? few different questions. (EDIT)

sherrib

sherrib

Very Active Member
First, vet is 95 % sure skittles has FLUTD. Getting Xrays to rule out stones/cancer this coming week. On Oct 4th he had starting passing blood, treated for UTI. On 12/28 it happened again, treated for again TWO days later
( 12/31) he started up again. He has his last inflammation pill on 12/30. His BG#'s had been running above normal about 2 weeks before his 12/28 " flare up"

Today I did a mini curve. Can someone look at his SS and tell me what you think? I trying to find his No shoot number or when to lower his dose. Last night when his PM dose was 131, waited 30 mins and he was 146. I gave him 1 U instead of his regular 2 U. But this AM he was 383. Also, at +8 today he had ate Turkey & giblets 1.5 hrs. before his test. If he eats anything other then seafood his BG goes up. I guess he is really carb sensitive. Remember, he just got off meds for UTI/FLUTD.

vet said that she can tell that he suffers from anxiety ,and that can cause FLUTD. I just moved about month ago....actually I am still driving back & forth to packing up, I still have a lot to pack up and move to storage. The drive is 1.5 hrs. one way. I usually go back for 5-7 days and leave again. So now I don't know what I'm going to do since I think that causes some of his stress. In Oct, he started passing blood, swollen bladder , etc. about a week after we had to leave for a hurricane. he was traveling for 2 days.

anyone use Feliway (or another companies ) for your cat? Does it help with stress? His vet is researching anxiety meds...….I never want him or me to go through this again! :( :(
 
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Hey Sherri, I'm going to answer all your questions here so you can have them all in one place. I got the questions from your other thread and I'll include those answers here as well.

  • How often does your cat have a flare up? When we first started this journey, we were having flares every two weeks or so. Now it's less frequent. They tend to show up around the holidays or when I'm going through a particularly stressful situation.
  • Do you know what caused his FLUTD? As far as I know, it's stress. I think some of it came from me originally and also from one of my cats beating up on the others at times.
  • Have you tried feliway? I've got feliway diffusers throughout the house. Not sure how great they work, but I noticed one of my girls lays next to it for a bit after I change the diffuser, so I know she at least notices it!
  • CBD oil is legal here and I was thinking of getting some for myself since I suffer from Fibro., stress, anxiety , and bad back pain. YES. Get this. I get it from Charlotte's Web (click that for the link). Get the kind in olive oil and get human grade....you can both share. If you have any local stores, you can go to them too. With that, I started with the lowest strength human grade and gave 1 drop a day. I slowly moved up to 2 drops a day, 3 a day etc. I now give 5 drops morning and 5 evening...it seems to work. Also reducing MY stress was key.
  • Where do you get all the stuff you use ( besides the buprenorphine ) and how do you know when to give it? I gave links in my last post, but I'll include them here too so you don't have to flip around. :) :
  1. D Mannose (click for link). Give 1/4 tsp a day.
  2. Corn Silk Extract (click for link). Give 7 drops 4 times a day during a flare. I slowly taper down over about 2 weeks to giving 4 drops 2 times a day and keep that up for about a month to help resolve inflammation.
  3. CBD Oil (link above). 1 drop a day for 3-4 days...then you can move up to 1 drop twice a day and wait...etc. I did that slowly to ensure it didn't cause any adverse effects (one of my cats can't take it because he stops eating on it for whatever reason...the other 2 are fine).
  4. Cantharis (click for link). I give this during a flare...1 pellet 4 times a day. Then I taper down over a week or two. You can also just give one whenever you suspect it might be flaring. It's for pain but not as good as bupe.
  • Also what kind of food do you feed? I feed all 3 of mine homemade raw. I don't use any seafood (I iknow you said that's best for your cats above) because that can cause more flares than other proteins. I also add a lot of water to all food bowls and have a water fountain.
With all this, we still have flares. Poor Elektra is going through one right now (lots of supplements going on!). This is a chronic disease and though some cats get through it and never have another flare, most will continue to have them at times. You do what you can to reduce them and to treat pain. When I learned to calm down about them some, that helped BOTH of us. Not saying it's easy because it is NOT. Now that I never take them to the vet for these flares, I feel better because I've proven to myself over and over that they will get better. Having bupe on hand is a huge help. I think it works better than Onsior honestly. My vet knows me and we can just call up and get more...it's ready that day for me. I keep it in the house so I can give as needed.

Are you on Facebook? There's a great group there I can suggest to you if you are. Just let me know.

:bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug: You and Skittles WILL get through this. We're here to help.
 
Thank you Rachel for all the information. Today I noticed him licking his penis a lot... noticed this before each his flare ups :(
Yes, I am on FB and would love the name to the group
 
Rachel said:
Hey Sherri, I'm going to answer all your questions here so you can have them all in one place. I got the questions from your other thread and I'll include those answers here as well.

  • How often does your cat have a flare up? When we first started this journey, we were having flares every two weeks or so. Now it's less frequent. They tend to show up around the holidays or when I'm going through a particularly stressful situation.
  • Do you know what caused his FLUTD? As far as I know, it's stress. I think some of it came from me originally and also from one of my cats beating up on the others at times.
  • Have you tried feliway? I've got feliway diffusers throughout the house. Not sure how great they work, but I noticed one of my girls lays next to it for a bit after I change the diffuser, so I know she at least notices it!
  • CBD oil is legal here and I was thinking of getting some for myself since I suffer from Fibro., stress, anxiety , and bad back pain. YES. Get this. I get it from Charlotte's Web (click that for the link). Get the kind in olive oil and get human grade....you can both share. If you have any local stores, you can go to them too. With that, I started with the lowest strength human grade and gave 1 drop a day. I slowly moved up to 2 drops a day, 3 a day etc. I now give 5 drops morning and 5 evening...it seems to work. Also reducing MY stress was key.
  • Where do you get all the stuff you use ( besides the buprenorphine ) and how do you know when to give it? I gave links in my last post, but I'll include them here too so you don't have to flip around. :) :
  1. D Mannose (click for link). Give 1/4 tsp a day.
  2. Corn Silk Extract (click for link). Give 7 drops 4 times a day during a flare. I slowly taper down over about 2 weeks to giving 4 drops 2 times a day and keep that up for about a month to help resolve inflammation.
  3. CBD Oil (link above). 1 drop a day for 3-4 days...then you can move up to 1 drop twice a day and wait...etc. I did that slowly to ensure it didn't cause any adverse effects (one of my cats can't take it because he stops eating on it for whatever reason...the other 2 are fine).
  4. Cantharis (click for link). I give this during a flare...1 pellet 4 times a day. Then I taper down over a week or two. You can also just give one whenever you suspect it might be flaring. It's for pain but not as good as bupe.
  • Also what kind of food do you feed? I feed all 3 of mine homemade raw. I don't use any seafood (I iknow you said that's best for your cats above) because that can cause more flares than other proteins. I also add a lot of water to all food bowls and have a water fountain.
With all this, we still have flares. Poor Elektra is going through one right now (lots of supplements going on!). This is a chronic disease and though some cats get through it and never have another flare, most will continue to have them at times. You do what you can to reduce them and to treat pain. When I learned to calm down about them some, that helped BOTH of us. Not saying it's easy because it is NOT. Now that I never take them to the vet for these flares, I feel better because I've proven to myself over and over that they will get better. Having bupe on hand is a huge help. I think it works better than Onsior honestly. My vet knows me and we can just call up and get more...it's ready that day for me. I keep it in the house so I can give as needed.

Are you on Facebook? There's a great group there I can suggest to you if you are. Just let me know.

:bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug: You and Skittles WILL get through this. We're here to help.
Click to expand...
Can you tell me how you make your food? I feel silly for asking this but .... everything you listed above is safe for diabetics right ? I already put them all in my amazon cart. I sent to link of the CBD oil to my son , he already uses this but his is to pricy for me.
 
Rachel said:
Hey Sherri, I'm going to answer all your questions here so you can have them all in one place. I got the questions from your other thread and I'll include those answers here as well.

