3/24 OT ~ Shadow ~ want opinions

[rhiannon and shadow (GA)]

last post: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/3-5-shadow-lab-results-belly-pic.134119/#post-1384157

yesterday my vet agreed to give Cerenia a try.
We are to give flagyl once a day, b12 shot once a week, she prefers mirtzapine for appetite which I'm not sure I like. And I can give budesonide once a week if I want to.
I gave her a cerenia shot last night ( I'm requesting pills now instead since she isn't throwing up)
and she really hated that. It hurt. She pouted all evening.
I needed to give her a b12 shot and her adequan shot but we decided to wait since she's really upset.

I have a new food coming, kangaroo and squash by Rayne. Who knows if she'll eat it.

Since Shadow may have ibd, I am trying harder to get her to accept raw.
I've tried before but she didn't take to it . She doesn't mind a little occasionally.

However, she absolutely loves raw shrimp and even cooked crab legs.
I just gave her a serving of raw chicken ( darwin's) and added raw shrimp and she ate half of it.



Does shrimp or crab have the same problems as fish?
I've never seen any of you talk much about shrimp or crab.

I need to decide whether to try this method.

Please share....





I had a really defeatist attitude last night.....
Shadow's eyes look sunken to me. I really don't feel like this is ibd, just the beginning stages
of lymphoma. I think her lipoma is getting bigger.
I know I could start steroids and re-start insulin if needed but this time I don't have that insane
hunger to get her to be still to give her shots. (I guess it would return)
I always had to give her raw shrimp in her food to get her to stand still.
But She is so tramatized by it all, that I feel more like I'm torturing her with all these pills, shots, vet visits.

We trudge forward each day..... and keep trying.
But what a cruel cruel irony that when her day comes, that she has to have 2 last shots.......

 

[tiffmaxee]

I tried Cerenia for Tiffany and it did sting her a lot. It comes in pill form. For me ondansetron has worked better for nausea. Is your vet opposed to trying it? If small cell lymphoma I'm sure you know that prednisolone and leukeran (a chemo pill that can be compounded into treats) work really well. Pred alone won't work for long.

 

[Tiger(GA) and Ruth]

Sorry to hear Shadow was hurt by the cerenia shot- Tiger gets the pills, they are tiny and you only have to give 1/4 (I use less) - they are easy to pill for me anyway. I always keep a stockpile of Cerenia!

I feel for you with the raw diet switch! There is a lot of debate over IBD diet! I joined the yahoo group awhile back. And it is more complicated if your kitty isn't into eating raw-too quick of an switch can cause GI upsets. I think I get how you feel too- Our ultrasound pointed to early mild IBD, but of course my mind raced into the what if's of lymphoma(only biopsy will tell me for sure), and Tiger isn't even symptomatic (Yet!) But I know that can change in a heartbeat! You have to try and deal in the moment, and not let it show in how you handle her. It's hard, but you can't let yourself go thinking too far into the what if's.

RE :shrimp, crab- I stopped eating shrimp long ago.... Most of it over here comes from Vietnam. It is farm-raised, which if you have ever read about farmed fish- yuck! It's probably okay for an occasional treat though. but you might want to check either the sodium or maybe it's potassium content if it is in her regular food.

Hang in there!

 

[rhiannon and shadow (GA)]

she's been eating shrimp..... and unfortunately she prefers the vietamese ones.... ( chicken of the sea from Kroger)
I went to whole foods and bought her USA shrimp and she didn't want them.
Her vet says her life isn't long enough for long term worries with it.

it's high phosphorus I believe.....
I don't plan on continuing it forever.... it's just to get her liking raw....

i just gave her a little raw chicken of the darwin's without shrimp and she licked it a bit....
I think the texture is odd to her..... since it sticks to itself.....
I may have to start spoon feeding it to her.....

 

[Ella & Rusty & Stu(GA)]

Hi Rhiannon,
I'm sorry that Shadow is having these "issues" and hope that you can find a way to proceed that will not upset her. I've been doing some looking into raw foods and have asked the feed store to order me a 1-lb bag of Primal Pronto Turkey. The "Pronto" line is new, but has the same ingredients as the regular 1-oz nuggets. But the pieces are bite-size and thaw very quickly in the bowl. I'll let you know if we decide to try it (when it comes). The feline formulas are turkey, rabbit, and chicken & salmon. All are complete diet.

Hugs and scritches,

Ella & Rusty

 

[Michelle and Mannie (GA)]

Hi Rhiannon

I wish I had advice or stories to tell... but none of this ever entered into Mannie's regime, though I think he had everything else. I will send many feel better vines for Shadow. And alot of hugs fro you. I can be so hard when they start to have issues. Many hugs and scritches.

 

[Deanna & Billie]

(((Rhiannon)))

Sorry that the Cerenia shot bothered Shadow. I hope it goes well with the pills.

I know some cats can be allergic to shrimp/crab like with regular fish, but if she isn't showing any signs of an allergic reaction and it isn't upsetting her stomach, I would personally go for it. It's just my opinion, but if she isn't eating well, I would give her whatever she'll eat, especially if it might help her transition to raw. When Billie's appy was really off, I was giving her ham, tuna, canned chicken - anything she would go for. The IM vet said that was okay. If Shadow ate half raw with shrimp mixed in, that sounds like a really good strategy to me. I know it's so overwhelming, and it is hard not knowing exactly what you are dealing with. You are doing everything you can to keep her feeling good, and I'm sure she appreciates it

 

[Princess mother]

Hi Rhiannon,

Sorry to hear about Shadow's situation. I had a cat who had a bad case of IBD. I found some holistic supplements from a company called Vitality Science that helped. The website is www.vitalityscience.com. If you write to them (emails on the website) the owner Stephen can make suggestions that might help alleviate some of Shadows symptoms. He also once sent me a recipe for a simple home cooked diet that my Peaches would eat and not vomit. I hope can help you. Marie

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Chicken is the easiest meat to start them on for a transition to raw food diet. So you are doing the right thing with that. Add warm water to it so it's room temperature. You can also try lightly cooking it (pan fry in water), but only if that brand of chicken does not have ground bones in it. It's OK to cook if they use egg shell calcium or bone powder which are the alternate calcium sources, but it looks like the Darwin product uses ground bones. Some cats need a probiotic for a while before starting a raw diet.

I started with just mixing a little raw in with the kitties regular wet food, then gradually increased the amount. The two cats converted at different speeds. I discovered that civie Theo needed just small amounts and warmed up, or he would barf it up.

I've heard that turkey is one of the meats that they have the hardest time digesting at first.

 

[Vyktors Mum]

It can be so hard to know what the best thing to do is

 

[Dyana]

Sending lots of eating vines and lots of healing vines to Shadow, and hugs to you.

I mostly used Ondansetron for nausea, but when I used Cerenia, I used the pill form.
Whatever pills J.D. was taking at the time, I would wrap them all up in a piece of Pill Pocket and give them all t him at once (he didn't like the Pill Pockets, but it made it easier to get all his pills down in one go).
J.D. got thawed out frozen cooked shrimp and he loved them, but I only gave them as special treats.
I agree to give her what she will eat within reason as long as it doesn't hurt her present ailments.

 

[carfurby (GA)]

I don't have any advice, but am sending prayers and hugs.