13th Birthday thread <<-- previous thread link Actually Leo is having 2 great days in a row. It is almost like he is "only diabetic" and has no other issues. He has been eating well for these 2 days. Maybe his blood chemistry and the supplemental drugs found some temporary perfect zone. We'll take it!!! Last night, not once, but twice - he came into the kitchen and begged for food! His begging pose - is to sit and raise one paw. Really, how great is that? BG for the past 2 days is pretty stable. And he had decent nadirs. Friday night with Mom and Family - Leo just loves it. Actually, all the critters love it, especially the Orange Chubby One - Little Dude.
Sweet little Leoberry looks so relaxed and well; I'm so happy for him and for you, Jeff! We always have to believe in LIFE, it's there and will always be!
Thanks everyone. Leo kinda stopped the "eating streak" this evening. It was fun for 2 days though. And that is what we are trying to achieve - to give him some real good days to enjoy. Leo watched more TV tonight, almost the same positions for everyone. He is pretty happy. We are spending a lot of laptime with him and he is getting brushed a lot each day. We are doing our best. We tried 8 different foods tonight. He has now lost ~1.0 pound in the last month. He looked his healthiest at 16.5 pounds, and he is now 12.3 pounds.
We have tried over 40 foods. Most of the problem is swallowing. The Acromegaly caused throat growths or tongue growths at the back of the tongue. He often eats 2 or 3 bites then he either - runs away from the food or - he moves his tongue in and out, trying to swallow the food The vet did a significant evaluation of the situation last month under anesthesia. She said it is not operable since his salivary glands would get removed or impacted. The side effects of that removal would be even worse. If the esophagus is affected, it would be a hard recovery (or no recovery). We have mashed, blended, chopped, etc - foods to various consistencies. In the last month, mostly he will drink the gravy part. So that has been a lot of his diet. He occasionally eats 10-15 kibbles. Leo had an esophagus feeding tube ~2 years ago when the small cell lymphoma got diagnosed. We are not doing that again, since this eating issue is permanent. And he did not like that tube.
Unfortunately, Leo has reverted to very-low eating again. We are happy that he had the 2 day respite. He was almost normal for those 2 days. Today, he only ate 1.5 TB mostly crunch, an unsustainable strategy. Then a hypo and I karo'ed him up. Also gave him bupe in case the underlying issue is pain. We know his time is limited. His mental acuity is still there, and he looks healthy, but he is very bony - his ribs and backbone are prominent. We are thankful for every day he is here. He is still mellow and likes us to sit with him. Yesterday and today, Leo got to visit the front yard several times. He likes to look at the world. It makes me happy too. Leoberry is such a sweet kitteh.
