Thumper update

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Barbara

Barbara

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Well, it looks like we're going to be on the move to Levemir. I just want to try out all the insulins out there! :lol: It's puzzling to me why Thumper started out so well on Lantus then went right back to the bouncing all over the place. :roll: Hopefully this will work. I'm taking her to the vet on Tues. & will probably get a prescription for Levemir.

She's really been running high lately but I think I've figured out she's got some pain going on. I believe it's arthritis but we don't have a diagnosis. Of course old vet pretty much ignored me when I talked about her limping & now it's gotten worse. I've tried Cosequin but it seemed like every time I put it in her food she would quit eating. I gave her some Tramadol last night & boy she started running all around the house BUT I don't like the way she acts & looks on that stuff. Her eyes look like they are about to pop out of her head & she wouldn't stay in bed last night or eat her snack. That was 1/4 a pill so tonight I tried to cut that in half so we will see what that does. She's very difficult to pill though. She acted like I was trying to kill her, screaming & fighting. I tried to syringe water after but she acted like I was trying to give her some kind of poison. I had the Tramadol in a gel cap but that didn't help either. I'm hoping to get some Adequan.

We are just about 2 weeks away from her year anniversary & we are no better off than when we started. Hopefully Lev will be the answer!
 
Hi Barbara!
I've missed hearing from you. Yes, she is better off now than the day you found out she was a sugar.... and she has you to thank for that. :smile:

Have you talked to Marjorie about the switch? I know Gracie did better after the switch to Lev.
Adequan is injectable, right? I use cosequin on Bob and luckily it hasn't made him turn up his nose at the food bowl. I can't do the pilling thing either, and I wanted to stay away from the paste supplements since most have added sugar to make them "palletable". So I just break open the cosequin caps and mix it up really well in the canned food and Bob inhales the whole mess. :-D

Hope Lev is the one that works for Thumper!

Oh, how's Petunia doing? :mrgreen:

Carl
 
So glad to hear from you Barbara. Hope the switch to Lev really works well for you guys.

We only ever did Tramadol liquid orally once and it was nutz. It made Asher foam at the mouth so bad, he ran all over the house drooling. Freaked him out terribly and I had a lot of cleaning to do :shock: :sad:
We had injectable Bupe last time we needed pain meds (dental) and it was way better. I think it actually took his pain away and he was SO happy for 3 days :-D

And yes, how is Petunia? :-D
 
Hi Barbara!! I was just thinking about you and Thumper the other day. I hope Lev is the ticket for Thumper.

Klinger doesn't like cosequin either. I used to sprinkle it on his food and mix it up, but eventually he stopped eating the "doctored" mix. I don't have any experience with tramadol. Have you tried pill pockets? Klinger is currently loving the chicken pockets. Klinger is also experiencing some arthritis pain and my vet is having him try duralactin (paste). So far he's been able to get up on the couch and bed by himself. :-D

Glad to see an update from you.
Marcy & Klinger
 
Hey Barbara, how is your kitty about being handled? Have you ever tried pilling her by hand? I'm currently pilling both of mine every day, if you've never tried it I wouldn't mind helping you out...
 
Marcy & Klinger said:
Klinger doesn't like cosequin either. I used to sprinkle it on his food and mix it up, but eventually he stopped eating the "doctored" mix. I don't have any experience with tramadol. Have you tried pill pockets? Klinger is currently loving the chicken pockets. Klinger is also experiencing some arthritis pain and my vet is having him try duralactin (paste). So far he's been able to get up on the couch and bed by himself. :-D Marcy & Klinger
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Hey Marcy! The cosequin also seemed to make Thumper sick, each time I tried it something would happen & I'm so afraid she will stop eating I didn't push it. She's never been too interested in treats so she won't eat the pill pockets. She's just difficult all around!

How is Klinger? How's his sight?

Catannc said:
Hey Barbara, how is your kitty about being handled? Have you ever tried pilling her by hand? I'm currently pilling both of mine every day, if you've never tried it I wouldn't mind helping you out...
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Cathy, that's what I've been doing, just holding her & sticking it in her mouth. She acts like she's gonna die, she has always been like that. I never thought I would be able to test her & shoot insulin but she doesn't fight me too much on that.

Donna, I'm sorry but that just made me LOL! I think Tramadol is one of the meds that is horribly bitter which is why I used the gel cap. She got Bupe when she had pancreatitis & I think I'm gonna ask for that again when we go Tues.

Thanks for the encouragement Carl. You are right & I have learned so much about cat health in general since I discovered this board & for that I will be forever grateful!

Petunia is glad she didn't go live in NC....she's having a grand time here and that left room for Chewy to live with Kim! :lol:
 
Good luck with Lev, Barbara. It is amazing how bouncy cats seem to bounce! I do think the record is 2 years before Peter, Devon and Mocha stopped - think I saw that somewhere. Noticed Sue and Samwise have finally leveled out after a year+ on ProZinc and another year+ on Lantus.
 
Okay, I've gotta be the one to go out on a limb... I'm not sure what the scoop is w/ cats, but my sister in Minnesota takes her dog for acupuncture for his arthritis. Is that a possibility? Is there anyone near you who does it? Has anyone had any experience with it on cats?

