Problem with Civvie

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Squalliesmom

Squalliesmom

Member Since 2015
I am completely at the end of my rope with my civvie girl Candy. She has IBD and it has taken me a full year to finally find a few foods that she can eat that don't trigger massive, never-ending diarrhea. She has always been a picky eater, so that hasn't helped. She takes cyproheptadine for poor appetite, but still eats very little and requires much urging. Now, she JUST. WILL. NOT. EAT.
I know she is very hungry, she's tearing at the treat drawer with all her might, she even took a couple of nibbles of Squallie's food (which is exactly the same as hers, except for his meds that are mixed in). I honestly just cannot cope with this any more. Every meal is an exhaustive process of her starving and not eating, and my frustration and desperation rising to levels that, literally, make me sick. I just don't know what to do. She can't spend the rest of her life being force-fed. The only thing I feel I have left to do for her is rehoming her and praying someone else can get her to eat! She is only 1 1/2 years old. I am just beside myself. I don't know what to do. I can't just just watch her starve, and that's what's happening. Please, please if anyone has any new tricks or ideas to get a cat to eat, share them with me. I am so desperate, and devastated.
 
Have you ever tried a course of steroids to help with the IBD and help improve her appetite? As much as I dislike advising steroids, sometimes they have a place in treatment.
 
(((Lucy)))

Boy, do I feel for you.

:bighug::bighug::bighug:

Have you had Candy's B12 and folate levels checked? With IBD in play they might be off. B12 can help with appetite. Might be worth asking your vet about a course of B12 jabs. Useful page from very useful site:

http://www.ibdkitties.net/the-importance-of-b12/

Marje sent me this link recently. You might find something there to help:

http://www.rawfeedingforibdcats.org/probiotics-for-cats---why-and-which-ones.html

Sending prayers for Candy to eat better and for you to get some rest. I fully empathise with what you're going through. I wish I could wave a magic wand and make everything OK for you both.

:bighug::bighug::bighug:


Mogs
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Tuxedo Mom said:
Have you ever tried a course of steroids to help with the IBD and help improve her appetite? As much as I dislike advising steroids, sometimes they have a place in treatment.
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No, this is the first I've even heard about it, but I will definitely discuss it with her vet. Thank you!!!
 
Critter Mom said:
(((Lucy)))

Boy, do I feel for you.

:bighug::bighug::bighug:

Have you had Candy's B12 and folate levels checked? With IBD in play they might be off. B12 can help with appetite. Might be worth asking your vet about a course of B12 jabs. Useful page from very useful site:

http://www.ibdkitties.net/the-importance-of-b12/

Marje sent me this link recently. You might find something there to help:

http://www.rawfeedingforibdcats.org/probiotics-for-cats---why-and-which-ones.html

Sending prayers for Candy to eat better and for you to get some rest. I fully empathise with what you're going through. I wish I could wave a magic wand and make everything OK for you both.

:bighug::bighug::bighug:


Mogs
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Thanks, Mogs, I know you can relate! Never had B12 or folate levels checked, another one to ask her vet about.

I have tried her on raw food, and she, as well as all my cats, adore the raw, but I can't afford to feed it except as the occasional treat. She does take probiotics, she takes Renew Life Ultimate Flora (recommended by Marje, it's what she uses), but sometimes I wonder if the taste of it (I mix it into her food) puts her off her food, especially when she refuses her dish but will nibble at Squall's. Before that she was on Fortiflora, but it is so $$, and I think she does better overall on the Renew Life. I will still check out the link, though, may be some more ideas there that will help.

Thanks for taking the time to come up with some ideas for me, while I know you are coping with dire issues with Saoirse and yourself. I really appreciate it. Yes. that magic wand would be wonderful, wouldn't it? I wish I had one I could wave for you and Soairse, as well. :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
So sorry you're having a tough time with your civie girl. I don't have much in the way of advise but can imagine how frustrating that is.

I was going to suggest raw as well but just read your post about cost. Making homemade is a lot cheaper than premade or premixes, but it takes effort and time. I calculated and sourced meat/organs for a months worth of food for 3 cats, which came out to about a $1 a day total. It depends on what's accessible to you though, for me it will be cheaper than commercial canned but Carter still can't seem to digest it. :banghead: The Raw Cats/IBD Facebook group is really helpful if you're not part of it already, and even if you're not feeding raw.
 
Erica & Carter said:
So sorry you're having a tough time with your civie girl. I don't have much in the way of advise but can imagine how frustrating that is.

