9/6, Binie AMPS 419, +3 342 - after the vet

[Heike & BInie]

Last post: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/9-5-binie-amps-343-3-211-6-157.293755/#post-3204461

Good afternoon,

thank you for all the encouraging words and well-wishes yesterday!

After a night of heavy bouncing (all red and pink) we went to the vet in the morning. The first thing the vet noticed was, that Binies fur looks really well and she looks quite fit.

I told her that I am worried about Binie still licking her wounds and the big crusts all over her chest. She examined the wounds and removed all the crusts. She said the wounds are not deep and need no treatment but she was surprised, that the affected area gets bigger. There is some hard tissue in the armpit but she says it might be scar tissue from the surgery. She still thinks that Binie is licking because of an allergic reaction to the self-dissolving threads. She said it takes month before they are fully dissolved. She thinks the area may get bigger because the nerves are involved. Therefore she suggested to inject procaine in the affected area. It is an aneasthetic and is used for treating chronic pain. It's called neural therapy. I've never heard about this before but as it sounds logical to me and has no side effects, I agreed. It was quite a lot of liquid and Binie was not pleased.

I asked her quite a lot of questions and she discussed all of them without raising her eyebrows. I asked if the initial wound might be caused by foxtails and she said that this could be possible but she didn't see any during surgery. I asked if cushing sydrom might be an option but she thinks the way Binies skin and fur look like doesn't let her think about cushing at all. She also doesn't think that Binie has a skin disease like a fungus infection.

I asked if I have to stop Binie licking her breast and leg with a cone or someting similar but she thinks, that the stress of this measure is not medically justified.

I made a picture for documentation:

So I am feeling a bit relieved tonight and hope, these stupid wounds finally start to heal completely.

Seems like tonight I will have the first yellow preshot number since a long time. So we'll see what she is up to tonight.

Hope everyone has a good start in the weekend!

 

[Staci & Ivy]

Last post: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/9-5-binie-amps-343-3-211-6-157.293755/#post-3204461

Good afternoon,

thank you for all the encouraging words and well-wishes yesterday!

After a night of heavy bouncing (all red and pink) we went to the vet in the morning. The first thing the vet noticed was, that Binies fur looks really well and she looks quite fit.

I told her that I am worried about Binie still licking her wounds and the big crusts all over her chest. She examined the wounds and removed all the crusts. She said the wounds are not deep and need no treatment but she was surprised, that the affected area gets bigger. There is some hard tissue in the armpit but she says it might be scar tissue from the surgery. She still thinks that Binie is licking because of an allergic reaction to the self-dissolving threads. She said it takes month before they are fully dissolved. She thinks the area may get bigger because the nerves are involved. Therefore she suggested to inject procaine in the affected area. It is an aneasthetic and is used for treating chronic pain. It's called neural therapy. I've never heard about this before but as it sounds logical to me and has no side effects, I agreed. It was quite a lot of liquid and Binie was not pleased.

I asked her quite a lot of questions and she discussed all of them without raising her eyebrows. I asked if the initial wound might be caused by foxtails and she said that this could be possible but she didn't see any during surgery. I asked if cushing sydrom might be an option but she thinks the way Binies skin and fur look like doesn't let her think about cushing at all. She also doesn't think that Binie has a skin disease like a fungus infection.

I asked if I have to stop Binie licking her breast and leg with a cone or someting similar but she thinks, that the stress of this measure is not medically justified.

I made a picture for documentation:

View attachment 70933

So I am feeling a bit relieved tonight and hope, these stupid wounds finally start to heal completely.

Seems like tonight I will have the first yellow preshot number since a long time. So we'll see what she is up to tonight.

Hope everyone has a good start in the weekend!

Hi Heike, well, overall, it sounds like you had a great visit at the vet today and it sounds like your vet is pleased with the way she is looking
By the way, her beautiful belly and all that gorgeous white fur is just lovely. I just wanna give her lots of smooches

I hope you are feeling relieved after the visit. I’m sure you feel like it was a good idea to go at this point. I hope Binie didn’t get too upset.

What did you mean when you said was the situation caused by Foxtails? I don’t know what that means. Forgive me for being naïve, but I was curious.
I see she’s already having a beautiful cycle of yellows and I see a nice blue. Hope she continues to safe Lee surf through the night and start seeing lovely blue numbers. Wishing you a safe and peaceful night.

