4/25 Trixie PMBG 132 - vetty visit, more x-rays, SNUGGLES

Status
Not open for further replies.
Amy&TrixieCat

Amy&TrixieCat

Member Since 2011
Yesterday

I really cannot thank everyone here enough for all the support and advice over the last several days. LantusLand is truly one of the most amazing places on earth...

Trix is doing better today, but also still definitely has a way to go before she is "herself". She's eating OK on her own, but not like she usually does. Obviously I'm still not quite confident enough in her eating to give her insulin, and fortunately her numbers are holding pretty steady here.

I do wonder if her dose of bupe is a little too high. It really is making her pretty stoned, and while I'm sure that has helped with the pain, I think being stoned is adding to her discomfort. So, when I talk to the vet today, I'm going to ask if maybe I should back the quantity up a bit. The syringes are pre-filled.

She really isn't sleeping well from what I can tell...I think it's a combination of the p-titis and the bupe. She doesn't seem comfortable with the thought of putting her head down, so generally I see her kind of dozing with her head up rather than falling into a typical feline deep sleep. However, at one point during the night, I did see her curled up in a cute little kitty ball for the first time in a couple days.

I still "slept" on the floor in the hallway with her last night. Unlike the night before, I actually did get a little sleep myself last night, as she wasn't nearly as restless as she was the night before. However, that floor is HARD! I don't think I can do that again tonight. But, I wanted to be sure I knew how she was, what she was doing, and I wanted to give her little snacks throughout the night.

I was not yet able to convince her to take her pill pocketed BP meds yet. I'm wondering if I should try another flavor PP, or if I should try cheese or something like that. Given how she feels and my lack of expertise with actual pillin, I really want to avoid having to shove the pill down her throat
manually", so to speak.

I just want her to feel better now. She's getting there, but as everyone here knows, it is so very hard watching these sweet little babies feel so uncomfortable.

Which reminds me...when we were at the vet the day before yesterday, the tech was gushing about how sweet Trixie is, and that she has such an innocent little face and beautiful markings. Sure, I'm a little prejudiced, but I had to agree.

I have to some website work for the store today...at least I can do that from home.

Have a great day, LL!

Amy
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie AMBG 138

Morning Amy ~O) ~O) ~O)

it is really nice to see that AMBG, and with no insulin, Trixie is holding her own. nice! I know - it takes a while for them to feel better when dealing with p'tits.it did with Mannie too. Slowly we got better, day by day. If she were my kitty I'd cut back on the bupe. I did with Mannie, as the initial dose really left him a stoner, and he just didn't do well with that, eating wise, mobility etc. The vet here left that dosing up to me, so I cut back slowly until I found one that gave him relief but still let him function. That too helped with the appy.

Good luck too with the other meds. I know, it can all be so difficult. I used whatever he would eat, and if not, then manual insertion. he didn't mind all that much, until I found out that he was cheeking his meds, then spitting them out. darn cat! well, good luck with it all. Maybe Trixie will take them in whatever fuds she is eating.

Have a great day today. I hope all goes well., and that you can get some rest.
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie AMBG 138

Morning Amy, I'm glad to read this update on Trixie, especially with her starting to eat on her own, too. Amazing she's holding steady with no insulin. I hope you can get with your Vet on the Bupe. I hope it's just another flavor pill pocket that wil help get the b/p meds in her. Maybe she associates the other flavor for when she was starting to get sick. Trixie sure is a real sweetheart, and I love her markings and seeing new pics of her.
Sending continuing vines, prayers and hugs.
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie AMBG 138

Hi guys .. poor trixie .. It sure is hard to see them not feeling their best .. I hope she feels better ASAP!
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie AMBG 138 - Another vetty visit, more x-rays

Shortly after I started Trix's condo, our "personal" vet called. If you recall, yesterday our vet was off so we had to see another staff vet. Anyway, I was going to call her later with an update, but she beat me to it. She was VERY concerned that Trix had thrown up after the cerenia the other night, even though Trix hadn't vomited since and was doing better today. She said vomiting after cerenia is rare and if it happens, something serious is going on. She said that other day, too, which is why I was so scared the night it happened and made sure we got Trix in first thing yesterday even though we had to see someone else. "Our" vet wanted to retake the x-rays, just to see how things have changed since Wednesday, and to make sure there isn't some sort of blockage going on.

So the x-rays from Wednesday showed a lot of gas in her stomach and intestines, along with a piece of poop that was ready to launch. Today, the x-rays were much better - all the gas and that piece of poop were gone, so it looks like Trix managed to sneak a poop without me really knowing last night, since I have been watching her activities day and night like a hawk. One time I woke up last night, she was walking back from the LB room but I was too out of it to go see what she did. I guess now we know, though. One of the reasons I was sleeping in the hall with her was because I wanted to know what she was up to with the LB...of course, when the time came, my body refused to cooperate and check on what she did.

