can have restricted food.
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WEll, I didn't give Zia her Metacam yesterday, and she is still eating this morning, so it is mainly her mouth that is the problem, and the ab yesterday is helping - not sure I can put her through 2 weekly visits for them though, just wish I could give her Antirobe. Will try and not give her Metacam tonight as well and see how she gets on.
Am not sure reducing Molly's steroids was a good idea, she is eating, but spreading it out over a longer period, but then it could just be the stress of the vet visit and me not being here Sat night to comfort her. Will leave tonights tablet just to see, but if she is picky again tonight/tomorrow morning, I will put her back on daily tablets.
ETA Maybe I am overly worrying about Molly, she is going bonkers with the catnip banana, more than she has done the past 3 days, so she obviously feels fine in herself, although she did have her steroid last night.
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Good luck with Zia and like you say maybe it's just circumstances that Molly hasn't eaten as much - she definitely does sound to be happy in herself if she's playing with her catnip toy and that's what matters :Luv:
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she definitely does sound to be happy in herself if she's playing with her catnip toy and that's what matters :Luv:
Hear hear :Luv2:
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I had a really bad night with Zia, she had eaten all her breakfast, so I thought we could skip Metacam again, but instead she yowled at me for her tea, then refused to eat it, but she woudlnt let me go near her, and even walked away from her food bowl when I walked into the room. She then yowled at me again when I came to bed, so decided to give her some Metacam, but she kept running away from me, ended up on my hands and knees under the computer desk to get it into her, and I dont think she ate that much overnight, certainly not as much as the day before. She hasn't touched that much of her breakfast either, despite me putting some adult biscuits in with her renal ones (that is a treat she doesn't get very often). So, even with Convenia, she can only manage 24 hours without Metacam, and if she is going to keep running away from me, then I dont know what I will do, it is quite soul destroying. She wouldnt even come on the bed till this morning, and then didn't sit in her usual place. :-( She has allowed me to stroke her this mornign which is good. The vet is off today, so I wont get the results until tomorrow.
Molly panicked me at 4am - she was sleeping around my head, and she started twitching and her breathing sounded different, so I woke her up!! She grumbled at me, and then went and got some food, before coming back to join me, so she must have just been dreaming.
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I wonder if you could tempt Zia with something a bit special? Byron has got really fussy lately she sits waiting for those pates all the time, she used to eat Classic and other foods but she's on and off with those now!
I bet Molly had been dreaming, I can understand you waking her though Byron used to startle me sometimes because she'll suddenly call out in in her sleep really loud then wakes up disorientated and I comfort her I'm sure she's having a bad dream.
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I gave her some a/d, which she enjoyed and ate all of, but it went straight through Molly unfortunately. I Was reluctant to try her on too many different things with her having loose stools with blood in them.
WEll, her results were pleasantly surprising. Her urea is 12.3 (it was 15.9 in Jan) - still high, as the top end of the scale is 9.9.
Her creatnine is 174 (was 193), and the top end of the scale is 179, so she is just within normal limits.
Her phosphorus is a bit low, but the vet isn't overly concerned.
We are very puzzled by this, as she doesn't eat the renal wet anymore (and she mainly eats adult rather than senior), although her dry is a mix of renal and senior. I thought they would have gone up as she does seem to be drinking more but the vet is wondering if her drinking is keeping her kidneys flushed enough. So, she is happier for her to be on Metacam, and unless she shows signs of getting worse, she doesn't want to see her for another 3 months, when we will do repeat bloods.
As there is nothing to indicate why her poos had blood in them and she doens't seem to have done it since Mon, we think it was just one of those things. I am going to monitor her poos though, as apparently MEtacam can cause bleeding in the stomach, which results in dark, tarry stools.
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Sam is having his thyroid levels checked again this morning, hopefully they will have come down again. I haven't checked his mouth since he last went, so the vet can do that, and it looks like he has lost weight to me, but I have been wrong with his weight before, so again, we shall see.
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Hope Sam's vet visit goes well Desley. :hug:
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How did it go?
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Hope all went well?
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Hope everything went well Desley xx
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Hope everything went well Desley xx
Definitely. :hug:
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Not the best vet visit ever - I was right with his weight, he has lost 400g since his last weigh in a month ago - that is the most he has ever lost, and very worrying, as it is nearly half a kilo in a month - I am hoping he is just burning up more calories with being out more, and I just need to increase his food, his heart rate is faster than a month ago, so the vet is concerned that his meds aren't controlling his thyroid well enough, and I can't get Felimazole into him twice a day, so we might have to swap to Vidalta, I just hope he can tolerate it. His mouth was pretty much the same, the vet said it might stay at that level of inflammation, but still doesn't see a need to put him on a/b's ( I suppose cos they are ulcers). I asked what effect his mouth/calici would have on his lifespan, and as long as it stays in his mouth, it shouldn't affect things too much (although I suppose that depends on him being able to cope with an inflamed mouth), but what I didn't know is that calici can affect the internal organs, and that is when it can start affecting things - he doesn't think it is the calici that is causing his high liver enzymes though, but he is having a full blood test rather than just his thyroid levels. Vet is off today and tomorrow, so we wont get the results till Mon.
ETA - forgot something - he came out with blood round his mouth again, despite having had his mouth looked at, so it is looking like the pressure or something from having his bloods taken makes his ulcers bleed - luckily it didn't stop him eating his breakfast, but not good if we are struggling with his meds.
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Fingers crossed for the blood results :hug:
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Thanks - have just opened a bottle of cat milk for him as well, see if we can't boost his weight. Have had to drag him back in for that and his breakfast though, he didn't want to come in from the sunpatch!!
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Fingers crossed for the blood results :hug:
Hear hear :hug:
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Molly hasn't eaten as much this past day or so, and hasn't been as cuddly, so am getting a bit worried about her. Hopefully she is just bored of the FElix flavours, so am going to get her something different today
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WEll, his results weren't great - his thyroid levels are 65, up from 52 (top end of the scale is 60) - so only just hyper-t again, but unfortunatley not enough to cause ravenous hunger, and due to the weather, he wants to be outside all the time and taking hours to eat a meal, so no idea how I am going to get him to put on the weight he lost this month!! We are going to try him on 10mg Vidalta, and I hope he can tolerate it, as he was poorly on Felimazole after 3 weeks. I have done a deal with the vet though, as I dont want him blood tested in 4 weeks unless absolutely necessary - he hates his blood being taken, and the last 2 times he has struggled so much he has made his mouth bleed, and I am concerned that next time might be more severe (as the second time there was more blood than the first), and that it might impact on his eating, so if he has gained weight, heart rate down and I am happy with him, he will leave them. His liver enzymes, cholesterol and wbc were also slightly elevated, but the vet is happy that they aren't serious, and probably hyper-t related.