  • How often does your cat have a flare up? When we first started this journey, we were having flares every two weeks or so. Now it's less frequent. They tend to show up around the holidays or when I'm going through a particularly stressful situation.
  • Do you know what caused his FLUTD? As far as I know, it's stress. I think some of it came from me originally and also from one of my cats beating up on the others at times.
  • Have you tried feliway? I've got feliway diffusers throughout the house. Not sure how great they work, but I noticed one of my girls lays next to it for a bit after I change the diffuser, so I know she at least notices it!
  • CBD oil is legal here and I was thinking of getting some for myself since I suffer from Fibro., stress, anxiety , and bad back pain. YES. Get this. I get it from Charlotte's Web (click that for the link). Get the kind in olive oil and get human grade....you can both share. If you have any local stores, you can go to them too. With that, I started with the lowest strength human grade and gave 1 drop a day. I slowly moved up to 2 drops a day, 3 a day etc. I now give 5 drops morning and 5 evening...it seems to work. Also reducing MY stress was key.
  • Where do you get all the stuff you use ( besides the buprenorphine ) and how do you know when to give it? I gave links in my last post, but I'll include them here too so you don't have to flip around. :) :
  1. D Mannose (click for link). Give 1/4 tsp a day.
  2. Corn Silk Extract (click for link). Give 7 drops 4 times a day during a flare. I slowly taper down over about 2 weeks to giving 4 drops 2 times a day and keep that up for about a month to help resolve inflammation.
  3. CBD Oil (link above). 1 drop a day for 3-4 days...then you can move up to 1 drop twice a day and wait...etc. I did that slowly to ensure it didn't cause any adverse effects (one of my cats can't take it because he stops eating on it for whatever reason...the other 2 are fine).
  4. Cantharis (click for link). I give this during a flare...1 pellet 4 times a day. Then I taper down over a week or two. You can also just give one whenever you suspect it might be flaring. It's for pain but not as good as bupe.
  • Also what kind of food do you feed? I feed all 3 of mine homemade raw. I don't use any seafood (I iknow you said that's best for your cats above) because that can cause more flares than other proteins. I also add a lot of water to all food bowls and have a water fountain.
With all this, we still have flares. Poor Elektra is going through one right now (lots of supplements going on!). This is a chronic disease and though some cats get through it and never have another flare, most will continue to have them at times. You do what you can to reduce them and to treat pain. When I learned to calm down about them some, that helped BOTH of us. Not saying it's easy because it is NOT. Now that I never take them to the vet for these flares, I feel better because I've proven to myself over and over that they will get better. Having bupe on hand is a huge help. I think it works better than Onsior honestly. My vet knows me and we can just call up and get more...it's ready that day for me. I keep it in the house so I can give as needed.

Are you on Facebook? There's a great group there I can suggest to you if you are. Just let me know.

:bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug: You and Skittles WILL get through this. We're here to help.
Click to expand...
Should I stay away from the seafood ? He eats Fancy Feast pate seafood the most. Also gets Friskies pate to
 
Hey Sherri! The name of the FB group is Feline Lower Urinary Tract. I'm not sure if they're accepting new members, but I think they usually do when the cat is in crisis. I'm going to PM the mod and let her know you might be requesting and see if she can approve it.

For food, I make the recipe on catinfo.org. @Djamila uses EZComplete to make her food, which would also be fine...she can tell you more about it if you want I'm sure.

Everything should be safe for diabetics. I have heard that corn silk extract might actually lower BG, so I'd be sure to test carefully if you do use it at first. I don't know for sure that it would lower it, and I wouldn't take that as a reason not to use it probably...I'd just test and lower the dose if needed.

I forgot one other supplement I use. It's Cystease (see link). It's not really approved by the FB group but I'm a maverick. ;) It's a glucosamine supplement that is supposed to be more for the urinary tract that regular glucosamine. I give 2 capsules a day (just open and give them the powder) during a flare, and 1 a day as a sort of ongoing supplement.

Seafood CAN cause more inflammation. I don't give any because of that...but you may want to try the supplements first and see if that helps. Or introduce some other flavors and only feed seafood sometimes.

Honestly, this disease is mostly just learning what works for YOU. This is the regimen I follow because it seems to work...some folks do things differently or use different or less supplements because it works for them.

Please do ask any more questions! Or just come here to vent...I've done that plenty here! I'm going to try to let the mod of the FB group know you should be coming and I'll let you know if I hear back...but go ahead and request to join anyway. :)

ETA: I pmed the mod of the FB group. Gave her your first name and Skittles' name so mention Skittles and me if you want when you request to join. I'll let you know when/if I hear back.
 
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It’s happening AGAIN!!
It’s 7:50 PM ( NC, EST) At 6:30 he came running to my room doing that god awful deep cry, laid down and starting licking his penis, got up ,RAN to the litter box and passed a mucus , bloody looking plug and has been “peeing” ever 5 mins since! I gave him his anti-inflammatory medicine and his liquid pain medicine, I put some of pate turkey juice in a bowl, mixed up the powder med and literally shot it down his throat . At 7:30 he threw up! I have no idea if any of the meds got in his system.... it was in his stomach for a hour. About 20 mins ago I gave him 100cc subQ. When he squats I put my hand under hand to make sure he is passing something at least. And a little drops of blood /urine comes out.Once he passed clear mucus. He might be passing more, I don’t to stick my hand underneath him every single time but I do it once in a while to make sure that something is still coming out and he’s not blocked .
 
