? 9/12 Callie is sick again. She won't eat without syringe feeding.

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Glennie

Glennie

Member Since 2016
I don't know if this is just a passing thing or if she needs a vet visit. On her SS for the last two days I have an overview of what's been happening. But I'll write it again. Yesterday morning I couldn't get her to eat anything even after giving her 1/4 tab Cerenia and letting her rest. I tried food off and on all morning and early afternoon and finally gave her another 1/4 tab Cerenia. An hour later she still wouldn't eat so I syringed chicken baby food in (12 cc). At PMPS still no eating so I syringed 24 cc (probably too much), but aaahhhh! I was able to shoot. What is a good amount to syringe in?

This morning first thing I found her, and I could tell she was still sick so I gave her 1/2 tab Cerenia. Same thing today. Doesn't want to eat. Syringing baby food in every couple of hours. She is miserable and she is disgusted with me and the syringe.

Since I am always the one reading directions after I do something, I'm going to try to find the sticky about pancreatitis symptoms which I should have done before posting this, but oh well.

The diabetes is hard enough to deal with, but with this other stuff happening more and more often, it gets discouraging. I always feel bad about getting discouraged because I know many of you have many more health things with your kitties, but today I'm tired.
 
Thanks, Mandy. So sweet of you. She isn't hunched over in a meatloaf position, but all sprawled out. Just won't eat. And I can tell from her eyes she is miserable. I hope your civvie is doing better. I really hope so!

I'm going to run to the store for the Liver Shake ingredients. Maybe that will help her. At least it will be something I can do.
 
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My civvie Tanner did not show any symptoms, other than the weight loss of almost 2 pounds in a year and he was already petite to start with. I have decided to transition to raw feeding to see if that helps him.

I hope Callie feels better pronto!! :bighug:
 
When my kitty had his pancreatic attacks I used cerenia for the nausea but I also used buprenorphine for the pain. Pancreatitis is a painful condition. As well if Glennie is getting dehydrated she may need some SubQ fluids. When syringe feeding it is best to do smaller amounts more often. It may be prudent to take her to a vet and make sure her electrolytes aren't out of balance and that there is nothing else going on as well.

Good luck. It is always most distressing when a kitty won't eat. :bighug::bighug:
 
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carfurby said:
It does sound like a vet visit may be needed. I hope she feels better soon. Sending prayers.
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Carla, thanks so much for the prayers. Hoping to hold off on the vet for a bit since I wonder if they're starting to think I'm a bit paranoid, or maybe that's just me being paranoid. ;) If she looks worse tomorrow or even this afternoon, I'll call the vet. Hoping the liver shake helps.
 
When a cat won't eat, a vet visit is warranted, especially if she goes more than 24 hours without being interested in food. If she has p'titis, you may also want fluids and pain relief. If she is nauseaous, sometimes ondansetron works better than Cerenia.

As for amounts to syringe feed, I tried to get Neko's daily calorie amount in her, or at least 3/4 of it.
 
Not every cat with p'titis has all the symptoms. My Polly goes off her food, has diarrhea, and hides, but she doesn't throw up. Odansetron helps her more than Cerenia. Like Wendy, when I syringe feed I aim to come close to her calorie requirement for the day. Small, frequent amounts. For Polly 10 to 20 cc at a time until she's more interested and then I might try for 30. Although that's tempered by how much we splatter on her fur. And on me.

With a couple of nasty attacks in the early days of her fd dx, Polly even needed an iv drip to keep her fluids up.

Sending lots of light to you and Callie. Hang in there.
 
LizzieInTexas said:
Water? Is she drinking anything?
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Lizzie, she has made a few trips to the water dish. The chicken baby food had quite a bit of water in it and the liver shake has water and tomato juice plus the liquid of the liver. And I've put a water dish by where ever she is hiding out. So I think she's getting enough liquids, but I'm not sure. I hope she's getting enough food for the insulin.

How is everything for you with Harvey and all? I hope you and your family are well.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
When a cat won't eat, a vet visit is warranted, especially if she goes more than 24 hours without being interested in food. If she has p'titis, you may also want fluids and pain relief. If she is nauseaous, sometimes ondansetron works better than Cerenia.

As for amounts to syringe feed, I tried to get Neko's daily calorie amount in her, or at least 3/4 of it.[/QUOTE
Thanks, Wendy. If she isn't interested in food tomorrow, I'm calling the vet. And I'll ask about the ondansetron also. She hasn't vomited or had the diarrhea (of course with not much food she probably doesn't have much in there to cause diarrhea.) I'm hoping the liver shake helps, but if not, it's to the vet we go tomorrow.

I'm not sure how many calories Callie eats every day. I need to get better about that, but she nibbles off and on, and if I so much as peek at her, she's done.

