Time for a change?

[SuzynCora]

Sadly, I got madam some likki-lix.  She hated it.
At the moment, it's pill pockets and chicken skin from a roast chicken also works.
The pill pockets cost a fortune, but I can break them up, and can coat 4 pills with one pocket that way.
Because Cora is so tiny, she has to really chomp anything big, so I can't hide the pills in a whole pocket.

[funkiechicken]

Glad you have found more accommodating vets! 

Just regards to pills - can they be crushed and disguised in likki-lix?? My cats love it!

I tried to give Tazi a worming pill as a kitten. Half an hour later, me hairyier than he was and a soggy pill on the floor, we looked at each other with mutual exhausted defeat, established the blood was mine and me and Taz agreed never speak of it again...He had to be wormed by the vet all his life....so share your frustration!
But Likki-lix is the pill diguiser of my choice for nuggie & Peanut.

Good luck! x

[SuzynCora]

Little love isn't she?
Well, we've done it.  New vet appointed, first visit last night, back for bloods tomorrow.
The new one seems to be run totally by cat-loving women, so I'm feeling hopeful.
Cora gave me a bad scare last night though, side effects from a diuretic jab I think, but she's OK again now.
We're going to try pill pockets for the tablets, she's sussed all the treats.   

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

So pleased the chat went well and Cora and the curry 

[HelenD]

ROfL re the curried chicken theft! Bless her! :D sounds like she's doing ok if she's nicking your dinner lol!

Perhaps you could try a regular rotation of treats that work every week or so, so you can switch tactic if needed?

Glad it went well though & hope they explained it all ok

[SuzynCora]

Hi.
The chat with the specialist went very well, my suspicions are correct, vet not paying attention.
Cora seems well today, but hasn't had any meds yet. 
She has been up on the kitchen worktop whilst I was at work and stolen a curried chicken breast, AND eaten most of it. 
She hasn't been sick that I've seen yet, but she has drunk loads of water, I just hope that was because of the curry.
Re the pill times, I do split them, and I've done everything, hidden them in treats, bits of 'nice' meat, meals and so on.  She's very bright, and once she finds a pill, she won't eat that particular thing again for weeks.  She hates prawns, so they are not an option.  I will try the Webbox, although they are similar to the Nature's Menu, which she will eat occasionally, and the Catsticks, which she won't touch.
Maybe I just need to hide them in a curry........ 

[HelenD]

Hi Suzy

Hmm oh dear, well I hope your chat with the specialist goes ok today. It sounds like maybe your vet just needs to explain their reasonings to you a bit more perhaps?

As far as I know, vit K is given when a cat has liver/digetive issues with affect its absorbtion from normal food, giving a booster helps the cat keep a healthy level?

Hopefully the specialist will explain about the Convenia too. When we were on Noroclav (told it was preventative to stop her getting anything nasty while everything was inflamed) I asked if we could have a jab instead - Schmoo hated the Noroclav pills and was getting stressed & sick with them - but our vets said Convenia wasnt as efffective for 'internal' issues like this which was why they said Noroclav was better. We eventually had to stop the Noroclav and keep our fingers crossed, but this may be why your vets havent tried it?

As for pilling - I completely know what you mean! We've gone through months of ups & downs doing this and I know how bad a bad day can be!! Theres no explaining to a cat why its important that they have their medicine 

We now split her pill times so its not all at once, and go with the 'hiding in food' trick. At the moment we give her the Vidalta & Destolit before breakfast, squished into pieces of poached chicken, and then in the evenings she gets the Hepatosyl in more chicken before dinner. Its bloomin' frustaring I know, but I think again its trial and error to find what works for Cora - we used to use cooked prawns (bit slippy though and the pills sometimes dropped out) or a tiny bit of cream cheese (stopped that when they diagnosed the sensitive tum) but so far (fingers crossed) the chicken works everytime!

 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Convenia is now a standard drug and brilliant if used for the right thing but it doesnt work for everything. Have no idea purrrrrsonally what vitamin K does.

I think talking to the specialist is a very good idea cos he must have some sort of reasoning behind what he has recommended and being a specialist will know more than your vet.

I gave Napoleon a convenia jab to save him the need to go to the vets but was used to giving him jabs and he could not be pilled at all.

If Cora would take pills hidden as Gillian suggests that would be great cos the stress of having to pill her will not help her heart and stress levels

[Gillian Harvey]

I think I'd agree with your vet, if she doesnt have an infection not sure why the Convenia antibiotic was suggested?

Will she eat those Webbox treat sticks? if so you could try putting her tablets in them, thats what I used to do with Sam, he had HCM and had to have a diuretic tab in the morning and fortekor in the evening, he never knew he was being pilled, just thought it was a treat twice a day lol! I do the same with Harry now - he has a tablet every day for high blood pressure - he actually tries to snatch the Webbox from with with the pill in it 

[SuzynCora]

Well, I got copy of the specialists report.  Looks like Cora was in a bit of a mess the first time I took her there.
The heart problem only showed up on the 3rd visit, and I'm sure stress had something to do with it.
We had a bad scare last night about her breathing rate, but it's all settled down.  Then we had a bad fight over tablets this morning, it's a nightmare trying to pill her, and now I'm worried about her stress levels again, as well as mine. 
It sounds awful, but I feel like giving up.
The other thing concerning me is the specialist has recommended injections of Convenia and vitamin K, but the vet didn't tell me about the vitamin K, and said she doesn't need the Convenia, if she picks anything up, we'll just treat it.  Apart from that, apparently the convenia is very expensive to buy in, so they don't stock it.  I thought it was a standard drug most vets used.  I don't want to be in and out of the vets getting her jabbed every couple of weeks because of the stress, but also don't want to neglect her health.
Going to speak to the specialist tomorrow.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

I would agree not to stress her too much and I remember my vet in London saying dont bring Kocka through the door if you can help it and she didnt have a heart problem but hated vets.

