frustrated and stressed

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Pandasmom

Pandasmom

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Please allow me to whine for a minute or two.

I'm so tired and stressed and frustrated. Odie's been sick since December 2008. He's been really hard to stabilize for his IBD and pancreatitis. We had few good months where things were going well in late 2009, on several medications but he wasn't doing too bad. February 2010 came the diabetes diagnosis. Add glucose testing and insulin. Switch all his medications. Once stabilized, he was doing okay for a month or two.

The last 3 weeks or so, he's sick again. I don't know what's wrong, he seems to be in pain, refusing to eat. More meds. Crazier schedule. Measuring all his food and drink. This week, he will not eat cat food, he will not eat baby food. He sporadically will agree to eat chicken/steak/salmon, but it's completely unpredictable and is inevitably whichever one I don't currently have cooked or out for him. Since yesterday he's also refusing to drink, so I'm having to syringe water into his mouth.

We're doing pills, injections, syringing liquid meds, and glucose testing at precise times 4 times a day.

He's mopey, but will purr and cuddle and try to lick me.

Today all I've managed to get into him is about 1/10 cup of salmon and 1/8 cup of chicken. I have about 15 things open in the fridge for him, none of which he will eat. He won't even drink milk or tuna juice.

I just don't know what to do anymore. This is consuming my life. I've just canceled more than half of a business trip because I can't be away that long. I'll be away 4 days next month instead of 11. But what else can I do??? He's my baby. He needs me. I'm just so frustrated, sad, and exhausted.
 
I'm sorry. We are only dealing with the diabetes and I know how frustrating that can be. For those of you who deal with that along with everything else, my heart goes out to you guys. I don't really have any advice to give you, it sounds like you are trying everything you know of. Have you done any lab work to see if there is an infection going on? Do his teeth hurt? Is he having a pancreatitis flare up? I hope someone will come along with more advice for you ....
 
Hey, we're here for moral support too :mrgreen:

Have you had a full vet work up?
Is he a kitty that will allow you to fully handle him? If so does he seem particularly sensitive in his stomach area? Sounds like a vet visit is going to be the only thing that will help you get to the bottom of what's wrong.

I did find that briefly warming cat food would help Lucky's taste buds and tempt her to eat when she had P'tis.
Could try tuna juice too with the water.

I know how hard it is travelling.

Hope you can resolve the problem quick.
(((Odie and mommabean)))
 
Could he be in the middle of CP flare? Are you giving any pain meds currently?

I know you don't need more meds to add the mix, but I do like Flagyl for Tucker's belly issues, about two weeks on and he feels better. Plus B12 injections. I know we've discussed that Tucker's IBD presents differently than Odie's but Flagyl is an anti-inflammatory AB that targets the gut. It could be helpful for Odie.

Tucker is not eating right now, if the injection of pepcid I gave him doesn't take affect soon, I will be warming a tablespoon of canned A/D and syringing that. He usually needs about one syringe of that before he will eat it up on his own. There's something about the A/D he likes.
 
I do think you should get him to the vet.

I don't want to alarm you, because there could be hundred of reasons, but when Myrtle stopped eating suddenly, no matter what I gave her, I took her to the vet and she turned out to have an aggressive cancer.
So - there's just no other way to find out the cause for his ill health but a trip to the vet... I know how scary this is. It may be easily fixable.
 
We have been to see his internal medicine specialist, she just did an ultrasound, xrays, blood work, and exam. I speak with her several times a week, on an on-going basis.

He is on pain meds, buprenorphine every 8 hours.

He is also on lantus, budesonide, chlorambucil (leukeran), cyclosporine, pepcid, and metoclopramide (reglan)

He lets me pet his stomach okay. At the last vet visit, she decided the pain was towards the base of his tail, but we can't see anything weird going on in the xrays or tests.

At various times, he has also tried Dexasone, Prednisone, Mirtazapine, Cyproheptadine, Codeine, Tramadol, Torbugesic. I might be missing some.

He will not touch warmed up cat food. He will not touch *any* cat food right now. He will not eat baby food. Tonight he will not even touch chicken, steak, or salmon. I guess I might try cooking a pork chop.

Oh. he just threw up. I need to go clean that up. Hmm, I guess there go his evening meds that I just gave him about 15 minutes ago.

*sigh* :cry: I just want him to feel better.
 
((hugs))
I so hope Odie turns around and feels better but of course he must get food into him.
Syringe feeding might be an option for now until you can find what is causing this.
What about an apy stimulant.
Thinking of you.
 
I'm sorry to hear all this sad news about Odie...and I can only imagine how frustrating it must be.
I have no advice...but i have ears/eyes and am willing to listen/read anytime you need to vent.
and always...my arm are wide open for a hug to anyone in need

((((Odie and Mom))))
 
Have you considered a feeding tube? I know it seems extreme, but it's done on a temporary basis and can literally be a lifesaver for cats currently having food or eating issues.

(((hugs))) to you both --

Jean and her Gwyn
 
Thinking out loud here...

Could pain at the base of his tail actually be colon pain? Inflamation or constipation?

