#s are worse with insulin? Probiotic suggestions?

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Katsallday said:
Oh man, do you think he can recover from this and possibly one day meet remission? I know every cat is different and some just need it for life, but I really want to aim for it. He's just so young compared to tuna, but I noticed tuna immediately and acted the same day I felt something was off. 2 months of diagnosis, not even including how long he went before diagnosis :( this poor cat omg I'm gonna cry.

I mixed the proviable into a FF and he ate the whole thing! He's not hard to medicate, like I said he is a perfect angel :,)

The vet doesn't "see" the anisocoria but I do at home in low lighting. I'm hoping it's congenital, but it could be so many things. I had it myself a few years ago and I almost went blind from iritis. It's freaking me out but vet ophthalmologists are $$$$
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Dont cry you are his angel and he is yours, Im so happy he ate his whole meal with the probi:smuggrin:
There is nothing wrong with aiming for remission-do you know what induced it?
Can something be done for the eyes?
 
jayla-n-Drevon said:
Hi @Suzanne & Darcy
Yes I lost Drevon in 2020 he was almost 22 years, he continued to bounce all the way through.:oops:
Rico was steroid induced he was only on insulin about 4-6 weeks he passed before Drevon and he was 22.
I miss them terribly :(
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Well you must be an incredible cat caretaker to have gotten your kitties to the age of 22 or nearly 22. What a blessing to have them so long. Do you have cats now?
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Well you must be an incredible cat caretaker to have gotten your kitties to the age of 22 or nearly 22. What a blessing to have them so long. Do you have cats now?
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Thank you for the kind words I really tried but they never live long enough ya know?
I live in a 2 bedroom townhome with my 2 others right now and we are traveling some so we are pet-less right now.....I miss them terribly:(
 
jayla-n-Drevon said:
Hi @Suzanne & Darcy
Yes I lost Drevon in 2020 he was almost 22 years, he continued to bounce all the way through.:oops:
Rico was steroid induced he was only on insulin about 4-6 weeks he passed before Drevon and he was 22.
I miss them terribly :(
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Oh my 22?!?! That is hugely impressive! I've lost about 15 cats through my life, but you know what I do. It's important to remember our pets don't leave us when they move on, they're just harder to see. I know I'm surrounded by the babies I cared for and they're rooting me on! When I'm at peace too my heaven will be physically with all the kitties I've met along my route, as yours will be too.
 
Katsallday said:
Oh my 22?!?! That is hugely impressive! I've lost about 15 cats through my life, but you know what I do. It's important to remember our pets don't leave us when they move on, they're just harder to see. I know I'm surrounded by the babies I cared for and they're rooting me on! When I'm at peace too my heaven will be physically with all the kitties I've met along my route, as yours will be too.
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I love that! "they are just harder to see" thank you so much for the kind words. 15 cats!! a cheerleading squad :bighug:
 
jayla-n-Drevon said:
Dont cry you are his angel and he is yours, Im so happy he ate his whole meal with the probi:smuggrin:
There is nothing wrong with aiming for remission-do you know what induced it?
Can something be done for the eyes?
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I have no idea what induced this. I'm fearing the worst. His twitching is progressing. I want to start a stronger antibiotic course tomorrow, incase this suspected nasal infection is moving towards his brain and in his eye. The ex caretaker said he's been snotty since November. How can anyone turn a blind eye?

The lipase was crazy elevated in October, I'd venture to say pancreatitis but I'll know for sure tomorrow. I'll ask my vet if they can do anything for the eye, they are a "hospital" but idk. If they can't I'll try to fundraise for an ophthalmologist for him. I can't stand to see him like this.
 
jayla-n-Drevon said:
I love that! "they are just harder to see" thank you so much for the kind words. 15 cats!! a cheerleading squad :bighug:
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Their memory keeps me saving cats. I know for the ones I've lost, I can save more too. My cheerleaders sit in parts of my house where I can stop what I'm doing for a minute and remember how much they meant to me. I really don't want to lose jekyll, he's in rough shape. I lay on the floor with him recording him incase another twitch happens. I don't understand what is happening to him
 
