2/10 Poncho updates

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I'm sorry he's not doing well. Do you think you should take him back to the vet?

I posted his avatar. If you want me to edit it so I zoom in on him, I can. It would crop Remington out, though. Up to you.

Many vines for Poncho. Just remember it can take months for them to turn the corner from pancreatitis.
 
Thanks. Poncho would want Remington in the pic (and me too) so it's good. Right now I'm trying to make sure he has enough food in him as we approach +6-8hrs. He hasn't ever resisted this much with force feeding. Very stressful! He has a vet appt. in the morning. I need to get the anti nausea meds!
 
Maybe its the food aversion from force feeding and you need to use a different high cal food. Maybe Max Cat?
 
I'll pick some of that up. I think we're safe now re hypo or is it 8 hrs. I can't leave until I know for sure. 191BG @ +7 , down from 194 @+5 Relion
 
Those are within 20% of each other, so essentially the same. He's probably ready to start coming up again. Wait until you're convinced, though. I'm not sure if the Max Cat is a prescription food or not.

It isn't. I thought there was a specific formula that was high cal.

I'm wondering if shifting to something slightly lower might improve his appetite; could others chime in?
 
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christoph said:
Thanks. Poncho would want Remington in the pic (and me too) so it's good. Right now I'm trying to make sure he has enough food in him as we approach +6-8hrs. He hasn't ever resisted this much with force feeding. Very stressful! He has a vet appt. in the morning. I need to get the anti nausea meds!
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YES! Beg for both cerenia which the vet should have and a script for ondansetron which you can get at a human pharmacy. I get it from Costco. Is there one near you? If not look on Good RX for the best prices near you. It can also be purchased on line from thrivingpets.com, healthwarehouse.com and other places. I buy at least 30 at a time because the price goes down the more you get and you can use it yourself if you ever get nauseous.
 
I've asked the new vet twice and she said he's fine with what she's giving him....mirtazapine.....her way or the highway. I'm going to try another vet I know if I can reach him or the one across the state I used for 20 yrs
 
I second what Elise said above. The anti-nausea meds make such a difference with pancreatitis. The appy stimulant on its own just isn't enough.

FWIW, Saoirse was frighteningly lethargic at times when her pancreatitis flare was at its worst last year.

Praying for you and your adorable little Poncho. (He has the loveliest little face. :) )

(((Chris and Poncho)))
 
Thank you Critter Mom. Poncho is a gentle, super sweet cat.....always let the other cats steal his food..
 
Could he be fighting you because he is feeling stronger. Remi tolerated me feeding him when he was sick but as he felt stronger he fought me much more.

If I had a choice I would swap the appetite stimulant for the anti nausea. Could you ask to do that perhaps. Say that he is still struggling to eat and want to try another medication?
 
Since I'll be at the vet in the morning I'll ask her again, that I need to try another angle and this is the desired one and if she says no there are 2 other vets to ask. I should make the 250 mile trip to my old vet if I can't get it from the mobile vet. He was making progress until the hypo.
 
Maybe your old vet would fax a script to one of the pharmacies for you. Max is in his second week of ondansetron since this current bout of pancreatitis. I thought he was ready to stop it but his appy tanked.
 
I'll call him if i can't get the other two to prescribe it. I'm considering taking Poncho to my old vet....250 miles. I know I can trust him....
 
Ok....I pressed the issue and the vet gave me the Ondansetron....1/2 of a 4 mg tab every 12hrs.....enough for 5 days so I guess this is a trial. Poncho got his 1st dose @noon. She said he should stay on the Hills AD rather than something like Friskies (for eating on his own) because it's has superior nutrition and digestability...I read most of the prescription can food was really no better than OTC. She also is doubtful if there is a need for the pain meds, but left that up to me. She also upped his fluids to 75ml from 50ml. We'll see how he eats tonight. Keep fingers and paws crossed.....thanks Critter Mom
 
If he'll eat the A/D on his own, that'd be fine for now. It is high calorie and moderate carb.
 
BJM said:
If he'll eat the A/D on his own, that'd be fine for now. It is high calorie and moderate carb.
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AD is what I have been force feeding him....developed an aversion to it I think so I don't see him voluntarily eating it. I got some Friskies Mixed Grill he seems to like to eat on his own, but I think I need a blender to make it more liquid-like since he licks wet food instead of biting it.
 
