Oh I'm so glad you've found a food he likes that may work! :cross: Keeping up the vibes for your boy! 
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What is wrong with my baby?
- Thread starter becbec709
- Start Date
Becker, keep in mind the vet might push for another prescription diet.... If I were you... I would look at other options.... 
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- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #23
UPDATE!!! Diesel's ultrasound was clear except for a very small kidney stone in his right kidney (which the doctor does not think it is affecting anything). His xrays were also clear. We had aspirates taken from his liver and spleen because the doctor was talking about silent lymphoma. She said his calcium was so high and they usually dont see that with just Idiopathic Hypercalcemia so some organs can appear fine but have cancerous cells in them. She called yesterday and the aspirates were clear for cancer! So the final diagnosis is Idiopathic Hypercalcemia. They sent him home with Prednisolone 5mg tablets and instructions to give 1 tablet every 24 hours. He goes back on October 10th for a recheck. Im so glad he does not have cancer! As for the food, I am feeding him Wellness canned (chicken variety) and he really likes it. My husband is super concerned about him getting tartar on his teeth so we are putting a few dry kibble (of Wellness as well) in with the canned food. The doctor has not said anything about his food (mostly said give him whatever he will eat) and the Wellness has not made him get diarrhea! His poop is better on Wellness that it was on the ZD! He has the chronic diarrhea problem and was on ZD and Proviable for that. The vet did return and give us a refund for the ZD. Thank you everyone for the vibes and well wishes! I will keep updating when he goes for rechecks. But I have already seen a slight change in him...for the better. I can tell he is starting to feel slightly better!
GREAT, GREAT news! OK - so it complicates things a little that they can't identify the cause. But at least the cause isn't something nasty! 
And 
he's feeling better!!!! Sounds like you're on the right track! BTW, kibble, unless it is specifically designed to provide dental health, doesn't actually help keep plaque off their teeth. Cats don't really chew, and when they crunch down on kibble (again, unless it was specifically designed for dental health), it just shatters. You might be better off getting her the greenies dental chews than feeding her kibble, if the goal is dental health. (I'm not recommending these chews. My cats hated them, but many seem to like them. Just letting you know if the goal is dental health, there are better options.
).I have nothing to add except I'm glad hes doing better and he is very, very hansome. :love:
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #26
Thank you! Here is a picture of him from today just being Diesel Oh and the kibble, I could care less about him getting dry food but my husband insists (it's kinda frustrating). We have 'Rawhide Sundays' where I give him 1 of his CET dental chews (just for cats!) and he gobbles it down. Since he hasnt been feeling well though he hasnt been interested in eating them. Oh and I forgot to mention...he weighed in at 10.8 lbs since 9/12/12 (was 10.6 lbs)....could be better but he will get there.
Oh and the kibble, I could care less about him getting dry food but my husband insists (it's kinda frustrating). We have 'Rawhide Sundays' where I give him 1 of his CET dental chews (just for cats!) and he gobbles it down. Since he hasnt been feeling well though he hasnt been interested in eating them. Oh and I forgot to mention...he weighed in at 10.8 lbs since 9/12/12 (was 10.6 lbs)....could be better but he will get there.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #27
*UPDATE*
Diesel had a recheck today at the vet. His calcium on 9/12/12 was 14.8, today it was 10!!!!! I am so happy his calcium is in normal range. However, 9/27/12 when he had his ultrasound and radiographs, his weight was 10.81 lbs, today it was 10.21 lbs! We as well as the vet do not know why his weight went down. He is eating and is eager/begging for food but just doesnt eat all we put out for him. The vet wants us to try and measure out how much we are giving him so she knows about how many calories he is getting a day. He goes back in 2 weeks to check his weight and if it is still decreasing, then we will need to do something about it (probaby change food). He also developed diarrhea Sunday night. So we came home from the vet with Metronidazole for the diarrhea and Mirtazapine for an appetite stimulant. He is still taking the Prednisone once daily. I gave him the Mirtazapine (along with his other meds) at 6pm and he is acting very loopy. His eyes are dilated, his ears are warm, he just looks kinda 'stoned'. Im kinda worried. Has anyone else experienced this with Mirtazapine? The dr mentioned that some cats can act hyper and if that happens, let them know and they will give me something else to give him. He is not hyper, but he is just acting strangely.