Katsallday said:
Their memory keeps me saving cats. I know for the ones I've lost, I can save more too. My cheerleaders sit in parts of my house where I can stop what I'm doing for a minute and remember how much they meant to me. I really don't want to lose jekyll, he's in rough shape. I lay on the floor with him recording him incase another twitch happens. I don't understand what is happening to him
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It almost looks like MS ----I know of some dogs that had "tremors" after certain vaccines (lepto mostly)
 
jayla-n-Drevon said:
They dont know what is going on with the eyes?
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Nope. I see the pupil difference in them, the vet said he didn't see it. I have pictures ready for tomorrow.

jayla-n-Drevon said:
It almost looks like MS ----I know of some dogs that had "tremors" after certain vaccines (lepto mostly)
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He hasn't had any vaccines recently. I know he started as a shelter kitten, the passed owner got him as a kitten from a shelter. Can cats get multiple sclerosis? I had no idea
 
Katsallday said:
Nope. I see the pupil difference in them, the vet said he didn't see it. I have pictures ready for tomorrow.


He hasn't had any vaccines recently. I know he started as a shelter kitten, the passed owner got him as a kitten from a shelter. Can cats get multiple sclerosis? I had no idea
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I think it is more the symptoms it was on the news when a bunch of pets were over vaccinated.--the vaccines stay in the system so long. Vaccines are a hot topic here some believe in them some don't, especially for house cats.

I wonder if he is deficient in a nutrient that is causing the leg tremors. There is a anablolic steroid called Winstral-V it helps preserve muscle it may make him stronger but Im not sure its ok for diabetics. I used it on Rico to preserve muscle and appetite after he was OTJ and he did fine. It is 1x a month in the muscle. Your vet should know if ok for diabetics :)
 
I’m glad you got the video to show today. I hope things go well at the vet today. Keep us posted. I’ll check in periodically to see if you have any news. Jekyll is so cute and, as you said, a real trooper. He deserves the best!
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I’m glad you got the video to show today. I hope things go well at the vet today. Keep us posted. I’ll check in periodically to see if you have any news. Jekyll is so cute and, as you said, a real trooper. He deserves the best!
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They couldn't find a way to see him today, I'm doing a drop off appointment tomorrow and he'll need his insulin while he's there. I'm nervous about that. How will I know that they did it at 10am for sure?
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
That is good to know @Ale & Minnie (GA) I’m getting ready to buy some, and I am glad you posted this. Can I just buy it from Amazon? Or is there a better/cheaper place to purchase?
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I’ve always ordered directly from their site: https://www.visbiome.com/collections/all
I get the bottle of 60 for $65.95 and shipping is free but I should check Amazon!

PS- just checked Amazon and it’s $71.25 so slightly more but not by much. I know some folks get the packets but it’s easier for me to divide up the capsules in 1/4s than a packet
 
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Ale & Minnie (GA) said:
I’ve always ordered directly from their site: https://www.visbiome.com/collections/all
I get the bottle of 60 for $65.95 and shipping is free but I should check Amazon!

just checked Amazon and it’s $71.25 so slightly more but not by much. I know some folks get the packets but it’s easier for me to divide up the capsules in 1/4s than a packet
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Yes. I think capsules will work better for me.
 
Katsallday said:
I'm tempted to just start the clindamycin.
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Hi you don't know me, but IMO, wait to start an ABX and if he's still snorting, have them do a swab on the bacteria from his nose.

Id also avoid Zenequin as an ABX choice, ONLY because it is a big gun antibiotic and in some cats can cause blindness.

I've had over 20 cats and one I had probably took every ABX under the sun and I researched them all.

I'm a crazy cat lady too, currently at a head count of 8 ;)
 
Good point about the swab. I was going to ask if the vet had ever swabbed the nose and cultured it to see if anything grew out of it. It would help not to be shooting in the dark. I would have thought the vets would have already suggested this. I know you said one vet suggested a nasal polyp (did they look in there to see?)