We hear all this stuff about the interactions, the sugar content of drugs, the dangers of Convenia... how 'bout some homeopathic remedies? Anyone?
 
Don't know if you've tried to pill her this way, but my vet showed my how to do it and it's sooo easy. Place the kitty on a table. Stand to the side and grasp the head from the top, placing a thump under one cheek and fingers under the other. Gently pull up until the mouth is straight up in the air, the lower jaw should drop open. Drop the pill in from the side, don't get your fingers in the mouth, and quickly close the mouth with one hand and rub the nose with the other. I always follow this by offering some water flavored with wet food to wash it down. Neither of mine will touch any food or treat they think you've tampered with.
 
Sue and Oliver (GA) said:
Good luck with Lev, Barbara. It is amazing how bouncy cats seem to bounce! I do think the record is 2 years before Peter, Devon and Mocha stopped - think I saw that somewhere. Noticed Sue and Samwise have finally leveled out after a year+ on ProZinc and another year+ on Lantus.
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I'm hoping this will work but if it doesn't at least I've tried. I was so afraid to switch from Pro Zinc but now that I have I'm not afraid to switch again.

Grayson & Lu said:
Okay, I've gotta be the one to go out on a limb... I'm not sure what the scoop is w/ cats, but my sister in Minnesota takes her dog for acupuncture for his arthritis. Is that a possibility? Is there anyone near you who does it? Has anyone had any experience with it on cats?

We hear all this stuff about the interactions, the sugar content of drugs, the dangers of Convenia... how 'bout some homeopathic remedies? Anyone?
Click to expand...

I do think I've heard some talk about acupuncture & also cold laser therapy. I think I heard the vet I'm going to now might get the laser therapy but as far as I know there is no one else around here that does it. I don't know if there is anyone who does the acupuncture but I will ask about that.
 
Catannc said:
Don't know if you've tried to pill her this way, but my vet showed my how to do it and it's sooo easy. Place the kitty on a table. Stand to the side and grasp the head from the top, placing a thump under one cheek and fingers under the other. Gently pull up until the mouth is straight up in the air, the lower jaw should drop open. Drop the pill in from the side, don't get your fingers in the mouth, and quickly close the mouth with one hand and rub the nose with the other. I always follow this by offering some water flavored with wet food to wash it down. Neither of mine will touch any food or treat they think you've tampered with.
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That's a little different than how I'm doing it so I will try. One of my civvies (Thumper's sister) is Hyper T & has beginning renal issues so she gets a gel cap with 2 meds twice a day. I love those gel caps! She's the total opposite of Thumper, she gives me no trouble. I always syringe a little water in the side of her mouth to wash the cap down & she's so easy. Not Thumper, she really goes nuts when I try to syringe that water in her mouth. She hangs her mouth open & acts like I've put something horrible in her mouth. I make sure the water is pretty much room temp cause I thought maybe it was too cold for her, nothing works.

Speaking of gel caps makes me think of Wendy. She's the one that I remember talking about using them & told me to look for them on ebay. I often wonder what happened to her. I hope she's ok!
 
Try doing it before a meal and offering a bowl with a little wet food mixed into a lot of water, mine will drink the whole bowl...they weren't too receptive to the syringe either.
 
Barbara said:
I do think I've heard some talk about acupuncture & also cold laser therapy. I think I heard the vet I'm going to now might get the laser therapy but as far as I know there is no one else around here that does it. I don't know if there is anyone who does the acupuncture but I will ask about that.
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I want to say my sister's golden retriever goes 1x/month. It's really given him relief from his issues. Not sure how she found the acupuncturist, maybe call one of the closest vet schools? Or a 24 hr vet specialty hospital - there's one in Raleigh [Cary] that has an amazing litany of doctors on staff. Or call them (Veterinary Specialty Hospital 919 233-4911) and ask for the name of someone in your area they might recommend. Good luck!
 
Good luck with the Lev. I hope that does the trick for Thumper.

There are people here who do the acupuncture on their cats, maybe ask in health to find out who and where.

Aww glad to hear Petunia is happy and well.
 
Hi Barbara,
Good luck with Lev; I hope its just what Thumper needs to help the bounce. If not, you can always come on back here to PZI/ProZinc :mrgreen:
Lu asked if anyone had tried accupuncture for their cats with arthritis. Henry could barely walk a year ago from pain from nerve root/disc problems/arthritis.
Ya'll know he took the baby aspirin every 3 days until about 2 months ago, but my vet also reccomended he go to an animal accupuncturist.
He went for about 3-4 months and I believe it helped him a lot.
He is almost completely back to his pre diabetes/arthritis mobility, jumps on couches, beds, chairs, runs and chases his brothers, tosses and chases toys and laser pointer, completely up on toes. I never thought he would be better, he hardly moved a foot and had to rest, walked on hocks and low to ground. Hes made a big turnaround.
So if there is one near you and its in your budget, I would give it a try for a few sessions and see if it helps.
Glad to hear Petunia is doing well!
 
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