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Poor Sam, hope that the Vidalta helps xx
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Hugs and vibes for all. U are amazing person and doing u best for all 3
lots of vibes being sent your way from me ollie and Tyler
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He is much more food orientated on these new meds (he is a contrary hyper-t cat in that he isn't that food orientated, I think the Felimazole initially increased his appetite too), I even got him to eat some of his breakfast before going out this morning, and he had 2 pouches plus some biscuits for his tea, so hopefully he will put on some of that much needed weight. New meds are more expensive than old meds though unfortunately.
Molly is eating really well, I split her wet food up, and it seems she is getting her steroids earlier, so trying to eat me out of house and home, but she wont eat certain flavours anymore!!
Not having such a good time with Zia though, she has gone really picky with her eating, although hopefully it is just cos I forgot her Metacam on Thurs (dont know how I only remembered to medicate two cats!!) and she had Friday's late cos she kept running away from me :-( She is sitting on windowsills enjoying some sun so I took her outside with me yesterday, and seeing her outside in the sun highlighted just how thin her back end has gone, and her back is dipping as well - but she is 20 next month with lots of health issues. Tried to give her some different wet this morning and she is hardly touching it, then wasn't interested in her renal dry, so relented and gave her some adult dry with it - first time I have had to do that in 2 weeks, but the phosphorus in that dry isn't much more than her renal (renal is 0.3, the adult is 0.7), so it isn't that bad.
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Good luck with the weight gain.
I have so much respect for you as you are are having such hard time with all 3 being poorly and doing such a fantastic job looking after them
Lots of hugs and vibes
Zoe Ollie and Tyler
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Thanks, it means a lot. I have managed to get Zia to eat some biscuits, so a bit happier, but still not 100% happy with her. I find it odd she is suddenly spending time in the cat room, she has never bothered with going in there.
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Glad that things aren't too bad and they are eating well, I think if Zia will only eat the adult dry with the wet then maybe that's what you'll have to do if she's so thin. Byron is the same and I just have to give her what she'll eat, although luckily she hasn't got any health issues, that we know of.
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Well, after her turning her nose up at 3 different kinds of wet food, I bought her some Feline Fayre tuna and salmon, and she ate 3/4 pouch (might have eaten the rest if I had let her) - unfortunately it isn't complete, so she can't have it all the time, but good to know that she is still enjoying fishy foods (even if the phosphorus level prob isn't great). She has eaten some AGAIL too, so a lot happier about her.
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That's good :)
I don't think I've ever seen Feline Fayre cat food, who sells it?
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Can I have some good vibes for the girls please, both have been sick overnight. Doesn't seem to have affected their appetite much though, and Zi's even eaten some renal wet. Am praying it is just a one off for both of them.
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Hope it is just a one off as you say - its good that they are still eating though :hug:
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Lots of vibes from us here for them all to get better and hoping it was just a bit of a blip.
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Sending all the positive healing vibes I can muster Des....hope this is just a blip! :hug:
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Sending all the positive healing vibes I can muster Des....hope this is just a blip! :hug:
And so say Blip and I :hug: let us know, desley.
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Tons of vibes of their way xx
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Thanks everyone - gave Molly smaller rations for 24 hours, and not seen anymore sick, so it is looking promising - she is back on full rations now, so hopefully will continue.
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:) glad to hear that all is well x
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Got home last night and Sam's mouth was swollen on his bad side, so got him in at the vets at 5 tonight - he had been drooling a lot on that side of his mouth at the weekend, but I opened his mouth enough to check it wasn't smelly and there was no sign of it being swollen on Sun. It doesn't look like an abscess though, but he has stopped drooling, so I am wondering if he has a blocked saliva gland. This will be the first time I get to meet the new vet, so fingers crossed he is OK, and we can start doing a 3 min journey rather than a 20 min journey.
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Poor Sam! best of luck with the vet visit tonight and hope that you like the new vet.
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Hope all went well at the vets - great news that you'll have a shorter journey!
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Well, not the best vet visit, as I suspected it doesn't seem like an abscess. The vet thinks it is suspicious and has mentioned the word I tried not to let into my head - tumour. We have been here before though, so hopefully this vet is wrong on that score, and he just has a lot of inflammation that is confusing the diagnosis - we wont know for certain without a biopsy, and it isn't something I am willing to put him through. There is a chance it is just sort of scar tissue from his ulcers, he has been given a Convenia jab to deal with any infection, and I have to give him Metacam for the next few days, and we are going back on Friday. His weight is pretty much the same, although he has been eating more, so am not happy about that. What I am annoyed about is that he was only at the vets two weeks ago, and I asked about ab's and got told they weren't necessary - if this is just a severe infection, I wonder if it would have happened if I had given them to him after that? It doesn't affect his eating, which is good, but the vet was also concerned his tongue was being pushed to the side, I am hoping that is just cos he was struggling.
He came home, sat in the neighbours with me for a while, had some tea, and then got into a fight and came home with a bloody mouth - rather than let me clean it, he finished off his tea!! He was rather quiet and dopey last night, but hoping that is just the ab's.
Jane, could I e-mail you a pic of his face to show where it is swollen?
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Just posted and lost post!!
Poor Sam :( he does seem quite resilient though bless him. I do hope that the jab helps lots and can understand what you mean about the abs - it does make you wonder.
Yep fine to email the photo Desley :)
eta: Forgot to ask - what did you think to the new vet?
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HE is, you wouldnt think he would be able to eat at all looking at the state of his mouth, but he doesn't let it stop him much - vet said to give him softer things to eat, Sam sulks if he doesn't get his biscuits - when he came into the neighbours house he ignored the bowls of wet food and went straight for the biscuits!! Think its very interesting that 4 different people have looked in his mouth this year, 2 thought tumour, 2 didn't (although when the locum looked in Jan, it might not have been as bad).