He has been laying on my bed with me all day like he always does. I noticed he cleaned his penis 2 maybe 3 times and I thought “ OH No, not again” and sure enough it started!
 
The cysteaseby isn’t listed in American dollars, can you tell me how much it is?
I’m going to go apply to the FB group right now
 
BREATHE Sherri! The liquid med is bupe? You shot it into the cheek pouch? If so, it should have absorbed even if Skittles got sick. My guess is the other med got in too since it was an hour later. How's he feeling now? Has he calmed down any? Remember, if he's passing ANY urine, he's OKAY because you know that at that moment he isn't blocked. This is probably all part of the same flare up...it just does take some time to go away. It tends to wax and wane and take some time to get through.

They said they approved you for the FB group, so go ahead and introduce yourself there. Tag Linda Yaco if you want...she's a mod and she is great at helping out new folks.

The cystease is about $70 US dollars I think for the big one. It's a bit expensive, so don't let it worry you if you don't get it right away. You can sometimes get it off Amazon too...I had to go to viovet last time because it was out on Amazon.

Sending tons and tons of healing vines to Skittles and calm, peaceful vines to you! Please do keep us updated and continue to ask here as well...
 
Rachel said:
BREATHE Sherri! The liquid med is bupe? You shot it into the cheek pouch? If so, it should have absorbed even if Skittles got sick. My guess is the other med got in too since it was an hour later. How's he feeling now? Has he calmed down any? Remember, if he's passing ANY urine, he's OKAY because you know that at that moment he isn't blocked. This is probably all part of the same flare up...it just does take some time to go away. It tends to wax and wane and take some time to get through.

They said they approved you for the FB group, so go ahead and introduce yourself there. Tag Linda Yaco if you want...she's a mod and she is great at helping out new folks.

The cystease is about $70 US dollars I think for the big one. It's a bit expensive, so don't let it worry you if you don't get it right away. You can sometimes get it off Amazon too...I had to go to viovet last time because it was out on Amazon.

Sending tons and tons of healing vines to Skittles and calm, peaceful vines to you! Please do keep us updated and continue to ask here as well...
Click to expand...
I gave him both the bus & pro at the same time. He throw up a hour later. I missed his cheek w the bus and it went down his throat. That happened before and the vet said not to worry about doing that.
His urine has pretty sure return to normal, he still sits and passes a little blood at the end of his stream . But not no where like it was even 45 mins ago.
I was told on the FB board to take him to the emergency vet right now. The emergency vet is 2 hrs away and I know he isn’t blocked. I don’t have much experience w FLUTD but do w a blocked cat from working at a animal hospital. I spent over $900 taking him to the vet 3 times since 12/28.
I just got him to eat a few bites of food. I gave him his insulin at 10:00 and needed him to eat.

I’m wondering about when I can or should give him more ringers subq though. I know to much can be bad, but I only gave him 100cc 4.5 hours ago. It helps him have something to pass.
 
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I don't have any experience with subqs...I'd probably call the vet in the AM and ask them. I know you said you're taking him in soon to get checked for stones...any chance they can do that sooner? I know the FB board can be overwhelming, but they do have a lot of experience with cats with urinary issues. I've had to take what I can from them that was helpful and also do what I thought was best. Just like anywhere. :) The supplements will help a lot I think once they get there. How is Skittles today?
 
Rachel said:
I've had to take what I can from them that was helpful and also do what I thought was best.
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Sherri, I think this is excellent advice from Rachel. You can't do everything so you do what you can reasonably do and seems to help your kitty. It's quite individual.

I have a lot of experience with FLUTD or idiopathic cystitis, the label I like. Teasel had many bouts in the past but he's done very well the last few years. His sister will have lower grade flares periodically. Once I see a flare starting I watch for efforts to pee and if urine comes out (even if it's in my bathtub or some other inappropriate place!) I don't worry as much. Here are some things that work for me:
  • adding extra water to all wet food meals. Teasel literally eats "soup" - 3 to 4 tablespoons per 1/3 can of wet food per meal. You might not need to do subQ fluids if you do that consistently.
  • giving d-mannose AM and PM (maybe 1/8 to 1/4 tsp in wet food) at the first sign and continuing for as long as needed. I do this for Teasel's sister because she has minor flares fairly often.
  • giving prazosin (vet med for urethral spasms) when needed and bupe for pain. I did this for Teasel as needed because his flares were worse than his sister's are.
  • keeping the environment here at home as routine, calm and stress free as I can
  • keeping MYSELF as calm as I can when I see an episode starting. This is probably the single most important thing I've learned. The flares will come and go and once I'd been through enough of them, knew the signs and knew what helped I could be more relaxed.
 
