Murphy - Serious Events Tonight

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msmurphy2010

msmurphy2010

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As soon as I walked in the door tonight, Murphy had an event, although hard to describe. She is asthmatic and is on inhaled meds, and has been event free for a long, long time, but this was a coughing event that I think was triggered by nausea, I could hear the fluids in her throat, she was gagging, similar to an asthma attack and then wanted to throw up. She does get quite nauseated usually a daily occurrence, morning and night about an hour before eating dinner, licking her lips, etc. I give fluids every other day to her, everything as prescribed for her, all on time, never missed. But, she's also diabetic, so this is a triad situation for her.

We've tried Pepcid AC and another nausea mediation for pets, although I cannot think of the name, but I am wondering if there is anything that is more long-acting for her since I am not home during the day to feed her. Feeding her would possibly require adjusting her insulin as well.

I'm in a real tail spin with this. Poor thing - when I saw the tears in her eyes, it just made my heart ache. I just feel so, so helpless about the whole thing with her. Events like asthma are easily controlled for her, and she's conquered that quite well, but this is so incredibly different. I am having extreme anxiety from this daily. I do not think it's the pancreatitis, but nausea, although I could be wrong, and they are one in the same.

I need help with some of this, please. :(
Lisa
 
i swear by ondansetron.
only thing is, it stings or something so i try to vary the shot location in the scruff. my cat has lung cancer so we don't feel safe giving fluids at this point. otherwise i'd stick it in the fluid tubing port after i'd been giving fluids for a while (after you see the pouch forming where the needle is).
dose is 0.15u in a tuberculin syringe, which comes out to just under 11u in a U100 insulin syringe, once every 24 hours. try to give it on an empty stomach (2 hrs after or before eating). it works much more effectively that way.

cerenia is another med you could give. 1/4 tablet once a day. some vets recommend a break every something days, tho my cat's oncologist said more recent info she got said it was ok to continue indefinitely. cerenia worked for a while for cleo, then ondansetron or anzemet seemed to work better. anzemet recently got a warning for humans re heart issues from it so i don't know that it's recommended as often any more. it worked the best for cleo's nausea/vomiting, which she had daily from lymphoma but totally cleared up after ondansetron/anzemet.

lisa, based on what you said, tho, i'd be taking her to the ER tonight unless she's acting totally normal again. just wouldn't want to risk missing something big such as fluid in the lungs or something. is her breathing okay? not heavy breaths or rapid respiration, right?
 
She is resting, ate her dinner, and I gave her Lantus along with her inhaled meds. She is sleeping soundly. This was definitely a situation of fluids from nausea (in my opinion). Talked to her vet at length tonight and I think we are going to have to start leaving a little meal out for her during the day. I will take someone's idea from this forum about freezing her food in a cupcake holder and hopefully by the time it thaws, she will be ready to eat. This may require an adjustment, but we think it's the nausea that's getting at her. I knew it wasn't her asthma because typically when she would have an event, although so long ago, she would have a tremendous amount of wheezing going on, and even after giving her Ventolin rescue inhaler, she would not be stabilized for about 20 minutes. So, this definitely was different. She's doing fine now. Believe me, she would be in ER - but we all know our kitties.

We are going to start giving metochlopramide (say that three times as fast as you can) 1/4 tab three times per day for the nausea. We don't want to inject her any more than we are at this point.

Does anyone take Xanax here, because I sure am!
 
Thanks so much Celi. I appreciate it. My poor little baby girl. She's a real trooper though. I see those big green walnut sized eyes and it makes my heart ache.
 
msmurphy2010 said:
I do not think it's the pancreatitis, but nausea, although I could be wrong, and they are one in the same.
Click to expand...

I don't know your kitty's history but just from what you describe here in this thread, have you looked into maybe this being a triaditis type condition?

Like jojo mentions in her pancreatitis post.."there is a close link between CP with IBD and Cholangiohepatitis, (all three together collectively known as Triaditis).
http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/r ... msg-876722

Jess described triaditis here...maybe this will help some:

"Triaditis is a phenomenon in which you have concurrent inflammation in the intestine, liver, and pancreas. The liver and pancreas are both linked to the small intestine. Intestinal disease such as IBD can affect the pancreas and liver because the irritation/inflammation can spread through this common linkage system. It's usually diagnosed in cats that have symptoms of IBD plus evidence of liver and pancreatic disturbance or inflammation. It's not a disease itself but rather a group of symptoms (a syndrome)"........"Cats with diabetes are often found to have pancreatitis as well, and pancreatitis can definitely lead to appetite problems and vomiting. The pancreas is responsible for making and secreting insulin so it can cause insulin needs to fluctuate if it behaves erratically".
http://www.felinediabetes.com/phorum5/r ... msg-870541

Urosodial (actigall) helped Tigger get through the vomiting part of this. I am not sure if this is the problem with your baby but thought I would just mention it here. I tried the Reglan (metochlopramide) too in shot form, but it didn't help much but I know other's have had success but it wasn't addressing the real problem with Tigger. The Actigall actually stopped his constant vomiting after a day or so since it was actually helping to correct the problem.

I am not sure if any of this fits your situation with your baby girl. I am sorry she and you are going through this. :( I hope she feels better soon.
 
Sure hope this is just nausea and nothing more serious.
Skipper almost always vomits if she gets too hungry so I think your vet's suggestion of an extra snack is a very good idea.
((((hugs))))
 
I hope Ms. Murphy is feeling better today. Here are a couple of other ideas.