New vet seems OK - goes into a lot of detail, and told me things I didn't know, like meds normally give hyper-t cats 3 years before the drug starts to affect their organs (apparently they are hard on the liver), but I would say he was more technical than warm, if you know what I mean? He was very thorough though, and happy to explain things, so will use him for a while, and see how he goes.
Will e-mail the pic at lunch
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If he likes biscuits so much would he eat them moistened or do you think it's the crunch he goes for?
The vet sounds good if he explains things well and maybe the friendliness will come in time once he gets to know you.
Yep send the photo through any time :)
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Never tried wetting his biscuits, he can't crunch anything as he has no teeth, but still enjoys them, so will leave them as they are I think.
That's what I thought Jane, so will take Zi to him rather than the nice owner when she has to go back in 3 months.
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You could try, one of our ferals will just about only eat biscuits but she also loves them wet if it's rained and they get damp and I've not had chance to shelter the dish.
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Poor Sam, hope the vet's wrong about the possible tumour diagnosis. :hug: to you, Desley.
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Lovely photos of Desley's 3 :Luv: :Luv: :Luv:
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Thanks Jane. Tried wetting his biscuits last night and he wasn't overly keen, most went over night though. He much preferred the dry ones I put down this morning!! His face doesn't look as swollen to me this morning, so fingers crossed that is a positive sign and it will look even better when he sees the vet tomorrow, and the vet might think it is just a flare up of his calici (as his eyes have been a bit runnier than normal too). He hates me putting the Metacam straight down his throat though, and Zia is struggling more than normal with it as well. Molly's tum has been a bit upset overnight, so she is on some LactoB this morning, but she is demanding food more than ever, although doesn't look to be gaining any weight.
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I hope that Sam's mouth is improving :) (he has such a lovely face, all lovely photos)
It's good to hear Molly has a good appetite and hope her tum settles.
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Took another pic last night Jane, if you wouldnt mind posting it? I was late home, so had a welcoming committee!!
Thanks, I look at her at times and wonder if the vet got the diagnosis wrong and it is IBS instead (she is worse on certain foods, she loves the FElix Supermeat, but it does tend to go through her), as apart from her tummy feeling a bit bumpy (she hates it being touched), you wouldnt think she was so ill, Mabel had the same cancer and looked a lot worse, and only had weeks after diagnosis.
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No problem :) Yep I can imagine them all waiting!
I hope it is Desley and if you can find things she likes and can tolerate that is great.
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More photos :Luv: :Luv:
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Aw lovely photies :Luv2: :Luv2: :Luv2:
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LOVE that pic in the sun. Bliss! :Luv2:
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They are all lovely :shy: Even though it wasn't the best vet visit ever at least Sam seems to be doing well enough for now. Glad the vet is thorough. Our favourite vet is very brisk, but very thorough, good at explaining things and has a really nice way with animals - now we've got used to her I think she's one of the best vets we've ever had so hopefully yours will turn out to be similar.
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I love those pictures! What are the symptoms of cat IBS? Similar to people? (Wondering if Sages gippy tummy might be that....?)
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What are the symptoms of cat IBS? Similar to people? (Wondering if Sages gippy tummy might be that....?)
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I would imagine cats can have IBS and symptoms could be anything affecting the gut similar to human IBS symptoms
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I think they are similar to human IBS symptoms, although I can definitely feel a lump on Molly's side, so think the vet is right.
We are back off to see the vet tonight, so will have to see what the vet says. He isn't letting anything bother him though (except Ellie, she laid near him last night and he kept flicking his tail, so she thought it was a fantastic game!!).
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Well, I do like my new vet, he is much more relaxed about Sam's hyper-t treatment, he will just let me have tablets without putting Sam through another blood test, and without seeing him again. I have said I will get him weighed a couple of days beforehand just to be on the safe side, but he is happy as long as Sam stays stable, he isn't bothered if he doesn't gain much weight, unlike the other vet, apparently it is better for them to be lean in old age, although I would have thought after losing 400g in a month, some weight gain would be good, as he can't afford to lose more. Unfortunately the main reason for the relaxed attitude is that his hyper-t is a secondary issue at the moment.
His mouth was a lot cleaner, but there is still a growth - I could feel it last night when stroking his chin. IT is slightly affecting his eating, in that he is getting a build up of food in the side of his mouth (got bits of food shook on me three times last night!!). What was worse yesterday though was I got up to bits of blood on the kitchen floor - I had broken one of the cat bowls the night before, so first instinct was I had missed a bit (which I had), until I turned round with the cleaning stuff to find blood splatters up the kitchen wall!! His mouth had obviously bled a bit, so he shook his head and hit the wall - that is the second time his mouth has bled this week, so obviously something is getting worse. I am annoyed at the vet who looked at him 2 weeks ago and said his mouth was fine.
I am a lot more relaxed about it than I was when we first suspected it 7 weeks ago, can't work out why. Other than a/b's and Metacam, there is nothing we can do, as I am not willing to put him through a biopsy (and the vet isn't keen too either, and he isn't the only one, when we first suspected this, I spoke with 2 vets and the vet nurse and none recommended it).
Molly has been incredibly demanding this weekend, bless her - she still looks in good health, apart from her shaved bits that aren't growing back very well.
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The vet sounds good Desley and much like my vet, she doesn't keep testing Pepper, his weight was fine and heart/bp etc and when I asked she said maybe next time. Byron is very slim and my vet always says she keeps a good weight I suppose there's less stress on the joints at that age.
I do hope that poor Sam's mouth improves :hug:
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It is much better than the other vet who wanted him pre-starved so if he didn't like his heart rate or weight he could take bloods.
You wouldnt tell there was anything wrong today (apart from the visual), he has been in a really food demanding mood, even trying to finish Ellies food - ironically, the rescue gave me some Classic for her, and that is what he is trying to eat, despite all these attempts at getting him to eat it - the stuff I had was fishy, and I opened a beef tin last night, so maybe it is the meat that makes the difference, I dont think he is that keen on fish flavoured foods.
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WEll, it is obvious Sam has a growth, you can feel it, but it does feel different now, I think the Metacam is reducing something. He does keep getting food stuck to his mouth, so the worktop/floor/cupboards are full of little bits of food - he obviously wants me to do more housework!! He isn't as tolerant of Ellie these days either. He is being weighed on Mon, and then we can decide whether to keep him on 10mg Vidalta or put him up to 15 - I dont think he has gained much weight, although the vet was happy for him to stay stable.