I can't touch Tucker's tail, he has cysts growing one quarter of the way up his tail, whether they are painful or not, I don't know, he protects the tail fiercely, a few times I've asked my vet to clean his tail since I couldn't. I get the feeling you would have noticed cysts on Odie's tail.

Could any of the appetite issues be caused by some of the newer meds? Cyclosporine is a newer one for him, or was it another one?

What are you feelings on switching from budesonide back to pred? Pred seems to really help Tucker's appetite, the budesonide did nothing for Tucker, but again, different presentations of IBD. How did Odie do on pred?

Last resort for food.. dry? Wellness Core or EVO? Could he handle that?
 
I'm sorry you and Odie are having such a tough time. It sounds like you are trying very, very hard and are doing everything you can. Sending prayers for both of you.
 
tuckers mom said:
Thinking out loud here...

Could pain at the base of his tail actually be colon pain? Inflamation or constipation?

Could any of the appetite issues be caused by some of the newer meds? Cyclosporine is a newer one for him, or was it another one?

What are you feelings on switching from budesonide back to pred? Pred seems to really help Tucker's appetite, the budesonide did nothing for Tucker, but again, different presentations of IBD. How did Odie do on pred?

Last resort for food.. dry? Wellness Core or EVO? Could he handle that?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the comments everyone, I really do appreciate it.

I've already tried dry food, he won't touch it either.

The cyclosporine was added *because* his appetite was decreased and his BG numbers were up. We did however reduce his dose from twice a day to once a day last week just in case it was making him nauseous.

He wouldn't really eat tonight's porkchop or salmon. I ended up cutting it into little pieces and giving them to him like pills. I got about 1/4 cup in him that way, between two sessions.

It's not constipation. I'm keeping an eye on the litter box. His IM vet did a rectal exam and didn't find anything strange.
Tonight I gave him his meds, he went and pooped, came out, meowed pitifully (the I'm-about-to-puke-meow), and then proceeded to almost projectile puke.

Prednisone does not work for him. If we switch back, it would be to go back to Dexasone+Chlorambucil+Pepcid, that's what he was stable on for several months, until he got diabetes. It's an option. At this point I almost feel like taking away all meds, except for Lantus, and starting again. I just feel like he's on so much stuff right now, it's impossible to tell if we're seeing side-effects or real symptoms.

The other stressful factor is that his IM vet is away for a week as of tonight. There is another IM vet at the hospital, along with GPs and other specialists... but Odie's file is about 2-3 inches thick. There's just no one else who knows the whole complicated story, by the time they got up to speed and suggested anything useful, the week will be over. Don't get me wrong, if he needs to go in, I'll bring him... it's just that not having his regular IM vet there makes it tough.

JJ & Gwyn said:
Have you considered a feeding tube?
Click to expand...

Not yet at that point, especially if I can get food into him by "pilling" it into him. It has been suggested with previous flare-ups, but I've always managed to get food into him somehow and it hasn't been necessary so far.

Randi & Max said:
What about an apy stimulant.
Thinking of you.
Click to expand...

I'm actually not sure why she hasn't said to give him cyproheptadine. He does okay on it. I don't know if perhaps it can't be given with one of his other meds? He also seems kind of hungry, he comes and sniffs around, but then won't eat anything. If this continues, I might call the other IM vet and see what she says. I might even have some cyproheptadine left over here somewhere.
 
I don't have any advice for you, but just wanted to send ((((hugs)))) :YMHUG: and good thoughts. I recognized some of the meds from my civie who had IBD and then lymphoma. For her, the leukeran made her nauseous, but if it were that it seems like you would already know by now. She tolerated a few doses of it, but after a few weeks it became clear it was making things worse for her. It is so hard to see them feeling miserable and not know what to do. She ended up having a window where she would want to eat a couple hours after a reglan dose, so I just sort of managed those doses to try to keep her feeling moderately well for as long as I could. CCNU also helped her for a little while, but I think that's kind of a last resort.

I hope whatever it is settles down quickly and he gets back to feeling better!!! Hopefully your vet will have some good ideas on what to do.
 
Bear Man and my civie Teddy take a lot of the same meds for IBD and lymphoma, repsectively. I use Ondansetron for nausea for both of them, and I am very happy with it. During severe IBD/CP flareups, I take them to the vet for Cerenia injections which I find also works well.

I also used Omeprazole for Bear rather than Pepcid. It also worked well for him, though I had to stop it for other reasons. We also use Actigall and metronidazole. I know how stressful all of this is for you. I'm sorry.
 
guessing pain and nausea are a big part of the mix. linda mentioned cerenia and ondansetron (both for vomiting). cleo has nausea (also has diabetes and lymphoma) and it's helped to alternate antinausea meds for her. in her case cerenia, ondansetron, and anzemet are what i alternate because one will work for a while then stop working.

are you giving subQ fluids as well?
sounds like a bad case of pancreatitis.

thyroid levels checked too?

i feel your frustration. at one point cleo was on 10 pills or injections a day, and i was feeling overwhelmed.
gosh, feeding tube seems like a good idea. it's a lot less stressful than regular syringe feeding.
 
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