If she has pancreatitis she will definitely need pain meds. How do they diagnose it? Thanks!
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To diagnose pancreatitis, they usually start with a blood test. Though once you have been through it a couple times, you get to know the signs like Marilyn describes.
 
Marilyn and Polly said:
Not every cat with p'titis has all the symptoms. My Polly goes off her food, has diarrhea, and hides, but she doesn't throw up. Odansetron helps her more than Cerenia. Like Wendy, when I syringe feed I aim to come close to her calorie requirement for the day. Small, frequent amounts. For Polly 10 to 20 cc at a time until she's more interested and then I might try for 30. Although that's tempered by how much we splatter on her fur. And on me.

With a couple of nasty attacks in the early days of her fd dx, Polly even needed an iv drip to keep her fluids up.

Sending lots of light to you and Callie. Hang in there.
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The only thing Callie is doing is hiding and not eating, but something is obviously wrong. I've given her 10 cc twice now and will give her more in a bit.

Yeah, the spatter from both the chicken baby food and the liver shake is a mess. I smell like liver! Yum! :arghh: Poor little thing doesn't seem thrilled with it running down her chin either. Thanks for the amounts, Marilyn. That helps me know whether I'm giving her too much. Glad your Polly made it through those nasty attacks.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
To diagnose pancreatitis, they usually start with a blood test. Though once you have been through it a couple times, you get to know the signs like Marilyn describes.
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That should be easy enough. If she has it, I'm going to be kicking myself for not taking her in today.
 
Mandy & Rex said:
My civvie Tanner did not show any symptoms, other than the weight loss of almost 2 pounds in a year and he was already petite to start with. I have decided to transition to raw feeding to see if that helps him.

I hope Callie feels better pronto!! :bighug:
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I hope the transition to raw food helps Tanner. And I hope he's feeling better now that he's been diagnosed. Thanks for you good wishes and the concern.
 
Tuxedo Mom said:
When my kitty had his pancreatic attacks I used cerenia for the nausea but I also used buprenorphine for the pain. Pancreatitis is a painful condition. As well if Glennie is getting dehydrated she may need some SubQ fluids. When syringe feeding it is best to do smaller amounts more often. It may be prudent to take her to a vet and make sure her electrolytes aren't out of balance and that there is nothing else going on as well.

Good luck. It is always most distressing when a kitty won't eat. :bighug::bighug:
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Unless she's much better tomorrow, we'll be going in. After reading everyone's input and experiences, I should have already taken her in. I will do smaller amounts really often the rest of the evening. Thanks, Mary Ann, for your input.
 
Oh Glennie, I am so sorry that Callie isn't feeling well. It is always so upsetting to us beans when they won't eat. A vetty visit is prudent so that you can get some fluids if needed and perhaps some pain meds to help her feel better. Sending you lots of vines. :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
More vines on the way from us. Having a cat who is not food-motivated in the best of times, I can sympathize with how difficult it must be to get food into a sick kitty. I'm glad you're taking Callie to the vet tomorrow.

:bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Bobbie And Bubba said:
Oh Glennie, I am so sorry that Callie isn't feeling well. It is always so upsetting to us beans when they won't eat. A vetty visit is prudent so that you can get some fluids if needed and perhaps some pain meds to help her feel better. Sending you lots of vines. :bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
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Thanks, Bobbie! Appreciate the vines and the hugs. I'll let everyone know what I find out tomorrow. :bighug:
 
Sending you many vines - poor kitty - and poor you - I can understand how exhausting this must be... :bighug::bighug::bighug:

Re the splatter: when I have to give Girlie glucose syrup or anything messy, I just wrap a hand towel around her neck and chest and pin in behind her head with a clothespin. Keeps the sticky mess off her, at least! I have to go out and buy her a proper baby bib someday...sigh..
IMG_3200ed.jpg
 
Ella & Rusty & Stu(GA) said:
More vines on the way from us. Having a cat who is not food-motivated in the best of times, I can sympathize with how difficult it must be to get food into a sick kitty. I'm glad you're taking Callie to the vet tomorrow.

:bighug::bighug::bighug:
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So you have one that doesn't seem to care about food either, huh? Most of our kitties just don't seem to care about food that much. Heaven forbid you glance at one of them when they're eating or happen to make a noise. They're done! I mean they do get hungry and want to eat, but food isn't a big priority. It would be a good thing if I was more like that. Thanks for the vines, Ella!
 
Girlie's mom said:
Sending you many vines - poor kitty - and poor you - I can understand how exhausting this must be... :bighug::bighug::bighug:

Re the splatter: when I have to give Girlie glucose syrup or anything messy, I just wrap a hand towel around her neck and chest and pin in behind her head with a clothespin. Keeps the sticky mess off her, at least! I have to go out and buy her a proper baby bib someday...sigh..
View attachment 30972
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The hand towel is a good idea. Girlie is so not impressed with her towel and clothespin! LOL Love the picture! Thanks for the thoughts and the idea, Darrah.
 