My cats have not had trouble on Zenequin - we have used it when necessary - but again, if we think there's an eye problem or a seizure problem you may not want to use it. Many drugs lower the seizure threshold and Zenequin is one of them that does. It would be wise to see if there's actually bacteria in there (don't know if it's too late at this point since the doxy has been used already for a while.)
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Good point about the swab. I was going to ask if the vet had ever swabbed the nose and cultured it to see if anything grew out of it. It would help not to be shooting in the dark. I would have thought the vets would have already suggested this. I know you said one vet suggested a nasal polyp (did they look in there to see?)

My cats have not had trouble on Zenequin - we have used it when necessary - but again, if we think there's an eye problem or a seizure problem you may not want to use it. Many drugs lower the seizure threshold and Zenequin is one of them that does. It would be wise to see if there's actually bacteria in there (don't know if it's too late at this point since the doxy has been used already for a while.)
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My cats never had a problem with Zeniquin either, but because this kitty possibly has an eye twitch, or uneven pupils, I'd err on the side of caution.

Uneven pupils can be caused by a few things, glaucoma and Toxoplasmosis are two of them. Been there too!
 
Deb and Sylvester said:
Hi you don't know me, but IMO, wait to start an ABX and if he's still snorting, have them do a swab on the bacteria from his nose.

Id also avoid Zenequin as an ABX choice, ONLY because it is a big gun antibiotic and in some cats can cause blindness.

I've had over 20 cats and one I had probably took every ABX under the sun and I researched them all.

I'm a crazy cat lady too, currently at a head count of 8 ;)
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I was considering doing a swab, he's been like this since November atleast according to ex caretaker but he did *seem* to respond to the doxy. I have financial constraints as I do out of pocket rescue. I'm the last line of hope for animals and I try to stretch my dollar but I know treating empirically is not great either. I'm at 18 cats right now
 
Katsallday said:
I was considering doing a swab, he's been like this since November atleast according to ex caretaker but he did *seem* to respond to the doxy. I have financial constraints as I do out of pocket rescue. I'm the last line of hope for animals and I try to stretch my dollar but I know treating empirically is not great either. I'm at 18 cats right now
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Believe me I understand, I'm in debt because of my big heart. I stopped doing rescue when the last one cost me 10K to build a giant cage in my yard for 5 cats that the shelter promised they were going to take,

Its just as well, I love them and probably care for them better than any other deal they would have gotten.

Only reason I say to culture:
1) you'll find out if there is a true infection
2) you'll know what's causing it

Do the swab, and then after, you could start anither and, even if it's the wrong one. It could also be a fungal infection.
 
Deb ands Sylvester said:
My cats never had a problem with Zeniquin either, but because this kitty possibly has an eye twitch, or uneven pupils, I'd err on the side of caution.

Uneven pupils can be caused by a few things, glaucoma and Toxoplasmosis are two of them. Been there too!
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I'm not a fan of fluoroquinolones, I refuse to take them myself even though I'm allergic to penicillin. Too dangerous and personally I think they should be last line. Even human doctors are talking about the dangers.

Is Toxoplasmosis relevant to this do you think? All the symptoms are so broad for everything I'm having problems narrowing down a list.

For the nasal polyp it wasn't my vet that suggested it, it was ex caretakers vet. Possibly it could be chronic sinusitis from a polyp but the discharge seems to change in each nostril so idk
 
Katsallday said:
I'm not a fan of fluoroquinolones, I refuse to take them myself even though I'm allergic to penicillin. Too dangerous and personally I think they should be last line. Even human doctors are talking about the dangers.

Is Toxoplasmosis relevant to this do you think? All the symptoms are so broad for everything I'm having problems narrowing down a list.

For the nasal polyp it wasn't my vet that suggested it, it was ex caretakers vet. Possibly it could be chronic sinusitis from a polyp but the discharge seems to change in each nostril so idk
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Was kitty an outdoor guy before you acquired him?
 
Deb and Sylvester said:
Believe me I understand, I'm in debt because of my big heart. I stopped doing rescue when the last one cost me 10K to build a giant cage in my yard for 5 cats that the shelter promised they were going to take,

Its just as well, I love them and probably care for them better than any other deal they would have gotten.

