7/20 Sushi's @ 43! AMPS~146|+6 & PMPS~61 - NOT EATING--DOSE?

[Sushi (GA 5/05-3/14)]

Sushi is apparently going through another bout of being picky about eating. He's only eaten about 1/4 of his food over the past few days. He'll eat a few bites and he's done! This is making it very difficult for me to dose him. He was down to 36 at yesterday's AMPS, so I skipped yesterday's AM injection. He's at 146 this morning, but hasn't eaten much, and I won't be able to come home for lunch to check on him. Any advice on if I should shoot him, and if I do, how much I should give? I'm thinking I'll just cut his dose in half, which brings it down to 1.5u?

Happy Friday!
:smile:

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Re: 7/20 Sushi - AMPS~146 - NOT EATING--DOSE?

Did you re-test or did Sushi eat? I'm not sure where you are with regard to dose.

(Does Sushi really swim?)

 

[Sushi (GA 5/05-3/14)]

Re: 7/20 Sushi - AMPS~146 - NOT EATING--DOSE?

I ended up giving him 1.5u at +13; I stalled an hour so I could monitor his eating, and to see if anyone was on the board to advise me. He ate an ounce or so this morning; that's about it. I've tried Parmesan cheese, sprinkling treat dust into his food, giving him a new bowl...nothing works. He seems more interested in counter surfing & digging through the trash than eating his usual food. He seems normal & fine otherwise, and I've found that in the past that nothing will convince him to eat. He'll eat when he's ready to! (because, of course, he's the boss!)
I've decided not to stress about it this time; it just makes dosing difficult when I don't know how much he will eat during a cycle.

:lol: :lol: No, Sushi doesn't really swim. He does love my raft though! I rolled it out on the floor, and he was all over it. So I snapped some pictures and had fun Photoshopping in some water so it looked like he was swimming! :twisted:

 

[Anne & Zener GA]

Re: 7/20 Sushi - AMPS~146 - NOT EATING--DOSE?

Those appy issues are very frustrating. We've had our share with Zener. This is what we are doing now that seems to have helped a lot. We give him 1/8 zantac BID, 1mg Ondasetron BID, and 1 mg Cerenia every other day. When his appy stalls a bit, he gets 1/16 of a tablet or less of Cyprohexadine (appetite stimulant). That usually takes about an hour to kick in and he's good for at least a day or so. More than that (the vet prescribed something like 1 tablet per day :roll: ) makes him a little frantic for food. He also likes the Fortiflora. He also had a dental in Dec that removed 2 teeth with resorptive lesions, which are rather painful. Anne knows more about what these meds do but I thought you might like some ideas from another appy-challended kitty.

That's funny about photoshopping the photo on raft. :lol: :lol: Sushi is a very handsome kitty.
Liz

 

[Sushi (GA 5/05-3/14)]

Re: 7/20 Sushi - AMPS~146|+6 & PMPS~61|+2~43 - NOT EATING--D

Sushi continues to eat very little, and with a PMPS of 61 I skipped his PM dose. I'm glad I did, because now he's down to 43 @ +2. Do I need to try some high carb?

He acts hungry, but will only eat a bite or two. Lots of counter surfing. He seems like the same ole kitty, so I'm not all that worried about him. I'm wondering if somehow he got a bite or two of people food, and is holding out/searching for more? I don't know how that would be possible. I've cooked a lot over the past few days, but there hasn't been anything on the counter or in the trash for him to get into. Maybe it just smells too much like people food? :?:

Right now, my main concern is that 42, and when I need to be prepared to spring into action.

:?

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Re: 7/20 Sushi's @ 43! AMPS~146|+6 & PMPS~61 - NOT EATING--D

If you haven't given insulin, there's no risk of hypo. I would see if you could entice Sushi to eat something. If you leave food out, will Sushi graze?

Have you ever tried baby food? If not, you want food that's only a protein and broth -- no onions, garlic, or veggies. Gerber Stage 2 is good although it's about 7% carbs due to the cornstarch.

 

[Sushi (GA 5/05-3/14)]

Re: 7/20 Sushi's @ 43! AMPS~146|+6 & PMPS~61 - NOT EATING--D

Whew!!! Sienne I can't tell you how much of a relief it is to hear that! I have insulin this morning, but I don't need to worry because I skipped tonight's shot?