I was going to suggest raw as well but just read your post about cost. Making homemade is a lot cheaper than premade or premixes, but it takes effort and time. I calculated and sourced meat/organs for a months worth of food for 3 cats, which came out to about a $1 a day total. It depends on what's accessible to you though, for me it will be cheaper than commercial canned but Carter still can't seem to digest it. :banghead: The Raw Cats/IBD Facebook group is really helpful if you're not part of it already, and even if you're not feeding raw.
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I would love to covert all my guys to homemade raw. What type of meat did you source for $1 a day, and what additive(s) are you using? I could afford $1 a day if I could find something similar in my area. It would still be cheaper than my current monthly cat food bill!
 
Squalliesmom said:
I would love to covert all my guys to homemade raw. What type of meat did you source for $1 a day, and what additive(s) are you using? I could afford $1 a day if I could find something similar in my area. It would still be cheaper than my current monthly cat food bill!
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Chicken quarters and boneless breast are the best deals I've found so far and I got a set up with a hunter my wife knows to give us all his organs for free, he hunts duck and geese for food and would normally just throw away most of the bird. So livers, spleen, and hearts. I'm going out on a "meat hunt" next weeked to source some more muscle meat as I want to have at least one red meat in rotation. Pork and turkey are probably my next choices.

I'm following Prey Model Raw so it's roughly 80-10-5-5 rule. 80 percent muscle meat, 10 percent bone, 5 percent liver, and 5 percent another organ. I only add Omega 3s, a probiotic, and kelp powder. Simon civie also gets Cosequin and Carter will be getting a digestive enzymes. So no additived really (like Dr. Lisa's recipe) as I'm using actual bone, organ, etc. to create a balanced diet. It takes some effort and some planning but I'm really loving everything I've researched about so far. I'm also switching my large dog to raw that works out roughly less or the same as her premium kibble.

I'm still just getting into it and I'll get more proficient as a go but the best thing is to get conenctions with hunters or farmers, source out the best deals, stock up and then devote like 1 day to meal prep. I will be prepping 120 containers of food next week for a month's worth. :nailbiting:
 
Erica & Carter said:
Chicken quarters and boneless breast are the best deals I've found so far and I got a set up with a hunter my wife knows to give us all his organs for free, he hunts duck and geese for food and would normally just throw away most of the bird. So livers, spleen, and hearts. I'm going out on a "meat hunt" next weeked to source some more muscle meat as I want to have at least one red meat in rotation. Pork and turkey are probably my next choices.

I'm following Prey Model Raw so it's roughly 80-10-5-5 rule. 80 percent muscle meat, 10 percent bone, 5 percent liver, and 5 percent another organ. I only add Omega 3s, a probiotic, and kelp powder. Simon civie also gets Cosequin and Carter will be getting a digestive enzymes. So no additived really (like Dr. Lisa's recipe) as I'm using actual bone, organ, etc. to create a balanced diet. It takes some effort and some planning but I'm really loving everything I've researched about so far. I'm also switching my large dog to raw that works out roughly less or the same as her premium kibble.

I'm still just getting into it and I'll get more proficient as a go but the best thing is to get conenctions with hunters or farmers, source out the best deals, stock up and then devote like 1 day to meal prep. I will be prepping 120 containers of food next week for a month's worth. :nailbiting:
Click to expand...
You can do 120 containers in one day?!? Wow. Thanks for the info, every little bit moves me another inch closer to committing to feeding raw!~

Hope Carter is doing well, and you're on the mend, too! :bighug:
 
Larry and Kitties said:
I would just purchase a vial of B12 (prescription required) and inject that.
http://www.thrivingpets.com/index.php/vitamin-b12-injection-1000-mcg-ml-100ml-vial.html
http://vetmed.tamu.edu/gilab/research/cobalamin-information
It is water soluble and thus you really can't overdose if it really not needed.
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@Larry and Kitties Larry, is it the same as the Zobaline? https://www.amazon.com/ZobalineTM-Diabetic-Cats-60-tabs/dp/B008G3LI2M?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20
I'm guessing not, if it's only available by Rx. Do you know what the difference is, and if the Zobaline would help at all? Trying to give her a shot is going to take a whole team of helpers!
 
For immediate benefit with GI issues, the B12 cyanocobalamin jabs are the best way forward, Lucy. FYI, they can produce an appetite-enhancing effect. You need the full course.

:bighug:

.
 
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