10/10 Shmee

Amanda & Shmee

Amanda & Shmee

Member Since 2018
Previous condo

Talked to Dr. McCue about Shmee's bloodwork.

I am so drained and confused. Dr. McCue was totally fine with his cortisol level. He said it was more of a marker to be sure the pituitary wasn't growing back (I think that is what he said?) or if its getting too high. So he said we do not need to increase the pred. I asked again at the end to be sure because this is very confusing to me, and then at that point he asked how much he is on currently and after I said .5 AM .25 PM he said yes I can increase him to .5 both AM & PM.....

He thinks the main reason he is irritable is because of the pancreatitis..... so now that I know his hormone levels are ok I have lost all hope that his personality will return. He never meows, I miss it so much, his moods are so crazy.... being lovey one minute then all of a sudden hisses at you, irritable. I cant pet him for too long anymore either, he is fine at first then just gets mad.

I have to clock back in but here are my notes form the call...
- when they have pancreatitis they can have ups and downs with appetite
- the only other test we can do would be an ultasound to look at pancreas and liver to make sure nothing else is going on - but can hold off for now
- EXTREMELY high triglycerides - wasn't concerned...… could be part food and part pancreatitis
- can add an antacid (high acidity from pancreatitis - can help reduce that and help feel more comfy - Pepcid .5 tablet once a day)
- increase to .5 AM and .5 PM cortisol (from .25 PM)
- try bupe to see if it helps disposition (forever?!?)
- dont need bloodwork for a month
- not concerned wtih the weight after my vets number (15.34 lbs)
- can try to take away the desmopressin again soon / can try weekly

So I guess at this point I need help with the pancreatitis. I was concerned about this from the beginning and finally he is saying this is basically his main concern. Is he going to have to be on Bupe and Cerenia his whole life? I don't even know if the Bupe ear cream is helping...…. didn't really seem like it but I was never really consistent so I guess I need to set alarms for every 6 hours and see if it helps him not be so irritable.
 
Ravan was diagnosed with pancreatitis back in june 2017 because his Lipase was slightly elevated. I chose not to give him any meds for it. I use CBD oil (CW Paws brand ) He gets 4-5 drops in some organic chicken baby food which I add a bit of water to & put it in a feeding Syringe.

It's supposed to help with pain, & to calm them . It also "definitely" helps with eating if they go off their food. I've been using it on all 3 of my cats for a year now. I think it works great. I rather use it than a bunch of pharmaceuticals!

Best of Luck with Shmee :):bighug:
 
Most vets I talked to do NOT recommend CBD I think there is still some concern because they associate it with Cannabis! CBD does NOT get them High.
The nation's 90,000veterinarians sell most of the nation's pet medicines. And they make money on every prescription they dispense. About 58 percent of all pet-medicine sales take place at veterinary clinics, according to market researcher Packaged Facts.Dec 17, 2014
Drug companies' loose purse strings court vets - IndyStar

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/investigations/2014/12/18/...vets/20492301/
 
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:bighug::bighug::bighug: the pain meds and anti emetics are important for pancreatitis as well as fluids. They do feel crappy when having a flare up. It's a very painful disease. Still hold out hope for his personality to come back. Once he starts feeling better, it should change. Phoebe gets the bupe gel every 6-8 hours. It helps her alot. It might be you just need to give him those meds if he is having a flare up. I know you have cerenis, that's used for puking. Zofran is used more for nausea. It's a game changer for Phoebe. :bighug::bighug: and chin scritches for grumpy pants.
 
Amanda & Shmee said:
@Phoebes both vets really love cerenia. I asked to change to the Onden. drug Wendy suggested and both said cerenia was better. I will ask about Zofran.
Click to expand...
Ond is generic of zofran. I'm sure they do like it, it's more exspensive. You can get ond from a people pharmacy. It's cheaper and really does better for nausea. Phoebe takes them both for her chronic pancreatitis. Just tell them he's still acting nauseated. And you would like to try it.
 
JoyBee&Ravan said:
It will take longer till most vets get on board using CBD
Click to expand...

The reason for this is because it hasn't been tested or gone through drug trials. There is nothing out there to provide the science to veterinary community that there are benefits to taking it. CBD can react with current medications and has pros and cons like all meds. Is it more natural? - sure but is it a cure all that the sellers are making it out to be..probably not.