Only reason I say to culture:
1) you'll find out if there is a true infection
2) you'll know what's causing it

Do the swab, and then after, you could start anither and, even if it's the wrong one. It could also be a fungal infection.
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I have indeed thought about fungal. Do you know how much that could run me?
 
Katsallday said:
I'm not a fan of fluoroquinolones, I refuse to take them myself even though I'm allergic to penicillin. Too dangerous and personally I think they should be last line. Even human doctors are talking about the dangers.

Do his eyes move slightly back and forth, or does he have cloudiness in his eye?

Is Toxoplasmosis relevant to this do you think? All the symptoms are so broad for everything I'm having problems narrowing down a list.

For the nasal polyp it wasn't my vet that suggested it, it was ex caretakers vet. Possibly it could be chronic sinusitis from a polyp but the discharge seems to change in each nostril so idk
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Deb and Sylvester said:
Was kitty an outdoor guy before you acquired him?
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Not to my knowledge, he was living in a house without an in home caretaker "or one that cared about him atleast" for a while. He was adopted as a kitten from a shelter, passed owner had him until he was 10. Then he was left alone for a while, then ex caretaker (owners daughter) tried somewhat for him although refusing insulin. Now I have him. That's about all I know
 
Katsallday said:
Ah I'm in florida
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Its probably cheaper there..

Since you do rescue/TNR, is there a shelter you work with? Maybe they can help you out, you could always say he was a surrender you are willing to keep, but need to keep cost down.

It's still possible for Toxo to happen in an immunocompromised cat, even if they lived indoors, most cats carry toxo just like anything else. Stress could bring it on.
 
Yes Clindamycin is drug of choice for Toxoplasmosis as Deb said. Be really careful about making sure Clindamycin goes all the way down after pilling/dosing. Use a water/food chaser. You probably are already familiar but there are documented esophageal injuries in cats induced by Clindamycin. Still, I hope you can find the real cause. I get the cost issues. I do rescue and pay pretty much everything myself.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Yes Clindamycin is drug of choice for Toxoplasmosis as Deb said. Be really careful about making sure Clindamycin goes all the way down after pilling/dosing. Use a water/food chaser. You probably are already familiar but there are documented esophageal injuries in cats induced by Clindamycin. Still, I hope you can find the real cause. I get the cost issues. I do rescue and pay pretty much everything myself.
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Yes, exactly this. Always a bolus of water after Clinda.

I have tasted it myself, and it's pretty disgusting. I would personally try administering in a pill pocket, chop it small, and roll the pill pockets in Fortiflora..

One cat got wise to my antics, and I had to make like mini 10 pill pockets for 1 pill.. Lol

Another great thing I found to hide meds in, is liverwurst. Its very pliable.
 
Deb and Sylvester said:
Its probably cheaper there..

Since you do rescue/TNR, is there a shelter you work with? Maybe they can help you out, you could always say he was a surrender you are willing to keep, but need to keep cost down.

It's still possible for Toxo to happen in an immunocompromised cat, even if they lived indoors, most cats carry toxo just like anything else. Stress could bring it on.
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Unfortunately I'm from Miami and when I moved 4 hours north I lost my connections. My current vet is willing to do discounts if I become a 501c3 so I'm working on that.
 
Deb and Sylvester said:
Yes, exactly this. Always a bolus of water after Clinda.

I have tasted it myself, and it's pretty disgusting. I would personally try administering in a pill pocket, chop it small, and roll the pill pockets in Fortiflora..

One cat got wise to my antics, and I had to make like mini 10 pill pockets for 1 pill.. Lol

Another great thing I found to hide meds in, is liverwurst. Its very pliable.
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I use liquid clinda and mix it into wet food and syringe it. Water or more food after always :)
 
Chiming in with a very random (and far-fetched) possible cause of constant nose discharge: one of the rescues I follow on social media had a kitty whose nose was just a constant fountain of snot and they just couldn't figure out why antibiotics weren't working... turns out poor thing had an oronasal fistula!! Particles of food kept ending up in his nasal cavity every time he ate, and he ended up needing two surgeries to close the little hole in his palate. It was found by chance by his foster mom one day as he was yawning.
 
