12/12 Gussie AMBG 108,+5 61,PMBG 66

[Gussie's mom (GA)]

Have you ever tried cyproheptadine? I like it sooo much better than mirt and it can be dosed twice a day without worries. Vines.

Thanks Elise, I sent an email to my vet asking for it and fluids, Mondays they are closed, otherwise they are open the other 6 days. Will check with them tomorrow. Hopefully I can talk as I'm finally getting that dental work I put off this summer done, well at least one root canal and crown..the others have to wait. Will do another in Jan on the next plan year..that leaves one to put off till this time next year. I clench my teeth now and it's cracking them..he is going to redo the mouth guard I don't wear at no cost, I just clenched harder trying to bite thru the hard plastic so I quit wearing it..
Gussie ate a bit of supper, halshan raw but not a lot. Will put more down in a bit.
You guys were right, he needed me to keep stirring it for him...and to have it on a flat plate! I've been adding water to all his food.

 

[Carol & Murphy (GA)]

So happy to hear that Gus is eating - I noticed that for a few days, as Murphy recovers from pancreatitis, he is in pain shortly after eating - so keep that in mind (you might see it)

 

[Gussie's mom (GA)]

Quite a lot of emotion for you today Leslie, hope you'll sleep well tonight with all that.
Wish Gussie would be has hungry has Small Kitty and Big Brother are, could do some
hunger transfer if you want.

Green is quite nice on Gussie, hope he will keep it for some time and the
rest will come back.

Thanks Sebastien! Sure would be cool if we could transfer fuds appy to each other here wouldn't it?!

 

[Gussie's mom (GA)]

So happy to hear that Gus is eating - I noticed that for a few days, as Murphy recovers from pancreatitis, he is in pain shortly after eating - so keep that in mind (you might see it)

Thanks Carol, will watch for that! How do I know which is which??

 

[Kathy and TiTi]

I'll be back, just walked in but maybe Gussie is feeling better, he just went to town on the scratcher he hasn't touched since he was diagnosed, or perhaps he's just high....either way was nice to see
He is now eating some halshan raw chicken without any tuna, also encipouraging
Anti jinx, anti jinx, anti jinx, anti jinx
View attachment 24818
Haha I found a book on eliminating clutter in a stack of books that spilled....

Well, kinda redundant that book.

You are seeing the Mirt at work, and you are also seeing why I swear by it.

 

[Carol & Murphy (GA)]

I just mean that, for a few days after he is over the acute episode and start acting more like himself, he seems to be in pain after a meal (so I continue with the bupe for a few days)

 

[Gussie's mom (GA)]

Thank you Sina. I'm sure Leslie needed that laugh. I appreciated it, too!

Leslie, you have done, and are doing an amazing job with Gussie. Of course you're worried and stressed. Vent here all you want. That's what we're here for - support. If you can't vent to us about this, where can you?

I would consider asking your vet for a prescription for Cypro (no, not available OTC) and if giving fluids at home would help. When my kitties had p-titis, fluids were always part of the treatment, especially if they weren't eating. Being dehydrated makes you feel yucky. I'm not sure if I'm confusing you with someone else, but did you ask for Ondansetron before and got the a negative response?

Sending healing vines and lots of s.

Hi Tricia, no not confusing me..I did ask but he felt that the cerenia should do the trick, I don't know if he was familiar with the Ondansetron or I mispronounced it. I sent an email this evening asking for the crypto and fluids, hoping to ask about the other tomorrow too.
Thanks for the support, I just hate that sometimes I might hurt the feelings of someone helping, inadvertently but never the less and I don't ever want to do that..I am so grateful for every piece of advice and every offer of support...

 

[Gussie's mom (GA)]

I just mean that, for a few days after he is over the acute episode and start acting more like himself, he seems to be in pain after a meal (so I continue with the bupe for a few days)

Ahhh ok thanks! I will keep an eye out..

 

[Carol & Murphy (GA)]

In the hopes of not confusing you more - cerenia and ondansteron act a little differently
For Murphy at least, I need both of them. Cerenia is a drug initially developed for dogs to stop vomiting - it also has anti-inflammatory properties that my vet feels is doubly helpful for pancreatitis. Ondansteron is a human drug initially developed for patients nauseated from chemotherapy - it is for nausea. Some people use just one or the other, but they have different mechanisms of actions.

