Vibes needed please - all 3 poorly - RIP Sam :(

[Desley (booktigger)]

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.

[puggy1975 Zoe]

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

[Janeyk]

Poor Sam, hope that the Vidalta helps xx

[Desley (booktigger)]

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.

[Desley (booktigger)]

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

[clarenmax]

Fingers crossed for the blood results 

Hear hear 

[Desley (booktigger)]

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!!

[CarolM (Wendolene)]

Fingers crossed for the blood results 

[Desley (booktigger)]

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.

[JackSpratt]

Hope everything went well Desley xx

Definitely.

[Janeyk]

Hope everything went well Desley xx

[clarenmax]

Hope all went well?

[Christine (Blip)]

How did it go?

[CarolM (Wendolene)]

Hope Sam's vet visit goes well Desley. 

[Desley (booktigger)]

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.

[Desley (booktigger)]

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.

[Janeyk]

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.

[Desley (booktigger)]

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.

[clarenmax]

she definitely does sound to be happy in herself if she's playing with her catnip toy and that's what matters 

Hear hear 

[Janeyk]

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 

[Desley (booktigger)]

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.

[Desley (booktigger)]

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.

[tab]

Im glad you got in to see Arthur  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.
 
love
Tab

[Janeyk]

Aww bless him, he does sound as if he loves his food 

Hope that the cream works well on his eye xx

[Desley (booktigger)]

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.

[Desley (booktigger)]

:-)

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?

[CarolM (Wendolene)]

All I got from my vet when I went through a phase of frequent (expensive) visits a few years ago was a Christmas card.    Glad Molly is doing well Desley and fingers crossed for Zia and Sam.

[Christine (Blip)]

It is promising, Desley.  If not shares, then I think your vet might at least offer you a loyalty bonus!

[Janeyk]

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.

[Desley (booktigger)]

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!'.

[Janeyk]

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

[Desley (booktigger)]

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!!

[Janeyk]

ah, yes I remember now! mm it can be difficult to tell. 

[Desley (booktigger)]

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.

[Janeyk]

Glad hear Molly is eating well    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  hope that his eye is ok, how old is he Desley?

[Desley (booktigger)]

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.

[Millys Mum]

Hows everyone doing?

[Desley (booktigger)]

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.

[bunglycat]

Fabulous news 

[Millys Mum]

Yay