Kris & Teasel said:
Sherri, I think this is excellent advice from Rachel. You can't do everything so you do what you can reasonably do and seems to help your kitty. It's quite individual.

I have a lot of experience with FLUTD or idiopathic cystitis, the label I like. Teasel had many bouts in the past but he's done very well the last few years. His sister will have lower grade flares periodically. Once I see a flare starting I watch for efforts to pee and if urine comes out (even if it's in my bathtub or some other inappropriate place!) I don't worry as much. Here are some things that work for me:
  • adding extra water to all wet food meals. Teasel literally eats "soup" - 3 to 4 tablespoons per 1/3 can of wet food per meal. You might not need to do subQ fluids if you do that consistently.
  • giving d-mannose AM and PM (maybe 1/8 to 1/4 tsp in wet food) at the first sign and continuing for as long as needed. I do this for Teasel's sister because she has minor flares fairly often.
  • giving prazosin (vet med for urethral spasms) when needed and bupe for pain. I did this for Teasel as needed because his flares were worse than his sister's are.
  • keeping the environment here at home as routine, calm and stress free as I can
  • keeping MYSELF as calm as I can when I see an episode starting. This is probably the single most important thing I've learned. The flares will come and go and once I'd been through enough of them, knew the signs and knew what helped I could be more relaxed.
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Thank you :) If yall don't mind, I will probably be asking a lot of advice. I need to come back and update you on everything. Until this flare up is over, he has been switched to Gabapentin for his pain because the bupe just wasn't working long enough for him, and is has already showing signs of kidney issues from his AGE. Im neverous cause he gets his last dose of prazosin today....and the vet is closed today so I cant get a refill until tomorrow. I could've sworn I had enough for a couple extra days. Im gonna make sure to keep that on hand. I placed my order for the d-mannose , corn silk and the other one you gave me. They are supposed to be here today.
I stopped the seafood, and now his BG is WAY up! Gonna try and get a +6 reading on him today. I wont be home to do any before that time. I don't know if gabapentin is running him up or his food. I never go over 5 carbs w anything I feed him, but anytime he has any carbs over 1 I notice his BG goes up. That's why I was sticking w seafood since its usually 0 carbs. see his SS, you can really see the difference in his numbers. he hasn't had any seafood in 2 days now.
 
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Rachel said:
I don't have any experience with subqs...I'd probably call the vet in the AM and ask them. I know you said you're taking him in soon to get checked for stones...any chance they can do that sooner? I know the FB board can be overwhelming, but they do have a lot of experience with cats with urinary issues. I've had to take what I can from them that was helpful and also do what I thought was best. Just like anywhere. :) The supplements will help a lot I think once they get there. How is Skittles today?
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your so right about the FB board. Im reading and learning but I have to be honest.... I do not like how some seem to talk down to me. And I will answer a question from someone and that same person will ask the same question or post the same thing, like they aren't even reading my all answers only part of post. I have a LOT of experience w animals, just not w FLUTD. And skittles has diabetes and some of the stuff they post is not good for that. the biggest issue is the way Im " talked" to.
He does not have stones. he had Xrays in Oct which were neg and he had Xrays on Tuesday which were neg. Im going by the way MY cat is, advice from here and from facebook, experience I already have and what my vet tells me. So far I really like my new vet, she spends over a hour w him every time Ive been there, she even laid on the dirty flood with him so she could cuddle with him to try calm him down. he has bad anxiety. She seems to really really care and isn't all out for just money. when she needed to leave the room, she got her vet tech to lay in the floor w skittles. Ive never had a vet go as far as she does to calm down my cat. I worked at a busy animal hosp that had 3 doctors and none ever did any of that.
 