With the gas gone and her stomach "deflated", Dr R could clearly see that the mineralization she saw the other day was actually her pancreas and not her stomach after all. This is actually "better" news, because we already knew her pancreas was abnormal, and it looks like her stomach is OK after all. As far as what "mineralization" means, it's the result of chronic inflammation - so it could pancreatitis, or it could be just that her pancreas is damaged for whatever reason - which we obviously already know since she is diabetic. Either is possible; no real way of knowing for sure.

She said we may never really know for sure what caused this week's illness. Given the info the x-rays showed us, she's not fully convinced it's pancreatitis. It could have been a stomach bug, because all that gas could also be extremely painful, too. And, with pancreatitis, she said the x-ray images are usually (but not always) a little fuzzy due to fluid build-up in the abdomen, but Trix's images are very clear. But since her pancreas has the mineralization, it COULD be pancreatitis. Unfortunately, there is no clear answer. All that matters at this point is that she is feeling better, and continues to do so.

I did ask about the various blood tests to test for pancreatitis. She said they used to use them all the time, but they really don't find them to be accurate - they would get positive results in cats with liver issues and perfect pancreases and get negative results in cats with severe pancreatitis. So, they stopped using those tests.

Soooooo....since we really don't know for sure, we will continue treating it as if it were pancreatitis, so that if that is really what it is/was, we won't lose any of the forward progress we've made. She did say Trix still seems tense in the belly today, but she definitely did not feel that tension on Wednesday. She also said there is a lot of fecal matter lined up in her digestive tract...a good thing because it means there is no obstruction and things are moving along. She does not expect that stuff to be ready to go for another 12 or so hours. (Yep, I'm eating "breakfast" now as I get to type all about poop. I didn't have time to eat before I left.)

Trix had a nice little snack when we got back...she squawked for it and everything. But, she is REALLY sick of going to the vet. So am I. But, my vet is just so totally awesome...I can tell she genuinely cares about Trixie and is not just ordering tests for the sake of testing. She spends SO much time explaining things and listening to me. Just awesome.

I think that's it.....for now......what a frikken' nightmare.
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie AMBG 138 - Another vetty visit, more x-rays

Poor Trixie. I'm so glad you got to see and talk to your "personal" vet. She sounds like a keeper. I hope that has given you a little more peace of mind.

It's good that Trixie asked for food and ate it - she must be feeling better.

You didn't mention what your vet said about the Bupe - are you going to back off it? If the syringes are prefilled, can't you just stop pushing when you get the amount you want in?

Sending lots more healing and appy vines, and some hugs to you. I hope you can get some sleep now! :YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG:
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie AMBG 138 - Another vetty visit, more x-rays

Hi Amy,
I lost my earlier post and then couldn't get on the board again. But now it is working and I was able to read your positive news. I'm so glad that Trixie's overall health is good and hope that you can get the various "issues" under control. I don't really understand why your vet is so opposed to doing the spec fPL test for pancreatitis (it has to be sent to IDEXX Labs and Trixie would have to fast for 6 hours before the blood draw). It will give you a number that can be used as a baseline for future flare-ups, if, indeed, it turns out that Trixie does have pancreatitis. Perhaps your vet was referring to the "snap fPL" test, which vets can do in-house if they have the IDEXX equipment. This test will tell you if Trixie is positive or negative for pancreatitis, but will not give you a number that indicates how mild or severe the pancreatitis is. I can see where there might be issues of "false" positives or negatives with the snap test, but the spec fPL provides the actual number. Perhaps you can ask your vet about it?

When Rusty had his first pancreatitis episode I knew something was not right, so took him to the vet and told her that I suspected pancreatitis (I had been reading about it on the Board!). She didn't think that he had pancreatitis because he seemed normal to her (but his bgs had been going up, and I told her that). So she did the "snap" test and it came out "positive" for pancreatitis. Then she sent a blood sample to IDEXX for the "spec" test and it returned a number that showed mild pancreatitis. So even with very mild "symptoms", both tests returned a "positive for pancreatitis" result. It was worth it to know what was going on. And I'm very glad that I have a baseline number.

Lots of vines for Trixie today. Try to get some sleep.

Hugs and scritches,

Ella & Rusty
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie AMBG 138 - Another vetty visit, more x-rays

About the bupe, she did say that if we felt it was bothering Trix too much, we could back it off a tad and administer it every 8 hours. It does seem to really bother her the first few hours and after that, she's OK with it. Yesterday, of course, she was just as loopy as could be for quite a while. I think we would have to gently remove extra bupe BEFORE dosing her. When I push that plunger when we're giving it to her, it goes too fast to control stopping it.