I took Zi for a Convenia jab yesterday - he wasn't 100% happy to give it to her, as apparently ab's dont always work for gingivitis as it is the bacteria attacking the teeth that is the problem, and ab's normally attack bacteria in the capillaries, anti-inflammatories are much better. The ideal scenario would be a dental, but as she is an 'old dear', there are concerns with the GA. So i have to monitor her, and if it has helped, he will keep doing them, if not, he would prefer not to, as it is one less med for her kidneys to process. He also said that 90% of cats over the age of 12 have some level of arthritis, which I thought was interesting.
He fussed her a lot more than Sam (although could be cos she isn't a limpet like Sam!!), so still like this vet - will see what happens when Mollys steroids run out, whether he will insist on seeing her or not.
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I am not too convinced his weigh in will go well, I wouldnt be surprised if he has dropped a bit more weight, and he really can't afford to. I had to take some more mats out of his fur last night, although he was more co-operative - he obviously isn't grooming himself well, it is over a year since he had his teeth out, so not cos of that. His mouth did bleed slightly again yesterday, so I need to speak to the vet about that, and I am going to ask the vet if we could do a needle biopsy through his chin, as you can feel a definite lump now, I just dont want a biopsy done through his mouth.
The ab jab has stopped Zi's mouth being stinky, but not really done much for her appetite.
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Isn't it awful when struggling to help them, hope that this new vet can come up with some suggestions Desley :hug:
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WEll, not the best visit ever - he has put a bit of weight on, he is 3.47, and was 3.4 at his last weigh in, but better than I thought. The vet didn't see him, but I had spoken to him earlier in the day, he basically said that bleeding wasn't a good sign, and if it continued, I would have to consider letting him go as it would affect his welfare, and he will be at risk of anaemia. I asked about a needle biopsy, and it is an option, but even if it shows it to be a benign growth, it is still inoperable, so we would only benefit from a clinical point of view, it wouldnt affect his treatment. So, I have to work out if it is worth putting him through the stress, and a sedation at the very least, and I am not convinced it is. He did say that radiotherapy has been used with some facial tumours, but it would mean repeated GA's, and I am not willing to do that.
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:hug: :hug: :hug:
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:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
from me too
love
Tab
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:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
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aww poor Sam, keeping positive for him though and sending some hugs for you both :hug:
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:Luv: :Luv: More photos ......
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Thanks for that Jane - my sofa doesn't normally look like that, I was trying to get the covers washed, and Sam dived on while I was doing the other one and didn't have the heart to move him. HIs tum is a bit upset today (although could have been like that for a few days, he rarely uses the tray), and his lump looks a bit bigger.
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Wow, is that black cat Ellie?! Great pictures Desley, sorry the news from the vets wasn't better. :hug:
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Yep, that's Elliebobs. She jumped on my knee of her own accord last night, unfortunately I tried to clip a couple more claws so she didn't stay on for long.
Not having that good a time with Sam, there was some blood stained saliva on my voiles when I got home last night, and he is struggling a bit with his food, plus his tongue is definitely being affected by the growth, it does keep sticking out a bit. He is still his usual affectionate self though, and is still demanding food, but I dont think we will get the summer I had hoped for, it seems to be growing very quickly.
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Sorry to hear the news with Sam isn't better, but I hope he surprises you and has lots of good days ahead of him :hug:
Gorgeous photos by the way :Luv2: :Luv2: :Luv2:
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Thanks - we are going to see the vet again tomorrow and get him to give him another a/b jab, as it is just over 2 weeks since his last one. He is still happy in himself, demanding lots of food, enjoying his cuddles, so while he is still willing to fight, I wont give up on him.
Zi is also worrying me though, she hasnt' been eating much of her tea, but i thought she had just finally twigged that I was hiding meds in it!! She was sick yesterday, and hasnt been as willing to eat her wet food, although she is still eating biscuits. If she is sick again today, I will take her along too tomorrow.
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We had a really bad night last night, Sam came for some cuddles and there was so much blood, I got my neighbour round so we had another pair of hands - she put a cold compress on it, not sure it did much good, as it did bleed again once he ate some treats - it is like hard food is doing it, but that is what he enjoys the most!! It didn't bother him in the slightest though, until we started messing with it, and it looks fine this morning.
I was woken up this morning to Zi being sick, it was brown liquidy stuff, so they are both going to the vets this morning!!
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Good luck at the vets today, Desley. A big hug for you: :cuddle:
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Good luck at the vets
:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
love
Tab
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Thanks - as suspected, vet wasn't very positive, he isn't happy with the blood, as he is concerned that the growth is getting close to his jawbone, and there is a very rich blood supply there, he said if he does get close to that, it will be like an oil rig, and we wont be able to stop the bleeding. He isn't letting it bother him yet though, although he is being a bit picky with his food - my neighbour made him some nice 'chicken soup' and he ignored it, although I have got him to eat some cat food - some foreign stuff the local shop is selling cheaply, it has 60% of something, jsut dont know what!! There has been a slight tinge of blood in his food today, but nothing like last night. He weighs very slightly less than Mon, but it was a different branch, so the scales can be slightly out, so the vet isn't worried, although I am slightly, as he is wanting to eat more, so we will have to monitor his weight. The vet confirmed what I suspected, that he doesn't have long left, but he has had another ab jab and hopefully will calm it down for a couple of weeks.
WAsn't too great with Zi either, there is nothing clinical like a temperature, and her tummy felt fine, so while he is hoping it is just a tummy bug, he wants her back for bloods and a urine sample early next week. Insurance company will love me, they have only just paid out for her last lot of bloods!!
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Tons of hugs for them both :hug:
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I am probably going to have to let Sam go this week, unless the ab jab turns things round - he wants to eat, but can only eat small amounts in one go (and drops food all over, so not sure how much of what he eats gets into him), so I think he is constantly hungry, and not eating enough would be bad enough in a normal cat, but he has hyper-t and raised liver enzymes, so I Want him to go while he still has some quality, rather than leave it till he can't eat at all.