 

[Taffysmama]

(Is it really a Maine Coon trait ??)

Idk, but Taffy is at least part MC. I just always say it is bcuz he is my giant baby and he knows it! (the fact that he likes to be spoon fed)

 

[Gussie's mom (GA)]

In the hopes of not confusing you more - cerenia and ondansteron act a little differently
For Murphy at least, I need both of them. Cerenia is a drug initially developed for dogs to stop vomiting - it also has anti-inflammatory properties that my vet feels is doubly helpful for pancreatitis. Ondansteron is a human drug initially developed for patients nauseated from chemotherapy - it is for nausea. Some people use just one or the other, but they have different mechanisms of actions.

Ok, yep more confused but will run with the info tomorrow even if I don't quite get it!

 

[Barbara & Uncle (GA)]

Ok, you're confused (i would be too), how is Gussie tonight?

 

[Taffysmama]

Be sure to ask about contraindications for heart or liver issues, or for elderly patients for the cypro.

Here is a very good link to a page about decreased appetite on "Tanya's CRF" website. Her site is for kidney disease, if you are not familiar, but it is a very comprehensive and informative source about many things. Lots of tips, etc., and if you scroll down towards the end, you will see detailed info about these drugs (cypro, mirtaz, odanestron, etc.) http://www.felinecrf.org/persuading_cat_to_eat.htm

I forgot, too, that if Gussie loves his nip, you can always try sprinkling a little catnip on his food. It is fine for them to ingest it, even beneficial.

Odanestron (sp?) is generic for Zofran. I have this for nausea for my migraines, and I have never tried it on the kitties, but I may in the future if needed (I'll check with vet, of course). Don't give this with mirtazipine, however.

Oh! The other thing my new vet told me is to be sure that the food is at least room temp or slightly warm. Not cold. Cold food is bad for digestion in Traditional Chinese Medicine it is bad for pancreas and liver, etc.

He may be well on the mend if he is trying to eat regularly. Small meals and plain food is best. He might not need more big guns, just some pain relief and rest. Fluids, too, if you feel he does not get enough water in. I know you want this to be better ASAP, but many of these may be overkill at this point, and many have side effects or precautions. Talk to your vet and let Gussie tell you how he is feeling. Licking lips is most likely nausea, but just not eating could mean pain/discomfort is the main issue.

Playing, enjoying the nip, and scratching are all great signs!

 

[Kako & Tux]

I send appy beam to Gussie.
Tux

 

[Tricia Cinco(GA) & Harvey]

Ondansetron and Cerenia work differently, and are perfectly safe to give together. We have multiple people here that give both. I did so with Harvey when he had a p-titis flare. Some cats need one or the other, and some need both. Cyproheptadine is safe with both. You can give it up to twice a day, unlike Mirtz. It also doesn't have the same effect of making the kitty really hyper, which is why I liked it better.

Tanya's site is a bit dated, but it does have a lot of useful info, as Julie said. I referred to it frequently when deciding when to give certain meds.

 

[Taffysmama]

Ondansetron and Cerenia work differently, and are perfectly safe to give together. We have multiple people here that give both. I did so with Harvey when he had a p-titis flare. Some cats need one or the other, and some need both. Cyproheptadine is safe with both.

Yes, it is the Ondansetron and Mirtazipine that should not be used together, as it apparently increases the serotonin effects. And cypro does have some warnings for heart and liver disease. Gussie is a senior dude, so I just want to make sure that Les has all the info before giving a med.

Tanya's site is a bit dated, but it does have a lot of useful info, as Julie said.

Tanys's site is pretty up-to-date now on most things. I think that the site was a little neglected for a while a few years back due to the site owner having some personal obligations or trouble with the site server or something (and she was also making a book out of the info), but it started getting attention again in the last year or so. If you scroll to the bottom of any page on Tanya's site, you will see the date the page was last updated. That page that I referenced was updated Nov 06, 2016.

I thought of one more tool that I use sometimes to entice eating. Bragg's Nutritional Yeast. It is smelly and some of my cats love it (current kitties vote: Taffy=NO, Baby=LOVE IT) And it gives the added benefit of some B vitamins. In the spice area at Sprouts, or probably in the baking section of other grocery stores.