Callie is still sick. This am BG 215. Syringed in 12cc and shot. No vomit. Vet appt at 12:30. Missing those night time lovies.
 
Glennie said:
Callie is still sick. This am BG 215. Syringed in 12cc and shot. No vomit. Vet appt at 12:30. Missing those night time lovies.
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Good move to get her to the vet - always better earlier than later. Keeping fingers crossed you can get on top of whatever is bothering her. :bighug:
 
Kris & Teasel said:
Good move to get her to the vet - always better earlier than later. Keeping fingers crossed you can get on top of whatever is bothering her. :bighug:
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Thanks, Kris! Yeah, I think that ship sailed--getting her in sooner than later because I should have taken her in yesterday. Our vet did a blood panel and everything came back basically normal--about like in August when she was sick similar to this time, except her enzymes were a little low. He has to send the blood test off for pancreatitis so I don't have an answer for that yet.

It seems like I asked for that last time, but I'm not sure. Too much going on here. I tried to go back on the condos, but couldn't find how to do that.

Anyway our vet gave her Convenia again (last time it worked really well), and some ZydaClin oral antibiotic drops. He sent home some Renal K+, a potassium supplement, to use for a week for the low enzymes and also suggested salting her food. He also gave her subQ fluids to rehydrate her. He said she doesn't seem to be in pain.

They had a Feliway diffuser in the room, and Callie really liked it. She started purring and just mellowed out, although her BG went sky high in there--450--after being 22o a bit earlier.
So thanks everyone for being here for us once again. I'll keep up the liver shake until she starts eating again (hopefully soon), and the meds and we'll see what happens. Hugs to all!
 
Oh, and on another note, last time I had Callie in, our vet told me I was managing Callie's diabetes really well. That compliment goes out to all of you because without your help and expertise, it wouldn't be going so well. So thanks. :bighug:
 
Glennie said:
Thanks, Kris! Yeah, I think that ship sailed--getting her in sooner than later because I should have taken her in yesterday. Our vet did a blood panel and everything came back basically normal--about like in August when she was sick similar to this time, except her enzymes were a little low. He has to send the blood test off for pancreatitis so I don't have an answer for that yet.

It seems like I asked for that last time, but I'm not sure. Too much going on here. I tried to go back on the condos, but couldn't find how to do that.

Anyway our vet gave her Convenia again (last time it worked really well), and some ZydaClin oral antibiotic drops. He sent home some Renal K+, a potassium supplement, to use for a week for the low enzymes and also suggested salting her food. He also gave her subQ fluids to rehydrate her. He said she doesn't seem to be in pain.

They had a Feliway diffuser in the room, and Callie really liked it. She started purring and just mellowed out, although her BG went sky high in there--450--after being 22o a bit earlier.
So thanks everyone for being here for us once again. I'll keep up the liver shake until she starts eating again (hopefully soon), and the meds and we'll see what happens. Hugs to all!
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Convenia or Cerenia?
 
Kris & Teasel said:
How is she doing this AM?
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Hi, Kris. Thanks for your concern. She isn't good. She vomited last night an hour after I gave her more liver shake. I gave her 1/2 tab Cerenia since I hadn't given her any in the morning since we had the vet appt, and she didn't seem vomity. I tried more liver shake and water later in the evening after the Cerenia had a chance to kick in, but I couldn't even syringe any in.

She's been hiding under the bed out of reach. I'm going to get her out in a minute and try again with the food and water. I was up all night. I don't know what to do.

They are sending the test for pancreatitis in, and I should have test results on Friday (I hope). Thanks again!
 
Her BG is 201. I tried food, but she refused. I syringed in 10cc liver shake and 4cc water. She vomited it right back up.
 
How long is the liver shake safe to use if refrigerated? Does anyone know? Maybe it spoiled. I thought it would be okay since this is only the third day, and it's been refrigerated constantly. But I'm starting a new batch right now.
 
Our vet suggested letting her tummy rest for 8 hours and then trying chicken broth or Pedialyte. He said the best thing for her now would be the IV drip, but we could try the tummy rest and the Pedialyte or chicken broth first. He said he'd call as soon as he gets the results from the pancreatitis test sometime tomorrow.
 
Glennie said:
Our vet suggested letting her tummy rest for 8 hours and then trying chicken broth or Pedialyte. He said the best thing for her now would be the IV drip, but we could try the tummy rest and the Pedialyte or chicken broth first. He said he'd call as soon as he gets the results from the pancreatitis test sometime tomorrow.
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That is really, really old school for pancreatitis to let the tummy rest. And she shouldn’t need an IV drip...subq fluids would be fine. And there’s no reason he can’t do those in the office while doing the other treatments.
 
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