Hopefully the duritic will solve the fluid problem 

[SuzynCora]

Thank you all. 
I have asked for a copy of the report, they said no problem, so I'll have a look at what's in it, and then see where we are.
At the moment, Cora seems quite well, and is eating and pottering about.  She's definitely gained weight, which is good.
I'm reluctant to stress her out too much with vet visits because of her heart, so I'll do a lot of investigating before I leap.

Gillian,  she is being treated for the digestive problem and the thyroid, and has a mild diuretic to get rid of excess fluid from the heart problem,
as we had to make a choice between treating her heart and treating her thryoid.  I opted for the thyroid as it can affect the heart if the Hyper-T is too high.  All of the treatments she is on at the moment are from the specialist.
Apparently, removing the thyroid is no longer an option, as the operation could kill her, although you'd never think it to look at her.

One thing that does worry me is that she seemed fine until they tested what the receipt calls "free body fluids".  Over the weekend following the test, she started to  bloat around her middle, but it just looked like a stuffed tummy, and she was eating loads, so I put it down to food.
Apparently, it was fluid due to the heart condition, which I didn't know she had.  Now I'm wondering if the tests were just too much stress for her, or if something happened with the fluid aspiration.

[Gillian Harvey]

Is she being treated for the thyroid and heart problems?

I know you've already changed vets, but maybe you need to think about changing again, to one who will take some notice of the specialists recommendations. 

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Ist I would demand a copy of the specialist report from your vet as you have paid for it............if they refuse you then write to them asking for copies of all of Coras notes including the report and site the Freedom of Information Act and Data Protection Act..............you are entitled as the owner of Cora to this information.

2nd you need to do a reccy of vets you can get to and find one who will treat Cora properly and also you.

If possible it should be a small animal only vet and have 24/7 cover. although the later is more usual if they also treat farm animals as 24/7 cover is mandatory in the latter. But they should have a small animal vet specialist and may be worth interveiwing the vet when you have Coras notes /specialist report to see if you are happy with the vet on a one to one basis and how they would see treatment of Cora if they were to take on her treatment.

[Liz]

I must have wonderful vets who treat my ferals where possible like normal cats and we have had a few who we take in crush cages for that reason vets can get a look but cat can be criushed to be knocked out

In this case perhaps a new vet may have fresh eyes but thinking of Cora is it fair to traipse her all over the place and find another vet who won't do much

I think you should visit the local vets yourself and ask to speak to a vet and explain what is going on with Cora ask current vet for a print out of all her treatments to date and ask what they could do before jumping with both feet

We are lucky to have all the cats records on paper and on CD from our last vets and the current ones and each has a section in a folder as well as more mundane stuff on me trusty spreadsheet

I wish you well in whatever decison you make for Cora

[snarf]

i think id be after a 2nd opinion, if only for peace of mind. If Cora has been through a lot she may appreciate a new face 

[SuzynCora]

I'd like to know what others think about this.
My furbabe Cora is 16, had had a liver and thyroid problem for about 15 months. She is difficult to handle, and can be quite nasty when she's in the vets, but she's a love at home.
We had to change vets in the middle of last year,  for a number of reasons, but I don't think the new vet is paying attention to what's going on with Cora.
I've had occasions where I've taken her in early morning as she was throwing up and not eating and I had to get to work (time off for vets visits is a sensitive subjact with my boss), and they have kept her in, persuaded her to eat, then the vet has let her out next day without checking her over.  Apparently, Cora doesn't like this particular vet.
 >:(A few weeks ago, I asked for a referral to a specialist, which they did, but Cora became ill before the specialist appointment, and they said they'd
"treat her on this occasion," which involved giving her a low dose anti-inflammatory tablet and an antibiotic tablet.  I went back a couple of days later, Cora hadn't eaten fpr 4 days although she was drinking,  but the vet was very patronising, and tried to talk me put of going in because "Cora gets stressed travelling,"  and said they wouldn't want to put her on a drip  because she's difficult, and they don't want the nurses getting scratched.
 By the time we saw the specialist, Cora had to be hospitalised, and was on a drip for 48 hours.
Now we have the specialists report. 
Cora has a digestive problem, is hyper-thyroid, and they've found a heart condition - early stages, but found just in time.  I haven't seen the report, but the vet has told me that we need to reduce the dose of anti-inflammtory tablet, but left it to me how soon I do it, and has actually said to me that they don't want to give her the antibiotic jab the specialist has recommended, because Cora may develop a resistance to it (or the bacteria will), and the antibiotic itself is one they don't stock because it is so expensive.  I've agreed because she has taken so much in the past 15 months, but I'm not so sure that I made the right decision, and now I'm questioning what else they might be leaving out.
It sounds to me like they just don't want to treat her, although they are insisting that they don't have any issues with treating her.