Please help, my friend is dying and I feel so helpless

Hello,

I'm new to this forum. My cat is in a very poor state right now and I've seen a lot of good advice circulating on this site and thought I could get some help here. I have three cats, Goofy is 14 years, Pluto is 12 and Pepper is 1. Two years ago Goofy started limping and the vet diagnosed him with arthritis. Since then I have had the x-rays done and he has severe arthritis in his right hip joint. He manages though, he takes his glucosamine and chondroitin every day, he's on a mobility support food, he gets his cartrophen shot once every two weeks and he takes it slow.

In September he suddenly got diarrhea and had a decreased appetite (he became quite the picky eater). I took him to the vet and the blood work showed he had pancreatitis. He went on prednisolone then was slowly weaned down to one pill every third day. Things were going fine, not as good as before, but fine. About a week ago things started getting really bad. He stopped eating altogether, he lost quite a bit of weight and he seemed to be very sad and wasn't moving around a lot. I took him in for blood work and xrays again. The vet diagnosed him with triaditis. He now has to take 4 prednisolone pills/day plus an appetite stimulant. He eats hardly anything. I've tried several different things: many different flavours of canned food, cooked and raw chicken, fish, baby food, treats, cream. He never eats more than a few nibbles. The appetite stimulant doesn't seem to be working.

In the past week he has become a completely different cat. He is lethargic yet seems restless. I think the triaditis in combination with the arthritis is making things very uncomfortable for him. He will lay down in one spot then get up and move to another, and do this again several times. It seems like he is not entirely comfortable standing, sitting or lying down. He also stumbles around a lot which he never used to do before but like I said, I think it's a combination of the arthritis and triaditis. I feel like maybe this triaditis would be more manageable if he didn't have an arthritic leg because the poor cat just seems so sad with his restlessness and inability to get comfortable. He also has a lot of discharge coming from his eyes and nose (which the vet did give him a cream for but I thought I'd mention it). He is just a mess at the moment.

I have kind of been in a state of shock these past few days because of how quickly he has gone downhill. We've always dealt with the arthritis together, and things have been fine. Just over a week ago he was his normal self, limping as always, but obviously a happy cat. I can't even describe how I feel looking at him now. I just want to help my friend but I can't help but think this is the end for him. If it is, I hate thinking that his last days are so miserable. I've read a lot of posts on websites that cats who have triaditis often have rough patches but then pull through with proper medication. But I am also worried about this large dosage of 4 pills/day. Could the increased dosage be the reason for this drastic and sudden decline? I've also read a lot on prednisolone's side effects and Goofy seems to be displaying quite a few of them.

Has anyone gone through a similar situation before? Can anyone give me advice on any of the above things mentioned? Anything at all would help. I just feel so helpless right now. I've done everything the vet said I need to do, yet every day he gets worse. Do you think it's possible that he will pull through this? Is it a rough patch or is it really the end? Does anyone have any tips for getting cats to eat and gain weight? He is skin and bones right now the poor guy.

Another thing I forgot to mention is that it's incredibly difficult to give him his pills, especially four a day. When a cat is already not eating, medication time becomes a nightmare. I have no choice but to force feed him the pills. The thing is, even though he is so frail and fragile and weak at the moment, he still struggles quite a bit when I try to give him the pills. I feel like this whole process hurts him because of his bad leg but no matter what he always struggles. Does anyone have any tips or tricks for force feeding a cat pills? Or maybe other unique methods, keeping in mind that he doesn't eat voluntarily anymore?

I really appreciate anyone taking the time to read this. I'm 23, I live by myself and I can say without a doubt this is the most stressful time of my entire life. Any response would be appreciated more than I could possibly say.

Thank you,

Kaye

I had read your letter. I see you are cooperating with a good vet more than most. And yet, no better, going downhill. And no real hope.

Im sorry. I think you yourself know what should be done to help your friend Goofy.

Im feeling with you, and Im dreading the moment Im also there.  May God give me the courage not to wait too long.

*vibes*

Oh Kaye!!

First of all, welcome to the site and I'm sorry that you are going through this!!

I'm not sure where to start, so I may pick some random topics for you to consider.

First on prednisone: I have 2 cats that are on this med permanently for the rest of their lives. I've not noticed the side effects you are describing, but they are on a dose much lower than your Goofy (they get 1 pill every other day). I personally had to take pred for myself one time and did have the side effects you are describing. Pred is a great medicine for cats because they typically don't have the side effect issues that humans (and dogs) have with it. However, I suspect that the amount of his dose right now is causing a more extreme reaction. Call your vet as soon as you can and describe what is happening. You can't take Goofy off pred cold turkey, but you might be able to accelerate weaning his dose down a bit. It is critical that you work with your vet on this one - no one can give you the right advise online for this. I am only speculating here.

I am not familiar with triaditis, so googled it to learn more about it. According to what I read, all cats will be lethargic with this disease. While it breaks your heart to see him so, understand that is normal for him right now while he battles the disease. It also says they lose their appetites. Have you discussed force feeding options with your vet? It also causes dehydration. Another thing to talk to your vet would be sub-q fluid treatment.

No where did I read that this disease is a death sentence, but it can be difficult to treat for a cat. While all the symptoms are really, really scary, it sounds like you are about to have a very close relationship with your vet to get him through it, and realize that it may be chronic. The more you can learn about how to manage it right now will help you in the long run.

