Willow dosing

Suzanne & Darcy said:
Any word on Willow? My vet usually calls me about this time of day to let me know how things went.
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Yes, she called a few hours ago to let me know Willow's procedure went very well and she is in recovery! 1 extraction- it was the tooth I expected would come out, and upper molar. The post-surgical xrays were all clear. She ended up giving a small dose of insulin (very small, 0.4u) but I wish she had given a little more because I'm sure Willow has been high all day. She has been keeping track of her BGs for me so I'll be able to put them in the spreadsheet later. Now I'm just waiting on the call that she's ready to be picked up :) thank you so much for checking in!!! I hope she will eat a small meal tonight.
 
Whew. I feel better. I never am easy until I get that call from the vet saying that everything is okay and telling me when I can pick kitty up to go home!

I think she probably will eat a small amount. I had a cat undergo surgery this week on Tuesday and he did want to eat. In fact, he wanted more than I could give him.

In Willow’s case, I would see if she wants to eat around her PMPS time so that you can give her shot at the normal time. Then let her eat small amounts at +1 if she’s ready and again at +2 and just kind of take it from there and see how she’s doing and if she wants to eat.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Whew. I feel better. I never am easy until I get that call from the vet saying that everything is okay and telling me when I can pick kitty up to go home!

I think she probably will eat a small amount. I had a cat undergo surgery this week on Tuesday and he did want to eat. In fact, he wanted more than I could give him.

In Willow’s case, I would see if she wants to eat around her PMPS time so that you can give her shot at the normal time. Then let her eat small amounts at +1 if she’s ready and again at +2 and just kind of take it from there and see how she’s doing and if she wants to eat.
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I totally understand!!! Just waiting for that first phone call can be so hard! The phone rings and everything stops. I was so happy to hear it was just 1 extraction and that she did so well. I really love this veterinarian in particular and she's nearing retirement and hardly available, so when they said it was an option for her to do Willow's dental I immediately felt so relieved.
Is your kitty recovering well? Hopefully it was a standard procedure and nothing too invasive!
The Gabapentin made her really hungry, she begged for food all night, so I definitely have hope that she'll be ready to eat some wet food tonight.
 
Willow's home <3
The vet told me to give her a half dose of insulin tonight with a small meal, and as long as she eats breakfast tomorrow and BG is over 300, to go ahead and give the full dose starting tomorrow morning. Does that seem like a good plan?
 
Kate & Willow said:
I totally understand!!! Just waiting for that first phone call can be so hard! The phone rings and everything stops. I was so happy to hear it was just 1 extraction and that she did so well. I really love this veterinarian in particular and she's nearing retirement and hardly available, so when they said it was an option for her to do Willow's dental I immediately felt so relieved.
Is your kitty recovering well? Hopefully it was a standard procedure and nothing too invasive!
The Gabapentin made her really hungry, she begged for food all night, so I definitely have hope that she'll be ready to eat some wet food tonight.
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Yes. I used to actually use Gabapentin as an appetite stimulant in my heart kitty. I just gave a small 25 mg. dose and it worked to keep her eating for a long time before things got bad.
 
Kate & Willow said:
Willow's home <3
The vet told me to give her a half dose of insulin tonight with a small meal, and as long as she eats breakfast tomorrow and BG is over 300, to go ahead and give the full dose starting tomorrow morning. Does that seem like a good plan?
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I was thinking you might want to give her a reduced dose of some sort, but I was trusting you to use your best judgment on that. I see she’s been in the red a lot today. If she’s red at PMPS time then I probably would do more than a half dose as long as she is interested in eating small amounts of food. It doesn’t take large quantities of food to keep BG stable.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I was thinking you might want to give her a reduced dose of some sort, but I was trusting you to use your best judgment on that. I see she’s been in the red a lot today. If she’s red at PMPS time then I probably would do more than a half dose as long as she is interested in eating small amounts of food. It doesn’t take large quantities of food to keep BG stable.
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Okay, sounds good! It was hard to hear about all the red numbers today while she was at the vet- but the vet gave her such a small dose of insulin. I can also see her neuropathy a lot more since getting home because of those high numbers and not having her Zobaline with breakfast this morning. I'll see what she is at PMPS (I assume it'll still be a red number), and see how much I can get her to eat and go from there.
 