Zi hasn't been sick since, but she hates the Zantac (can't blame her, it is peppermint, and I dont like that either), and runs quicker than when I try and dose her with Metacam, so she isn't getting it twice a day, as I wont be able to get her MEtacam into her then (she did dribble a bit this morning with the Zantac), and then she wont be able to eat!! It has put her off her food a bit this morning, but she ate OK yesterday - she is on treat food today as it is her birthday, not sure tuna white meat and prawns/salmon is quite what hte vet had in mind when he said bland food!! I am going to cook some coley for tea, but not sure she likes it.
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Sorry you are having a bad time with them :hug:
I hope the ABs work for Sam.
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:hug: :hug: :hug: Sending lots of vibes for the ABs give Sam more quality time and for Zia to take her meds like a good girl. Its sooo hard to see them struggling. You are in my thoughts. :hug:
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:( I do hope the abs work Desley :hug:
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WEll, I gave him some Metacam today despite the vet saying no in case that was what was causing the diarrhea, and while he isn't eating loads in one go, he is eating lots of little bits, so feel a bit happier, but will still be booking an appointment for the back end of the week, I can always cancel it if he improves, but I know it is there in case he isn't.
I am only giving Zi Zantac once a day, she hates it and runs away from me quicker than when it is Metacam, so she must be able to smell it - I went into the cat room earlier and she thought I was going to do something and you could see her trying to work out an exit route, I hate seeing her so scared of me approaching her. She hasn't been sick since, and has eaten more food (admittedly it is nice posh food!! She wouldnt touch the coley, so tuna and salmon it was!!), so I am not going to take her back for bloods, it is only 6 weeks since she had them done - she has them done every 3 months rather than the usual 6 cos of being on Metacam, so she is due in another 6 weeks, will see how close to that we can get.
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Sending you lots of hugs and vibes from me Ollie and Tyler :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
I hope things improve for your babies. Spent ages reading the rest of post as not been on for long for a bit as i have had my hands full with Ollie
More vibes on the way :hug: :hug:
Zoe, Ollie, Tyler
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Thanks - we didn't have a good morning, he seemed to want to eat, but only able to eat small amounts and looked a bit miserable, so I have made an appointment for tonight, and when we got home, the voiles/curtain looked like a scene from CSI, so I think I have got the timing right, while he is bright, he isn't eating a lot in one go, and that is 2 bad lots of bleeding in 4 days with bits in between, I dont want to risk him bleeding to death, which could happen if the growth is too close to his jaw. i gave him a slightly higher dose of Metacam last night, so he had a good amount to eat, but this mornign is back to not eating a lot, and he actually stopped purring a couple of times while we were lying on the sofa last night.
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:'( :'( Awww Desley :hug: :hug:
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Thanks - I knew he wouldnt see the age the girls have, with all his health issues, but I never thought I would lose him before the girls. i dont know how Ellie is going to cope.
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Sorry Des :care: It isn't fair :(
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It really isn't, it is one of the worst illnesses I have dealt with, as he is so bright in himself still, even when we were trying to clean the blood from his mouth on Fri all he wanted to do was eat!! I owe it to him to let him go while he does still have some dignity though, I really hoped we could have longer.
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So sorry to hear this about poor Sam :'(
:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
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So sad and such a difficult decision. :hug: :hug: :hug:
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So sorry to hear this sweetie :hug: :hug:
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:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
love
Tab
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Thanks for the thoughts everyone, we have had a tough day, both me and my neighbour have been in tears cos of the kind of cat he is, but even she has admitted he doesn't look himself today, and is slightly uncomfortable, but not enough to make me take him up earlier than his appointment, as I think most of it is the weather. He hasn't been wanting cuddles as much as normal either, so I think I have got the timing just right with him. His mouth has bled a bit again today. I just hope Ellie doesn't pine too much for him.
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:( :hug:
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Aw Desley so so sad.
I cant imagine what you are going through it must be so so hard
Big :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: to you from me Ollie and Tyler :(
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Sorry to hear things are not looking too good.
Life can be very tough at times.
Best wishes,
Tiggerman.
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Thinking of you Desley and hope you're ok xx :hug: :hug:
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:hug: :hug: :hug:
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:care: Sorry things aren't getting better for the old lad, Desley.
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Also sending these :hug: :hug: :hug: for all of you
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Thanks everyone - Sam had his usual reaction at the sight of a needle, so while it was a bit harder, at least he still felt well enough to fight us. The rest of it went peacefully though. When we checked his mouth, the vet said it was about 4 times bigger than when he first saw it, which was only 3 weeks ago, and it was really affecting his jaw, which is why it was bleeding so often, so the vet was right about it being inoperable, and the fact it got so big so soon meant it likely was cancer. He had also lost a bit more weight. While I am still annoyed with the first vet for not picking it up, at least it meant I only had the last 3 weeks knowing he had a growth, and not nearly 3 months. I just can't help thinking we might have been able to buy him another few weeks if he had started ab's and Metacam sooner. The vet was really compassionate afterwards, and even expressed concern about me driving home, which I have never had before, and spent time with me talking through things. I will do a tribute to him soon, he was such a wonderful cat, RIP my little meerkat.
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:hug: :hug:
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Desley, there are never words at a time like this. :care: RIP Sam - what a lovely boy you sounded.
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So very sorry Desley, my thoughts are with you. :hug:
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So very sorry Desley, words cannot express enough :hug: :hug:
RIP Sam
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Thanks everyone. At least Ellie doesn't seem to be pining too much, it is weird cos every mornign for ages she has walked round crying when he goes out in the morning, so I expected her to do something similar, but she has been really playful, not too keen on sitting on my knee though.
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sorry to hear about Sam :hug:
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So sorry to hear about Sam Desley. So so hard
When Ollie was really Ill Tyler used to always be pining, guess they can sence when something wrong
RIP sam and big hugs to you Desley :hug: :hug:
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I'm sorry Desley :hug: :hug: :hug:
RIP Sam, play hard on the Bridge little one xxx
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So sorry to hear about Sam :( :hug:
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So sorry about Sam but you gave him a comfortable happy home and dignity at the end :hug:
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My thoughts are with you, Desley.
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Sorry Des :hug:
You had no choice really and timed it about right - it sounds like he would have suffered if you left it any longer. That is all we can do for them :hug:
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Desley, my thoughts are with you tonight :hug: :hug: :hug:
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So sorry to hear about Sam Desley :hug:
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So sorry about Sam :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
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:'( Desley :hug: :hug:
God bless and RIP sweet Sam xx
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Thanks everyone - I know I got the timing spot on with him, which is a help.
