2/12 Six's AMPS 202, PMPS 389 - vet update

Happy Friday LL

No condo yesterday due to conferences/too much to do.

Yesterday's Numbers
AMPS 367
+2 355
PMPS 237
+3 167

WCR: Going to see if I can get him into the vets soon (tonight if possible). I just have this feeling something is off. It's difficult to assess Six because he is a recent move-in. Is he less active or is this how he is because he's not into the other cats and there's loads of snow on the ground so I won't even let him out for 5 minutes? Inside or out, he's always been a very chill cat. My concerns are - he seems less active this past week, not sure he is pooing regularly (multi-cat household) and he coughed this morning before breakfast (related to his heart murmur or just a hairball?). This really could just be me worrying too much and still not knowing him well enough as an inside cat.

 

Re: 2/12 Six's AMPS 202

Hi Amy

hope it's nothing serious, please keep us posted on that.
will be thinking of u guys!

 

Re: 2/12 Six's AMPS 202

I hope it is nothing, but I know what you mean about the worrying. I do that and many times I am right and we usually catch whatever it is before it gets out of control. Hopefully it will just be you worrying too much, which isn't always a bad thing either.

 

Re: 2/12 Six's AMPS 202

Off to the vets now...fingers crossed I'm just worrying too much.

 

Six Update
AMPS 202
+1 223
+10 348
PMPS 389 (at vets)

Just back from the vet. Six was a very good boy and deserves lots of treats tonight. He even ate and got his shot at the vet. I remember reading someone's condo about going to the vet around shot time and to bring everything so the schedule doesn't get screwed up. Thanks FDMB. I’m giving him his space right now because I had to throw him in the tub when we got back from the vet because of a dirty butt. Baby wipes weren’t doing the trick.

Poo – all systems seem in working order. Everything felt good to the vet. She did a rectal and he had a magical poo immediately.

Respiratory system – he sounded congested. X-Ray came back negative for fluids in his lungs or around his heart.

Blood work – a few concerns, slightly elevated liver and pancreas numbers.
ALT 49
ALKP 31
LIPA 1992

Sent out blood work for specific CPL. I am aware this is to check for pancreatitis, but that’s about all I know. I obviously have some reading to do this weekend. Results should be in by Monday.

Current Treatment

Continue Atenolol (for heart condition)
Azithromycin – antibiotic for possible upper respiratory infection
Zentonil – a nutritional supplement (milk thistle) for cats with liver problems

* We discussed possible anti-inflammatory treatment for pancreatitis depending on the results of the CPL. My vet knows I will not use metacam. So I need to do some research in terms of what anti-inflammatory are a good options (if any).

Any thoughts are welcomed. Has anyone used Zentonil with their kitty?

 

Just payin' a visit to the sweet Six's condo...and saying hi. Hang in there, Amy...I like that there is no fluid around the heart/lungs; that's really good. I don't know what the normal cat values are for the rest of the labs, but atenolol is a decent med for humans (didn't know it was used in cats), and if it's working, it's a good thing. And also in humans, milk thistle is a wonderful herbal support for liver functions...I told a friend who was taking a lot of vicodin for a serious injury to use a milk thistle supplement, and his liver values came down nicely (vicodin has tylenol in it...very hard on the liver).

Hugs to you...

Best-
Michele

 

Excellent info Michelle! It's nice to have confirmation even if it's human confirmation. My vet said the same thing (but for cats)...but I'm not very aware of good herbs for the liver. I am very fortunate that she likes to practice in traditional vet practices and likes to explore alternatives too. The thistle has to be given on an empty stomach so that might be tricky cause his belly is always full! :lol:

In Six news...he's actually doing better since coming home. He's hungry and has poo'ed A LOT. Just seems generally more attentive. He's also grooming himself thanks to the mini-bath he had.

 

(((Amy))) (((Six))) thinking of you both.... I pray for all of us everyday... will say extra prayers for you & Six.
You are such a good momma & am thankful Six has you!

Which reminds me of a bumper sticker I once saw...

Had a paw print on it & said... who saved who?