I just tried feeding him out of my hand (my LEAST favorite thing to do) and he ate a little. I'm not sure it was any more than the few bites he's been eating when I try a new tactic. I've also had food out for him to graze on all day for the past few days this has been going on. I've tried baby food in the past, and it's kind of hit-or-miss. Same thing with chicken broth, tuna, etc. Like I said, we've been through this before, and it just seems like he'll eat when he decides to, and no other time.




Liz,
Thank you so much for your advice! Sorry for the delayed response; I was worried and wanted to get a quick post about Sushi's 43 up ASAP!
So are all of the medicines you listed for appetite problems? Do they only work in conjunction? Or is it just the Cyprohexadine that's for the appetite? Sushi is often "frantic for food," as he's so neglected :roll: . But that's a good description for him about an hour - hour and a half before meal time. And Fortiflora is another appetite med?

Here are the pictures of Sushi "swimming:"

He is handsome, and he knows it! Thank you for noticing! ;-)

 

[Karrie and Maverick]

Re: 7/20 Sushi's @ 43! AMPS~146|+6 & PMPS~61 - NOT EATING--D

Remind me again - can you syringe feed or finger feed Sushi?

With his history of FHL you should have a medicine cabinet/plan for bouts of inappetance. Showing interest in food but not eating much is a classic sign of nausea in cats. Ondansetron is the preferred drug to treat this. Cerenia is best for vomiting. Don't let a vet talk you into metoclopromide/reglan - it doesn't work in cats for nausea unless the issue is with the stomach moving food.

Do not use an appetite stimulant like Cypro without having an antinausea medication given. Forcing a cat to eat chemically without addressing nausea is a recipe for long term food avoidance which is very hard to deal with. And vets often prescribe way too much of this. Start with 1/8th or less of a pill and go up to 1/4. Appetite stimulants don't work for all cats as the increased appetite is a side effect. Mirtzapine is the least desirable stimulant as its known to cause agitation and stress and stays in a cats system for three days.

It might be good to add liver supplements for a week or two during/after these bouts.

Syringing or feeding pure meat baby food on a baby spoon is good too.

Does Sushi have a history of recurring pancreatitis?

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Re: 7/20 Sushi's @ 43! AMPS~146|+6 & PMPS~61 - NOT EATING--D

Zener has some other digestive track issues that the meds are for. Zantac is to control stomach acid, ondansatron and cerenia are for nausea and vomiting. The cypro is an appetite stimulant. It's prescription and does not need to be taken in conjunction with any of the other meds. FortiFlora is a probiotic and is available over the counter. (I've only been able to find it on the internet -- Amazon, Entirely Pets, PetFood Direct) Many cats find it irresistable. One of my vets used to refer to it as "kitty crack."

Since Sushi goes through cycles of not eating, have you brought him into the vet to see if there's anything medically that's contributing to the problem? It could be that he has pancreatitis or some GI upset.

 

[Karrie and Maverick]

Re: 7/20 Sushi's @ 43! AMPS~146|+6 & PMPS~61 - NOT EATING--D

The cypro is an appetite stimulant. It's prescription and does not need to be taken in conjunction with any of the other meds.

Sienne just to clarify this - I've been an active participant on the Yahoo Feline Assisted Feeding forum for four years now. Food aversion does happen with appetite stimulants without nausea addressed. It is not worth the risk - especially with a diabetic. Food aversion and diabetes would be even more difficult to manage than food aversion in itself. I really feel strongly about this and can share examples of food aversion and its impact on the cats/owners.

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Re: 7/20 Sushi's @ 43! AMPS~146|+6 & PMPS~61 - NOT EATING--D

Karrie --

I was answering Ashley's question. I don't disagree with you -- which was why I asked if Sushi had any underlying medical issues. Pharmacologically, cypro doesn't need to be given in conjunction with anything. Whether giving cypro by itself is a good idea if a cat is experiencing nausea is another story. By the same token, if there's no indication that a cat is ill or there's nothing to suggest nausea, an appetite stimulant could be used as a solo medication. (Although, I suspect I'd think twice about trying to use a chemical means to force a cat to eat if it's just a matter of being "off" his food for a day.)

 

[Karrie and Maverick]

Re: 7/20 Sushi's @ 43! AMPS~146|+6 & PMPS~61 - NOT EATING--D

Thanks Sienne. : ) I see he's eaten only 1/4 of his food for the last three days and has a history of FHL though. I always tracked Maverick's appetite in his spreadsheet and started syringe feeding if his appetite waned into the third day. One bout with FHL was too much and I just had it as part of his routine which also included weighins at least twice a month on his baby scale.