 

[Heike & BInie]

Hi Heike, well, overall, it sounds like you had a great visit at the vet today and it sounds like your vet is pleased with the way she is looking
By the way, her beautiful belly and all that gorgeous white fur is just lovely. I just wanna give her lots of smooches

I hope you are feeling relieved after the visit. I’m sure you feel like it was a good idea to go at this point. I hope Binie didn’t get too upset.

What did you mean when you said was the situation caused by Foxtails? I don’t know what that means. Forgive me for being naïve, but I was curious.
I see she’s already having a beautiful cycle of yellows and I see a nice blue. Hope she continues to safe Lee surf through the night and start seeing lovely blue numbers. Wishing you a safe and peaceful night.

Hi Staci, awwww...thank you so much on checking on us! I will tell Binie you made compliments about her belly, she will like it!

Yes, it was a good thing to go today. I could address all my questions and I was relieved, my vet was having a look at the wounds. It is difficult to do this myself. I always have to distract her with a snack while I try to look at her chest and it only works for 10 seconds. And my judgement about the wounds was poor in the past. Sometimes I thought it doesn't look bad and my vet didn't like it at all and other way round.

The foxtail: Maybe you remember that I was never entirely sure what caused the first "original wound" in the first place and how this all started. I just saw one day these tiny micro holes in her armpit. Strange place to get bitten by another animal but what else can it be? Another helpfull member, Colleen @SmallestSparrow, mentioned, that it could be a foxtail, which is part of a plant:

This stuff can be pretty nasty and can penetrate the skin and make massive problems. A dog in my neighborhood had a nasty abscess caused by this. Before my neighbor told me, I never thought this could happen. Your question is not naive at all!

And as the pathology assumed that the tissue they took out during surgery was caused by foreign object influence, foxtail sounds like a logic possibility. I will never know if the theory is right but it does give me some peace of mind, to have at least one logical explanation. You can be glad, sweet Ivy stays away from foxtails.

And yes, we are seeing better numbers tonight without being overdramatic! Her + 4 is 107 and she already had a tsp. of higher carb chicken filets she likes a lot. I hope I can keep her some time in good numbers.

I hope you have a nice afternoon and evening, I see Ivy is still keeping you busy!

 

[SmallestSparrow]

I think everyone with a diabetic or otherwise compromised/chunky cat that goes outside should look to see if there are foxtails in your area. (Spoiler: they’re almost everywhere in the states and I think maybe the EU). Google “foxtail” for pictures and locations.

your vet may not think “foxtail” if you bring in your cat because dogs are the ones who usually get problems. This is because they get in fur then work their way under the skin: they’ve migrated from skin into pets’ lungs and abdomens, and it’s a huge emergency if they get into eyes, ears, nose or mouth. They keep working their way deeper and deeper.

since cats generally groom themselves a lot they often remove foxtails themselves—but could get them in their mouth/throat that way. And older/more rotund cats don’t groom as much so like dogs may leave the foxtail to begin its horrible track through the body. They’re a real problem where I live so people always check their pets well after they’ve been outside without supervision. Obviously not a risk to indoor only kitties.

edit/ btw anyone who’s gotten one of these in their socks running trails know how painful and annoying they can be!

 

[Heike & BInie]

I think everyone with a diabetic or otherwise compromised/chunky cat that goes outside should look to see if there are foxtails in your area. (Spoiler: they’re almost everywhere in the states and I think maybe the EU). Google “foxtail” for pictures and locations.

your vet may not think “foxtail” if you bring in your cat because dogs are the ones who usually get problems. This is because they get in fur then work their way under the skin: they’ve migrated from skin into pets’ lungs and abdomens, and it’s a huge emergency if they get into eyes, ears, nose or mouth. They keep working their way deeper and deeper.

since cats generally groom themselves a lot they often remove foxtails themselves—but could get them in their mouth/throat that way. And older/more rotund cats don’t groom as much so like dogs may leave the foxtail to begin its horrible track through the body. They’re a real problem where I live so people always check their pets well after they’ve been outside without supervision. Obviously not a risk to indoor only kitties.

edit/ btw anyone who’s gotten one of these in their socks running trails know how painful and annoying they can be!

