Prayers for Missy

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Priya&Missy

Priya&Missy

Member Since 2019
Hi everyone,
My Missy has gone downhill very fast in the past two weeks and I’m worried she isn’t going to bounce back this time. She’s weak, tired, sleeps all day, doesn’t eat on her own (just a few bites and gives up), has lost weight, and her back legs barely work anymore. They slide on the floor and she falls over frequently (and worst of all she falls off my bed and I wake up in the middle of the night terrified and lift her back up). She can’t squat when she poops anymore so just lays down to use the litter box. Her tongue is always out. She threw up twice yesterday. I’m syringe feeding Royal Canin recovery currently.

She was totally fine a month ago and so was her bloodwork. I suspect the arthritis is making her miserable but I’m unsure about the lack of appetite. Could be infection or dental problems maybe. Could be the chemo she’s on but it never affected her negatively before.

She’s on subq fluids daily, Miralax, b complex, Pepcid, niacinamide, and gabapentin. Have also tried cerenia, ondansetron, and Mirataz. Just started Adequan injections yesterday.

I have an appt to see her regular vet on Tuesday but may try to see an emergency vet sooner if I can.

Please keep us in your thoughts.
 

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Priya I'm do sorry to hear this, that poor sweet baby. Just hearing what you said breaks my heart. I hope you can get in sooner with the emergency vet. I will be praying for your precious girl
 
Tons of healing light and energies to dear sweet Missy. Lots of virtual hugs and peace to your aching and worried heart Priya. You both are in my thoughts and hopes for relief. :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
I'm so sorry to hear this.
How is her breathing? With her tongue out all the time is sounds as if it could possibly be her heart or lungs
I'd get her potassium checked too.
Sending loads of feel better vines.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
I'm so sorry to hear this.
How is her breathing? With her tongue out all the time is sounds as if it could possibly be her heart or lungs
I'd get her potassium checked too.
Sending loads of feel better vines.
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Breathing is normal. Heart and lungs sounded healthy the last few times the vet & oncologist checked them out. The lung tumor has also stayed relatively the same size and cancer hasn’t spread.

I looked it up online and tongue sticking out for long periods of time is associated with mouth pain and bad teeth, or she’s really doped up on gabapentin and forgets to put her tongue back in her mouth! Could be both honestly.

She’s very sedated and sleepy from the pain meds which also cause lack of coordination and wobbliness. It’s making me wonder if these are just side effects from the gabapentin, arthritis worsening, or both.
 
Priya&Missy said:
Breathing is normal. Heart and lungs sounded healthy the last few times the vet & oncologist checked them out. The lung tumor has also stayed relatively the same size and cancer hasn’t spread.

I looked it up online and tongue sticking out for long periods of time is associated with mouth pain and bad teeth, or she’s really doped up on gabapentin and forgets to put her tongue back in her mouth! Could be both honestly.

She’s very sedated and sleepy from the pain meds which also cause lack of coordination and wobbliness. It’s making me wonder if these are just side effects from the gabapentin, arthritis worsening, or both.
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This wouldn’t explain the lack of appetite though :(
In the past she’s scarfed food down when she’s on pain meds. It usually makes them gain weight, not lose weight. She may be sensitive to the effects though as she’s less than 7 lbs. I only give her 25mg twice a day though. Some people do 50-100mg.
 
Could she be nauseated?
Are you giving any antinausea meds such as cerenia or ondansetron.

Have you tried tramadol for pain? .
I used to give Sheba 10mg of Tramadol twice a day and it had no effect on her walking and didn't make her dopey or uncoordinated.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Could she be nauseated?
Are you giving any antinausea meds such as cerenia or ondansetron.

Have you tried tramadol for pain? .
I used to give Sheba 10mg of Tramadol twice a day and it had no effect on her walking and didn't make her dopey or uncoordinated.
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She doesn’t seem nauseous although I give ondansetron every day just in case.

Have not tried tramadol. Wanted to try buprenorphine but my vet thought that was too extreme and expensive. Cbd oil doesn’t work on Missy.
 
Maybe lower the dose of gabapentine My cat (16 lbs) gets lethargic and wobbly on it. She’s prescribed half a caplet but I can’t give more than 1/3, and I only give it rarely now if she’s limping.
 
JanetNJ said:
Maybe lower the dose of gabapentine My cat (16 lbs) gets lethargic and wobbly on it. She’s prescribed half a caplet but I can’t give more than 1/3, and I only give it rarely now if she’s limping.
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How much mg? I have 100mg caplets and I give her 25mg twice a day which is not that much but she’s less than 7 lbs so maybe she’s super sensitive to it.
 
Priya&Missy said:
How much mg? I have 100mg caplets and I give her 25mg twice a day which is not that much but she’s less than 7 lbs so maybe she’s super sensitive to it.
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Does she seem to be in pain without it? What if you were to try reducing the amount or stopping it to see what change if any it caused? Are you giving it for the arthritis pain or for her other issues? Are you splitting it into quartered doses yourself?
 
Red & Rover (GA) said:
But foam steps do not help when a kitty falling off is the bed.
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Instead I’m going to put her heated bed on the carpet near her food and water so it’s close by. The litter box is also not far that way. I’ve been keeping her heated bed on top of my bed but that’s a lot for her to get to.
 