@Suzanne & Darcy Willow's AMPS is 272, but she will not eat. I've tried so many different combinations of things. Should I skip the shot or give a reduced dose? She only had 2 licks of liquid. Right now I'm soaking some Dr. Elsey's in water to see if she'll eat that. I'm sure her mouth just hurts :/
 
They did tell you (or you already know this) that Buprenorphine needs to be placed on the gums and not squirted into the mouth?
 
Kate & Willow said:
They told me it needs to be inserted into the cheek (the opposite side from where her extraction was). It gets absorbed into the mucus layer, right?
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Yes. You insert the syringe into the buccal pocket and it’s absorbed trans-mucosally. I am glad they told you as many vets don’t.
 
Okay, lemme try that!
Last night she was also refusing lots of food options, finally ate some water-soaked Dr. Elsey's. She had some nice numbers. I wish she wasn't so finicky but here we are!
 
Do you have any Forti-Flora to sprinkle on top of her wet food? Do you have any baby food like Gerber or Beech Nut meat baby foods (ham, turkey, chicken?)
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Do you have any Forti-Flora to sprinkle on top of her wet food? Do you have any baby food like Gerber or Beech Nut meat baby foods (ham, turkey, chicken?)
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Yes, I have both. I already tried the Forti-Flora and she wasn't interested. I do have some Gerber baby food too. She really has a very strong willpower.
 
Fancy Feast Savory Salmon Feast? Does she like fishy flavors? What about sardines in water? They can be easily smashed up and given in small amounts.
 
I did just give her the Bupe, so hopefully that kicks in soon.
She likes chicken in dry food, but not wet. I did try some Fancy Feast Salmon Pate, which she usually likes, but that was a no-go too. I tried her usual Applaws + pureed pumpkin. I tried a TikiCat Mousse. I tried a Nulo mousse.
 
I am actually okay with her not eating a whole lot today and just being patient while her mouth heals (and shooting reduced insulin until things get back to normal.) I do hope the Bupe will help though. I feel so sorry for her.
Are you okay with trying 1 unit today?
 
Kate & Willow said:
I did just give her the Bupe, so hopefully that kicks in soon.
She likes chicken in dry food, but not wet. I did try some Fancy Feast Salmon Pate, which she usually likes, but that was a no-go too. I tried her usual Applaws + pureed pumpkin. I tried a TikiCat Mousse. I tried a Nulo mousse.
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She’s just not having it! Well, let her rest for a while now. ❤️
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I am actually okay with her not eating a whole lot today and just being patient while her mouth heals (and shooting reduced insulin until things get back to normal.) I do hope the Bupe will help though. I feel so sorry for her.
Are you okay with trying 1 unit today?
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Yes, I'm okay with trying 1 unit today! I will be around to get some tests as well. I feel so sorry for her too. She's like "what the heck, Mom!"
I'm going to let this Dr. Elsey's keep soaking until it's super soft. And try again here soon. I'll probably just shoot the 1 unit at 9am, just an hour off of our schedule, and I'll slowly work back. While she'll be on the Bupe I have a pretty flexible schedule, so I plan on being with her most of the time.
I so so so appreciate your help amongst you having so much going on with your own cats + the feral colony. <3
 
Kate & Willow said:
She's still refusing wet food, but will eat Dr. Elsey's that's been softened in water. We did 1u this morning and she was 161 at +4. She's resting in the sunroom a lot today. Hoping she'll have a better appetite tonight.
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I saw the blue nadir and I was happy with that. I was hoping maybe her appetite had improved. Would you like to try some Gabapentin to stimulate her appetite? If you have any of it left.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
I saw the blue nadir and I was happy with that. I was hoping maybe her appetite had improved. Would you like to try some Gabapentin to stimulate her appetite? If you have any of it left.
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I was out of the house for a couple of hours tonight, and she had maybe a tsp of wet food while I was gone... I just took her PMPS and it's 299. But she's refusing food again. Just gave her the Bupe. I don't have anymore liquid Gabapentin but I have pills. I don't know if I should pill her with her mouth so sore... I hope the Bupe helps and she eats :/ even all her usual stuff she runs away from.
 