 

Hi Amy
I saw the vet not in your post and I wanted to stop by and see how Six is.
I hope he feels better and that you get back good results from the tests.

I see that you are talking about supporting liver functions.
Have you ever heard of denosyl - also known as sam-e?
I have had Max on it a few times when he had fatty liver and it worked very well.
I don't know what other issues there are but we were very pleased with the results.
In Oct Max's liver enzymes were triple what they should be and then everything got back to normal.
Sending feel better vines for Six.

 

Hi Amy
I saw the vet not in your post and I wanted to stop by and see how Six is.
I hope he feels better and that you get back good results from the tests.

I see that you are talking about supporting liver functions.
Have you ever heard of denosyl - also known as sam-e?
I have had Max on it a few times when he had fatty liver and it worked very well.
I don't know what other issues there are but we were very pleased with the results.
In Oct Max's liver enzymes were triple what they should be and then everything got back to normal.
Sending feel better vines for Six.

 

Wonderful! My vet asked if I had heard of sam-e. I said no. She then asked milk thistle. That I knew...I think they are the same thing. Can anyone confirm? Great to know it worked on Max!!!!!

 

Sounds like Six is feeling better w/o the poo, maybe he will perk up now!

 

Glad vet is treating Six well, and you have great instinct with Six, you knew something was off..Hope he feels better soon!
I have seen people here give their cats the sam-e. Hope it works for you. And great magical Poo too!!

 

SAM-e is supposed to relieve s/s of depression in humans, but is also used as a liver supporter. I don't know how it works, and I know it's not very effective in relieving depression in chemically imbalanced people, and have never seen it work for anyone with liver issues, but then again, I don't know a lot about it, and it's a fairly popular supplement for humans.

What I'm wondering is, if Six has a liver dysfunction, as the liver plays such a huge role in diabetes...if you could identify a problem with the liver, and get it handled, if Six's numbers would come down just because of that? I honestly think that we give the liver short shrift in so many illnesses...it's the main organ of purification in the body, one of the largest organs of the body, and so many things are dependent on the liver...I just wonder about that sometimes.

I was actually thinking about that with Esse earlier today...what sort of liver supplement I could give her (and what I could take for myself...) that would support liver health and function. I may have to go get some milk thistle myself. LOL.

What dose will Six be on?

Best-
Michele

 

Quick question.. & I do not mean to hijack your thread.. but I see everyone commenting on the liver.. what about the pancreas numbers? What can we do for those? Baby was in the 1600s

 

Zentonil 100 (S-Adenosylmethionine)
1 tablet by mouth every 24 hours

* 30 enteric coated tablets in blister packs. Cannot be cut or crushed according to the package.

Haven't done my research on this brand yet...wondering if it's just plain milk thistle made to seem like a med. Looks very official in the package.

 

Sam-E and milk thistle are not at all the same.
While I know little of the first, I can comment on the latter.

Milk thistle is good for anyone to take on a regular basis, except for those who are on some medications which may be not as helpful if taken with milk thistle.

Just about everything you ingest cycles through your liver; it's bascially the body's workhorse in all the functions it has. All the foods and things like OTC meds all clutter up your liver. Your liver gets clogged with all sorts of toxins and you need to call in the Roto Rooter man to clean it out and get it working again. Or you can take milk thistle. I think of milk thistle for the liver like Draino for the toilet. It does a liver good.

So milk thistle would be awesome for his liver, but I can't comment on the Sam-E.

It's good to hear decent results from the vet visit.

 

amy, it might be a good idea to post your questions about sam-e and milk thistle on Health. i know there a lot of peeps who have used both with their kitties.
glad you had six checked out today....

 

It sounds like Six is feeling better. I hope he's back to normal by tomorrow.

 

Everyone else has politely skipped over the put-him-in-the-tub comment... :lol: We had one or two occasions to, shall we say, enhance Kitty's rear grooming, and a damp warm paper towel did it for us.

I'll just delicately say that I hope you got that worked out to your satisfaction (and his).

You are such a good mama bean. I hope Six feels better tomorrow.