Also, with the odanestran (which I'm probably misspelling), she said we should give half a tablet 1-2 times daily if we decide to use the tablets, OR if we use the injectible 1/2ml - 1ml 1-2 times daily. They really don't use this drug, but she is willing to work with me on it - did a LOT of leg work for me. She did say since they don't use it, it is a bit of trial and error for Trix. But, given that we are looking at an acute situation rather than a chronic situation, she thinks we should hit a little harder and go with the 1ml once a day, then evaluate to see if we need more after 12 hours. She wants us to do this for 3 more days, the cut the dose in half and go from there.

Trix just ate some more! She's regulating quantity on her own - she's eating an OK amount, but spreading it out over time, rather than eating it all at once. Smart girl! We'll eventually transition back to our old schedule, but for now, eating small amounts all day like this is much better for her belly.
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie AMBG 138 - Another vetty visit, more x-rays

As for the tests, she said that since Trix is already diabetic, she could return a spec fPL value that is inaccurate. Or maybe not. There was no way of knowing that she felt comfortable with. She said it would be more useful if we had a baseline set BEFORE Trix was diabetic. She gave me many case scenarios they had been through that indicated that neither version of the test was offering them accurate guidance as to what is going on inside a kitty's pancreas. They DID use both version for quite a while, but weren't happy with the results it was giving them. I know a lot of people here have had good luck with the tests, but that has been their experience. I'm sure she would run it if I really wanted her to, but she just hasn't had good experiences with it - and at least she is basing her conclusions on real life experience. We did chat about it for a good 5 minutes or so. And actually, when I had Noah back in the ER last fall, the ER vet told me the same thing.
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie AMBG 138 - Another vetty visit, more x-rays

Definitely making good progress! Go, Trix! :-D :-D :-D :-D Sending more vines, never too many of those. :lol:
Liz
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie AMBG 138 - Another vetty visit, more x-rays

Hi Amy,

Are you familiar with the "Meatloaf" position in pancreatic cats? It's when they fall asleep with their paws tucked under their chest and they are so tired and hurting that their head starts to hang down low.

It can look something like this:

http://lifewithdogsandcats.com/wp-conte ... atloaf.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Gfgo4.jpg

I'm not a vet, but I never experienced that my cat wanted to eat less on Bup. She always felt less pain on the Bup. I know it bothers you to not to have your active Trixie, but I honestly believe that the Bup is helping her to feel like eating again. If she were my cat, I wouldn't cut back on the amount that the vet gave to you until she had regained her full appetite.

I suspect that the fluids that you are giving Trixie are helping to bring down her BG numbers..

The proper amount of fluids, being properly hydrated, are known to help a cat's BG numbers.

Trixie may have been previously dehydrated from a combination of small pukes and pees. If so, those fluids are definitely helping her.

That's just my $.02 ;-)
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie AMBG 138 - Another vetty visit, more x-rays

(((((Amy))))). I've been thinking of you and Trixie very much. I'm glad she is feeling and eating better, and so, so sorry you have to go through all this testing and extra vet visits and stress:( I hope you can get some sleep today/tonight. I'm sending SO many bundles of healing/calming/feel better and whatever other vines needed to you both (and DH too). Hugs!
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie AMBG 138 - Another vetty visit, more x-rays

You are such a good bean! I suspect that with the spec fPL if the test isn't timed right re. when the p'titis flare is occurring, then you'll get a false result. However, based on your vet's logic, if you have a situation like I did with Gabby, at the time she was diagnosed with FD, she also was diagnosed with pancreatitis. According to your vets logic, that result could have been compromised by the diabetes.

That said, there are any number of people here who know their kitty's signs of a p'titis attack. They don't have a spec or snap fPL run. They treat the symptoms. It sounds like that's your vet's approach.
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie AMBG 138 - Another vetty visit, more x-rays

Thanks, Tina. Yes, I am familiar with the meatloaf. Trix was in that position for a couple days...and although it was a long time ago, I've been through p-titis with another kitty.

I should clarify on the bupe: we're going to take back the quantity a smidge (not a lot), but increase her frequency from once every 12 hours to once every 8-10 hours. I'm not so much concerned about her being inactive - she's pretty low-key as it is. The bupe is actually making her pretty stoned, though, to the point where she looks uncomfortable. To me it seems like it's too much all in one shot. After a few hours, she seems more comfortable/less stoned. If it were just sedating her, I'd be fine with that, but this is different. I do know she needs the pain control, and I won't mess with that.
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie AMBG 138 - Another vetty visit, more x-rays

Sienne - I somehow missed your post before. Yes, that is exactly what my vet is thinking: that Trix's diabetes could/would compromise the test results. And I guess in the past she has found that other disease processes also compromise the results. Since she was familiar with and had actually used the tests in the past, I was very comfortable with her conclusions. Obviously she is not shy about running tests to rule out anything and everything, and she works with all of my requests....she really is a keeper.

