3/20 Harley AMPS 376 PMPS 296

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Laura and Harley (GA)

Laura and Harley (GA)

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AMPS=376 gave 0.7u

Without the prednisolone effect last night his numbers were:

PMPS=374
+2=296
+4=209
+6=259

We both had to sleep after that point.

Tried to give 2.5 mg pred and Pepcid AC this AM in a gel cap but he fought me really hard again despite the kitty burrito and scruffing on my part. He reaches up with 1 paw out of the kitty burrito and swats my hand away while I'm pilling. His claws are pretty sharp. After the gel cap became a gooey mess I tried to pill him with what was left of the 2 pills. He threw up one which I think was the pred. The Pepcid AC I got into him with less trouble. Smart cat, it's like he knows which meds he really needs and those are the ones he'll keep down.(The duck & pea pill pockets are a no-go because the smell triggers him frothing and foaming at the mouth - I used one to give him the cyproheptadine and he may have linked those two together in his mind. Poor kid.)

His right side was cool to the touch this morning but after the pilling episode, it was starting to radiate heat. :cry:
 
Re: 3/20 Harley AMPS 376

It is clear that the insulin will work better without the pred, Laura. I know we have people who have dealt with pancreatitis without predisone. I would keep bumping up your post on Health. You got a few answers yesterday but I think you need more options. Note that David is also posting about pancreatitis (tijana340) on Health and has gotten some good links. Be sure to read his posts also. The consensus I see is that not everyone uses pred and there are other alternatives that have worked for people.

Re the pills. Does Harley do better with liquids? I know some people have been able to get the pills done in a "yummy" liquid taste. With liquid, you can squirt it in the side of his mouth. Another question for health.

I am sorry I seem to be sending you over to Health for everything. I feel pretty confident helping with dose issues, but have no experience with pancreatitis.
 
Re: 3/20 Harley AMPS 376

I have a heck of a time pilling Klinger as well. When he had his dental, I asked for liquid antibiotics and pain meds...that was even more of a nightmare. Anyway, with pepcid, I actually grind it really fine and mix it in with his food (which I add water to) and that has worked for the past few months. I don't know if it's "correct" but it certainly a lot less stressful for both of us.

Hope Harley feels better today without the pred.
 
Re: 3/20 Harley AMPS 376

I know nothing about pancreatitis, but want you to know I am sending you guys light and healing over the intertubes :)
Hope things calm down a bit for you both really soon.
cat_pet_icon
 
Re: 3/20 Harley AMPS 376

Sue and Oliver said:
It is clear that the insulin will work better without the pred, Laura. I know we have people who have dealt with pancreatitis without predisone. I would keep bumping up your post on Health. You got a few answers yesterday but I think you need more options. Note that David is also posting about pancreatitis (tijana340) on Health and has gotten some good links. Be sure to read his posts also. The consensus I see is that not everyone uses pred and there are other alternatives that have worked for people.
Click to expand...

Thanks Sue, I've been following David's post and read the referenced links. In one of them where the different vets are talking about treatment, it mentions that sometimes pancreatitis and IBD can go hand in hand and the treatment for that includes steroids. I wonder if that might be a reason why the second vet prescribed prednisolone...I'll have to call and ask tomorrow.

+1.5=367

Sue and Oliver said:
Re the pills. Does Harley do better with liquids? I know some people have been able to get the pills done in a "yummy" liquid taste. With liquid, you can squirt it in the side of his mouth. Another question for health.

I am sorry I seem to be sending you over to Health for everything. I feel pretty confident helping with dose issues, but have no experience with pancreatitis.
Click to expand...

Before now I've never had to give him any medicine by mouth. He hates liquids only a little less than pills. When I give him the bupe or the lactulose, he jerks his head away or back at the last minute and unless I'm quick the liquid gets anywhere but in his mouth. (Forget about aiming for the cheek pouch.) SubQ fluids were a nightmare the first night too. Now he's better about those because he feels better when it's over. The easiest thing to do is give him his shot.

One thing for sure, he hates me now. All I seem to do is try to shove things into him. When I try to pet him or play with him, he just cowers down in fear and tenses up. :cry:

mars72 said:
I have a heck of a time pilling Klinger as well. When he had his dental, I asked for liquid antibiotics and pain meds...that was even more of a nightmare. Anyway, with pepcid, I actually grind it really fine and mix it in with his food (which I add water to) and that has worked for the past few months. I don't know if it's "correct" but it certainly a lot less stressful for both of us.

Hope Harley feels better today without the pred.
Click to expand...

Is Pepcid tasteless? I've tried putting miralax in his food and that's not working too well. He seems to taste it even though it's supposed to be tasteless and won't eat the "tainted" food.