You are so right, for many years I didn't even know they existed. Since Binie is diabetic, I restricted her territory to my terrace, where I can make sure, nothing dangerous is growing. There is another danger: Binie always loved to eat this ornamental grass many neighbors have in their gardens. It has tiny barbs at the edges and it can get stuck in the throat. It happened to her three times over the years and they had to take it out under aneasthesia. I already made plans to roam through the neighborhood at night and to cut all these plants. Thank you so much for checking on us Colleen!

 

[SmallestSparrow]

You are so right, for many years I didn't even know they existed. Since Binie is diabetic, I restricted her territory to my terrace, where I can make sure, nothing dangerous is growing. There is another danger: Binie always loved to eat this ornamental grass many neighbors have in their gardens. It has tiny barbs at the edges and it can get stuck in the throat. It happened to her three times over the years and they had to take it out under aneasthesia. I already made plans to roam through the neighborhood at night and to cut all these plants. Thank you so much for checking on us Colleen!

Wear a disguise! (I had no idea how dangerous these were since mine are restricted to leash or catio until I hung out with dog people)

 

[cecile & bella]

I am glad to read that the vet visit wen well. I hope her wounds heal soon.
@Fistuk & Shelly , didn't you use some kind of honey to help Fistuk heal? It might not be feasable for Binie but you might have an idea!

 

[Fistuk & Shelly]

I am glad to read that the vet visit wen well. I hope her wounds heal soon.
@Fistuk & Shelly , didn't you use some kind of honey to help Fistuk heal? It might not be feasable for Binie but you might have an idea!

Hi Cecile and Heike
I used honey to help Fistuk heal from cat's acne. Not sure this is what Heike was looking for ?

Hieke, I'm happy to know the Binie's wound are beginning to heal slowly. Phew that must have kept you awake constantly thinking how to help her. I can see you collected quite a bunch of ideas I'm happy that the vet didn't raise her eyebrows this time
I'm still suspecting gut related issues with her skin and for sure the damage of AB to the gut. This can take time to rebalance.

You're doing an amazing job with Binie. She's blessed to have you as her guardian angel.

 

[Heike & BInie]

Wear a disguise! (I had no idea how dangerous these were since mine are restricted to leash or catio until I hung out with dog people)

Disguise is a good idea.

 

[Heike & BInie]

I am glad to read that the vet visit wen well. I hope her wounds heal soon.
@Fistuk & Shelly , didn't you use some kind of honey to help Fistuk heal? It might not be feasable for Binie but you might have an idea!

Thank you so much Cecile! Maybe you mean manuka honey? It is great but unfortunately Binie is licking everything I put on her in minutes. I once had this great manuka honey ointment for pets with some bitter stuff in it, so they don't lick it. Binie didn't mind. It was gone in a minute. In the end I ended up using the ointment on myself and it worked wonders! By the way: Binies habit to lick everything away I sometimes use in my favor. If she needs medicine she doesn't take, I pulverize it, mix it with butter or coconut oil and put it in her fur. It is gone in a minute. Hope you have a relaxed weekend!

 

[Heike & BInie]

Hi Cecile and Heike
I used honey to help Fistuk heal from cat's acne. Not sure this is what Heike was looking for ?

Hieke, I'm happy to know the Binie's wound are beginning to heal slowly. Phew that must have kept you awake constantly thinking how to help her. I can see you collected quite a bunch of ideas I'm happy that the vet didn't raise her eyebrows this time
I'm still suspecting gut related issues with her skin and for sure the damage of AB to the gut. This can take time to rebalance.

You're doing an amazing job with Binie. She's blessed to have you as her guardian angel.

Hi Shelly, thank you so much! Yes, this stupid wound thing is bothering her since almost a year now. I just wrote to Cecile, that applying ointments or honey on her skin doesn't work. It is gone in a minute. I am sure she would like the honey.

I also think that her microbiome is severly damaged. Do you have any advice on good probiotics? I thought I found the prefect solution with sivomixx but thank god you warned me thath is is full of sugar before I ordered. I am using omni biotic now but I think that this is not the best option.

Hope you and your boys are fine! Have a nice evening Shelly!

 

[cecile & bella]

That is funny. Bella will lick anything on a spoon

 

[Heike & BInie]

That is funny. Bella will lick anything on a spoon

What a well behaved girl Bella is! I would prefer this for Binie too!

You should see how Binie looks at me when I am doing that. Like: "Really??? You smeared butter in my fur???"

