Pumpkin Pt2 - archive

[Pumpkin and Jack]

Going to recap what I want to discuss with vet soon here.

I will be looking into dropping Metronidazole after the 5 day mark but haven't gotten in touch with vet yet on this one.

Going to also discuss Denamarin.

Maybe ask the vet about Carnivore Care to provide essential nutrients to your cat? Treats aren't nutritionally balanced. https://oxbowanimalhealth.com/product/critical-care-carnivore/ There used to be Ensure-type products for cats but those have been discontinued. I'm not sure if there are any newer products.

The Liver Shake is supposed to be super healthy for sick cats: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/the-liver-shake-for-sick-cats.30432/

A lot of hairball gels and treats contain sugar, a no no for diabetics. Egg yolk powder and egg yolk lecithin are diabetic-friendly alternatives. https://www.foodfurlife.com/hairballs-are-not-normal.html#/

Are you giving an appetite stimulant?

Going to revisit these and consider new app stim.

The other idea is if you can pick up either some Hills A/D or Royal Canin Recovery canned food depending on what the emerg vet carries, many cats who feel ill like the taste of these.

Will be looking into this as well.

Probably gonna feel like the longest two hours of your life! I am sure you didn't get much good sleep and I'm certain once they give her fluids, injection for nausea, and send you home with what you need (Mirataz is amazing) you'll be able to take a breath and you can both take a nice nap. Sending you alllll the positive healing vibes. Keep us posted.

And of course will be adamant about fluids and anything else they can do!

 

[Pumpkin and Jack]

After discussion we went with Mirataz as needed, gave fluids and sending some home for later, and Denosyl for liver support instead of Denamarin.

Not looking forward to fluids ;^;

 

[Laurie&Petey]

How is Pumpkin now? How are you? Someone will advise on the fluids.

 

[Pumpkin and Jack]

How is Pumpkin now? How are you? Someone will advise on the fluids.

Pumpkin has been up and down a lot. Really jaundiced but vet seemed positive after seeing that she was able to eat a couple spoonfuls of the recovery food they had. Strange how giving her fluids made her want to drink water when she got back home. I am exhausted and ready to go take the best nap I've ever had after I make sure I'm on track with her meds. Had to make a whole new tab to keep things straight.

 

[Laurie&Petey]

Pumpkin has been up and down a lot. Really jaundiced but vet seemed positive after seeing that she was able to eat a couple spoonfuls of the recovery food they had. Strange how giving her fluids made her want to drink water when she got back home. I am exhausted and ready to go take the best nap I've ever had after I make sure I'm on track with her meds. Had to make a whole new tab to keep things straight.

That is great news! You've certainly earned a nice long nap. You're doing everything you can for Pumpkin.

 

[Kobe (Dean and Lesley)]

When I was desperate for Kobe to eat, I would spread a dab of the Hill A/D on his paw with a little spoon or spatula. He would lick it off, and I'd put another smear of A/D on his paw. I's not really a long term solution and it took FOVEVER. I think I did it for half a week. I needed him to eat enough to get his shot. I felt like an a**hole, but he got enough food for his shot. He wasn't vomiting, so we didn't realize at the time he should have been on nausea meds. Poor baby. I wish I could go back and do a better job.

I didn't know if I was going to be able to give fluids, but it wasn't bad. You just try to put your own discomfort aside and remind yourself that Pumpkin is depending on you. You are doing a great job. We'll help you!

 

[Kobe (Dean and Lesley)]

This is one of the videos that I watched to prepare to administer subcutaneous fluids to my cat. I suggest watching this ahead of time and making sure you don't have any questions for the vet - or us. (my bag had two openings at the bottom instead of one, so I had to ask my vet which opening to use for the line) My vet is helpful, but they don't sit around waiting for me to call. They are busy. If you know that you are going to use the fluids, you can get your bag and line set up ahead of time so that there is one less thing to stress about when you are ready to give the fluids. DO NOT MICROWAVE YOUR LINE. Fluids are good for up to 2 weeks after opening. Before opening, the shelf life is... don't recall, but it really long ...

I dragged our 5 foot cat tree next to my couch were my cat loves to sit. I used a clothes hanger with a metal hook to hang my cat's bag from the cat tree. I set up my bag and line over a BIG clean bowl so that any water that came out of the line went in the bowl and not on the couch. I got a couple of clean dishes to have in reach to put things like the needle cap in. I got a couple clean towels ready. There wasn't much leaking after the fact, but there was some.

I had a whole bunch of treats on hand to keep Kobe distracted and still, and to make the experience as pleasant as possible. That's why I picked the comfy couch instead of a counter. I imagine you could make a counter comfy, though.

 

[Suzanne & Darcy]

Don't know that I'll find these around in stores. Not big on online purchases but def will try if I can find some.


She had problems with constipation due to the bone content in the rabbit variety unfortunately but if she can make it through this I'm going to try adding pumpkin and fully going in on it. Will need to rehydrate it which she may not like though.

Rabbit is inherently high in phosphorus which is hard on the kidneys so please keep an eye on it. Phosphorous needs to be kept around 4.5. Bone in the food (any food) adds to phosphorous levels.