Like anything it is buyer beware and do your homework on the supplier and make sure your vet is aware in case of interactions with other meds. This is by no means a regulated market yet.

@Amanda & Shmee
Pancreatitis can cause personality changes. Hopefully once Shmee flare is gone he will come back to you.

:bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Tracey&Jones said:
The reason for this is because it hasn't been tested or gone through drug trials. There is nothing out there to provide the science to veterinary community that there are benefits to taking it. CBD can react with current medications and has pros and cons like all meds.
Click to expand...

Drug companies who engage in this practice of "Off Label Drugs" do so by way of shirking their responsibility to appropriately investigate these uses and file proper FDA applications to expand their drug’s labeled use. Because, essentially, they’re using these off label patients as guinea pigs as they compile unpaid-for data on their drug’s cool new spinoff properties.

When it comes to steroids and antibiotics, anything goes,many of these drugs have never been approved for use in dogs and cats. But when it comes to newer-fangled drugs, all bets are off. If there’s no veterinary version it’s a no-go. And if it’s only been approved for dogs you can forget it for your cat.

None of our chemotherapeutics are approved for pets. Not even (Benadryl) is approved. The market is either too small to be worth anyone's while or the drugs have been commonly in use for so long that nobody cares anymore––so there’s no need for a drug company to go out of its way to make dogs or cats any safer.

Here's another one: say NO to Convenia- lets take this drug off the market by boycotting it!!
Pfizer has been offering to pay for costs for some cats who have been damaged by Convenia, they know that it causes severe reactions. What they need to do is take Convenia off the market completely. There are PLENTY of safe alternatives to Convenia. Veterinarians need to be required to inform clients/patients about the severe reactions that have occurred in Pfizer's own foreign market study of Convenia.
 
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Zofran and ondansetrin are the same drug. Just one is generic. It helped Max with pancreatitis for many years. It works in a different way than cerenia. I’ve posted articles on its use. Since it’s a human drug some vets still prefer cerenia but some cats do much better on it. It’s less expensive at least where I live.
 
CBD Oil hasn't been approved for Vet use? Neither have most of the drugs used here.

Here's another example Can Buprenex (Buprenorphine) be Given to Cats?

Some cat owners had negative experiences from using this medication. There have been reports of cats showing signs of severe lethargy and appetite loss. Cases of cats developing hyper-salivation and drowsiness have also been observed.
Considerations
Cats who are hypersensitive or allergic to this opioid are likely to suffer from fatal reactions that are typically marked by severe breathing problems. Also, Buprenex can cause some serious side effects, if the cat is suffering from the following medical conditions:
  • Kidney disorders
  • Liver problems
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Addison's disease
  • Altered cardiac function
In all these situations, the veterinarian is unlikely to prescribe the medication, as it puts the cat's health at great risk.

My cat, 3 yrs ago was given a shot of Bupe for pain ,he went into Respiratory distress & died. So although many people here use Bupe & are happy with it My cat wasn't so lucky! I've been using CBD Oil for nearly 4 yrs. Never had a bad reaction & I never heard of any animal dying from it!
 
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I personally wouldn’t use CBD oil on my cat bc there are no studies, unless it was last resort and drugs that I know and trust didn’t help and i was desperate. I’m a health care provider though so that’s my bias.

Cerenia no doubt prolonged Frosty’s life so I am very thankful for that drug.

In my experience as a patient, zofran did nothing for me. Reglan helped me when I had really bad nausea, but it didn’t help Frosty. Every cat and patient is different. That’s why there’s more than one drug to treat different diseases

That’s my 2 cents on the matter.
 
Pancreatitis could indeed make Shmee grumpy. A friend had it and said she was miserable. A lot of cats will lash out if in pain. I think your plan is a good one. Treat the nausea and the pain. Ondansetron was better for Neko than Cerenia, but there were times she needed both. I swear by buprenorphine and the huge improvement it made to Neko's quality of life. But it is ECID on pain management. Bupe may not be forever, but for when he has a p'titis flair. If you go to the Health Links forum, there is a paper on Pain Management for cats and dogs. In there, it says studies have shown the oral and IV bupe work best on cats.

There are studies underway at CSU on the use of CBD oil and dogs. Cats are not dogs. Right now any experience with cats is annectdoctal. That's enough for some people, not others.
 
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