 

[cecile & bella]

Oh, I am sure Bella would love it if I did that. I put coconut oil on her face when she scratches and she loves to lick it form my fingers.

 

[SmallestSparrow]

Hi Shelly, thank you so much! Yes, this stupid wound thing is bothering her since almost a year now. I just wrote to Cecile, that applying ointments or honey on her skin doesn't work. It is gone in a minute. I am sure she would like the honey.

I also think that her microbiome is severly damaged. Do you have any advice on good probiotics? I thought I found the prefect solution with sivomixx but thank god you warned me thath is is full of sugar before I ordered. I am using omni biotic now but I think that this is not the best option.

Hope you and your boys are fine! Have a nice evening Shelly!

I’m not an expert in probiotics so I’d also like to hear people’s opinions. I’ve been alternating fortiflora (recommended by my vet, it’s liver flavored so really stimulates the appetite —a Godsend when my non-diabetic cat stopped eating), and Visbiome (the “regular” one in capsules, not the “constipated cat” one—that one contains maltose.

they both have pancreatitis (or Methos definitely does and her working diagnosis pending ultrasound is so does Tammuz…I’m less certain)…anyway hopefully probiotics will help with the healing.

I don’t know that either does much except the fortiflora DEFINITELY stimulates appetite. It’s magic dust.

 

[Fistuk & Shelly]

Hi Shelly, thank you so much! Yes, this stupid wound thing is bothering her since almost a year now. I just wrote to Cecile, that applying ointments or honey on her skin doesn't work. It is gone in a minute. I am sure she would like the honey.

I also think that her microbiome is severly damaged. Do you have any advice on good probiotics? I thought I found the prefect solution with sivomixx but thank god you warned me thath is is full of sugar before I ordered. I am using omni biotic now but I think that this is not the best option.

Hope you and your boys are fine! Have a nice evening Shelly!

When I used honey on his chin for acne it was safe because he doesn't lick there. You're right that applying honey on other body parts that the lick is not good idea.
But the point of honey is not to remain on the wound as much as to act as an anti-bacteria agent.

I haven't yet found a good probiotic but I tried Inovet's flora complex and I think it did a good job. I need to get more and continue to see if it makes a difference.

I read a few article that swear on kfir. And I know that @cecile & bella is making for Bella. I used her grains to make my own but it grew so quickly that I had to stop and find a way to make smaller batches. I just didn't have enough time to fiddle with it and enough space in the fridge. Maybe that's something you 'd want to try.

https://www.foodfurlife.com/kefir-for-pets.html#/sthash.0LWs96zR.dpuf

@SmallestSparrow here's why you don't want to use Fortiflora:
https://www.ibdkitties.net/supplements/probiotics/


Hope you're having a relaxed weekend

 

[Heike & BInie]

Oh, I am sure Bella would love it if I did that. I put coconut oil on her face when she scratches and she loves to lick it form my fingers.

Coconut oil is also a good one.

 

[SmallestSparrow]

When I used honey on his chin for acne it was safe because he doesn't lick there. You're right that applying honey on other body parts that the lick is not good idea.
But the point of honey is not to remain on the wound as much as to act as an anti-bacteria agent.

I haven't yet found a good probiotic but I tried Inovet's flora complex and I think it did a good job. I need to get more and continue to see if it makes a difference.

I read a few article that swear on kfir. And I know that @cecile & bella is making for Bella. I used her grains to make my own but it grew so quickly that I had to stop and find a way to make smaller batches. I just didn't have enough time to fiddle with it and enough space in the fridge. Maybe that's something you 'd want to try.

https://www.foodfurlife.com/kefir-for-pets.html#/sthash.0LWs96zR.dpuf

@SmallestSparrow here's why you don't want to use Fortiflora:
https://www.ibdkitties.net/supplements/probiotics/


Hope you're having a relaxed weekend

thanks!

 

[Heike & BInie]

I’m not an expert in probiotics so I’d also like to hear people’s opinions. I’ve been alternating fortiflora (recommended by my vet, it’s liver flavored so really stimulates the appetite —a Godsend when my non-diabetic cat stopped eating), and Visbiome (the “regular” one in capsules, not the “constipated cat” one—that one contains maltose.

they both have pancreatitis (or Methos definitely does and her working diagnosis pending ultrasound is so does Tammuz…I’m less certain)…anyway hopefully probiotics will help with the healing.