I'm resigning myself to a pink day, I just hope it doesn't go red again.
 
Re: 3/20 Harley AMPS 376

Oh, Laura, I am sorry you and Harley are having such a low day. Can you take some time and offer a soft lap and see if he will come to you for some loving? Sometimes lying on the floor is just too big of a temptation to resist.

If I were you, I would get together what you have read and compare the different approaches and have a list of questions for the vet tomorrow. If pred is going to cause the high numbers, are there alternatives like..... Could I try a moderate approach like ....and.....? You need a treatment plan that you and Harley can live with, even if it is not your vet's first choice. If you can't get the treatments prescribed down Harley and each treatment is a fight, you have to alter something. I would think if you tell the vet, here is what I have tried and here is what seems impossible, he would help. There is a quality of life issue as well as a medical issue.

Having said that, if the vet thinks a week of pred ( for example) will turn around the pancreatits, your numbers are not through the roof. They are certainly higher than where you were before, but they aren't dangerously high. I know it feels like a step backward, but if you knew it was most likely temporary.....

Just babbling...I wish I could be of more help.
 
Re: 3/20 Harley AMPS 376

Kitty and I are sending warm wishes to Harley and You.
 
Re: 3/20 Harley AMPS 376

Thinking of you and Harley during this difficult time and hope things improve on all fronts for both of you and hope you get some good answers from your vet tomorrow about Harley's treatment.
hugs & healing light to Harley.
 
Re: 3/20 Harley AMPS 376

I really feel for you guys. Pilling Squamee was the worst, and giving liquids was not much better. She did take the pills for about 2 weeks when I rolled the pill pockets in fortiflora and parmesan cheese, but it didn't last. She may have had pancreatitis, (vomiting and diarhhea) but it was treated with antibiotics---I forget which one, but it was very helpful and the vet said it was an antibiotic that had a good track record with inflammatory processes. (I could try to look it up if you are interested, but I would imagine a vet would know, it is a common antibiotic. (maybe Flagyl?).
I struggled with giving her pills and then flavored liquids for administering the phenobarbitol that she needed, and that was impossible. Finally found transdermal meds that worked -- applied to her ear. I do hope things get easier for you!
 
Re: 3/20 Harley AMPS 376

Is Pepcid tasteless? I've tried putting miralax in his food and that's not working too well. He seems to taste it even though it's supposed to be tasteless and won't eat the "tainted" food.
Click to expand...

Klinger won't eat food with miralax or cosequin anymore. Luckily he doesn't seem to mind the pepcid. I don't know if it's tasteless or not...I think the miralax may change the consistancy and that's why Klinger doesn't like it.
 
Today was acutally a better day than I thought:

AMPS=376 shot 0.7u
+2=367
+4=244
+6=183
Zzzzzzzz after +6 :oops:

PMPS=296

I shot 0.5u tonight - the 0.7u without the prednisolone brought him down nicely, a little too nicely so I backed off on the dose. Maybe 0.6 would have been more correct, but I really want us both to get some sleep tonight and I figured this would be safe.

Thank you to everyone for the healing vibes and well wishes! Harley heard you because I detect a slight, very slight, improvement. (Antijinx, antijinx) Maybe it's because I was so exhausted and overwrought that after the +6 test I crashed on the couch and fell asleep until just before his PM shot time. Sue, Harley didn't join me but he did get some nice uninterrupted sleep time in the laundry basket. He acted hungry when I got up so I fed him 1/2 a jar of Gerber Baby Turkey with his Pepcid AC tablet crumbled into it. He kind of went "what?" a couple of times but he didn't stop eating. He polished off the other half of the jar a few minutes ago. Instead of the lactulose, I gave him a fingerful of petroleum jelly which he always loves. I used to do this years ago and I can't recall why I stopped. Hope it's OK. Since it was a less stressful evening and his food is already partially digested baby food, his right side felt cool to the touch so I'm holding off on giving the last dose of buprenex to see if he needs it. He's snoozing in the laundry basket again but when I petted him he actually purred. :-D

But he still won't drink water on his own. It has to be mixed into his food. I even made a fresh batch of tuna water with very, very low sodium white tuna packed in demineralized water, and he still won't touch it. My civvie Princess practically attacked the water. So long as he's getting his daily juice bar this is OK, but I'm worried he will get dehydrated again.

I'm putting together a list of questions for the vets tomorrow. I'm going to call them both and fill them in. Starting with the second vet and then my regular vet for a second opinion. Judy, funny you should mention Flagyl, when I got the bloodwork results over the phone from the second vet he mentioned something about Flagyl if something else didn't work. I can't recall the exact conversation because my mind is fuzzy on that detail, but I'll bet that's the antibiotic you were thinking of. It's one of my questions.
 
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