Hey Sherri! Ask for advice any time. I know this is an FD board, but we advise on other issues all the time...I learned a lot here about other things! We're always here to help out...I suggested the FB board in addition because we're not always available and I did learn a lot on there. I found that reading others posts helped...I only posted a few times and felt too overwhelmed. Reading what others have said and seeing information provided there helped me to sort of fine tune my own routine. But please do keep us updated here! We worry about you and Skittles (I know what you're going through, so I know how HARD it is) so we like to get updates when you can. :)

Is the gabapentin working for the pain? If it is, great! I found bupe was best for my babies, but that's my experience. ECID for sure! I've actually used gaba to sort of sedate them a bit before going to the vet (didn't stop Tigress from throwing up though...I'm pretty sure she's got carsickness :rolleyes:). I'm wondering if that might help Skittles calm down some too...it's supposed to be sort of sedating until they get used to it.

I'm SO glad he doesn't have stones! It does sound just like FLUTD (or cystitis). I think the supplements along with the meds you got will help get Skittles back to a good place.

I am sorry the other foods are causing BG issues. I know the seafood worked well, but I really do worry about it just because I know fish can be an inflammatory food. Have you considered making your own? Or trying to find another brand of food that has lower carbs? I know some are more expensive and you're trying to keep costs down, but I think some others might be lower carb and not too expensive....something to research I guess. I'll try to look into that some and see if I can find some suggestions for you.

:bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug: Keep your chin up! This is tough, but the disease can be gotten under control and while flare ups will probably occur, you can learn to handle them and cut them off hopefully. And we're here to support you! Ask all the questions you want and feel free to vent. I'll answer as soon as I can.
 
Hi!
My cornsilk and D-Mannose just came, what do I do?

The gab pain meds seems to work for him so much better . I do need help searching for food. Closer store is PetSmart all others I have to order.

Even his +6 was high today, 2 days ago w the seafood he was 72 or 74. Today he was in the 200’s
 
It's easy to make your own food with EZComplete - the powdered supplement from FoodFurLife.com. You just buy a protein (turkey, chicken, lamb, etc.), and then toss it into the food processor with some of the supplement and some water, pulse a few times, and you're done. I make up a big batch and then freeze it into ice cubes and thaw as needed. The whole process takes less time than driving to the pet store and back.
 
For the cornsilk and D Mannose here's what I do:
  • during a flare, give 1/8 tsp D Mannose 2 times a day.
  • during a flare, give 7 drops cornsilk 4 times a day.
  • You can mix these together and can mix it with food or whatever works to give it.
Once the flare has started to subside (you'll learn what's best for Skittles over time. I usually do the above dose for about a week), start to wind down. Keep giving D Mannose but go to 3 times a day with the cornsilk. Then go to 2 times a day. Then you can drop to 4 drops of cornsilk 2 times a day with the D Mannose. I would suggest continuing the 4 drops twice a day and the D Mannose for about a month. I did that when I first started this with Tigress. It will hopefully help to heal any inflammation happening.

Now I don't do the full month anymore. I get down to the 4 drops twice a day and continue that for a week or two...depending. Then I taper that off. But I would suggest the full month thing this first time IF YOU CAN.

Now remember, this is just the best you can. If you have to go to work, etc, just do the best you can. You want to let the supplements help Skittles but if YOU are stressed, it won't help either of you!
 
Djamila said:
It's easy to make your own food with EZComplete - the powdered supplement from FoodFurLife.com. You just buy a protein (turkey, chicken, lamb, etc.), and then toss it into the food processor with some of the supplement and some water, pulse a few times, and you're done. I make up a big batch and then freeze it into ice cubes and thaw as needed. The whole process takes less time than driving to the pet store and back.
Click to expand...
I will check it out, thank you!
 
Rachel said:
For the cornsilk and D Mannose here's what I do:
  • during a flare, give 1/8 tsp D Mannose 2 times a day.
  • during a flare, give 7 drops cornsilk 4 times a day.
  • You can mix these together and can mix it with food or whatever works to give it.
Once the flare has started to subside (you'll learn what's best for Skittles over time. I usually do the above dose for about a week), start to wind down. Keep giving D Mannose but go to 3 times a day with the cornsilk. Then go to 2 times a day. Then you can drop to 4 drops of cornsilk 2 times a day with the D Mannose. I would suggest continuing the 4 drops twice a day and the D Mannose for about a month. I did that when I first started this with Tigress. It will hopefully help to heal any inflammation happening.

Now I don't do the full month anymore. I get down to the 4 drops twice a day and continue that for a week or two...depending. Then I taper that off. But I would suggest the full month thing this first time IF YOU CAN.

