5/7 Trixie AMBG 134 "+3" 148 PMBG 155 PICS

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Amy&TrixieCat

Amy&TrixieCat

Member Since 2011
Yesterday

Big sigh...no turn around, no Mr Greenie....looks like we may have to restart insulin again soon. Aside from the fact that I'm a nervous wreck who feels like I've never shot insulin before, I'm really OK with that if need be. We'll see how the next day-ish plays out. If these numbers keep up, we'll restart (with a very small dose) maybe tomorrow morning (I'm off from work), or maybe Friday evening.

It's another mixed bag day. Really, overall, Trix is definitely making baby steps in her recovery. She ate pretty well both on her own and with encouragement this morning. I don't know if it's because I feel more pressured in the morning than in the evening, but it seems to me that she might feel a little better in the evenings than in the mornings....but, it could just be because I have to go to work most mornings so I feel more stressed about getting food into her.

I also thought I was doing a good job of getting pills into her at the times she wouldn't go for pill pockets (which are currently hit or miss). Well, this morning I found a treasure trove of pills she had cheeked and flicked out :sad: ....THAT really bummed me out. I found an amlodipine, 2 benazipril, and a cypro. I don't know when they were from. After I've "forced" pills, I've scoured the areas to search for cheeked pills - even hours later I've looked and found nothing. But, for whatever reason this morning I found all of these. Since she NEEDS these pills, it obviously causes me great stress and concern if I'm not going to be able to get them into her consistently. And, tonight is a cerenia night...she CANNOT spit that one out. I so desperately miss my Trix who would absolutely dive for her fortiflora dusted pill pocketed BP pills....

To make matters worse, I thought maybe the cypro I found was this morning's cypro, so I tried to give her another small smidge. I wrapped in a PP, dusted it, and put a kibble on the spoon with it. She ate it on her own....YAY....for about 2 seconds. She must have bit into the cypro, because she then started freaking out a bit, like she had something nasty tasting in her mouth :sad: ...I really hope I haven't ruined pill pockets for her again. (I also wonder/hope that the stress from that incident may be behind today's "+3".) I know Mariko mentioned a raw treat that works...I think I have to look into it.

Still trying my best to primarily focus on the progress. I assume that over time, I will get better at the pilling thing...but for now, I'm just bummed...

Speaking work....time to start the process. Have a great day, LL!

Amy
 
Re: 5/7 Trixie AMBG 134 "+3" 148.......

((((Amy)))) I am so sorry about the cheeked pills. I know that just adds to your stress. Good luck with restarting the insulin. I would definitely start low. Glad she is still making baby steps but I know it isn't fast enough for you. Hang in there. Big huge hugs coming your way and lots of healing vines for Trixie.
 
Re: 5/7 Trixie AMBG 134 "+3" 148.......

Huge bummer on the pill stash. :YMSIGH: Just remember - there may have been some missed pills, but Trixie is still improving each day. Don't beat yourself up about the pills. The kitties are quite wiley sometimes. I found pills on the floor when I was absolutely certain I had gotten them down civie Chappy.

Sometimes it's really hard to only see baby steps each day. Stop and think back on the lowest point with Trixie. Compare how she was then with how she is today. That's a huge improvement - you've been doing a great job with her!

Sending lots and lots of healing vines to Trixie and lots and lots of anti-stress vines to you, Amy! :YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG:

Shelly
 
Re: 5/7 Trixie AMBG 134 "+3" 148.......

Morning Amy ~O) ~O) ~O)

I agree with the others. There is progress, one has to focus on that. I so remember all those cheeked pills too... Mannie got very good at cheeking them, spitting them out. It became my routine... pill, then start checking 30 minutes later, re-pill. Have you tried giving them in BF? I did that for quite a while with Mannie. Ground them up in the BF and he was none the wiser. That worked for sometime after he got wise to the pill pockets and the "pill hidden in his fuds". I can so remember that - he'd eat all the fuds except the part that had the pill. darn cat knew where it was. ;-) :roll: Well anywyas - I think you are doing a great job, keep on truckin'. She really is doing so much better, thanks to a caring and loving bean.

Good luck too with the insulin, should it become apparent she needs to be back on it. I'd sure start with a low dose, very low.

Have a great day today -I hope all goes well.
 
Re: 5/7 Trixie AMBG 134 "+3" 148.......

{{{Amy}}}:

I know how distressing it is to find the pills. My civvie Minka is a pro at avoiding her thyroid meds. it's one half of a little tiny pink pill, but she can manage to eat every drop of food on her plate and leave the pill. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a clean plate, scoured the area and praised her, only to find the pill an hour later. Sometimes we find one at odd times of the day and have no idea when it was supposed to have been consumed. Even when I throw it down her throat, which is about 40% of the time, I never know for sure if it got in her. She must be getting enough, though, as her T4s are coming back in the normal range.

