Re: Cypro (cyproheptidine) ? diarrhea

[TheBowHuntress]

How often can cypro be given? Every 12 hours?

I gave Gobbles a 1/4 tab (1 mg) @5:45 a.m. and although he's eaten a little, I think he should have eaten more by now. I did give it wrong though: He ate at 5:30 a.m. (low BG situation--38 at 5:00 a.m.), I gave him the pill 15 minutes later, and then he didn't eat until 8:00 a.m....

 

[Sandy and Brie]

Re: Cypro (cyproheptidine) dosing

The cyproheptadine can be given up to 1/2 tablet every twelve hours. For many cats a 1/2 tablet dose is too much. I think starting with 1/8 to 1/4 tab is a good start. My Vandow would get between a 1/4 and 1/2 tab once a day when needed. Since the cypro made him a bit agitated we would just use it in the am. If we gave it at night he would keep us up all night. Does Gobbles have something else going on that he needs an appetite stim? Pancreatitis? CKD? I believe that when cats need an appetite stim they usually have some nausea as well. If Gobbles has nausea he may benefit from something for nausea prior to giving an appetite stim. I use zofran and cerenia for nausea. An antinausea med may even be enough to get him to eat. Since you gave him some cypro this morning I would wait the full 12 hours if you choose to give him some more tonight.

 

[TheBowHuntress]

The cyproheptadine can be given up to 1/2 tablet every twelve hours. For many cats a 1/2 tablet dose is too much. I think starting with 1/8 to 1/4 tab is a good start. My Vandow would get between a 1/4 and 1/2 tab once a day when needed. Since the cypro made him a bit agitated we would just use it in the am. If we gave it at night he would keep us up all night. Does Gobbles have something else going on that he needs an appetite stim? Pancreatitis? CKD? I believe that when cats need an appetite stim they usually have some nausea as well. If Gobbles has nausea he may benefit from something for nausea prior to giving an appetite stim. I use zofran and cerenia for nausea. An antinausea med may even be enough to get him to eat. Since you gave him some cypro this morning I would wait the full 12 hours if you choose to give him some more tonight.

Thank you Sandy. I give him 1/4 at a time. I did notice diarrhea since he started it and am going to add a ? in the subject line. He doesn't get agitated at all; maybe 1/2 would be better?!?!?! I don't know if he has something else going on; the vet doesn't seem to think so. His labs are okay (if you'd like to see them--they are on his SS in bottom tab) though elevated ALT (I started him on Denamarin last week for liver support) and a few other off numbers... Has your Vandow ever gotten diarrhea from the cypro?

 

[TheBowHuntress]

Re: Cypro (cyproheptidine) dosing

Anyone's cat ever get diarrhea from cypro?

 

[Sandy and Brie]

Re: Cypro (cyproheptidine) dosing

Vandow never got diarrhea from cypro. I had a kitty years ago with CKD and he would also get cypro and he never got diarrhea either. Gobbles bloodwork looks decent. I did notice that his neutrophils are slightly elevated. Just a little above normal range. That could be indicative of some inflammation somewhere. IBD also comes to mind. Vandow had pancreatitis and occasional IBD. When his IBD would act up he would have bouts of diarrhea. Goobles kidney numbers look good. His last urine specific gravity was good. I noticed that Goobles had an eosinophic granuloma lesion on his tongue before. I have only come across a few people that have had kitties with eosinophilic granuloma. My Boo had eosinophilic granuloma complex. He had alot of allergies. Depo shots almost put him in liver failure. We ended up taking him to a dermatalogist and he got weekly allergy shots for years which helped him immensely. Despite his allergy shots his eosinophils and neutrophils were always elevated. Do you think that maybe something Goobles is eating is causing the diarrhea? Do you give him any raw food?

Sandy

 

[TheBowHuntress]

Re: Cypro (cyproheptidine) dosing

Vandow never got diarrhea from cypro. I had a kitty years ago with CKD and he would also get cypro and he never got diarrhea either. Gobbles bloodwork looks decent. I did notice that his neutrophils are slightly elevated. Just a little above normal range. That could be indicative of some inflammation somewhere. IBD also comes to mind. Vandow had pancreatitis and occasional IBD. When his IBD would act up he would have bouts of diarrhea. Goobles kidney numbers look good. His last urine specific gravity was good. I noticed that Goobles had an eosinophic granuloma lesion on his tongue before. I have only come across a few people that have had kitties with eosinophilic granuloma. My Boo had eosinophilic granuloma complex. He had alot of allergies. Depo shots almost put him in liver failure. We ended up taking him to a dermatalogist and he got weekly allergy shots for years which helped him immensely. Despite his allergy shots his eosinophils and neutrophils were always elevated. Do you think that maybe something Goobles is eating is causing the diarrhea? Do you give him any raw food?

Sandy

Thank you so much Sandy for taking the time to look over his labs and profile; I really appreciate your time, candor and sharing information about your experience and expertise. How sweet you are The neutrophils bothers me; I wish the vet would of ran those types of tests last week along with urine tests. Gobbles' actually isn't due for a full blown senior profile till next month, but those lab results are a result of me freaking out because he was picking at his food last week and bringing him in to see the vet. The ALT bother me as well as the cholesterol; I started him on Denamarin over a week ago. He occasionally gets raw meat, yes, however when the diarrhea started the other day, I don't believe he had any for a while. Maybe it is because I gave him some lunchmeat (shouldn't have, but I admit I did--just a few nibs as treats and to hide pills.)...I gave him his last piece a few days ago. He did have some ground beef last night and raw steak today; I'll keep my eyes and nose peeled to the litter box...LOL. I do have the vet check/look his mouth over every time I go there; he insists that he has no granuloma nor needs dental, however, he is very reluctant to put him under and from what I've read, some dental work that is necessary cannot be detected UNLESS the cat is put under...and a granuloma may be too far back in the throat/on tongue to be seen with a naked eye.

I haven't seen any diarrhea in the litterbox today (other than the little semi-hard dribble I found this morning which I suspect was from last night approximately 2-4 a.m.). Paws crossed, he returns to normal poo.

 

[Sandy and Brie]

The Alt and choles aren't horrible. Try not to stress to much. It is just something to keep an eye on. Denamarin is a good start. I've heard people say that it really has helped their cats. I tried it on Vandow even though all his bloodwork was normal. I really didn't see any change in him being on it so I never continued with it. He was taking so many pills already. Next time Gobbles goes in I would probably get his urine checked again too. Mainly because of the glucose and protein. You seem on top of things. I bet you even have a postal scale to weigh him. When I first got Boo he had a rodent ulcer on his gum line and eosinophilic ulcers on the roof on his mouth. The vet was really surprised that Boo ate as well as he did. Don't you wish our cats could just talk to us and tell us exactly what was bothering them. It sure would make veterinary care much easier. I'm also the queen of ultrasounds. I've found them very helpful or should I say my vet has found them very helpful in treating my cats. Something to consider down the road depending on Gobbles bloodwork, appetite and bowel habits. He's a beautiful boy. He's very lucky to have such a good Mom looking after him.

 

[TheBowHuntress]

The Alt and choles aren't horrible. Try not to stress to much. It is just something to keep an eye on. Denamarin is a good start. I've heard people say that it really has helped their cats. I tried it on Vandow even though all his bloodwork was normal. I really didn't see any change in him being on it so I never continued with it. He was taking so many pills already. Next time Gobbles goes in I would probably get his urine checked again too. Mainly because of the glucose and protein. You seem on top of things. I bet you even have a postal scale to weigh him. When I first got Boo he had a rodent ulcer on his gum line and eosinophilic ulcers on the roof on his mouth. The vet was really surprised that Boo ate as well as he did. Don't you wish our cats could just talk to us and tell us exactly what was bothering them. It sure would make veterinary care much easier. I'm also the queen of ultrasounds. I've found them very helpful or should I say my vet has found them very helpful in treating my cats. Something to consider down the road depending on Gobbles bloodwork, appetite and bowel habits. He's a beautiful boy. He's very lucky to have such a good Mom looking after him.

Ok; I won't stress too much on the ALT & cholesterol; with regards to his high cholesterol, perhaps I should take care to make sure any meat I give him is extremely lean? Get him to exercise more? He'll be getting his senior panel on April 26th (and I'll make sure they run labs on his urine as well--I believe that is included in a senior panel as it was the last time they did that, but it never hurts to "remind") and we'll see how that goes. Q: what might the protein test point to? I do try to keep on top of things; he's my child and even more so since the last little bird here left the nest He has 2 civvies and a wonderful dog, but heck I'll admit he's always been the favorite; my bond with him is something quite special; he's one of those "one in a million cats". I honestly don't know how people who work keep on top of their sugar-baby/babies!!! Well, I do have a scale but not a postal scale. We didn't own a scale until his dx; I weigh him then weigh myself every 4 days. I do wish he could talk to me more (he does talk to me about a lot of things, but is so selfless he tends to not tell me things that might upset me); I can tell when he's "off". He does know most of his colors :lol: and tells me which color can he wants when I feed him (though he has trouble with the words "pink" and "red", really). I've never had an ultrasound done on him before and would love to, but at present I have pushed my husband and his wallet to the brim. Just curious if you don't mind; what price did/do you pay for an ultrasound? Thanks for the compliment on his beauty; it is one of probably 100 words I can use to describe him. And thanks for complimenting me on my care for him; I do so truly love him and my heart breaks when he's not feeling well. We do what we do and do the best that we can do, correct? Have a blessed day and again, thank you.

 

[Sandy and Brie]

Proteinuria can have a number of causes. Metabolic, neoplasia, inflammation and infection come to mind. The diabetes can very well be the cause of Gobbles spilling protein into his urine. Diabetes can definitely effect renal function. It is good that his BUN and creat are normal and his last specific gravity was good. If the protein persists you can ask the vet about getting a protein to creatinine ratio. This test is a little more in depth and can detect kidney disease earlier than it would show up in any blood work. I go to a veterinary referral center for my kitty ultrasounds. There is a board certified radiologist that is based there and he is there 6 days a weeks. They charge $360 for a full abdominal ultrasound. There is a newer no frills emergency hospital that opened up closer to me and they have a radiologist that will travel there if needed but by appt only and they charge $420. The referral center I go to is a pretty big practice and they also do emergencies. It is state of the art. Some regular vets will do ultrasounds but I feel more comfortable with a radiologist. Depending on what Goobles blood work and urine shows you can ask your vet how you should proceed. Hopefully everything will be normal and you won't have to do anymore detective work. Your husband's wallet will be happy if you get good news. I'm greatful my DH can help me with my sugar kitty. I don't know how people who live by themselves do it. I work different shifts and it would be very hard for me if I lived alone. I guess I would be able to manage but insulin times would be a big challenge. I hope Gobbles is having a good week.

Sandy