There is a relationship between GERD and asthma in people (http://www.webmd.com/asthma/guide/heartburn-asthma). The allergist has my DH taking prilosec for his asthma even though he does not have heartburn because he was having asthma attacks after eating. It helped. Could this be true for cats as well?

Another possibility is slow transit of food through the stomach, causing GERD. Diabetics can have slow gastric emptying (also called diabetic gastroparesis), which can cause nausea, vomiting, heartburn, loss of appetite, and a feeling of fullness after meals. Maggie had that - vomiting 3-4 times a week - and took reglan (metochlopramide) for it. It helped alot. Glad to see you're trying it.
 
Thanks all for your caring and comments. We decided to introduce a mid-day meal with the metachlopramide 1/4 tab 3 times per day. She doesn't have triaditis and I don't want to be scared about that as well right now. The mid-day meal is what we believe is missing. I was afraid to initiate it because I didn't want her BG elevating. But, tonight prior to eating, it was 124, so I am hopeful that the mid-day treats will help keep her from getting nauseous. Let's all keep our fingers crossed.

Hey, in case your interested, check out Vetri-Science.com and go to the bottom of their webpage, click on testimonials and the very first one is Murphy's! She's a star today!! :) We owe a tremendous amount to Vetri-Science for helping boost her immune system with the DMG. It has truly helped her.
 
Dearest Lisa -- I'm sorry, Ms. Murphy, but this is mom talk, okay?

I'm just going to say I really don't understand pretty much anything that's going on with your precious Murphy... It's true.

But, I do understand what's going on with you, your stomach, and your heart. (Xanax is generally a tip-off...)

Sometimes diabetes becomes secondary to whatever you have to deal with that is more crucial. You can always shoot around more crucial, after all, right?

I'm going to check out your super star on Vetri-Science.com... In the mean time, you take good care of you, okay?

Much love and all the encouraging hugs you and Ms. Murphy can handle at the moment,
Deb and Nikki -- and, Giz...
 
Yes, she definitely deserved the Vetri-Science testimonial. They were very interested in her battles with MRSA and the d. cati mite. I have to take Xanax anyways at night b/c I have sleep apnea. The only way I can sleep soundly, but it was just a goofy comment in passing. Seriously though, I cannot recall ever having dealt with so much stress for her or me, and then dealing with goofballs at work all day that make me miserable!

It's a true labor of love, and I will never give up on this little baby until she has nothing more to give of herself. She is really a very strong little girl, even through the feline asthma thing. She's well-controlled, and I've stuck to my guns on everything relating to this diabetic/pancreatic situation as well. When I know it's out of control, and there's nothing more that can be done, it will be because she will let me know.

Back to my thoughts - I think it is a good idea to keep initiating this mid-day snack for her to back off the nausea. The nausea medication seems to be helping.

Anyways,I appreciate all of your support. Murphy is very compromised, it is a unique situation, but most situations are for each individual and pet owner. Unfortunately, she has three diseases now that are all life-threatening and require daily management. I have tons of outreach with feline asthma, Vetri-Science, and now all of you dealing with these same serious situations.

She was a barn kitty, only 3 weeks old when I was cleaning a horse stall out with an old friend of mine - we were up to our knees in horse crap - I stopped to take a breath, and said that I thought I heard a little kitten, and in the next stall, there was Murphy, no mommy, no siblings, no pappa, nothing. She was shaking, and I took her. She was a runt, so teeny that she didn't even have a voice yet. Bottle fed, like a little baby. That was 11 years ago. She's still here. :)
 
Dear Lisa,

Just saw your post here and saw that you mentioned giving Reglan to your furbaby. I hope she is tolerating it well. I usually am more cautious on giving Reglan since my cat, Gracie, had a violent reaction to it, back in January of 2009. My vet will no longer prescribe it for cats. Gracie went bonkers and I had to call the vet right away, and she told me how much Benadryl to give her to counteract the horrible reaction she had, of getting very nervous and running all over like a chicken with her head chopped off.

Hope your little girl is doing better now.

Jean and Charcoal (GA)

http://www.harpsie.com/pancreatitis.htm
Anti Nausea Medications
You may be offered Reglan, which is available by prescription only. This medication works by regulating stomach contractions, and therefore is helpful for nausea caused by a lack of motility in the stomach; but since Reglan can cross the blood/brain barrier, it also acts on the brain to control feelings of nausea, which can be helpful to cats with pancreatitis.

Reglan comes in 10 and 5mg tablets or a liquid, and must be given 20-30 minutes before eating. It may have various side effects, including constipation, hyperactivity and agitation or drowsiness; very occasionally, twitching may be seen. Reglan also lowers the seizure threshold, so should not be given to cats prone to seizures.

If you are giving Reglan at the same time as Pepcid AC, you should separate the dosing by at least two hours, since Reglan may bind with the Pepcid AC and thereby reduce its effectiveness.

Veterinary Partner has more information on Reglan.
Pet Place also has some information.
 
Dearest Lisa, and, of course, you too, Ms. Murphy,

I am completely humbled by your love and caring for Ms. Murphy. I love your start together. She must have been so teeny then...

Please know we're still praying and rooting for you both, as we love happy beginnings!

Please take care of you, dearest Lisa, while you take care of Ms. Murphy, okay?

Much love and continued as many countless hopeful healing prayers as you both can handle,
Deb and Nikki -- and, Giz...
 
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