08/10 Butters AMBG 83/PMBG 91 - nutrition consult today & surgery tomorrow

Butters & Lyla

Butters & Lyla

Member Since 2020
Yesterday butters lost interest in fancy feast turkey with gravy. So I bought several other gravy foods and she ate some overnight. Not much. Her interest in eating today has waxed and waned, but mostly waned. Tonight she is refusing all food.

I had the consult with the nutritionist and she was great. She reviewed Butters's entire history and we talked a lot about her recent history. She hasn't been eating much for the past eight days now, and she asked me if anyone had talked about an e-tube? No one had. She said she thought Butters could really use one right now to buy some time while we figure out what is going on with her.

I called her vet's clinic and her regular vet happened to be in after cutting his vacation short to fill in for another vet. He spoke with me and I filled him in on what has transpired. He agreed an e-tube made sense and squeezed her in for surgery tomorrow. He is concerned that we still don't know for sure why she isn't eating, so will have to consider other diagnostics but at least I know I will be able to get food into her with the e-tube. Everything is still curbside with the vet clinic but I believe they will let me in to show me how to work the tube.

So....the consult. The nutritionist's first choice is to actually try a hydrolyzed diet for a food trial for Butters. I am on board. She said in cases with both hypersensitivity and inflammation of the GI, the hydrolyzed diet has a higher success rate. Ultimately it is about what Butters will eat...but while she has the e-tube she will eat whatever I give her:joyful:.

Anyhow, my main priority is helping her to feel better. I'm giving her the roster of pain meds and anti-emetics and appy stim and she still won't eat....so....it's quite worrying. If she wants high carb foods, I'll adjust her insulin as required.

I'm sorry I haven't been able to stop by other condos, but I'm thinking of all of the kitties and people on here.:bighug::bighug::bighug:

Surf safely, kitties:cat:
 
That sounds like a very good plan. I hope there are more diagnostics to figure out why she won't eat but at least the e tube and diet will give you time and get her strong enough for whatever diagnostic are needed. Keeping you close and in my thoughts always.:bighug:
 
I think the e-tube will help you get nutrition into poor Butters while the vets figure out what’s going on. I’m sure they will show you how to feed and test and flush the e- tube. It will take a lot of the stress of of you really… because you won’t have to be feeding and coaxing and changing foods, etc.

I surely hope they can get to the bottom of what’s happening with Butters. This should keep her from losing body condition in the meantime! Hugs!! Kiss on the top of the head to Butters! Poor girl.
 
Sending lots of love and vetty vines :bighug::bighug::bighug: You'll be an excellent CG with the e-tube (it's super easy :bighug:).

Butters & Lyla said:
earning a playing "P" while doing it!:woot:
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Most definitely spit out coffee when I read this and then had a moment of regret that I did not think of this myself - I believe it's already in the playing handbook :joyful:

PS - nice BGs, Butters.
 
Well Lyla, the e-tube definitely relieves a huge amount of stress with non-eating, especially when she decides she wants to eat! They gave me a large variety of syringe sizes which definitely helped because I had post-its all over the place with # of calories. I bought a nutribullet specially which made it super easy to mix up the food and have a batch ready if all the syringes were already full. Feeding is super easy once you get the hang of it and I bet they will also send you some youtube links (if not and you want some, I can find the ones they sent me). I'm sure you'll be fine though. Oh - and medicating is SO EASY! Just dissolve it and squirt it down the etube. The 'hardest' part of the etube was cleaning around the stoma (and that's only because I'm squeamish and the thought of it gave me the heebie jeebies!).

Glad your regular vet was back too, that must have helped your state of mind. Good luck Butters!
 
Butters & Lyla said:
I'm sorry I haven't been able to stop by other condos, but I'm thinking of all of the kitties and people on here
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I almost forgot to say this… as I was just telling Jill and Snuggie today… sometimes all we can do is keep our heads above water. That’s probably where you are now dealing with all this stuff that’s been going on with Butters. So don’t feel badly about not being able to keep up with other kitties’ condos. You’ve been plenty of help and support to people on this board in the past, and I am sure you will again. It’s our turn to support you if we can.
 
Hope the e-tube works well for Butters. I had often thought that we would have to resort to it with Ruby but never did. Which kind of hydrolyzed food would you be able to give her that won't push her BGs higher? Curious to know, as I've been advised by Olive's vet to feed her hydrolyzed for her probable IBD but I've been resistant to go back to a full on canned food diet after feeding her raw all this time.
 
Sounds like the e-tube is a good choice all around...less stress for you, help Butters get some weight back/keep it on, easier to get meds in.

This is totally different, but my kids have dairy and soy intolerances when they're little. The hydrolyzed formula worked amazingly well when I had to supplement...but I'm sure it tasted terrible (it tasted and smelled terrible to me). Curious if cat food is same way.

I don't like the mysterious inappetence, hopefully they can get that figured out, and quickly.
 
Many thoughts and prayers to you & Butters today :bighug:

Given that so many cats are misdiagnosed or given incomplete diagnosis when it comes to the GI enteropathies, often due to a lack of complete and thorough diagnostics necessary to get it right, & the fact that they know that food is oftentimes a primary cause &/or at a minimum, a contributing or aggravating factor across the various diagnosis, it makes sense that they want this to be part of the diagnostic & treatment process. As you know, if an issue with protein(s) or ingredients is never identified, it will continue to cause inflammation and problems for the body—even if there is an additional need to target the immune system with a drug at some point. Even for cases where a steroid is needed, you don’t want to be using a steroid to reduce an inflammatory &/or immune response (depending on the dose of the steroid) & then feeding a cat a protein(s) &/or ingredient(s) that increase that same response:banghead:…. if that makes sense?

As far as hydrolyzed protein & diabetes, you have insulin to manage glucose. If the hydrolyzed protein is the food that is found to be required to keep inflammation at bay and to prevent it from damaging the intestines & potentially the surrounding organs like the stomach, pancreas & liver as well as being able to put a stop to the ear scratching and infections (possibly also being able to avoid the need for a steroid or minimize the dose of a steroid if it is ever needed)…..I say grab that food and your insulin & rock on :rolleyes:!!
 
Yes. We are thinking of Butters today. It is a quick surgical procedure so Butters won’t be under very long and you hopefully will hear from the vet soon after they are finished and she’s waking. Hugs.
 
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