I've found with Rosa that she likes any of the pate type foods to have quite a lot of water mixed in (I just mix it with a spoon, I don't blend it) so it's more like a soup or gravy consistency. She's seems to prefer to just be able to lick the food up too. I also find if she doesn't seem sure about a new flavor, that offering a bit on a spoon will often get her to taste it and decide it's OK where if it's just put in the bowl, she might not bother with it too much. Either of both of those might be worth a try to get him more interested in eating on his own.
 
manxcat419 said:
I've found with Rosa that she likes any of the pate type foods to have quite a lot of water mixed in (I just mix it with a spoon, I don't blend it) so it's more like a soup or gravy consistency. She's seems to prefer to just be able to lick the food up too. I also find if she doesn't seem sure about a new flavor, that offering a bit on a spoon will often get her to taste it and decide it's OK where if it's just put in the bowl, she might not bother with it too much. Either of both of those might be worth a try to get him more interested in eating on his own.
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Thanks. Poncho has been mostly a dry food eater and I usually gave him a little wet food in a separate dish. He'd always just lick the food's juices and leave dehydrated remains.....funny cat.
 
Rosa was always a dry food eater too - it hasn't been all that easy to switch her over. The only wet food she ever ate was the 'in gravy' type which of course is too high in carbs now. And then, like Poncho she'd mostly eat the gravy and leave the meat to dry up. It does sound as though they have similar food preferences! I think that's why she'll eat the pate mixed with water - I don't think she can tell the difference between that and gravy. Though she does still leave the last bit of the food at the bottom of the bowl because that's always a bit more solid after she's licked up all the wettest parts of the food with the most water in them.
 
You might be able to get away with 1/4 of a 4 mg ondansetron tablet twice a day. Try the 1/2 for now but amd perhaps tomorrow but after that may go for the quarter and see if it is enough. That way the tablets will last longer..

Hope it does the job.
 
Hi Chris,

I'm so pleased to hear you got the ondansetron Rx! Keeping fingers and paws crossed that it will help Poncho. BTW, it took a few days for it to really start helping Saoirse so if it doesn't make much of a difference at first, please don't lose heart. :)

Sending more scritches for Poncho and another :bighug: for you.
 
phlika29 said:
You might be able to get away with 1/4 of a 4 mg ondansetron tablet twice a day. Try the 1/2 for now but amd perhaps tomorrow but after that may go for the quarter and see if it is enough. That way the tablets will last longer..

Hope it does the job.
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I'll try that. Thanks!
 
Critter Mom said:
Hi Chris,

I'm so pleased to hear you got the ondansetron Rx! Keeping fingers and paws crossed that it will help Poncho. BTW, it took a few days for it to really start helping Saoirse so if it doesn't make much of a difference at first, please don't lose heart. :)

Sending more scritches for Poncho and another :bighug: for you.
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That's good to know. Thank you for the scritches and hugs.....Poncho is getting spoiled on the scritches!
 
I'm so glad you got the ondansetron!!! I agree with Remi that I'd try 1/4 to start and see if that helps.....thst way it will last longer. ECID but 1/4 works for Gracie although now I buy the injectable from thriving pets. It's cheaper and you can give it with an insulin syringe if the vet calculates the correct conversion from mls to units. Perhaps if it works for him, she will write you another script.

Keeping Poncho in our prayers.
 
Marje and Gracie said:
I'm so glad you got the ondansetron!!! I agree with Remi that I'd try 1/4 to start and see if that helps.....thst way it will last longer. ECID but 1/4 works for Gracie although now I buy the injectable from thriving pets. It's cheaper and you can give it with an insulin syringe if the vet calculates the correct conversion from mls to units. Perhaps if it works for him, she will write you another script.

Keeping Poncho in our prayers.
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I didn't know it came in injectable form. I need to get this sinus infection knocked out. TheDoxicycline isn't cutting it. I'm going to ask for something else.
 
Here is the Injectable form.

Scroll down to the 20ml vial of 2mg/ml. Sienne and I both use this but you need your vet to be on board and to give you a prescription. My vet also figured out how many units instead of mls so I can use the tiny 31g U100 insulin syringes. I actually haven't had to use mine yet but it's handy in case they are also vomiting and can't keep a pill down.
 
Poncho had a rough day....very weak and lethargic this morning, and I thought he was on his way out. We had a vet appt this afternoon and she gave him some kind of immune support meds and new antibiotic. I think his resp. illness peaked yesterday/last night because it's less severe today and his eye cleared up. His system might have beat it back and left him a bit wasted. Until his sense of smell is normal I'll have to keep force feeding, which he hates. I can't cut him any slack on that. Thanks for more scritches and hugs....they're always welcomed!
 