I don’t know that either does much except the fortiflora DEFINITELY stimulates appetite. It’s magic dust.

Thank you so much Colleen! I would definitely love to give visbiome but unfortunately it is not available in Germany. We have forti flora but in the past Binie didn't like it - even though I heard from many people what you wrote, that is an appetite stimulant. So happy, it works for Methos and Tammuz!

Hope you have a relaxed sunday!

 

[Heike & BInie]

When I used honey on his chin for acne it was safe because he doesn't lick there. You're right that applying honey on other body parts that the lick is not good idea.
But the point of honey is not to remain on the wound as much as to act as an anti-bacteria agent.

I haven't yet found a good probiotic but I tried Inovet's flora complex and I think it did a good job. I need to get more and continue to see if it makes a difference.

I read a few article that swear on kfir. And I know that @cecile & bella is making for Bella. I used her grains to make my own but it grew so quickly that I had to stop and find a way to make smaller batches. I just didn't have enough time to fiddle with it and enough space in the fridge. Maybe that's something you 'd want to try.

https://www.foodfurlife.com/kefir-for-pets.html#/sthash.0LWs96zR.dpuf

@SmallestSparrow here's why you don't want to use Fortiflora:
https://www.ibdkitties.net/supplements/probiotics/


Hope you're having a relaxed weekend

Thank you so much Shelly! I think I will try the kefir even though I fear a bit overwhelmed to have another living being to take care of. I once had a sourdough and I remember it was like an additional pet. But doing it for Binie is another thing and I never had the information before, that one can use it for cats. Thank you so much for this!

The inuvet product also looks good but I still have the problem where to purchaise it. My vet is already challenged with me and I don't want to talk them into something.

I hope you have a relaxed sunday!

 

[SmallestSparrow]

Thank you so much Colleen! I would definitely love to give visbiome but unfortunately it is not available in Germany. We have forti flora but in the past Binie didn't like it - even though I heard from many people what you wrote, that is an appetite stimulant. So happy, it works for Methos and Tammuz!

Hope you have a relaxed sunday!

From what was said above, Binie is a smart girl! I think the appetite stimulant is the liver flavor so I imagine a tiny bit of cooked liver or liver flavored food might work also. Maybe it’s instinctual for them to want to eat the liver since if they were in the wild it would have high iron and protein and vitamins. When I was a vegetarian and became very anemic I craved chicken liver. Since changed to pescatarian that craving went away.
Btw ‘Muz doesn’t want it mixed in he wants it sprinkled on top. Sometimes if he leaves some food I pretend to sprinkle some more on and he runs over to finish…then frowns at me when he realizes I tricked him.
yes since it must ship cold I imagine visbiome not outside continental US but maybe there’s something similar. I think the company started by making probiotics for humans then expanded. I hope you find something that works.
Have a restful Sunday and give Binie a hug from me!

 

[Heike & BInie]

From what was said above, Binie is a smart girl! I think the appetite stimulant is the liver flavor so I imagine a tiny bit of cooked liver or liver flavored food might work also. Maybe it’s instinctual for them to want to eat the liver since if they were in the wild it would have high iron and protein and vitamins. When I was a vegetarian and became very anemic I craved chicken liver. Since changed to pescatarian that craving went away.
Btw ‘Muz doesn’t want it mixed in he wants it sprinkled on top. Sometimes if he leaves some food I pretend to sprinkle some more on and he runs over to finish…then frowns at me when he realizes I tricked him.
yes since it must ship cold I imagine visbiome not outside continental US but maybe there’s something similar. I think the company started by making probiotics for humans then expanded. I hope you find something that works.
Have a restful Sunday and give Binie a hug from me!

Thank you so much Colleen! Yes, there is a lot of wisdom in our cravings, if we only listen to it. I think animals are much better in that.

Hhhh.... cats can be like children. A friend of mine, who is a father, told me that the his daughter eats the toast only if it is cut in squares. If he cuts it in triangles, she leaves it on the plate. Muz sounds a bit like that. And I understand he doesn't like to be tricked...

Unfortunately I didn't found something like visbiome, which is suitable for diabetics so far. I think I will really try to experiment with kefir, as Shelly suggested.

Binie says thank you for the hug! I hope you, Methos and Muz also have a relaxed sunday!