Hi Susanne. Susie is doing a little better today than she was yesterday. It has truly been a miracle that she is eating on her own without an appetite stimulant. When/if she stops eating then I know I will be in REAL trouble.
I know what you mean about the word carefree. I don't think a lot of folks on this site experience that much. It is just a wish from me to you and all the others here.
Do you perhaps mean injectable cyanocobalamin B-12?
Yes. Sorry. I typed methyl instead of cyanocobalamin. I’m going to correct that. There is such a thing as methylcobalamin injectable but it’s really hard to find! I do know of a few people who have used it. The point is - get a bottle of B-12 from your vet and they will give you cyanocobalamin. Because it is all they will have.
I think this is a good thing. Let’s see what the vet says. Aren’t you going today for fluids and pain meds?
Hi Summer, sending hopes and prayers for solid answers and solutions from the vet. I imagine you are very frustrated as I would be.
Yeah. I would not wait more than a week to see if she seems more like her old self again. That means more than just eating to stay alive. It includes normal demeanor. Is she enjoying any normal activity? Is she lethargic or active (well as active as her healthier self). Is she not “limp.” Does she stay under the bed most of the time? Does she ever sit around in the meatloaf position clearly uncomfortable. These things and more would need to be taken into consideration in a week. If your vet says to wait a week and then he will consider it, then go with that. But, eating means eating enough to at least maintain her weight. The ER vet’s report describes her as Anorexic.
Yes, that is what I meant. When I hear back from them I will correct that. Thank you for that info and for the well-wishes, JL.
Yes, I took her in to have them show me how to do the fluids and administer the pain med. I think the fluids have already helped. She came out looking for lunch today for the first time in many, many days. I remember how it helped my CKD kitty. They are having me do the fluids every day - 100 units. She is supposed to get the pain meds every 12 hours.
I don't understand, Katherine. Even if she is eating well, the IBD and/or lymphoma will not get better, or be managed, without some kind of meds specifically used to treat these diseases - will they? Isn't Ruby doing well on the Prednisolone with her SCL?
That’s so good to hear. Perhaps this will help her feel better (although not treat whatever was seen on the ultrasound). But it is encouraging news and I feel really happy about it!
Thanks, Jan. I will go back and look at yesterday's post to see what Sienne said.
Doesn't sound like the compounded Entocort is the way to go for Susie if you want it to be effective further down the digestive line but I can't pill Susie. Interesting read, though. I'm just totally confused. To use steroids or not? Sienne's comment in my post yesterday said I should be looking more at an improved diet but I'm pretty sure Susie will not eat raw, or even cooked, human food with probiotics added.
Bless you, Gina. I plan on leaving all of this behind me for the rest of the day. I'm going to watch FSU lose again today but at least it will be a distraction from Susie's situation. Good luck with Mississippi. Piece of cake!So much good information and support here, Summer. Glad to hear of Susie's slight improvement. Hope there is more to come. Thinking of you two often.
You can’t put unfamiliar food in front of a cat and expect her to eat it. You transition them very slowly by adding a small spoon in a bowl with her regular food so she starts to recognize it AS food. Read the link Sienne gave you. There are tips to transitioning to homemade food.
Hi Summer I'm happy to hear that Susie seems to feel a little better with the fluids.
Summer, have you tried just tipping Susie's head back to give her a Cerenia? Here is what I do and it may work for you. Do not wrap Susie in a towel and approach her like she is getting medicine. Say to her " Do you want a snack?" and give her one when she is just standing or sitting next to you. Then, ask her if she wants another snack. Lift the snack a little above her head so she is looking up. Have the pill in your hand and gently put your finger in one side of her mouth and tilt her head further back. Just drop the pill in the back of her throat. She will swallow and it is gone. Then give her another snack. When she is used to it, just do this with 1 snack.
Yeah, Lane Kiffin spilled his popcorn, did not beat his old boss Nick Saban this time! Looks like Florida State's game was a nail biter. Congratulations on the win!
It would be worth a try to see if she would eat any of the recommended foods. The vets sell a hydrolyzed protein food called Hill’s Prescription Diet Z/D. It comes in canned and dry. BUT the problem is that it is probably not low carb. I haven’t checked it on a food chart. The theory behind the food is that they break the proteins down into such tiny parts that it’s not recognizable by the cat’s body as an allergen, and the body does not react to it in an inflammatory way. Royal Canin makes a version of this as well (and so do others probably.). They use a single source protein. I had a cat (Inky) on this food years ago and he did very well, BUT he was also on Prednisolone after a biopsy revealed eosinophilic IBD. So he lived on for several years on this treatment until the IBD had morphed into Small Cell Lymphoma. At that time, Leukeran (chlorambucil) was not being used in cats with small cell lymphoma - so when the Prednisolone stopped working, Inky died.
You are right! Also, Summer, Susie’s area of marked inflammation seems to be up in the area of her stomach and not the small intestine (according to that ultrasound). So Budesonide would not really be the way to go for her anyway! But I just thought this post explained really well how it is designed to work and what area it treats best. And Jan had been thinking about it for Tina. So I thought I would share it.
Are you now saying that the Prednisolone and/or Budesonide would not be an effective treatment for Susie because the inflammation is around her stomach and not intestines?
No no no! I am sorry to confuse you. Please forgive me. I meant that Prednisolone would be the way to go since it will work more systemically— and Budesonide is not the way to go since it is specifically designed to target the small intestine. I still think, if it were my cat and the vet insisted on a food trial, I would go with Prednisolone after the food trial. As I said, IBD is thought to transform into small cell lymphoma. That inflammation needs to get under control to stop or forestall this from happening (assuming she doesn’t have SCL already but even if she did, Prednisolone is the first drug therapy to be used in BOTH IBD & SCL).
I wonder why my vets are hesitant for me to try the Prednisolone unless it is the fear of using it on a diabetic cat. I hope to find out tomorrow or Tuesday.
Yes. Probably the diabetes. But they meed to understand that you are equipped to handle with insulin adjustments. Have they ever seen your spreadsheet and do they have any clue how frequently you test?
Yes, I provided a recent spreadsheet to both vets. The intern said don't let her go under 80. He seemed unimpressed with my efforts to treat her at home. He is a snobby guy. My regular vet was pleased with it (despite all the yellows) and said to try to keep her blue. They saw how often I was testing.