Now remember, this is just the best you can. If you have to go to work, etc, just do the best you can. You want to let the supplements help Skittles but if YOU are stressed, it won't help either of you!
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Since he just had another flare up Monday night , and has stopped already what should I start him out on?
He had his last pro this afternoon and haven’t given him any pain meds today, but was planning on giving him some tonight. He doesn’t act or look like he is in pain though .
 
I'd go ahead and follow the first part for during a flare. Keep it up for a week and then move down. Just in case...this should help him feel better and it can't HURT to give him the highest dose for now. :)
 
Kris & Teasel said:
Have you seen this food chart, Sherri? It lists a lot of different wet foods and gives carb content. You might find several that you can buy near you. http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dr-pierson-new-food-chart.174147/
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Yes, this is the chart I starting using years ago and got him into remission using it .He feel out with his tooth infection. I talked to his vet about this and she wants to get him over all these flare ups before she starts working on his teeth. And he was due for his 3 yr Rabie vac but she said to wait on that too. Now he will have to go back to a yr one, but that’s okay.
What do you use to keep yours from having a flare up?
 
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sherrib said:
Yes, this is the chart I starting using years ago and got him into remission. He feel out with his tooth infection. I talked to his vet about this and she wants to get him over all these flare ups before she starts working on his teeth. And he was due for his 3 yr Rabie vac but she said to wait on that too. Now he will have to go back to a yr one, but that’s okay.
What do you use to keep yours from having a flare up?
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I mentioned a few things in my post #15 above. Other than that there's not much I can do. I try not to get too stressed if I see the signs.
 
Rachel said:
I'd go ahead and follow the first part for during a flare. Keep it up for a week and then move down. Just in case...this should help him feel better and it can't HURT to give him the highest dose for now. :)
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He JUST finished eating, so I will start it in a few hours or I can hold him down and squirt it in his mouth. I’m worried he will flare up since he only had 1 dose of the prazosin today. And the last 3 times I stopped it , he had a flare up 24 or so hours later.
 
It’s okay to have my number here, it’s already listed online for wildlife ( I’m a wildlife rehabber ) and every vet gives out my number and even a few zoo’s have my number in case they need help w their possums.
It’s okay to text me about this 252-331-3928 or even message me via FB messaged.
Skittles just started to clean his penis a lot and I saw it throbbing like it did during his flareup . And I just found him at the litter box with nothing in it.
I went ahead and put 7 drops of cornsilk and 1/8 tea of the other and his pain meds in water and squired it down his throat because he ate at 8:00 PM and wouldn’t eat again
 
I’m trying to stay calm, put him on my bed w me and I’m praying it’s not starting again. I’m gonna put my laptop down but my cell is charged and ready for any text :)
 
I gave the cornsilk and D-mannose 30 mins ago, when should I give it again? I really wanna get it in his system IF he starting to have another flare up, to cut it off.

Monday night he started at 6:30 PM and it was over about 4:00 AM

On 12/31 He started at 10:00 PM and it was over at 4:30 AM

By saying over, I just mean the passing of blood, peeing or trying to , and seemed less painful was over. I’m sure he still hurt & was still inflamed...right?

How long does y’all usually last?

BTW, right in the middle of me squirting the meds in him my mom threw it in my face about my 20 yr marriage failing! She was mad because I told her to not start fussing at her husband when he gets home especially since skittles might be starting up again. This is just a small example of the tension/stress around here. Just needed to vent that ( OMGosh! I can hear her fussing at him already... he has been here maybe 10 mins :banghead:
 
Hey Sherri! Sorry I'm an early to bed girl since I have to get up pretty early for work. How is Skittles today?

Our flares are hard to track. They tend to wax and wane with a cat having symptoms for a day or two and then subsiding...then having them again etc. Usually I'll see symptoms two or three times during a flare and then it dies down for awhile. Skittles most likely was still feeling kind of poorly even after the passing of blood etc passed. The pain meds should help him feel better, but the corn silk and D Mannose should help to reduce the inflammation...once it has gone down some, he'll feel a lot better.

Try doing the supplements 4 times today if you can. I usually do them at breakfast, mid day, dinner, and then before bed but really any time is fine.
 
Hey!
Really need help! Every since I took skittles off of seafood and started the cornsilk and d-mannose his BG is so high!
In the past, every time he had anything w more then 1 carb his BG was higher . I don’t know if that’s what’s happening or the supplements . His SS is updated.
 