Hang in there. As every one else has said, she is improving, which means she's getting some of her meds into her and that's the important thing. I wish we could just wave a magic wand and make them take their pills, or better still, make them well, but it ain't happening, so we just press on and do the best we can. You are doing a marvelous job.

Sending good appy and take-your-meds vines, as well as a few green BG vines! Many hugs for you, too. :YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG:
 
Re: 5/7 Trixie AMBG 134 "+3" 148.......

The Trixster strikes again! :-x Take yer meds, Trix, they will help you feel better. Big hugs to you, Amy. It is discouraging but big picture, she is doing better and better. :-D
Liz
 
Re: 5/7 Trixie AMBG 134 "+3" 148.......PICS

Thank you, everyone. As always, your support means the world to me. This is just a new challenge for us....I guess because it take so long to get over pancreatitis that sometimes I wonder if she WILL get over it. It's a big unkknown and that is stressful and scary. But yes, just in the last week, she has come a long way. I will get it together over the pill situation...it's just so nerve-rattling!

I need to hunt down the "Dear Mom" letter again.....

Here are a couple of pictures from today...the quality isn't great, but they're still cute :smile: .

Trix attempting to cheer me up after my cheeked-n-flicked pill discovery. I have never seen her get on the back of the toilet before! She has been hanging out with me in the bathroom the last couple days...this is a little different for her.



Trix and Petey snuggling....this was when I went home to check on things at lunch. I only had a few minutes (she's probably thankful for that!), but she did eat a snack for me.
 

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Re: 5/7 Trixie AMBG 134 "+3" 148.......PICS

OH Amy, I just want to smoosh her sweet face and give her kisses, those are too cute! I'm so sorry that it's still so stressful for you. I know what it's like to find meds that you're SURE were eaten and you even checked for! Brat cats;) I had to resort to cheese pieces for the small pills at some points. I'm glad that there is progress though, and totally understand that it isn't fast enough for the bean! I'm still sending many vines to your sweet girl and hugs to you. I hope that she will show you some lower BGs tonight, too. HUGS HUGS HUGS!
 
Re: 5/7 Trixie AMBG 134 "+3" 148.......PICS

. I have never seen her get on the back of the toilet before! She has been hanging out with me in the bathroom the last couple days...this is a little different for her.
Click to expand...


well after all, there is a window there for entertainment viewing .....and a nice cool hard fixture if her tummy is bothering her a little.
 
:sad: :YMSIGH: ....another bad cypro experience tonight, just like this morning. Neither cat nor bean are happy. I feel like I'm living in hell right now. I still have to get cerenia and famotidine in her :sad: ....

Talked to the vetty this afternoon....basically just touching base. She did suggest we try bupe for a couple days to see if we see a difference, since it is hard to read for sure if they are in pain or not. So yep, we'll be giving that to her shortly, too.

We did have an OK start to dinner...she ate a bit. Maybe I should have just skipped the cypro to see how things went on their own.....
 
I'm so sorry about the pills. I hope you can get the rest of her meds into her tonight. I know how frustrating it all is. It's hard when they won't take their meds and spit them back out later. Just try to focus on the progress she is making. :YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG:

I love the pictures. Such cute kitties.
 
Oh what cute pics! I love the one of her on top the toilet tank. :-D Katie loves to sit on this same spot when I take a shower. Love the pic of her snuggling with Petey. She is so sweet. Bummer on the pills. Rachel mentioned cheese, hiding the pill in a piece of cheese if Trix will eat cheese. I hope the bupe helps as it sure is hard to tell when they're in pain and the hiding it. Sending loads of vines and hugs to get the pills in tonight. :YMHUG: :YMHUG:
 
((((AMY))))
It will be OK! This is just a minor setback and Trix will settle down and take her pills. Have you tried the pill pusher yet? That might help. If you start insulin again, start low. I love the pics.

Have a good evening and try not to worry.

Hugs and scritches,

Ella & Rusty
 
I haven't tried the pill pusher yet. I'm kind of out of sorts tonight, so I know I can't make sense. We were doing so well...today has just been a disaster.

We gave the bupe tonight...and I think that was a mistake, too. Trix is loopy drunk and not relaxed and comfy at all. She's eating a bit for me, but eating like a drunk who can't control her tongue. And now I remember that this is how she was when she was on bupe at the beginning of this nightmare...it's all a blur, but now I do remember that.