Chris,
I'm so sorry to hear that Poncho had a rough night; but it's encouraging that he seemed a bit better in the morning.
It's so hard caring for a kitty when the state of their health seems to fluctuate. The uncertainty of 'what's going to happen next' can really exacerbate the stress and anxiety we understandably feel.

It must be difficult for you to force feed him when he hates it. But please do remind yourself that you're doing the very best you can to help him to recover and feel better. (And I hope you're looking after yourself too..?)

Sending you continuing hugs, and well-wishes for Poncho,
:bighug::bighug::bighug:(((((Chris & Poncho))))):bighug::bighug::bighug:

Eliz
 
Hi Chris,

Sorry to hear that Poncho had a rough time of it yesterday morning. Saoirse was very lethargic when her flare was at its worst. It's quite scary. :( I'm glad the respiratory problem seems to be clearing up. Hopefully Poncho will feel more comfortable for it. The assist feeding must be tough going for you both, but it's what Poncho needs at the moment to help him get better. The nearest I got to that was getting Saoirse to lick food off my fingers, and I found that very difficult emotionally. Fingers and paws crossed that Poncho will get his sense of smell back soon. Sending more :bighug: and special olfactory scritches.
 
Critter Mom said:
That's fantastic news, Chris! I'm so glad. How's Poncho's appetite coming along?
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Still the same as long as his sinus issue is there. He'll eat a little and then I have to fill in the void. Since all this started I've had a suspicion there was something wrong in his mouth causing his lack of appetite and always wanting to lick his food, plus when he chewed it seemed to be a struggle. The old vet insisted his mouth was normal save for the normal wear and gingivitis and his appetite issue was only pain related. Well we now know that all along he had this sinus infection brewing and this morning he has started pawing at the left side of his mouth as he chews. The vet will look at this Monday....and I'll bet all the while a problem in his mouth was a barrier to his eating issue as well as the URI. Tooth absess maybe?
 
My vet told me Max's teeth "looked ok" when I first brought him in, but she didn't get a great look at the very back teeth cause he never let anyone open his mouth. It wasn't until I noticed his mouth bleeding and smelling terrible that we figured out the teeth were the source of his problems, and probably triggered his DKA. They should be able to see an abscess on an xray if that is the source of the URI. It's probably worth considering a dental if he's got tartar even if he doesn't have an infection, as this can make it hard to regulate his diabetes.
 
Meya14 said:
My vet told me Max's teeth "looked ok" when I first brought him in, but she didn't get a great look at the very back teeth cause he never let anyone open his mouth. It wasn't until I noticed his mouth bleeding and smelling terrible that we figured out the teeth were the source of his problems, and probably triggered his DKA. They should be able to see an abscess on an xray if that is the source of the URI. It's probably worth considering a dental if he's got tartar even if he doesn't have an infection, as this can make it hard to regulate his diabetes.
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That's most likely the problem. We'll find out Monday. Thanks for the good info.
I just read the initial diagnosis notes and the vet did note mild gingivitis. Maybe she missed something.
 
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The only time I ever saw one of my cats paw at their mouth like that was when something was stuck to her teeth. I'd say a dental check is a very good idea.

I don't know whether it's any help to you but Saoirse's gums were mildy inflamed only a couple of months ago, but when the vet examined them recently they had become much more inflamed. I don't know whether or not diabetes might make gum inflammation worse???
 
Critter Mom said:
The only time I ever saw one of my cats paw at their mouth like that was when something was stuck to her teeth. I'd say a dental check is a very good idea.

I don't know whether it's any help to you but Saoirse's gums were mildy inflamed only a couple of months ago, but when the vet examined them recently they had become much more inflamed. I don't know whether or not diabetes might make gum inflammation worse???
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It looked like he was trying to wipe something off the side of his mouth.....1st time I've seen him do that. I might try to give it a look when he has awakened. I hope Saoise's gums are better. Wondering if Turmeric (Curcumin) is tolerated by cats. It's supposed to be a great anti inflammatory for humans.
 
Thanks for the good wishes for Saoirse, Chris. She went for a dental on Thursday morning but she freaked out at the vets so it had to be postponed.

I've read that turmeric is safe for cats, but I've never tried it. Perhaps it might be an idea to ask members here if they have any experience of using it? It definitely is a very good anti-inflammatory for humans (I've used it myself).
 
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