Sasha update

The kind folks at the Queen West Animal Hospital were kind enough to see Sasha earlier today. I'm very tired, so I may be using the wrong terminology, so please be patient with me

The Vet examined Sasha - the reason why he wasn't passing stool is that there was nothing to pass: his colon was empty! So he's not constipated thank God for that!

So the wet food I've been feeding him was mostly absorbed as water I guess? And the actual solid matter that wasn't absorbed as nutrients hasn't built up enough to form a stool? Either that or he's learned to cover up his stool in the litter box; or perhaps Tiggy covers it up for him? That's how I could tell who did what: Sasha never covers up!

At any rate, they gave Sasha more fluids and me a few cans of Hill's K/D food to feed him over the weekend.

With my worried mind I misinterpreted what the Vet had told me over the phone last Wednesday: his kidneys are normal for a cat his age. I believe the term the Vet used is that Sasha's "Hyper renal" (I may be way off here) but not at an alarmingly rate.

The reason why he prescribed a pain killer and not a dedicated anti inflammatory is that in Sasha's current condition, the anti inflammatory might hurt his kidneys.

The dosage of Torbutol prescribed is very low, just enough (hopefully) to make Sasha's irritated bladder less sore and make him less litter box-shy until his bladder heals.

The Vet will check up with me on Monday. So far:

• Sasha loves that new food, good news.
  
• I've bought a new Pet-ease plug in (couldn't find my old one) and a replacement cartridge; I should be good for the next few months to keep Sasha and Tiggy mellow.
• I bought some liquid Glucosamine/Chondroitin supplement - good for me, good for Sasha. Since he's going to be mostly eating wet food, I want to be sure he gets the dosage he used to get in his Royal Canin Mature formula; plus there's a chance it might help heal his bladder...the Vet's Nurse told me it wouldn't hurt to try.
• Sasha's wolfed down the K/D mixed with Glucosamine/Chondroitin I served him a few minutes ago...I'm glad!
  
• While he's used the litter box to pee there was still some urine on the plastic runner next to the litter box
  
  ...he's not fully healed yet!

I'm just wondering - should I discontinue serving the Royal Canin Mature formula? I'm assuming I should, but the Vet's Nurse didn't specify. I really hate to leave them with water only when I have to go shopping or to work; I usually leave a few bowls of kibbles for my two boys while I'm not in but now I'm debating whether or not I should!

Call to clarify the food... IMHO no ... as NO stool even with canned only should not happen...

JUST a FYI - Normal kidneys in a 18 yr old by most vets is failure of a sort...

The pain killer RXed is Far harsher on the organs than most common anti inflamatories

Sasha just had a BM!

And get this: I have to hold Tiggy in my arms so Mr. Sasha will eat! If I don't, he ignores his plate! Just got some more K/D food for Sasha...I might as well stock up!

Hooray! Glad Sasha's liking his new food (my girl can't stand the wet K/d) and is being productive in the litter box.

Yay! I might suggest when you're feeling a little more awake, just write down all your questions, no matter how teeny, and email or fax over to the vet for their review. I've started doing that (for the vet and my own doctor) because I always forget to bring up something, and if they have a written list in front of them, they can look at it at a convenient time and get back to me.

Re the food, I would ask about what you could mix or not - I always think of prescription food as a medicine (my own are on Hills CD) and, like any medicine, it's good to find out if there are any interactions to beware of.

Good luck to you.

No pee on the floor/plastic runner since Sunday morning either (the last cleanup I did)...could his bladder be healing? I certainly hope so...

I caught my 7 month-old Tiggy squatting on the plastic runner on the spot where Sasha used to pee! I said "No Tiggy!" in a stern voice and cleaned the runner again.

If he starts copying Sasha's behavior I'll never know for sure if Sasha's getting any better!

Were you able to clean the runner (and the floor beneath it) with an enzyme cleaner? And, re odor alone, I've had good luck with Zero Odor (from Bed Bath & Beyond) - it does seem to remove the odor for just about anything.