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Im sorry Desley :hug: :hug: :hug:
RIP Sam
Play well at the bridge baby
love
Tab
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:Luv2: :Luv2: :Luv2: Beautiful pictures of dear Sam
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Awwwwwww gorgeous pics of a gorgeous boy :Luv2: :Luv2: :Luv2: :Luv2:
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He looked like the kind of cat you fall in love with instantly.
There is something gentle about his face. :Luv2:
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:Luv2: those pics have brought tears to my eyes. I can see why you were so attached to him Des but as always, you put your own feelings aside and did what was right for him . :hug: :hug:
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He was Mark, everyone on the street loved him, I think my neighbours were secretly glad he was never up for rehoming - there were times I wasn't though, like when he sprayed in teh house cos I wouldnt let him out!!
Thanks Carol, me too!!
Zi has been sick again this morning, a week after she was last sick, I have given her some Zantac, but really reluctant to get anymore, she keeps foaming after I give it to her, and I also dont want to her stop coming near me, as if I can't give her her Metacam, she cant/wont eat. I did notice her fur was looking a bit separated last night too, but she didn't seem dehydrated. The vet wanted to do bloods, but I am reluctant - partly due to selfish reasons, I dont want to know at this moment if her kidneys are getting worse, and partly cos if they are, I am not sure what else we can do - she can't take Fortekor, her dry food is renal (which is the majority of her diet), and she is picky with renal wet. There are only binders in her wet, but she is very picky about her wet food, so I dont want to stop her eating it completely. My only aim when I got her diagnosis was to get her to her birthday, which was last week, so it is ironic she starts being sick more frequently around that time - it is 5 months since her diagnosis though
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Desley i am so sorry :hug: :hug:
RIP beautiful Sam :( :'(
Thinking of you.xx
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He was a handsome man, Desley. :hug:
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Thanks.
Molly had her three month check up this week, it was a locum vet who is very nice, she had put a bit of weight on (although that could be partly due to bloating), and overall he is happy with her, she doesn't need to go back for another three months - I mentioned that I had had another cat with intestinal lymphoma and she went downhill very quickly despite being on a higher dose of steroids and he said that each cat is affected differently, and that they can have a more benign form, which is still serious, but obviously gives them longer, so hopefully that is the case with Molly, as it is 4 months since someone thought her tummy didn't feel right, I only had Mabel for 5 weeks and the rescue hadn't noticed any diarrhea while there, and it took nearly 3 weeks to show here. She is happy in herself and eating well (getting a bit more demanding for food, but then she has always been a very food orientated cat, despite being a small cat).
Zi is getting quite fed up with being syringed Metacam, I am going to give her a few days of it in high fish content food (She got wise to that the other week), and is a bit wary as I have been brushing her lumps out - she is the only cat I know who can get lumps on her head - she is shorthaired!! Her breath is quite stinky again, but the Convenia didn't really help her much, I feel like we are fighting a losing battle with her gingivitis, nothing seems to help, althoguh it can be caused by kidney issues, so maybe that is why. I got her some different food from PAH, she isn't eating loads of it, but still loving her renal dry, although I caught Ellie eating it this morning, so not sure how much of it she has had this week, I have been amazed at the clean bowl, but now suspecting Elllie!!
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Zi was sick again on Fri night, I had already booked her bloods for Tues, so as she hasnt' been sick since, we are going to wait till then. Her fur isn't great these days (rarely see her groom) and she still limps despite being on daily Metacam, so will have to see what the vet says about her
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Awww poor Zi, glad to hear she's enjoying her renal food though and that Molly is doing ok :hug:
I've started to give Byron 1 drop of Metacam a day these last few days because I've noticed her struggling to settle down now although I do think this warm weather affects her joints. She also isn't grooming like she was either and I'm having to pluck her little tufts out - my two sometimes get them on their head too.
Aren't these mouth problems a pain, I hope that the vet visit goes well for Zi :hug:
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Have you not tried any glucosamine supplements? They will be much better for her health wise.
They are, her breath doesn't seem as stinky, but the Convenia didn't really do much - although I didn't expect it too, I haven't had great success with that and sore mouths. Shame I can't get Antirobe into her though
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Won't she take Antirobe in milk?
I have thought of the glucosamine although I thought it was more to prevent from getting worse than improvement, where is the best place to buy?
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I have thought of the glucosamine although I thought it was more to prevent from getting worse than improvement, where is the best place to buy?
Vet uk ;) theres so many to choose from, pick hydrochloride not sulphate as its better for the body to absorb. It helps replace cartiledge and the fluid in the joints but not all arthritis is down to that, tbh if shes struggling that much metacam will keep her most comfy as no joint supplement relieves pain
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Her results are back - I dont have the exact numbers, the vet just said they aren't that much different to last time, except she was just within the normal range last time and she isn't anymore, so she is back in mild renal insufficiency. Her phosphorus was low last time and isn't anymore, so the vet thinks that is good (I'm not too sure, personally). I also got a urine sample, as it makes testing more effective apparently and he was happy with that. I asked him about feeding her the high fish content foods, and he said not to - so she got a full pouch when she got home (well, she had been starved, locked in one room all day and then had bloods taken!). Now I know the results, I am still going to do it one day a week, as it is the only food she will take her Metacam in without noticing, and the only food she will eat a full pouch of. Am not sure whether to do repeat bloods in 3 months (the only reason I do 3 monthly rather than 6 monthly is because of her being on Metacam, and that was what I thought had caused the kidney issues - the vet did say it might have. The irony is that she still limps, but I am reluctant to put her up to the next dose of Metacam, as that is the highest we can go with her weight, and is a lot riskier to her kidneys, especially if she loses weight, as it only has a narrow therapeutic safety margin, so overdose can be seen at small overdose levels). At least things are looking better than they did in December.
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Have had a really bad weekend with Zi - she has been so grumpy that Ellie has been batted round the head numerous times (and most of it for trying to get past her to get to me), her fur near her back legs isn't looking great, just tried to groom her and got bit for my troubles, she is also looking really thin on her back end this weekend. Her walking looks funny from the back (although she is still managing stairs and stuff), but when i gave her last nights Metacam, she moved at the wrong point, and part of it went over my arm, and I didn't want to give her anymore as I didn't know just how much she had had. Am going to ring the vets on Mon and find out just what her blood results and weight was.