 

[Suzanne & Darcy]

and Denosyl for liver support instead of Denamarin.

Good. At least you got something. Same SAMe ingredient but Denamarin has an extra ingredient that is good, but the SAMe is very important.

 

[Pumpkin and Jack]

This is one of the videos that I watched to prepare to administer subcutaneous fluids to my cat. I suggest watching this ahead of time and making sure you don't have any questions for the vet - or us. (my bag had two openings at the bottom instead of one, so I had to ask my vet which opening to use for the line) My vet is helpful, but they don't sit around waiting for me to call. They are busy. If you know that you are going to use the fluids, you can get your bag and line set up ahead of time so that there is one less thing to stress about when you are ready to give the fluids. DO NOT MICROWAVE YOUR LINE. Fluids are good for up to 2 weeks after opening. Before opening, the shelf life is... don't recall, but it really long ...

I dragged our 5 foot cat tree next to my couch were my cat loves to sit. I used a clothes hanger with a metal hook to hang my cat's bag from the cat tree. I set up my bag and line over a BIG clean bowl so that any water that came out of the line went in the bowl and not on the couch. I got a couple of clean dishes to have in reach to put things like the needle cap in. I got a couple clean towels ready. There wasn't much leaking after the fact, but there was some.

I had a whole bunch of treats on hand to keep Kobe distracted and still, and to make the experience as pleasant as possible. That's why I picked the comfy couch instead of a counter. I imagine you could make a counter comfy, though.

I watched them administer fluids in office so they showed me how it worked with the clamps and all and got my bag all set up for me but I'm horrified of that big needle still argh. I need to call them back because the notes for when and how much to give got cut off on my discharge notes.

 

[Pumpkin and Jack]

Rabbit is inherently high in phosphorus which is hard on the kidneys so please keep an eye on it. Phosphorous needs to be kept around 4.5. Bone in the food (any food) adds to phosphorous levels.

Will keep this in mind. Dont know if we will have to worry about kidneys long term after this situation but I like to err on the side of caution either way. Will have to figure out a different protein as I was thinking rabbit was going to be the winner. Still trying to find an affordable meal to switch her to that doesn't have gums or include and fish, chicken, or beef. So hard without hitting the highest tier and even then they sometimes have other ingredients im not sold on.

 

[squeem3]

Try Rawz: https://rawznaturalpetfood.com/product-category/minimally-processed-natural-cat-food/ There's no gums or fillers. Here's the rabbit canned: https://rawznaturalpetfood.com/product/96-rabbit-recipe/

Koha is another to try: https://kohapet.com/collections/limited-ingredient-diet-pate

Rayne: https://raynenutrition.com/collections/cat-diets-all

Making your own cooked or raw food may be an option. It can be easy as adding a pre-mix supplement to boneless meat of your choice. Sourcing novel proteins may be difficult. Check with local butcher shops. Independent pet stores may sell chubs of boneless meat for pet food use.

 

[Pumpkin and Jack]

Try Rawz: https://rawznaturalpetfood.com/product-category/minimally-processed-natural-cat-food/ There's no gums or fillers. Here's the rabbit canned: https://rawznaturalpetfood.com/product/96-rabbit-recipe/

Koha is another to try: https://kohapet.com/collections/limited-ingredient-diet-pate

Rayne: https://raynenutrition.com/collections/cat-diets-all

Making your own cooked or raw food may be an option. It can be easy as adding a pre-mix supplement to boneless meat of your choice. Sourcing novel proteins may be difficult. Check with local butcher shops. Independent pet stores may sell chubs of boneless meat for pet food use.

Will research these more once things settle down. I don't want to introduce them while she's not feeling well in case she makes a bad association with them.

 

[Pumpkin and Jack]

Being this one is getting long I started a new thread.

 

[Suzanne & Darcy]

Will keep this in mind. Dont know if we will have to worry about kidneys long term after this situation but I like to err on the side of caution either way. Will have to figure out a different protein as I was thinking rabbit was going to be the winner. Still trying to find an affordable meal to switch her to that doesn't have gums or include and fish, chicken, or beef. So hard without hitting the highest tier and even then they sometimes have other ingredients im not sold on.

This is so true! I am in this same situation with finding food.

 

[Pumpkin and Jack]

This is so true! I am in this same situation with finding food.

I have contemplated making from scratch and feeding raw so many times before but the odds are against me on it. Local butchers just make fancy brats and human stuff never sell offal or anything I actually need. We have health stores and ethnic stores that carry a lot of the parts recipes call for but it's not always consistent, hard to find, and honestly I'm not convinced it's all that affordable around here. :S

Plus my vet wants me to consult a nutrition specialist because of the diabetes (as if I can afford a specialist) as she doesn't feel comfortable with me just starting homemade on my own. I know there are mixins where you just get basic meats and don't have to worry too much about portioning different parts but if I'm going through the effort of making something I want full control and nutrition from the source not extracted from a plant or lab made (I'm sure most of it is quality and okay but I still don't like to see a huge list of supplements on anything).