12/28 Blackie pmps 146 +2 180 +4 172

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Ele & Blackie (GA)

Ele & Blackie (GA)

Member Since 2009
Good Morning, LL
I hope you are all well and warm today. I know those storms in the Northeast were just terrible.

My attitude is a llittle improved this morning, even though there is no change in Blackie. He ate some on his own this morning and I syringe fed the rest. I added back some of his supplements this morning too in hopes it would make him feel better. I am continuing the pepcid and I'm giving it at +11 or +11.25 to give it a chance to work before the shot. Blackie does have a platform that I can move around so that his food is elevated. Last night I started syringe feeding Wellness instead of baby food. It is more complete in nutrients and he likes it a little better. He is eating the FD chicken, so his nausea/appetite hasn't completely stopped his eating.

Following Carolyn's suggestion I weighed Blackie this morning before his shot. I'm going to continue to do this daily so I can see if he's getting enough food. On the good side, he hasn't lost much weight. He was 12 lbs 9 oz this am and he is usually between 12 lbs 12 oz and 13 lbs 2 oz (this has been mid-day after fluids & food). Several weeks ago I measured out Blackie's food over a 24 hr period and he was getting 13 Tb of food. So I'm going to aim for 8 to 10 Tb of food now and see what happens. If he eats more great, but if not I can at least syringe feed that much.

My main worry right now is how I'm going to get that much food in him when I go back to work. Will it be okay if I give him 1/4 of his food before I go to work and then have DH give him 1/4 at lunch? After work and evening isn't a problem.

Other than the not eating well and his arthritis, Blackie doesn't seem to be feeling too bad. He was very affectionate last night, continuously climbing in my lap. He also went outside yesterday for a few minutes on his own. He's jumping on the couch and going back and forth between the living room and kitchen. He's also peeing, pooping and preening (cleaning himself). His arthritis is evident in his walking and standing. His elbows are so bad that he sits with his elbows bowed out. The vet even commented on it, but we're doing everything we can. He's still getting the Gabapentin and I'm going to add back the Dasuquin tonight.

Thank you again for your support and for letting me vent. I don't know what I would do with you.

Yesterday: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=33033
 
Re: 12/28 Blackie amps 321

Glad to hear Blackie is holding his own (albeit with a bit of help from his Mom!) - it is very wearing and worrying when they won't eat isnl;t it, but as you say SOME appetite is there - so let's hope this builds, and he turns this around. Good to know too, that he's not losing too much weight, that has to be encouraging for you.

Hope this gets better soon, come on Blackie, hang in there!! (You too, Ele!)
 
Re: 12/28 Blackie amps 321

Morning Ele - somehow I missed all that was going on yesterday with Blackie. I wish I could help with all that is happening, but it is so out of my knowledge base. I hope things improve for him. Mannie and I send many healing and appy vines.

Blackie - I am sorry that you went to the vetty place yesterday... I hope it wasn't too bad. Maybe we can all come and see you today? ~~ Mannie
 
Re: 12/28 Blackie amps 321 +4 191

Nice to hear that Blackie is interested in food today. Te =4 is nice too. Sending more eat well vines today.

.....no silly computer, i hadn't finished!

Blackie, you feeling better? and you had to go to the vetty? do you need KTSS to get rid of the smell? We can give you a spa treatment and then just hang together! -- Tess
 
Re: 12/28 Blackie amps 321 +4 191

The test for pancreatitis is either the fPLI or the Spec fPL. They are generally accepted to be good tests, but I do have experience with (1) a cat feeling ill and having an inflamed pancreas on ultrasound showing negative on the test and (2) IBD cats having chronically elevated fPLI values, but acting and feeling well, so the test is not 100%. Note that if you do have the test done, it is better to fast before the blood draw. Alternately, you can go ahead and treat symptomatically, as you have been doing.

Spec fPl info: http://www.futurevows.com/doc/SA%20Comm ... atitis.pdf

http://www.idexx.com/view/xhtml/en_us/s ... onId=91086

Edited to add: Please see Cheryl and Winnie's post on pancreatitis here: viewtopic.php?f=28&t=33071&p=344462#p344462

Treatment for pancreatitis would include anti-acid, anti-nausea, and appetite stimulating meds. You are doing the pepcid and the appetite stim. It's not clear if Blackie is nauseated (it doesn't sound like it) and could benefit from trying something like Ondansetron or Cerenia. Another large part of treating pancreatitis is giving medication for pain. If you gave some Buprenex, it could help with both CP and arthritis pain. My civie has severe arthritis, and she got no relief from gabapentin, but is doing well on Bupe. Another arthritis med to try could be Adequan injections.