If you look back at 2018 SS, you can see he was doing pretty good..... but on seafood
Now he is getting Pro Plan urinary health turkey & giblets, chicken and beef. ( all pate & all under 5 carbs )
 
Hey Sherri! My guess is it's the food change. Has removing the seafood helped at all with the cystitis?

I'd try checking out Fancy Feast...they have some things that are low carb that aren't seafood and they are pretty cheap. You could maybe alternate with the purina if you wanted to do that still. Are you still considering making your own food at some point?

As for the BG..well...you may just need to dose around this food issue until it can be figured out. I see you raised the dose the other night...I think that was a good idea. It looks like you went back to 2 today. Any chance you could try 2.25 for a few cycles and see what that does? Maybe raising the dose will help...and I know that sucks, but sometimes with our kitties who have multiple issues, we have to raise the dose to deal with meds/food changes/etc.

How is Skittles doing besides BG? Is he feeling better?
 
Fancy feast is the brand I used until I started the Pro Plan. I want to keep his Phos level in food low to. So far everything is good ( but BG)
In the past when he was having high numbers, I actually lowered it because I though he might be bouncing.And it seemed to work
I’ve been giving him the stuff y’all recommend, today the Cantharis came, but don’t remember what to do with it.
And I’ve been following the vets recommended.... a few she said .... NO visitors allowed, no loud noises, me not going anywhere, me not getting around any animals and their smell getting on me, NO curves ( didn’t even want me doing preshot testing but I still do ) switched his food plus a few more things I can’t remember right now
 
Maybe I should start a new thread ? I don’t know how many people are looking at this one?
 
Ahh yes that makes sense to keep phosphorus low.

Dosing around the food means if the food has higher carbs, therefore causing higher BG, you might have to give a higher dose. And that's okay. Skittles needs what he needs. If he needs a higher dose because you're doing things to keep him healthy, that's fine.

The cantharis is used for pain (not as good as meds from the vet). I use it when I notice anything off...them licking more often, them hiding in funny places, etc. Then I'll often use it for a week or so after a flare to keep any extra pain at bay. The FB group says you don't have to use it when pain meds are on board, but I give it at the same time anyway...figure it can't HURT and who knows if it might help?
 
I haven’t given him any pain meds today , only a 1/4 of a dose last night when I saw him licking his penis a lot
 
I’m trying not to stress. But I have to get his BG back under control. Guess I’m gonna have to order some
 
Hmmm...why not try the Cantharis for a few days then? You can give it 3-4 times a day. When I'm home, I usually give at breakfast, midday, at dinner, and before bed. You can also just do morning and evening if that works best for your schedule. Just see if that helps him keep the pain under control...can't hurt!

Breathe Sherri, breath. It's going to be OKAY. Are you okay with raising his dose a little? To 2.25?
 
Rachel said:
Hmmm...why not try the Cantharis for a few days then? You can give it 3-4 times a day. When I'm home, I usually give at breakfast, midday, at dinner, and before bed. You can also just do morning and evening if that works best for your schedule. Just see if that helps him keep the pain under control...can't hurt!

Breathe Sherri, breath. It's going to be OKAY. Are you okay with raising his dose a little? To 2.25?
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Yeah, I can raise him when it’s time for his PM dose. How many Cantharis? Just realized that he has only had cornsilk 1 time today. I actually left the house for a few hours today . I can try and get 2 more doses in him tonight
 
Sure! You can give cantharis with anything. I usually give it in a little pill pocket, but others mix with water and squirt it.

Give Cantharis just once tonight and see how he does. Then tomorrow you can try to give it 2-4 times a day if you feel okay about it.

Don't worry too much about the needles...I wouldn't add the stress of going to u100s right now. Just do the best you can to estimate 2.25. It's most important that it's consistent, not that it's a perfect 2.25 amount. You can use another syringe and draw some colored water to what you think 2.25 is and refer to that when giving a dose if that makes you feel better...then you'll know it's the same amount.

I know this is going to be easier said than done but you also need to manage your OWN stress. Breathe. Take a walk sometimes. Leave the house and don't worry too much! Give yourself breaks. Take a nice, hot bath. Go to bed early one night. Do things for yourself. Lowering your stress will help lower Skittles stress. And you are NOT alone in this...we're all here and we'll help you get BG back on track and help you get Skittles feeling better. His numbers will likely go down as the cystitis gets better...the pain can raise his stress levels too. My cats stopped flaring as much when I was able to calm down...it took time and work, but I finally did and things got better all over. :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
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