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Well, she is now limping more - she isn't on the highest dose, but all her values are high (although not overly so), so am reluctant to increase it - plus once I do, we can't go any higher, so if she continues to limp, there are no options. I think I will have to put a call into the vet and see what he says.
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How does she seem on herself Desley?
I have Byron on just 1 drop a day (only recently started) and she seems so much better in herself but occasionally limps but maybe it's just stiffness and if she is painfree..... what do you/the vet think?
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:hug: :hug: I really hope they can help Zi, Desley.
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Fine in herself - walking about the house more since I lost Sam, jumping on the sofa more. We have a locum this week, who I spoke to, she said that as her kidneys aren't functioning properly, it doesnt matter whether I give her a 1kg dose or 3kg dose. She did suggest splitting it into a 1kg dose in the morning and 1.5 in the evening to see if that helps her limp more before increasing it (that was fun with the syringe, it starts at 2kg!!) - she hates being medicating, but will persevere for 3 days if it will help her limp without going up a dose. She did then say if it continued to bring her back in case there is soemthing else we can try, but we have already tried 6 kinds of supplements and Onsior, not sure what else there is, as I think it is the gingivitis that is worse, she wont eat after 24 hours or so with no Metacam, and her limp wasn't as bad as this week last time i tried to reduce it.
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Wouldn't that be ml or mg? Glad she's ok in herself and maybe the limp is just stiffness so long as the pain isn't there. Byron has just 1 drop on her food. I wonder why she won't eat after Metacam? Byron hasn't stopped since I've put her on it and I'm presuming partly because she's feeling better.
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The syringe goes off their weight, so there is a notch for each kilo - but it starts at 2, cos you shouldnt give it to cats under 2kg. STruggled slightly to get the dosage right, and she doesn't like being pinned down twice, but she didn't seem to be limping as much this morning, so will persevere, cos it is better than increasing it.
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Oh right the weight of the cat :evillaugh:
Yep Schui was allowed 2 drops per day (if need be) but Byron only 1 as she's smaller.
Rather than pin her down won't she take it on food or in liquid? sorry if you've already answered this
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Well, it is time for Zi's three monthly check up and boosters - am fairly sure I am not going to do her boosters, the main reason was because of fostering, but for the first time in 6 years i don't have any fosters. I also dont think I am going to do bloods this time, there is no obvious reason to do them (I was doing 3 monthly rather than 6 monthly because of the daily Metacam, but her results were fine last time). She has started acting differently this past couple of weeks though, she has started to come downstairs more, and asking for her food downstairs rather than wait for me to come up with it, but I have managed to get her to eat some Classic (not that it has made much difference to her mouth yet), and she even sat in the open doorway this morning!! I have had her for 3 years next month, which is amazing for her age, I have had cats half her age that haven't been with me as long!!
I am also taking Buster for a check up too, will post details on his thread.
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Not the best update for Zi - she has lost 200g since her last visit 3 months ago, so I am putting her on monthly weigh ins (as she doesn't mind going to the vets), as I have just increased her Metacam dosage, so need to make sure she isn't getting too close to the dosage (If you know what I mean). Vet was practically useless though, his only suggestion was to change her to an opiad based painkiller (which means splitting tablets than getting tiny parts into her) so we could put her on Fortekor - but I can't pill her, and she doesn't eat enough wet to put it into food. It also wouldnt help her gingivitis - he had no other suggestions for that unfortunately. He did agree with not vaccinating her though. He also agreed with not doing a blood test, as it wouldnt change what we are doing, but she will be getting one in another 3 months, unless her weight continues to go down, in which case it will be a full blood test, not just her kidneys.
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Well, still no good news for Zi, the vet had a proper look in her mouth, and it was worse than I thought, am sure it is worse than when we first discovered the gingivitis nearly a year ago, so Metacam hasn't had that much effect (although it could be worse without it I suppose)- vet is sure it is calici. I got asked about her quality of life, which I think is OK at the moment, although I am now wondering if the recent change in her behaviour is such a good thing. She feels that the weight loss is due to her mouth, so we are keeping her on monthly weigh ins, and she has convinced me to give Antirobe another go, even if it means going straight down her throat, which I have done twice today, but I feel very bad for doing it, as she hates it more than MEtacam. I am going to try mixing it with water tomorrow and syringing it, and doing two in once so she only has two lots of liquid syringed into her. She did agree with me that her mouth is probably going to be the reason I make that decision, rather than her kidneys, although the limp is coming close, as that is no better despite nearly a year on MEtacam - it is like it can't control both, but there doesn't seem to be many options. If she starts really hating the Antirobe, we are pretty much out of options. I never thought she would see her 20th birthday when she was diagnosed with CRF and we kept her on MEtacam, so I know every day is a blessing.
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Awww, poor Zi isn't it awful when you'd do anything to help them. Sending her hugs :hug:
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Yep, but she does seem happy in herself, although she has stopped coming down as much and is in the bathroom instead - but that could be cos the heating is on more and it is the best radiator for sleeping under!!
Molly has been demanding more food this week, hope that isn't a sign that things are getting worse with her too.
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:Luv: Desley's cats enjoying a Sunday morning....
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Wonderful pics hun. :Luv: :Luv: :Luv:
Sending all my love over to them and to you :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Thanks Tan - it's nice to have someone responding to my thread, I have pretty much given up updating this, as no one seems that interested.
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I didn't even see this the other day :shy: work has been really busy so not been on Purrs as much as I'd like :-[
Fab piccies Desley, there's nothing lovlier than seeing flaked out puds on the bed, sooo chilled out and comfy :Luv2: :Luv2:
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You do such a good job with those old codgers, Desley. Lovely pictures. :hug: :hug:
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Desley am so sorry, been that wrapped up with all my own I am guilty of not responding like I used to :hug:. I do try to read posts even if I dont respond.
They all look wonderfully spoilt just as they should, you do sterling work :hug:
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Im getting confused now who's who?
And where is there room for you :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
love
Tab
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Hopefully there will be something in the cornucopia of renal food winging its way that will appeal to their appetites :)
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There are 3 cats in the bottom picture - Molly is up at the top, where the heated bed, toys and food is (she isn't daft!!), Zi's the tortie on the bottom right (who unfortunately had just woken up), Buster is the white and black. I wanted to climb into bed with them, but there wasn't much room!! The girls have been a bit more tolerant of him coming on the bed this weekend which is nice. Zi is very grumpy towards him 90% of the time though, she followed me and him into the kitchen this morning for a second breakfast, they were both stood near his bowl and he got whacked round the head for trying to eat it!!