The anti-biotic may also be making his stomach upset. Regarding UTI's not showing up in the urine, Bear Man did have Pyelonephritis (kidney infection) that did not produce any growth on urine cultures, so that is possible, though probably not common. It would be more common in a kidney cat, I think, and also one like Bear who was on immune suppressing drugs (which Blackie is not on).
 
Re: 12/28 Blackie amps 321 +4 191

Ele...glad you are feeling better. I've danced the CRF dance before, too, and have my two elderly civvies on the border of renal insufficiency now so I know the balancing act you are going through; add in the FD and I know it's has to be really tough to know what is causing what. His creat really came down nicely on his last bldwk in Dec and his other levels look good (BUN a little high but you know how that can vary). His HCT/HGB are a little low but I do see you're giving him methylcobalamine...I'm assuming it's for anemia? Or is it for neuropathy? You're doing so much for him early on and his CRF is really not bad...in fact, it's early. I think Linda had some really good thoughts. I would reinforce her thoughts about the bupe....gabapentin did nothing for my Gussie so we changed him to bupe and he seems better...and I give him adequan injections monthly.

eta: just saw your post on Rocket's condo that the gabapentin is working great for Blackie and you already give him adequan. So disregard above....sorry; I missed the adequan on his profile (duh).

Nice blues for him!!!
 
Re: 12/28 Blackie amps 321 +4 191 +6 89

Linda, Thank you so much for the info and links. I am going to read it all and then email it to my vet and see what we can do. I have some bup that was left over from a civie injury, but I don't really want to try it without talking to the vet.
Thanks again!
 
Re: 12/28 Blackie amps 321 +4 191 +6 89

Hello Ele!
Checking in.
I'm wondering after reading your condo if he isn't in pain from the arthritis? That could certainly cause him to have less of an appetite. Do you think it would be worth xrays of his arthritic areas? Do you have old ones for comparison?

Syringe feeding is very time consuming, especially when working. When I was regularly assist feeding I always 1st offered food and gave latte some time to try eating on her own. If it was a full on assist feeding day I gave her 10~15ml, 5~6 times each day (6am,8am, 3pm, 6pm, 8pm, 12am). The way I made her food this would equal 1~ 1.5 3oz cans wellness.

I bet blackie will be feeling better by the time you go back to work. If need be maybe one of you could come home for lunch to do a mid day feeding.

I think its a good idea you are starting to syringe cat food vs babyfood. I think its good to feed something they like, but not something they regularly eat in hopes to prevent an aversion. I never used clinicare because the amount of calories it seemed it would add was minimal and I ddidnt want to mess with flavoring. It was also not easily available in mn, and expensive! Its typically used with a feeding tube, tho some who assist feed do use it orally, mixed with the cat food.

(((Hugz)))

Hang in there guys! There is lots of love surrounding you.
 
Re: 12/28 Blackie amps 321 +4 191 +6 89 +7 89

just dropping in with lots of affection and continued "health and wellness" wishes for the gorgeous guy...

and some good rest wishes for you, Ele.

look at those greens!

celi & binks
 
Re: 12/28 Blackie amps 321 pmps 146

I gave pepcid again about 1 hour before shot. Vet said I could give Buprenex every 6 hours. He still doesn't think the fPLI test has any value. And maybe he's right since we are already doing all of the treatment that would be done anyway now that we've added the Bup. Blackie did eat much better today, but not much with his shot. We'll see how he does tonight and hope for the best.
 
Re: 12/28 Blackie amps 321 +4 191 +6 89 +7 89 +8 92

I just want Blackie to feel good! Have you tried a heating pad on his arthritic joints? I find that it really helps me when my arthritis flares. I hope that all of the good advice and suggestions you got in your condo today will help.
Nice numbers today, Blackie!
Ele, I don't see why you couldn't feed 1/4 of his morning food at breakfast and your DH feed the other 1/4 at lunchtime. You do what you can do. As long as he will eat ("eat, Blackie, eat"!) he'll get his nutrients.
Continuing to send beautiful eating vines to handsome Blackie. Rusty would like to try his paw at chicken soup and if it turns out well, he'll bring some over to his pal, Blackie.

Have a good night with good sleeping.

Ella & Rusty
 
Re: 12/28 Blackie pmps 146 +2 180

I gave .2 ml of Buprenex to Blackie at shot time. He only ate a little at that point too. After that he kind of zoned out and won't eat anything. So I syringed the rest of the 1.5 Tb of food that I had prepared. I don't know if I should continue the Bup if its just going to knock him out.
 
When Butthead was on bupe, he couldn't be bothered to eat unless you served him Special Room Service.
And his bupe dose was lower than that, and only given every 12 hrs.
 
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