Because your mind is obviously on the "when is it time?" question, I can only offer some advice that I received from a vet years ago when I lost my first to cancer. He asked me "are you keeping him alive for you, or are you keeping him alive for him?" His condition was terminal and my normally loving boy started to hide from me. I listened to him and he told me when it was his time. Your problem will be separating the symptoms of Goofy's illness from your emotions. All of the symptoms from this disease are scary. What does Goofy want?

Take a deep breath and take things one step at a time. We're here to support you through this.

Hi Kaye Welcome and I am sorry it is under these sad circumstances. Goofy is well loved and he knows it. I agree with Amy above on everything. You could try force-feeding Hill's A/D - from the vet. It is very nutritious and easily syringed. Since he won't eat on his own - this is necessary at this point. There is no right or wrong answer as to "when"..... I think Goofy will tell you when he has had enough, hard as it is...... when he has no more quality of life left. I don't know anything about Triaditis... I am so very sorry your little man is suffering with this disease. I didn't see in your post and checked again - what is the dosage of Pred per pill, how many milligrams? I have never heard of having to give it four times a day :dk: BUT maybe for this disease - it is necessary. I hope other's will come along that have experience with Triaditis that can offer you more support and hope OR at least help you come to a decision about where to go from here. We are here for you, hun. We care and understand what you are going through. I know this IS one of the most painful, difficult decisions in our lives..... :heart3:

Hi Kaye and welcome to TCS. I'm so sorry to hear Goofy is having such a rough time right now, but it sounds like you are doing everything in your power to help him. It's obvious how much you love him and I'm sure he knows how lucky he is!

I also have no experience with Triaditis, but I do have some experience with force feeding. When Gizmo has a bad outbreak of feline herpes we feed him kitten milk with a syringe to keep his strength up and also beef bouillion to give him sodium (but check with your vet on that one).

Regarding giving him the meds, I feel for you! We had to give Monster pills to control seizures every night for 7 years and it usually was a battle. Check with the vet and see if you can dissolve the pills in water and give it to her with a syringe. We ended up doing that for the last year with Monster and it was much less stressful on her.

And don't worry, Goofy will let you know when it is "time". I know he feels miserable now but it sounds like he still has a lot of fight left in him.  that he starts to feel better soon!

puff said:

 I think the triaditis in combination with the arthritis is making things very uncomfortable for him.

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Quite likely, which makes me think Goofy should be getting some analgesics to help make him more comfortable. I know pancreatitis alone can be very painful and the cornerstone of treatment MUST be adequate pain control. Please ask your vet about either Buprenex (which can be administered via injection - really easy to do at home with a bit of practice and cats are waaaay easier to give a shot than a pill), or a Fentanyl pain patch.

My fingers are crossed that Goofy can pull through this. I so understand that agonizing helpless feeling of watching a kitty struggling.

Triaditis is a very, very difficult disease to treat.

I know of more than one cat myself that didn't benefit at all from treatment with corticosteroids.

Holistic vets treat the liver, pancreas, and digestive issues separately for best results. So my best, heartfelt advice would be to find a very good holistic vet for help.

Kaye, you and your baby will be in my prayers. Please don't give up hope, do everything you can to find a good holistic vet.

Also,  ask your regular vet or a holistic vet to start your baby on Adequan injections to help with the arthritis. 

PS:

A little bit of info (just something basic) on Adequan

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=587

http://www.ehow.com/about_5207713_adequan-cats.html

Also, Sugarcatmom is so right when she talks about the need for pain relief with pancreatitis.  (Her post: post #6)

Hopefully you can get the help you need with that issue from your regular vet. 

Hi there Kaye.  I'm new to this forum but joined specifically to look for help and direction with my cat Noelle who also is dealing with triaditis.  If anyone would like to read my original post please do.  Noelle is doing well with half a pill of prednisolone per day aside from one flare up that she had a couple of days ago which resulted in a vet visit and treatment to settle her stomach.  I would ask your vet about trying denamarin which is what I just started Noelle on.  It's a mix of milk thistle extract and SAMe which is totally safe and is supposed to do wonders for the health of the entire area that is being affected by this disease.  I've read some great success stories from people using this so I am hoping for the best.  I am not nuts that I have her on pred, but it's a pretty low dose and I keep hearing that cats respond well to it with less chance of side effects that humans and dogs have from the drug.  Just stay strong, monitor everything that is going on and work with your vet.  Keep us posted and good luck!  Oh, also if you haven't done so already STOP feeding dry cat food.  I believe that Noelles craving for it over the years is a big part in why she is dealing with this now  Find a grain free canned wet food.  Since cats don't drink as much as they should, what I do is add a good amount of fresh, filtered water to the wet food and although they pee a lot more they are getting a good amount of hydration which helps keep everything flushed out IMO.  

Triaditis: Pancreatitis, IBD, and Fatty Liver (hepatic lipidosis) all at the same time. There is no better resource than this site: http://www.ibdkitties.net/

To treat fatter liver, it is imperative to keep food moving through the kitty, and syringe feeding may be necessary.

You may also want to take a look at the nutrition resources in this thread: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/240809/raw-feeding-resource-thread

Vibes for you and your baby!

Apparently IBDkitties.net does not provide an accurate definition of Triaditis. Violet provided an excellent overview and very helpful information/links in this thread: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/240929/feline-triaditis-my-experience-and-concerns-questions

Hi Kaye, any updates on Goofy? I hope all is going well.