Update on Chase

Chase wasn't eating well at all, so I took him back to the vet today for his re-check early. (If you didn't see the other thread, he has a UTI) The vet thinks the Amoxi was making him feel bad, and that that was why he wasn't eating much. She said it isn't uncommon for it to not agree with cats (which makes me really question why it's always the first thing they give!). Anyway, he's on a new antibiotic now. She said I need to pill him by forcing it on him, not letting him eat it wrapped in something, because it is a little big. I think she's crazy, as he has swallowed larger pieces of dry food whole without a problem. There's no reason I can't just hide it in a treat, is there?

She said he was a tiny bit dehydrated, but that he'd be fine if we got him to drink some water and eat some canned food. So he's had several cans of Friskies since he still isn't eating his Wellness, and he drank quite a bit out of a glass of water. So I think he's fine there now. I'll be keeping an eye on it, but it wasn't bad enough that his skin wasn't going back down quickly in the first place. She was also concerned he might be anemic, but the tests showed he was still OK, but she said it was VERY important to get him eating more, and encouraged me to give him anything at all that he would eat for awhile. He has gone from 9.5 lbs Monday of last week to 9.4 lbs today (actually, both should be 10.something, as he was weighed on a scale that needs some fine-tuning, but they only had the weight from that one recorded from last time, so we had to go with that to get an accurate comparison).

Anyway... are there any foods that are more calorie-dense, that I could offer him? Should I give him some boiled chicken or something along those lines? He is really too thin. You can very easily feel his backbone, hip bones, and ribs.

Well I gave him his pill in some cheese. He gobbled it up without a problem, so I don't see any reason to force it on him.

He's eating decently I suppose. Today he's had a small can of Friskies, a Sheba tin, a little beef left over from dinner, and about 1/4 of a Nutro Senior can. Someone suggested an occasional treat of scrambled eggs for thin cats.. but I find mixed opinions searching about it. Would that be okay?

There are some meds that aren't supposed tio be chewed or crushed,so that they make it into the intestines before disolving, instead of in the stomach. I can't exactly remember the reason...but I think its to keep the meds from making their tummies upset or eroding their esophagus.

Anyway...I sure hope the new meds makes him feel better!!

Well, IMO, it's a good thing Chase was switched from Amoxi. I honestly am not thrilled with Amoxi for much....UTIs it doesn't do so well to treat. I prefer Clavamox or Baytril or Orbax.

When Spot was still with me, he thought scrambled eggs were the best. If Chase isn't eating enough you can ask the vet about appetite stimulants like Cyproheptadine. They can help boost the appetite so that the kitty eats more.

Crushing the pill isn't a worry, since he has no teeth. He swallowed it whole. I think it is Orbax that they put him on now. It's alllll the way in the other room, or I'd look again.

He just seems to get full before taking in enough calories to bulk him back up... The vet was rather not useful about this. She basically just said because of his lack of teeth he may stay thin. And said to try dry food after I'd told her he doesn't really like dry anymore (I do leave some out for him anyway, but he rarely touches any of it even between three different brands of food and a couple samples). I guess I could insist on another of the vets at the clinic for his next re-check, and hope they are more helpful.

Hmmm....no teeth? That shouldn't affect the way he eats. Twitch has no teeth.

OK....my next opinion? Take him to a good vet who will do a thorough examination of his mouth/gums/throat. When Twitch wasn't eating so well, my vet found nothing. Another found some tiny sores in her mouth that made eating painful.

He is eating now, though. He was eating before he got sick. He probably ate at least 6 ounces a day, and just didn't seem to desire anything more than that. He'll eat about 2 ounces at a time, then go saunter off and contentedly groom like he's got quite the full belly.

He ate a bit more when he ate the Max cans, I think, but I'm still waiting on those to come back out to see...

Could you feed him more frequently (three times per day perhaps)?

He eats three times per day currently, as much as he wants (which averages around 2 ounces a meal). Sometimes I offer a fourth meal if he's begging.

Today he ate 1/4 can of Nutro, maybe 1/3 of a Wellness can, and 1/2 of a small Iams can. He's eating better since starting the Orbax, but still needs improvement. He got his pill in a chicken nugget, he THRILLED over that.

If he likes chicken.....could you try something like chicken jerky treats sprinkled on his food? Just to entice him to eat a little more...

He's picky about treats.. I have some chicken things he won't touch. When he was eating very little, I sprinkled some crappy grocery store treats over his food and got him to eat a tiny bit. *shrug* Maybe I'll try some brewer's yeast.. seems several people here have had a lot of luck with it.

The vet called and said the lab found no blood in his last urine sample. How she thought there was when there wasn't, I'm not sure. But he's off his meds now. He seems to be eating well enough. He ate... maybe 2/3 a can of Wellness, most of a Sheba tin, and a little bit of scrambled eggs. I think his hip bones are less prominent already.