JanetNJ said:
Does she seem to be in pain without it? What if you were to try reducing the amount or stopping it to see what change if any it caused? Are you giving it for the arthritis pain or for her other issues? Are you splitting it into quartered doses yourself?
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I will try reducing the dose and see if there’s any change. I’m giving it for the arthritis pain. The vet says it’s safe to assume she’s in pain because of all the various issues (cancer, arthritis, possible pancreatitis, etc). I know ckd and diabetes are not painful by definition but I’m assuming she’s still uncomfortable at least. I get 100mg capsules and open them, dump the contents into a bowl, and divide into fourths. I can try giving 10-15mg instead of 25mg. Before the gabapentin she was spending a lot of time under the bed and hiding in my closet and would scream sometimes if I picked her up or touched her in certain areas. She would also have to switch positions a lot to get comfortable when she was laying down and it took her a long time to get up.
 
JanetNJ said:
What if you were to try reducing the amount or stopping it to see what change if any it caused?
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I can’t stop it abruptly. It can cause seizures and rebound pain. I need to either lower the dose or find a way to slowly wean her off of it.
 
Priya, I looked into the CBD formulas and tried CannaCompanion. I thought I could sneak a capsule into something I could get Idjit to eat, well swallow whole that is. He wasn't fooled and I would find the capsule, sometimes a little mangled, laying on the placemat by his dish. I can smell it and taste it, boy, so can he! I did more research and decided against a CBD oil, and read about pet transdermal CBD that you would apply to an inner ear surface. I could get it at a CBD outlet here in Spokane so I went in to see what that was all about. The woman there explained, very kindly I might add, that CBD doesn't know whether it's being used on an animal or human and transdermal probably would work, but it would also transfer to my fingers for application. She suggested CBD crystal isolate, a tasteless powder, that could be added to food as necessary. I decided to try it, in spite of the expense, and bought a small container that came with a tiny spoon on one end of the stick, and even tinier spoon on the other. I figured if it didn't work for Idj, I could use it myself for arthritis pain, after all...winter cold is coming and my worn joints let me know with a vengeance. I know weed is legal now, but the allure and possible charm of getting high from THC infused products really doesn't attract me that much anymore. So, this seemed a logical choice.

When Idjit is limping, and after he has had his morning supplement of Noden's Cat Hip and Joint supplement with his breakfast, an hour or so later he gets a small snack with the tiniest spoon full of the crystal isolate. He doesn't get wobbly or sleepy like he did with the Gabapentin, so I don't have to worry about him going up the stairs to "his room" or visiting Dad playing video games up there - if he is feeling up to it. It seems to help a great deal, and if he's still gimping through the day, I give him a second dose before bed. He does get two doses of supplement a day, a dose of Metacam 1 X a week for now, and I will make the move to Adequan in future. Not habit forming and I was assured that he could not be overdosed.

Just something I wanted to offer for you to think about, it might be a solution to pain, lethargy, all the things that you are worried about with pain relievers for Missy. Don't know if you can find it there, but you probably can. If not, I believe the place I got the crystal isolate from here does ship.

Hoping for relief and solutions for Missy, and a bit of calm and lovie time with Missy for you.
 
Priya&Missy said:
I can’t stop it abruptly. It can cause seizures and rebound pain. I need to either lower the dose or find a way to slowly wean her off of it.
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If you’re worried then don’t. The adequan will help with the arthritis pain but it will take getting through the loading dose.
 
JanetNJ said:
If you’re worried then don’t. The adequan will help with the arthritis pain but it will take getting through the loading dose.
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I would love to take her off the gabapentin completely but I’m worried the Adequan won’t be sufficient. I read that most people use it in combination with pain meds.
 
Priya&Missy said:
I would love to take her off the gabapentin completely but I’m worried the Adequan won’t be sufficient. I read that most people use it in combination with pain meds.
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My cat has been on adequan a couple years now. She has a prescription for gaba but I only give it rarely. Maybe once a month like if the weather is making her limp. I instead give the adequan about once a week rather than once a month. Cc has had arthritis about 4 years, and being acro probably isn’t helping. The adequan makes a HUGE difference for her. Without it she probably wouldn’t still be walking. She’s doing good and is happy.
 
JanetNJ said:
My cat has been on adequan a couple years now. She has a prescription for gaba but I only give it rarely. Maybe once a month like if the weather is making her limp. I instead give the adequan about once a week rather than once a month. Cc has had arthritis about 4 years, and being acro probably isn’t helping. The adequan makes a HUGE difference for her. Without it she probably wouldn’t still be walking. She’s doing good and is happy.
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That’s really good to hear! I’m hoping the same happens for Missy and she’s able to bounce back soon. We’re doing the second injection on Tuesday. I’m trying to be patient but I wish it would work faster.
 
I know no one is an expert on dosing or a vet but I’m wondering what your opinion is on how to lower her dose safely from 25mg twice a day (which she’s been on for about 2-3 weeks). I’m thinking try 12-15mg twice a day for a week and then down to once a day and see what happens. Thoughts?
 
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