I think I got the cerenia in...but I'm not sure. IT was a struggle, but I sat with her for a while to watch for flicking and didn't see any. I haven't tried famotidine...I do have liquid that I can use, but honestly, we've had such a traumatic evening and she HATES that liquid so much that I may just do fluids and call it a night for her.....

I need to reset the clock and start this day over....all would be fine if I didn't find those cheeked pills....that just set things in motion here....
 
(((Amy)))
I am so sorry you are having a hard time pilling Trixie.
I can really sympathize as Lucy is also very hard to force-pill, unless I do something creative to make her willingly eat it.
Lucy usually hides her pill under her lower lip, so whenever I force-pill her, I have to peel her lip to search, and it gets both of us really upset.

Maybe Trixie now knows that there's a yucky testing pill in PP, so maybe she's chewing extra times to look for it.
That's what Lucy started doing when I was hiding her pill in a small piece of tuna sashimi. :-x
She started chewing it carefully. :-x :-x

I was thinking.... since Trixie loves kibbles, how about soaking a piece or two in a bit of water to make it mushy, just to make it soft enough so you can shape it, and use it as a pill pocket.
I've never tried this myself, so I'm not sure if it will work... it may be too crumbly.
But whenever Lucy got smarter about my improvised pill pocket, changing what I make it out of made it easier.
So I'm always thinking about something new that I can make a pill pocket out of.

I love the pictures!
And I'm glad her appy is OK this evening.
:YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG:
 
Have you ever tried gel caps for the pills? They have been a life saver for me. You could fit the several into one gel cap. I give Max some baby food to eat after and he laps it right up. I use size 3 and 4 depending on what I have to fit into it. I gave up on pill pockets when Tiffany bit into a pill and would never eat one again.
If you call or email capsuline.com and tell them about your cat and that you read about them in Cat Fancy magazine they will probably send you a small box to try. They will be flavored but if they work for you, don't buy the flavored ones. The plain clear ones are fine. I bought mine from thrivingpets.com when I ordered other supplies as you can buy small amounts. Capsuline sells them in large quantities.
 
I second Elise's idea. I went so far as to buy a capsule filling machine from Capsuline. It really is so much easier to give them yucky tasting pills if you put them in capsules. Of course, the first time I tried to get a capsule full of benadryl into Sasha, it took several tries, and it got wet from being in her mouth, so by the time it went down it was starting to dissolve and she could taste it. Not good. Since they I've gotten better at it, and she seems to be relaxing a hair more (just a hair) so it goes down on the first try (once I get her mouth open). It helps to follow it with a squirt of water from a small syringe. I wish you lots of luck with the pills, as I'm dealing with the same thing right now with Sasha. If only we could make them understand that we are trying to help them, not torture them!

Hang in there, Amy! :YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG:
 
Hi Amy, sending calming vines and prayers for Trixie. Hopefully tomorrow will be an easier day with the pills.

It isn't easy, but we can just do the best we can.

I love the pictures of Trixie.
 
Hi Amy, since the Bupe seems to make Trixie so loopy, I wonder if the Tramadol patch world be another option just to keep in mind. I know many kitties don't tolerate it well. Mags (GA) used this pain med because it had the least side effects of constipation for her re the Megacolon. It worked really well for her, and I seem to remember one of your kitties was on it at one time. Just a thought. I hope today will be better. (((Hugs)))
 
Another thought about bupe. There is a fine line between the right amount for each cat and too much or too little. If she is spaced I would try a little less.

As for the gel caps, when I first started, I used a pill pusher. I have some really good directions from the FPS list and will PM them to you when I find them. I don't chase with water. I use Gerber's stage 2 all meat baby food and Max laps it up on his own. With Tiffany, sometimes I had to finger feed it to her but she would eat it too. I hate syringing water for fear of aspiration. I know people do it all the time and I have in the past with pills that aren't supposed to be given with food and when Max was having a bad bout and wouldn't eat until the pills took effect. Just like with the ear sticks, find something special to give after the gel cap and it will get easier. The size 3 aren't that big, really. I have some size 4 and 5 but they aren't that much smaller. You would probably be able to get what you need into a size 3. Remind me what pills and amounts you give at one time. I know I get amlodipine, cyproheptadine, and ondansetron into a size 3 and have with a size 4 but need to cut up the pills a bit more.

I hope it goes better this morning.
 
tiffmaxee said:
Remind me what pills and amounts you give at one time. I know I get amlodipine, cyproheptadine, and ondansetron into a size 3 and have with a size 4 but need to cut up the pills a bit more.

I hope it goes better this morning.
Click to expand...

I answered this over in today's condo....thanks, Elise!!!
 
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