Virginie & Chewie (GA) said:
Chiming in with a very random (and far-fetched) possible cause of constant nose discharge: one of the rescues I follow on social media had a kitty whose nose was just a constant fountain of snot and they just couldn't figure out why antibiotics weren't working... turns out poor thing had an oronasal fistula!! Particles of food kept ending up in his nasal cavity every time he ate, and he ended up needing two surgeries to close the little hole in his palate. It was found by chance by his foster mom one day as he was yawning.
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Oh jeez that sounds terrible! I have explored inside jekylls mouth already as I poke and prod cats until they get mad at me lol. Here's my list of possibilities I have so far. With my luck it's all wrong lol

Polyp causing secondary bacterial infection
Calici/herpes
Food allergy
Other tumor growth in nose or head
Chronic uri/ CURTD
Sinusitis
Fungal

This is a list from dvm360 that I found incase anyone's curious
 
Katsallday said:
Oh jeez that sounds terrible! I have explored inside jekylls mouth already as I poke and prod cats until they get mad at me lol. Here's my list of possibilities I have so far. With my luck it's all wrong lol

Polyp causing secondary bacterial infection
Calici/herpes
Food allergy
Other tumor growth in nose or head
Chronic uri/ CURTD
Sinusitis
Fungal

This is a list from dvm360 that I found incase anyone's curious
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I just watched Tuna's. OTJ video and I want to hug that kitty!! So cuuuute!!
 
Katsallday said:
Oh jeez that sounds terrible! I have explored inside jekylls mouth already as I poke and prod cats until they get mad at me lol. Here's my list of possibilities I have so far. With my luck it's all wrong lol

Polyp causing secondary bacterial infection
Calici/herpes
Food allergy
Other tumor growth in nose or head
Chronic uri/ CURTD
Sinusitis
Fungal

This is a list from dvm360 that I found incase anyone's curious
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I didn't want to mention tumors, but one of my gals was having an ongoing presumed URI and then needed a dental. While she was under they did an x-ray, and she in fact had a mass in her throat/head.

I'm not telling you this to scare you, I'm just reading your list of possibilities.

I definitely think a culture is in order, and ask the Vet how much a fungal swab would be, or if they run a culture for that along with bacteria.

I've had cats with MRSA and other unusual things. You live in FL, so a fungal infection is a possibility.
 
Deb and Sylvester said:
I just watched Tuna's. OTJ video and I want to hug that kitty!! So cuuuute!!
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Aw thank you! I wanted to start otj videos for vetsulin and prozinc families but I think people forgot to tag me in remission posts so I can make their videos :joyful: I know the Lantus group otj videos are way more common so when tuna went otj I offered my mediocre services :joyful::joyful::joyful:

Deb and Sylvester said:
I didn't want to mention tumors, but one of my gals was having an ongoing presumed URI and then needed a dental. While she was under they did an x-ray, and she in fact had a mass in her throat/head.

I'm not telling you this to scare you, I'm just reading your list of possibilities.

I definitely think a culture is in order, and ask the Vet how much a fungal swab would be, or if they run a culture for that along with bacteria.

I've had cats with MRSA and other unusual things. You live in FL, so a fungal infection is a possibility.
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Yeah I know it's definitely a possibility for a yucky growth, I have one in my head myself so it doesn't scare me tooooooo bad. I'm still hoping that the short stint of clear breathing about 1 week and a half into the doxy proves some kind of infection but I'm not 100% convinced. I already told my husband that if I'm looking at acro I will fly to the UK for him to have brain surgery (if my own brain cyst allows for the flight) because I know how bad the side effects can be. No one can explain you feel like poop because you have a growth to a cat. I won't let him go on like that.

I'm praying to my cat goddess that it's a simple fix that will break his insulin resistance and b12 will fix his shakes and twitches and his eye is just naturally wonky and we can live happily ever after
 
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