So many drugs! Moving. Thoughts and opinions please

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nslade001

nslade001

Member Since 2018
Hi everyone,

I apologize in advance for the novel, but would really appreciate any advice and thougts :)

My 17 yo cat Willow was diagnosed just over a week ago. Her blood work is fine other than diabetes, and abdominal x-ray didn't show anything unusual. She also may have neuropathy. She has become very quiet with a very intermittent appetite the past couple of days. I think she's sometimes nauseous. She also is slow to poop (frequently slightly constipated?) But we've started her on equivalent of miralax and that seems to be helping with regularity.

The kicker: we're moving to a different province a minimum 12 hour drive away, leaving this Friday.

Quick history: She had IBD for the first 10 years of her life, but an injection of Cerenia changed all our lives (she'd always been a bully cat who disliked human affection; after the injection was given for nausea causing inappetence she became a happy, loving painfree cat no longer on IBD meds)

I'm scared of how this trip will go. I'm scared she'll really go off food, and that along with the stress and the new home...

We went to the vet today (without willow) and I've come home with:

Cerenia injections for nausea
0.52mL SQ once daily (24 hours apart) as needed

Cerenia tablets for nausea.
1/2 of 24mg tablet once daily as needed (she gave me extra Cerenia in case we get delayed by weather on our drive)

Famotidine (antacid)
0.26cc of 10 mg/mL SQ once daily

Buprenorphine for pain
0.19mL of 800 mcg/mL up to 3 times a day as needed, squirted in cheek or rubbed on gums

Mirtazapine for appetite
0.3 ml of 10 mg/ml orally once daily as needed. Will cause foaming.

NaCl 0.9% in case I need to give SQ fluids.

Our vet recommended we start with the antacid in case an upset stomach was causing her inappetance, so I was thinking of giving that tonight.

If she was still off food in the morning, I'll give an injection of Cerenia although I was really hoping I could hold off that so we'd have it for the trip if needed.

Then the antacid every night.

The others... Well, the mirtazapine I'm sort of nervous of the loud restless side effects...That sounds like the cat is upset? And I think I read that you shouldn't give it every day? But if the antinausea meds and antacids aren't helping...

And the bupe is a last resort, because I don't know what if anything is causing pain, and I don't like medicating unnecessarily, but if she's still inappetant and quiet after all this, then I have to wonder if she's in some other pain.

Thanks for reading this far. If you have any thoughts, advice, experience you'd like to share I'd really appreciate it. Thoughts on dosage, or order of meds? Different meds? Anything?!

With love,

Nikki
 
You said 1/2 of 24mg Cerenia tablet daily, so 12mg. That sounds like a HUGE dose. How much does Willow weigh? My Willow is 7lbs, and the dose for her is 1/4 of a 16mg tablet, so just 4mg.
 
Willow weighs 11 lbs, so yes that's quite a difference. I'll post asking what dose most use as I'd rather start light and of course don't want to overdose!
Thanks so much! With love,
Nikki
 
Hi, yes I saw that info on tablet dosing, but was looking for injectable dose rates as I wasn't sure if they were the same.

I'm trying to avoid the appetite stimulant as it seems to me if she will eat (with various methods) without meds, that is the better route, but perhaps it's not? I'd appreciate anothers advice.

I also think I'd prefer another med to the mirtazapine due to possible side effects. She has enough going on without the stress of pacing and howling.

With love,
Nikki
 
Also a quick question about cerenia in tablet form: should it be given before eating or with a meal; should she be pilled or can it be given in a food ball (assuming her appetite keeps improving).
Her attitude is much brighter today, sitting up grooming more rather than lying like a log. Still not moving around a whole lot, but she *is* starting to eat on her own! Reduced her bupe to 0.05 cc today and gave injectable cerenia, but if things continue to improve I'll probably switch to tablet cerenia tomorrow to save the injectable for the trip, in case they're needed then.
Also, her BG levels are doing well (fingers crossed).
Thanks! with love,
Nikki
 
I put the Cerenia in a gel cap and give it to my Willow. It is bitter, and if you give it to them in a way that allows them to taste it, you will probably end up with some foaming/drooling going on.

I always give her treats as a reward after, so she always gets a little food when she takes it.
 
Their website says to give it to dogs with 'a little food'. Of course, since the tablets are not actually approved for cats, they do not give that type of info for cats, but I would imagine the same would apply. I know Willow always gets a few treats after her Cerenia, and we have not had any issues.
 
What are you using for a carrier? I've had cats that loved the car but obviously highway travel and a cat under the brake pedal=disaster.
You may remember the Market Place piece on pet carriers that promised all kinds of things. You generally got what you paid for but every single carrier had a restraining strap failure. I can't say every cat feels secure in a confined space but the less noise, vibration and bright light the better. Bring some cheap old towels and lots of piddle pads for the trip and unlike a dog cats won't react well to stopping at Timmy's for a poo so be prepared to clean out a messy box.
Are you doing the 12 hours in one shot? I still have good night vision (first thing to go with men) and like driving at night. I'd rather get things over with but if I need a break just to stretch weigh scale stations are a good place. They really don't care if you're not a truck, just pull way over and be polite.
Look at a map and get the phone numbers for every emergency clinic along the way, there's nothing worse than not knowing where you are and no wifi connection.
If by chance you're coming to southern Ontario you'll have some new FDMB friends here and I know of two great vets west of Toronto. It's not a secret where I live if you dig back 10,000 posts but I'd rather not publish that. PM me if you need to.
The 401 around Toronto is awful, expect delays between 6AM and 7PM. The 407 is an electronic toll highway and much faster.
That's all I can think of right now, safe travels....eh!
 
FurBabiesMama said:
Their website says to give it to dogs with 'a little food'. Of course, since the tablets are not actually approved for cats, they do not give that type of info for cats, but I would imagine the same would apply. I know Willow always gets a few treats after her Cerenia, and we have not had any issues.
Click to expand...
Thanks again. Picked up gelcaps :)
With love,
Nikki
 
Noah & me (GA) said:
.
That's all I can think of right now, safe travels....eh!
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for writing :) willow detests travel in a carrier, so we're taking our camper van. I put down the bed and set it up with her tent, her bed, litter, and a large wire crate I cover with a sheet. Keep the curtains closed and she usually curls up in her bed or tent. We're planning on taking it slow because she tolerates short trips but we've never done a long one, and with her appetite still not up to normal I want plenty of time to make sure she relaxes and eats and poops.
I do plan on getting en route emergency numbers, thanks for the reminder!
And moving just to Prescott, an hourish before Ottawa...Not all the way to Toronto :)
With love,
Nikki
 
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