Kate & Willow said:
Thank you, I will go ahead and do that. We'll get back on our schedule after she heals.
I was able to get her to lick up some very soaked Dr. Elsey's. If I use the back of a spoon and smash the kibble and mix warm water in and basically make a pate with it, she'll lick some of that up.
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Good. Whatever it takes, right? She’s having a very strong reaction to only one tooth being removed. I have had cats with quite a few teeth removed who came home and wanted to eat like piggies and never stopped. Then I have had cats who had one removed who acted like this. You just never know. I do hope that tomorrow she will be feeling a lot better.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Good. Whatever it takes, right? She’s having a very strong reaction to only one tooth being removed. I have had cats with quite a few teeth removed who came home and wanted to eat like piggies and never stopped. Then I have had cats who had one removed who acted like this. You just never know. I do hope that tomorrow she will be feeling a lot better.
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You truly never know!! She had 2 teeth extracted back in 2021 and seemed way less affected than this. But maybe it feels more stressful now because of the diabetes and insulin.
She's also never been a food-motivated cat, so I think that's a big part of it. Then add pickiness and stubbornness to the equation too!
Hoping another night of rest will help. Thank you for all of your help, always.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
How is Willow today?
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Still in pain, but more of an appetite today it seems. This morning she would only eat the mashed up Dr. Elsey's again, but just a little bit ago she went in on some Applaws + pumpkin I left out for her. I did see her pawing at her mouth a bit this morning, but it's not been consistent and not accompanied by any drooling or anything. I'm gonna keep an eye on the pawing the next few days for sure.
 
Her BG was super high this morning- I went with a reduced dose again (but higher than yesterday's) because she didn't eat a lot at breakfast. If she's high again tonight and will eat a bit more I was thinking of shooting the full dose? Seems like she would've definitely been fine with more insulin this morning.
 
Kate & Willow said:
Her BG was super high this morning- I went with a reduced dose again (but higher than yesterday's) because she didn't eat a lot at breakfast. If she's high again tonight and will eat a bit more I was thinking of shooting the full dose? Seems like she would've definitely been fine with more insulin this morning.
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Well hindsight is 20/20. :blackeye: Maybe you should try 2 units if she appears to eat a little more? And see how it goes? Depending on her PMPS and her eating, of course.
 
Does she usually like the Applaws chicken with pumpkin? I saw that at PersMart yesterday and was thinking of trying it for one of my cats. I wondered if he would like the pumpkin.

It looks like it’s not nutritionally complete bit just a supplementary food?
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Does she usually like the Applaws chicken with pumpkin? I saw that at PersMart yesterday and was thinking of trying it for one of my cats. I wondered if he would like the pumpkin.

It looks like it’s not nutritionally complete bit just a supplementary food?
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Give it a try! Willow loves the freshness of the Applaws. She doesn't like chicken in a wet food, but chicken as a dry food is fine. Her #1 favorite Applaws is the Tuna, Anchovy, and Seaweed in broth. Our other cat, Carl, who lives with my partner, loves that chicken & pumpkin one, though! And yes, it's just a supplementary food.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Oh my! Still no appetite today!
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Yeah, not really :(
She eats a very small amount and then turns away from the food. I think she just doesn't want to eat at all with her mouth being sore. Even today after the Bupe she'd only lick up a little liquid from my finger. She's resting a lot today. We only have 2 more doses of the Bupe- tonight and tomorrow morning. How many days do you think it's okay to go for her appetite to return? Wondering if, it doesn't improve soon, I should ask the vet for an appetite stimulant?
Overall, she's in good spirits. Very affectionate/cuddly, and bouts of playfulness.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Well, this must be good. I was going to ask if you had any Mirataz at home for her appetite. Hopefully she will be hungry again in a day or two. After a full week, you would think she would no longer be in pain … so by March 6?
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Yes, a full week will be March 6. Luckily, she ate a bit more tonight. Slowly but surely, perhaps that appetite is coming back! A lower pre-shot again tonight so I did the 1u like last night.
 
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