Thanks for all the vines and prayers everyone...we do feel them!!!
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie AMBG 138 - Another vetty visit, more x-rays

Hi Amy, I'm just getting caught up on the latest Trixie update, and so glad you were able to speak with your personal Vet who knows Trixie best. Sounds like Trixie is really maling progress with the latest X-rays showing improvment. Whatever Trixie had, the treatment your Vet prescribed is working. I hope the spreading out of the Bupe doseage will help Trixie not feel so stoned and more comfy. You've both beeen thru so much, and your Vet is awesome. Wonder if we could clone her. This comment really made me laugh, (Yep, I'm eating "breakfast" now as I get to type all about poop. I didn't have time to eat before I left.) :lol: :lol: It brings back memories of Mags when we had quite a lot of "poop" talk. We're just glad you're eating and taking care of you.
Give Trixie extra scritches and hugs from us and for you, too.
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie AMBG 138 - Another vetty visit, more x-rays

Oh that's right! I remember now that you were going to give Trixie the Bup every 8hrs instead of every 12hrs. Perfect! I do understand reducing the dose then if you think it's too much for her. I had to give Jomo the Bup every 8hrs instead of every 12hr as well, to help minimize her pain and to getting her eating once again.
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie AMBG 138 - Another vetty visit, more x-rays

Poor Trixie on another vetty visit. She really is going to get you to sign an oath for no more visits for a while. But I'm glad it was a good visit and results were good. And extra happy to hear that she's eating more on her own. :YMHUG:

I did the same as you on the prefilled bupe syringes, just remove a bit before putting it in the mouth. When civie Theo had a cystitis flair on a Sunday and his vet was closed, I took him to another vet office and got bupe and he was very stoned on it. Talking to Theo's vet next day I discovered bupe comes in different concentrations and he was getting 50% more than what he's had before. :o There's actually quite a range of recommended quantity of bupe per pound of cat, so it's a matter of finding what works for your cat.
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie AMBG 138 - Another vetty visit, more x-rays

I've been thinking about you and wanted to check in. Poor Trixie. Lots of healing vines for her and big hugs for you!!
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie AMBG 138 - Another vetty visit, more x-rays

I'm just getting caught up on everything since I missed everyone yesterday. I'm sorry Trixie is going through all of this, but I'm glad she's eating some and feeling a bit better. Sending prayers for Trixie and hugs to you. :YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG:
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie AMBG 138 - Another vetty visit, more x-rays

'Evening, Amy.
Prayers and good healing vines, for Miss Trixie tonight. I hope you get some sleep tonight.
:YMHUG: .....Barb
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie AMBG 138 - Another vetty visit, more x-rays

Just adding lots more vines to the pile. You're doing a great job of taking care of Trixie. Don't forget to take a timeout so that you can take care of yourself, too.

Thoughts and prayers continue to head your way! :YMHUG:
Shelly
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie PMBG 138 - 1vetty visit, more x-rays, SNUGGL

I just got roly poly snuggles :-D ! I haven't seen that in a few days now...it was beautiful. Of course we then had to kill the mood with fluids :roll: ...she wasn't a happy camper, but they are now done for the evening.
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie PMBG 132 - vetty visit, more x-rays, SNUGGLE

YEAH for roly poly snuggles!!

BOO on the fluids....but of course they're going to make you feel better Trixie, so don't hold it against your mamabean. She loves you so much!

Adding more vines to the pile, but hoping you won't need them and that Trixie is on the mend!

Enjoy your snuggles Amy!! :-D
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie PMBG 132 - vetty visit, more x-rays, SNUGGLE

I'm glad the X-rays were better today, Trix had a bit of a poop, ate, and gave snuggles :-D

When Gracie had a bile duct infection, she had absolutely no symptoms but her ALT was elevated. Just because we were running tests, we also ran a specfPL which came back in the abnormal range. My vet sent us to an internal medicine specialist and he also did not put much stock in their accuracy when something else was also going on. He did an U/S and said her pancreas was absolutely perfect but the bile duct was inflamed. He said, as your vet did, that if there is anything going on in that liver, pancreas, gallbladder area, it can affect the test results.

I hope tomorrow is even better for sweet Trix.
 
Re: 4/25 Trixie PMBG 132 - vetty visit, more x-rays, SNUGGLE

So glad Trixie is feeling better. With Max before diabetes, I could usually tell if he was having a panc attack. Now it is less clear. Whether the number was high or low did not often coordinate with how he was feeling. He was over 50 twice and not acting any sicker than when he was 7 or 10.He rarely would vomit from it. Only a few times. Now we rarely run the test and treat his symptoms.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top