Try to be calm around both cats (yes, I know, easier said than done) - and you don't want to scare either of them into either trying not to pee, or peeing somewhere even more hidden. Hopefully the little one just scented the urine and figured it was a good place to go - I'm hoping no UTIs or anything like that, but if you see him trying to pee outside the box again, I'd take the little one in for a vet visit as well, just to be sure.

Originally Posted by darlili

Were you able to clean the runner (and the floor beneath it) with an enzyme cleaner? And, re odor alone, I've had good luck with Zero Odor (from Bed Bath & Beyond) - it does seem to remove the odor for just about anything.

Try to be calm around both cats (yes, I know, easier said than done) - and you don't want to scare either of them into either trying not to pee, or peeing somewhere even more hidden. Hopefully the little one just scented the urine and figured it was a good place to go - I'm hoping no UTIs or anything like that, but if you see him trying to pee outside the box again, I'd take the little one in for a vet visit as well, just to be sure.

Click to expand...

I use Nature's Miracle Urine destroyer. I cleaned as thoroughly as I could... I added a bit more this time around to make sure I got rid of the ammonia odor...I don't smell it but I'm sure they do!

The Vet just followed up with me. He said that based on the Urinalysis, while Sasha has an elevated enzyme count in his urine it wasn't elevated enough to be renal failure; though with a cat his age we can never be too careful. Based on the update I gave him, it does indeed look like a behavioral issue and not a kidney/bladder issue (but it's always good to make sure with a cat his age, and the kidney diet food I bought for Sasha won't go to waste).

He wants me to keep him on the Torbutrol (the dosage is 1.25 mg, the lowest possible) and he'll check up with me on Friday...if by Friday Sasha still pees the floor he might consider a behavior modification medicine (an anti-depressant?) so we'll see...if Sasha stops eating or drinking altogether the Vet wants me to rush Sasha over ASAP, he might need a more aggressive IV fluids treatment that what they gave him last Friday.

But Mr Sasha is drinking an eating...so it's going the right way!

Gave Sasha's pill buttered up...I'm using unsalted butter and just a tiny spot, to make the pill more slippery and taste nicer. Following the Vet's orders...

Sasha's still acting finicky with his food...but I know he's eating, since he's been having BM's (the last one a bit loose and wet as opposed to the dry stools he was having previously).

The key to get him eating...a teaspoonful of Salmon Bisque added to his K/D diet. I tried catnip but he still wouldn't touch his food, I added the Salmon for that extra bit of "smelliness"...it did the trick!

A lot of time those cleaners take a bit longer to really work than we think - I use Nature's Miracle for stains and such, and I think the instructions say that it can take a few days to thoroughly get the odor out.

Hoping for more good news from you!

Hm...my naturally skeptical nature is flaring up...

The Vet wants me to keep Sasha on the Torbutrol until Friday and to rush him to the clinic if he takes a turn for the worse...(e.g. stops eating and drinking, etc...)

Yet, no matter how small the Torbutrol dosage is (1.25mg / day in Sasha's case) a side-effect from Torbutrol is...lack of appetite! And sure enough, Sasha has more of an appetite before the pill (even though he needed a bit of encouragement) and when I come home from work.

Otherwise he smells his food, nibbles it a bit (a teaspoonful if that) and leaves his (wet) food to dry (that's if Tiggy doesn't get to it first).

He's on the kidney diet (wet and dry - this way I know he has a "safe" food to eat while I'm at work) and I may have switched him over too abruptly in my haste to make sure the food he eats won't hurt his kidneys...

He prefers the k/d with a bit of Performatrin Ultra Salmon Bisque mixed in; so I'll do that, if only to get him used to the k/d. Ditto with the dry: I discontinued the Royal Canin in favor of the Hill's Prescription K/D, when I should have mixed them to get Sasha used to his new food...18 years caring for that cat and I still make mistakes...

Okay, so Sasha isn't ravenous but he's eating and drinking. No pee on the floor while I was at work, and wonder of wonders, he peed in the litter box as I was nearby!

The K/D dry has been eaten while I was at work...but chances are Tiggy might have been helping himself...but hopefully, so has Sasha