Fingers crossed Mark!!
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Well, Zi had her weigh in on Tues, she has gone from 3.21 to 3.55, which is good, I expected it to be the other way - must be those Temptations!! Unfortunately she had a bad day yesterday, and she didn't eat that much until about 8.40pm, when she ate a decent amount of dry food - she has barely touched her food again this morning, even though i have stopped the renal wet. I am just taking every day as it comes now with her, I know she wont see Christmas.
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:hug: :hug: I am sure you will see she gets her Christmas everyday :hug:
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Thanks T. We have had a good couple of days eating wise but now back to not wanting to eat much, I thought it was connected with the Metacam, as she tends to eat more a couple of hours after it, but she was the opposite yesterday morning. Her breathing is also completely different to the other twos, it is a lot more noticable and fast, so I dont think that is a good sign.
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*hug* I hope its just a little bad patch
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:hug: Hope she bounces back.
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Poor Zi, I hope that she proved you wrong Desley.
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She ate quite a few biscuits last night, this morning she followed me downstairs, but I didn't want to feed her downstairs as Buster will just pinch the lot while I am not there to supervise, and she hasn't come back upstairs to eat yet.
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Not had a good couple of days with her, last night was the first time in a few days she actually came to bed with me, she has been staying downstairs, which I dont like as she can't have any food It doesn't look like I have mentioned this, but she has been walking funny for a few weeks - she seems to be walking on the bit between her paw and knee/elbow, like it is too painful to put all her weight on her paw, although that seems to be getting better now. She pinched Molly's food last night and it got stuck, so she started pawing at her mouth - it made me remember one of my fosters who did that, and it was his teeth that were the problem. I have tried to check her mouth this morning, some parts are quite red, and very smelly. She is definitely playing on things this morning - she licked her wet food and then turned her nose up, didn't even look at the dry food, but has eaten 2 temptations and when I put the dry food under her nose she has tucked in - she has now just had some wet without it getting stuck, so maybe it was just cos I dont mush Molly's food up as much. I am really not sure how much more to put her through.
Have changed Molly's steroids to the morning cos of Buster, and it seems to be doing her some good, she does seem a bit brighter, although her tum doesn't feel good, but she is still her happy, demanding self, had a play yesterday, eating well, poos are a bit hit and miss, but then she has always had constipation issues, but daily Lactulose makes her really loose. She is due a check up on the 23rd, as she hasn't seen the vet for 6 months.
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:hug: Can't the vet give her some ABs for her mouth? - I know how painful it can be. Poor Zi :(
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Oh no, poor Zi. :hug: :hug:
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:hug: for Zi :hug:
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:hug: for you and a gentle :care: for Zi
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Well, we had a better night, she ate quite a bit, and has eaten this morning (once i put it on the bed in front of her of course!!).
Mark, AB's are tricky, as Convenia does nothing for her mouth, and I can only get Antirobe into her by using the 'down the hatch' method, which is hard on both of us, especially when that is the way I get Metacam into her too, so 3 lots of things being forced down her throat a day, and she was being more awkward than usual with her Metacam last night. I did check my diary though, and it is only 5 weeks since she had the last course of ab's, so they arent lasting that long (although it was a 7 day course rather than the 10 days the vet wanted her to have)
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I know how hard it is to pill some cats - Willow was a nightmare. I wonder if there is something that kills bacteria that can be used on cats.
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Dont know Mark, I just know my vet is out of options with Zi, because of the conflict between her health issues. She has done better since I posted though, I got her some of the new HiLife pots, and she had a full fish one - I know that she shouldnt have fish, and esp not dark fish, but she really enjoyed it, and I got to hide her Metacam in it, so she didn't have to be syringed last night, which I am sure makes her feel better.
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Don't know if you have tried Metacam on Tuna in brine - we can even get out suspicious ferals to take it that way
I am tableting Sweetie and also giving her insulin twice a day she has mouth issues to but have't gone the antibiotic route yet but hopefully can get them in to her when needs must
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I had a really good few months of getting her to eat it in HiLife tuna, but then she twigged what I was doign and will no longer touch it - the vet told me to limit fish cos of her kidneys, and apparently the darker the fish, the worse it is for their kidneys, and I dont buy tuna in brine, it is the worst kind of tuna to feed.
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have to say needs must when the ferals need something as they are freaked by the vet and so distrusting but a saucer of tuna works so we do use it when we have to
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Sunflower oil or springwater is much better though Liz, I dont even buy it in brine for myself anymore.
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She is having a check up tonight, she hasn't seen the vet for 6 months, as the vet has just been prescribing her steroids without seeing her (she has intestinal lymphoma). I think she has lost some weight, but she is still her usual grumpy self, although she has been slightly hungrier this week (but then so have I due to the weather) - she even came into the kitchen this morning cos I got up late, can't remember the last time she willingly came downstairs!! Will be interesting to see what the vet thinks of her, as she is the only one of mine he hasn't met yet!!
Zi is going to be weighed tonight as well, have had a bit of a worrying week again with her, she keeps going off her food, and she can't lose too much or we are risking a Metacam overdose. I might start doing a food diary of her to see just how much she is eating.
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Best of luck at the vets tonight, hope all goes well :hug:
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Am topping up the good luck wishes for the vet visit today, Desley. :hug:
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also sending good vibes and healing hugs and be thinking of yous :hug:
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Thanks everyone. Molly's weight is still the same as it was 6 months ago, which is good, her tum feels bloated, but that is to be expected. Heart, eyes and mouth seemed fine (she does have slightly smelly breath, but vet said they were fairly good, with her age). She was acting odd yesterday though, she kept coming downstairs, which is out of character for Molly, she hasn't done it for a couple of years, but it was odd in a nice way, i had all my animals downstairs.
Zi's weight is pretty much the same too, which is odd as she feels a lot bonier to me. She has just started paing at her mouth after food again though, so not sure I will have a lot of time before making a decision.
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Glad to hear that the weights are stable, hope that Molly is comfortable and Zi's mouth isn't too sore though. Sending snuggles to both :hug: :hug: