Sam - Month 11

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Djamila said:
Well, we had quite the adventure today! Not long before t/f/s time, there was a gas leak discovered in the building across the street. The fire department set off the alarms in all of the surrounding buildings and we had to evacuate while the alarms were shrieking and the sirens were wailing in the street below.

Thankfully, I have an emergency backpack with testing supplies, food for them and me and with other emergency supplies. So when the alarm started, I leashed the cats, put the backpack on, grabbed my keys, and the insulin, and we were out the door in no time at all.

Just by luck, I had parked my car on the street instead of in the parking garage today, so we were able to walk down the street, hop in the car and drive away.

Thankfully one of my neighbors who is known and trusted by my cats was also waiting on the sidewalk, so she was able to help me get them to the car. Since they were leashed instead of crated, that part could have gone terribly wrong if they had decided to fight me instead of cooperating. Sam walks on a leash pretty well, but I didn't quite trust that when he's terrified from all of the sirens. Atty doesn't leash walk at all. He freezes and flops over when I leash him which actually makes it really easy to carry him. So my neighbor took Atty and I took Sam and we all made it to the car.

Then we sat in the car at a nearby park for a couple of hours until the leak was fixed and they would let us all back in the building.

So a little bit of preparation (emergency pack), and a fair amount of luck (car parked outside and kind neighbor) got us through this little adventure.

Needless to say, Sam's numbers were rather high tonight. Hopefully a good night's sleep will help settle him a bit.

And if you haven't already, make sure you add extra lancets, syringes, extra meter, test strips, etc. to your emergency packs! You just never know...
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OMG, Djamila! :eek: I don't know how I'd cope if this happened to me! Having an emergency backpack ready is a really good idea and that's something I CAN do.
 
On my own, I'm not that organized of a person, but my parents work with the Red Cross and they are quite insistent that we have up-to-date emergency packs. Honestly I've been rolling my eyes about it for years, and frequently annoyed that part of my entry way closet is used to store this silly backpack! When I was living overseas I had to evacuate a few times for different crises, but here in the US it just seemed like a waste of closet space! Well, now I am grateful for their reminder every year to do the updates. I just added Sam's supplies in early November. They always remind us to update them around Daylight Savings Times (spring and fall).

It wouldn't have been the end of the world if he had missed his shot time, but I was glad to be able to so easily keep him on schedule - especially when I saw how high he was!

I have to store an extra meter and strips somewhere in the house, so in the backpack is as good a place as any!
 
Sorry I have not read every post but the BUPE caught my eye. Noah has serious dental issues but cannot be anesthetized. He absolutely detested the oral no matter the flavor so he gets transdermal BUPE. He has been our little drug addict for a very long time, never has a problem with stairs. In fact he dislikes having his ears tickled more than having them poked. Tag me anytime for details.
 
I would also recommend doing a few fake emergency evacuations to figure out the best and fastest way to get you and your kitties out. I knew to leash them instead of try to crate them because I've had a few forced practices over the years. We have had a few fire evacuations in the building and I learned during the first two that I simply cannot get them in their crates when they are that scared. I've had to abandon them twice in order to evacuate and that is heart-wrenching. Not to mention how much damage it must do to their ears to stay in the building when those ear-shattering alarms are going off. Fire fighters are simply not willing to argue with you about needing more time to get your pets.

The cats will however let me leash them. Atticus hides under the bed when the alarm sounds. I can reach under, latch his harness, and then just pull him out. When I put his harness on he'll just lay there like he's dead which makes him really easy to scoop up and carry. Sam will quite gladly run right down the stairs with me on his leash, so I can carry one and walk the other. Then I have to figure out what to do with them once we get to the street level, but at least we can get out of the building in a matter of seconds now.

I've also toyed with the idea of getting some sort of large fabric pillow-case type things (but larger than a pillow-case) that maybe I could just toss over them and carry them down the stairs like Santa Claus with the bags slung over my back. They would of course completely hate that, but I think I would feel more secure about keeping hold of them. I know for a fact that when Sam really wants to he can get out of his harness, so I do worry about standing on the street with him only sort-of contained.
 
Noah & me said:
Sorry I have not read every post but the BUPE caught my eye. Noah has serious dental issues but cannot be anesthetized. He absolutely detested the oral no matter the flavor so he gets transdermal BUPE. He has been our little drug addict for a very long time, never has a problem with stairs. In fact he dislikes having his ears tickled more than having them poked. Tag me anytime for details.
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Thanks, Dickson! So far he's done okay with the oral bupe, although I do find it challenging to get it in his cheek pouch and not just squirted into his mouth! It's nice to hear that Noah has been on it longer-term and is okay though. I have worried about the impact if these pancreatitis attacks keep recurring and he has to keep using it every few weeks.
 
You're very welcome. Noah is past his "best before" date but has a big heart, figuratively and literally. I dislike pain so sometimes I read too much into things but Noah has to eat with loose teeth. It's too long a story to post here. :bighug:
 
I've had a look at Sam's SS and overall his numbers are better now than when you put him back on ProZinc. He is behaving like a different kitty than your earlier go around - a little more erratic and so on. I don't know if I'd be able to pinpoint a very recent issue as being the cause of his ups and downs, including those lime greens. He just seems to have adopted a new way of responding to ProZinc. It's possible that he has low grade pancreatic inflammation even between flares. I'm so used to looking at Teasel's SS that this section of yours isn't shocking to me. :confused:
 
Glad to hear that Noah does well on the bupe, Dickson! I worry about that too since Tigress is on it off and on more often these days. It's good to hear when kitties on it long term are all right!

Djamila, I agree with Kris. Just looking over his SS, he's looking better than he was when he first got back on Prozinc. He has more greens and blues than he used to. I think the pancreatitis might be the issue...that'd be my guess at least. But there's really no way to be sure..

What a scary day! I can't imagine having to evacuate like that.
 
Noah only gets in the car for near emergency situations, he's never been in a crate. Another long story.
Although he is a Caninsulin bouncer and is behind on having blood work done I don't see any ill effects. His vision is good, the other cats leave him be and best of all he eats and maintains his weight. I think God finally cut us some slack. :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
@srk3cats BUPE is short for Buprenorphine. Depending on the dose and strength it can be very powerful. I've used it on a cat in his last days with cancer.
From Google "Cats usually react negatively to opiates, but buprenorphine is an exception."
 
Noah & me said:
@srk3cats BUPE is short for Buprenorphine. Depending on the dose and strength it can be very powerful. I've used it on a cat in his last days with cancer.
From Google "Cats usually react negatively to opiates, but buprenorphine is an exception."
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When you used it on your cat with cancer, how did you administer it? Did your cat die peacefully at home with you? I suppose you need a prescription for it.
 
That was Nigel, we administered oral at home. I can't remember the starting dose but in 48 hours we doubled the dose, then doubled it again. (He only vomited once) He knew where he was and who we were but seemed to lose a pound a day. Cynthia and I knew he was facing massive organ failure so we took him in. The vet was shocked, she thought he'd have another month. His cedar box is beside my bed.
It is a prescription.
This is not as morbid as it seems because Lewis, our most belligerent and dumbest cat spent days guarding Nigel. Would not leave his side.
nigel_sick_lewis_002.JPG nigel_sick_lewis_004.JPG
 
Noah & me said:
That was Nigel, we administered oral at home. I can't remember the starting dose but in 48 hours we doubled the dose, then doubled it again. (He only vomited once) He knew where he was and who we were but seemed to lose a pound a day. Cynthia and I knew he was facing massive organ failure so we took him in. The vet was shocked, she thought he'd have another month. His cedar box is beside my bed.
It is a prescription.
This is not as morbid as it seems because Lewis, our most belligerent and dumbest cat spent days guarding Nigel. Would not leave his side.
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:bighug::bighug:
 
Yes, I think I've seen the sink pic before - it looks like we nearly had the same sink! Unfortunately for my Sam, I had the sink replaced not long after the pic, and he doesn't like the new one - except for drinking out of the faucet, of course!

Your photos of Nigel and Lewis are absolutely precious. What dear companions! I'm sorry he had to cross the bridge. You and Cynthia really are great caretakers for your fur babies!
 
Thanks. It's probably pretty obvious by now that posting about Nigel brings out the best and worst in me. The worst being telling the same sad story over and over again. We've all had the smart cat/the big cat/the old cat but thumping the table and having Nigel jump up "You can poke me daddy, I know it's because you love me" was something special. They're all special.
Looks like I just hijacked another thread. :banghead: :blackeye:
 
No worries at all! I don't mind having my thread hijacked! Especially for Nigel. It sounds like he was a really special kitty and that the two of you had one of those rare bonds. Merry Christmas to you and Cynthia and all your kitties!
 
Djamila said:
No worries at all! I don't mind having my thread hijacked! Especially for Nigel. It sounds like he was a really special kitty and that the two of you had one of those rare bonds. Merry Christmas to you and Cynthia and all your kitties!
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Merry Christmas !! to you, Sam & Atticus.
 
Thanks, Teresa! And Merry Christmas to you and Buddy and Dinky and Old Guy and Kit Kat, too! I hope you've all had a peaceful holiday!
 
Djamila said:
Thanks, Teresa! And Merry Christmas to you and Buddy and Dinky and Old Guy and Kit Kat, too! I hope you've all had a peaceful holiday!
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A lot more peaceful than last year. Last year Buddy had been given prednisone on 12/20 to take more than 1 dose daily and he was really sick, but I could not find a doctor who would see him until the 12/26/16. On the 26th when he saw a vet, he was hospitalized for several days. That was a bad Holiday.

I hope both of your kitty's are doing alright, also hope Sam has gotten over his pancreatitis.
 
Sam has seemed much better the past two weeks, although last night he was cuddled up against me all night again. That was what he did at the beginning of this last flare, so it has me a bit watchful this morning.

I did start him on some CBD about a week ago, but he's still on a very very small dose so probably not very effective yet. How much do you give Buddy?
 
:stop:An evacuation?!?
Greens??o_O
So much has happened. Hope you had a Merry Christmas!! Glad to see those greens and hope Sam continues to feel good:bighug::bighug:
 
Beenie said:
:stop:An evacuation?!?
Greens??o_O
So much has happened. Hope you had a Merry Christmas!! Glad to see those greens and hope Sam continues to feel good:bighug::bighug:
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Welcome back!!! How was the beach? Are you all tan and rested now? How are your fur babies? I hope you all had a great holiday!
 
Djamila said:
Welcome back!!! How was the beach? Are you all tan and rested now? How are your fur babies? I hope you all had a great holiday!
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It was awesome!!! Yes tan and well rested. Its so darn cold here now and apparently its only going to get colder:arghh:
Furbabies are good. Ming is still keeping me on my toes. Dropped a milk dud yesterday and today but is pooping and eating. Still trying to fine tune his Miralax dose. Pet sitter of course did totally fine. He just waited for his bean to come home to start up a little #2 drama. Other than that things are fine.
A very happy new year to you and the boys!!!!
New-Year-2016-with-border-e1450705415686.jpg
 
Djamila said:
Sam has seemed much better the past two weeks, although last night he was cuddled up against me all night again. That was what he did at the beginning of this last flare, so it has me a bit watchful this morning.

I did start him on some CBD about a week ago, but he's still on a very very small dose so probably not very effective yet. How much do you give Buddy?
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Buddy takes Hemp Chews and it says not to give over 2 a day. I have been giving Buddy 1/2 of a chew in the morning and the other 1/2 at night. I am almost afraid to say anything, afraid everything will back fire on me. When Buddy started the chews he was taking Bupe, Cerenia or ondansetron and appetite stimulants. Every once in a while I think that maybe I should give him something to take besides the hemp and I will give him something for nausea, but that does not happen very often.
 
Thanks so much @Teresa & Buddy! You're using the Rx Vitamins soft chews, right? So it looks like the dose is similar to what Sam is on now - so hopefully just a small dose like this is enough. I really wish he could talk. Sometimes today he's seemed off - like he isnt' feeling well. And other times he seems perfectly fine.

@Beenie - So good to hear that Ming behaved for the pet sitter - although of course he acts up when you get home. Isn't that how they show they miss us? :rolleyes: And speaking of cold - we ended up with a white Christmas! First of all, it hardly ever snows here, but even less frequently on Christmas. It was so fun to wake up to a few inches of snow on Christmas morning! The kitties were not impressed. I kept opening the door to let them out on the balcony, but after a couple of quick steps, they were back inside and refused to go out again. They are so spoiled. :):cat::)
 
Djamila said:
Thanks so much @Teresa & Buddy! You're using the Rx Vitamins soft chews, right? So it looks like the dose is similar to what Sam is on now - so hopefully just a small dose like this is enough. I really wish he could talk. Sometimes today he's seemed off - like he isnt' feeling well. And other times he seems perfectly fine.

@Beenie - So good to hear that Ming behaved for the pet sitter - although of course he acts up when you get home. Isn't that how they show they miss us? :rolleyes: And speaking of cold - we ended up with a white Christmas! First of all, it hardly ever snows here, but even less frequently on Christmas. It was so fun to wake up to a few inches of snow on Christmas morning! The kitties were not impressed. I kept opening the door to let them out on the balcony, but after a couple of quick steps, they were back inside and refused to go out again. They are so spoiled. :):cat::)
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I hope you have as good luck as I have had with the Rx Vitamins soft chews. Sometimes I feel that way about Buddy, like something is wrong, maybe they are just having off days (I hope).
 
Djamila! Snow! That's amazing for your corner of the world - here, not so much ... :confused: It's -27 C (-17 F) for me this AM.

I hope your parents are on the mend. It's worrying for adult children.

Re Sam: I think that if there's some chronic issue that waxes and wanes they can have good days, bad days and in-between days just like us. At least we understand these things. It's hard to see a pet go through it. :bighug:
 
Djamila, Did you find the right amount of CBD for Sam, do you think it is helping him. Buddy's Hemp started helping right away.
I was happy to see Michelle's post to you, I miss her.
 
Teresa & Buddy said:
Djamila, Did you find the right amount of CBD for Sam, do you think it is helping him. Buddy's Hemp started helping right away.
I was happy to see Michelle's post to you, I miss her.
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Unfortunately he's flared up again and is quite sick. I am increasing his dose of CBD slowly - it does seem to take the edge off the pain, but not quite enough so I've been giving him a small dose of bupe as well. Poor little guy looks awful. Thankfully he'll still eat if i put the food in front of him, but doesn't show much enthusiasm for it. He does still perk up for treats though. :) And he's being good about taking the cerenia. I hope I can find a dose of CBD that will stop him from getting sick so often. It feels like it's just one flare after another. :(
 
Djamila said:
Unfortunately he's flared up again and is quite sick. I am increasing his dose of CBD slowly - it does seem to take the edge off the pain, but not quite enough so I've been giving him a small dose of bupe as well. Poor little guy looks awful. Thankfully he'll still eat if i put the food in front of him, but doesn't show much enthusiasm for it. He does still perk up for treats though. :) And he's being good about taking the cerenia. I hope I can find a dose of CBD that will stop him from getting sick so often. It feels like it's just one flare after another. :(
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One for you: :bighug: and one for Sam: :bighug:
 
Djamila said:
Unfortunately he's flared up again and is quite sick. I am increasing his dose of CBD slowly - it does seem to take the edge off the pain, but not quite enough so I've been giving him a small dose of bupe as well. Poor little guy looks awful. Thankfully he'll still eat if i put the food in front of him, but doesn't show much enthusiasm for it. He does still perk up for treats though. :) And he's being good about taking the cerenia. I hope I can find a dose of CBD that will stop him from getting sick so often. It feels like it's just one flare after another. :(
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Oh No!! I am sorry he is sick again, I know how awful this can make you feel, when they are sick so often. Sending prayers and healing vines to you and Sam.
 
Thanks so much, Kris and Teresa, and Caitlin! He seems a little better today. He just asked for a snack, so that's a really good sign! First that he came out of the bedroom, and second that he wanted food. Hopefully he'll keep heading in the right direction!
 
Teresa & Buddy said:
I have been giving Buddy hemp, this seems to help him more than anything.
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Hi Teresa,

I've got a special interest in feline pancreatitis / GI issues and I've never seen mention before of using hemp in this context. I'd be very grateful if you could share a bit more here or perhaps post some links so that I might be able to find out more about it, please?


Mogs
.
 
CBD is a cannabis product. The cannabis plants produce THC which makes you high and is toxic for dogs although appears to be okay for cats (still being studied so I wouldn't recommend it at this point), CBD which doesn't make you high and is the more medicinal side of things - it helps with inflammation, pain, anxiety, etc., and hemp which is legal in all 50 states. CBD and hemp are often used interchangeably although that isn't precisely accurate. Hemp is good for skin/hair care, and can be made into a lot of products (clothing, paper, biofuel....), but doesn't have the medicinal qualities of CBD.

That's probably way more information than you needed.....:D
 
Critter Mom said:
Hi Teresa,

I've got a special interest in feline pancreatitis / GI issues and I've never seen mention before of using hemp in this context. I'd be very grateful if you could share a bit more here or perhaps post some links so that I might be able to find out more about it, please?


Mogs
.
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There is a Facebook group called Cats with Pancreatitis that has a number of people using CBD and you may find the group interesting. I don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but Sam's first two pancreatitis attacks lasted close to two weeks. I started him on the CBD recently and this flare was only about four days.
 
@Djamila - Thank you for the info. I'll have to pass on the Facebook group because Facebook freaks me out (far too invasive).

I'm really glad to hear that you've found something to minimise the duration of Sam's flares. Pancreatitis is the pits. :(


Mogs
.
 
Critter Mom said:
Hi Teresa,

I've got a special interest in feline pancreatitis / GI issues and I've never seen mention before of using hemp in this context. I'd be very grateful if you could share a bit more here or perhaps post some links so that I might be able to find out more about it, please?


Mogs
.
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I just saw this and I am on my way to bed, 1 of Buds doc's wanted him to try this for year's of chronic pancreatitis. I am afraid to say very much, it might back fire.
 
Hey @Critter Mom! Here's a link for some info on CBD oil (the one that I use for Tigress...not for pancreatitis though): https://www.cwhemp.com/. It's got some FAQs and whatnot for you to have more info. It's used for a lot of cats I know on a different FB group and some of the people there take it for anxiety too! By the way, it is SO good to see you again!
 
I cannot tell you anything about Hemp, because I do not know. Buddy was @ the vet and she asked if I would like to try something that she was having really good luck with, of course I would, anything besides getting up 2 hrs earlier to give an appetite stimulant, something for nausea, a lot of times pain meds and anything that would help Buddy. What I use is Rx Vitamins for PETS Hemp RX Soft Chews, formulated by Robert J. Silver DVM, MS, CVA, if you want to get this from the mfg., and some web sites require a script from your vet. I have found this at a couple of sites that does not require a script from your vet. The only thing I can tell you is that Buddy is not the same cat since I started giving him the Hemp. I would also like to find out more about the CBD oil, however, most oils are not to be given to a cat, I do not know about CBD oil. I am
familiar with pancreatitis since Buddy has had chronic pancreatitis for years. Having pancreatitis is bad news.
 
Critter Mom said:
The protest peeing drove me nuts but I just had to admire her for her extremely effective communication skills. She really was some cat. When I was moving away from the village where we first lived after I adopted her the natives said I could go wherever I liked but how dare I take Tara with me! I miss her ... :(
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@Critter Mom - can I ask where you were living? (I didn't want to hijack Roberta's thread so I moved your quote over here :))
 
Well, I decided to come home for lunch today because I have a terrible headache. Got here, took off my shoes, stepped inside, and stepped right on top of a chunk of raw turkey. Why can't these kitties leave their food in the bowl!?!? Finding chunks of raw meet around the house is NOT okay!!! :eek::rolleyes::cat:
 
Djamila said:
Well, I decided to come home for lunch today because I have a terrible headache. Got here, took off my shoes, stepped inside, and stepped right on top of a chunk of raw turkey. Why can't these kitties leave their food in the bowl!?!? Finding chunks of raw meet around the house is NOT okay!!! :eek::rolleyes::cat:
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:blackeye::confused:o_O!!
 
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