Diesel had a recheck today at the vet. His calcium on 9/12/12 was 14.8, today it was 10!!!!! I am so happy his calcium is in normal range. However, 9/27/12 when he had his ultrasound and radiographs, his weight was 10.81 lbs, today it was 10.21 lbs! We as well as the vet do not know why his weight went down. He is eating and is eager/begging for food but just doesnt eat all we put out for him. The vet wants us to try and measure out how much we are giving him so she knows about how many calories he is getting a day. He goes back in 2 weeks to check his weight and if it is still decreasing, then we will need to do something about it (probaby change food). He also developed diarrhea Sunday night. So we came home from the vet with Metronidazole for the diarrhea and Mirtazapine for an appetite stimulant. He is still taking the Prednisone once daily. I gave him the Mirtazapine (along with his other meds) at 6pm and he is acting very loopy. His eyes are dilated, his ears are warm, he just looks kinda 'stoned'. Im kinda worried. Has anyone else experienced this with Mirtazapine? The dr mentioned that some cats can act hyper and if that happens, let them know and they will give me something else to give him. He is not hyper, but he is just acting strangely.
*UPDATE*
Diesel had a recheck today at the vet. His calcium on 9/12/12 was 14.8, today it was 10!!!!! I am so happy his calcium is in normal range.
Second thing I don't understand: is you said he is eating great and begging for food - why did the vet put him in an appetite stimulant? Why not instead put him in a more caloric food, instead of drug him up? :dk: Put him on a protein rich, grain free, nutritious food such as EVO, and see how he does before put him on drugs? :dk: I don't know..... But after my kitty suffered some major side effects from these drugs your kitty is taking.... and all he needed was a change of diet instead of being loaded and medicated over and over again.... I do question these things.......... He is still taking the Prednisone once daily. I gave him the Mirtazapine (along with his other meds) at 6pm and he is acting very loopy. His eyes are dilated, his ears are warm, he just looks kinda 'stoned'. Im kinda worried. Has anyone else experienced this with Mirtazapine? The dr mentioned that some cats can act hyper and if that happens, let them know and they will give me something else to give him. He is not hyper, but he is just acting strangely.
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:bigthumb: GREAT NEWS!This steady weight loss is concerning. What about discussing digestive enzymes with the vet? This would help him utilize more of the nutrition (and calories) in the food you feed him. :nod: Perhaps also try feeding him more meals daily, wherever you can work them in?
And given the z/d is now not controlling his diarrhea, what about considering a more species-appropriate diet for him? This site is dedicated to kitties with IBD, and you may find lots of helpful information: http://www.ibdkitties.net You might look to trying a high protein, relatively high fat, and definitely low carbohydrate food for him. Once a kitty has IBD, especially if they've eaten or are eating a diet with carbohydrates in it, there has been a link to malabsorption in the colon (causing fermentation). The carbs need to be removed from the diet, and probiotics used to help restore the good gut flora.
I know you said you're using the Proviable capsules for him: but the ingredients in Proviable are all fermentation products, there are no live cultures in there. The dose is also lower than recommended in these situations; it's 5 billion CFU (colony forming units). http://www.drugs.com/vet/proviable-dc-capsules.html Our holistic vet recommended a human acidophilus supplement with 10 billion CFU daily. Many of us now use this probiotic, and are having good success with it: Natural Factors double-strength acidophilus+bifidus.
Yes, the mirtazipine can make some cats really loopy. Again, I agree with Carolina. A food higher in calories would help. If you do not want to pursue a raw diet for your kitty (which alone often resolves IBD), you might want to consider at least a switch to all canned foods - again, those with limited ingredients, high protein, low carbs. One that is high in protein and fat (calories) with low carbs is EVO. (I don't know if you remember further up in the thread, but Carolina's Bugsy had diarrhea for about 18 months. It resolved on his first full day of 100% raw food. She introduced it over the course of about a week).
Continued vibes for your Diesel!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #30
Well, we came home with the Metronidazole because we also brought a new kitty home
Sunday night (around 5pm and Diesel had liquid diarrhea at 10pm). We are trying the Metronidazole for a week to see if it is perhaps the Wellness food, or if it is the stress of the new kitty. If after a week his stools arent formed, then we can bet it is the food but if they do form up it was probably just stress. Prior to Sunday, his poop was great and well formed. And we started him on the Wellness probably 9/24/12. Also the Mirtazapine was prescribed because even though he is eager and does get me up in the morning for food, he hasn't been finishing all the food that we put out (which is primarily wet food but we have dry food out for him as well) and the weight loss is concerning. The vet said Wellness is a high protein food which in some cats can cause weight loss. So that is why we are trying to see how many calories he is taking in and how many he needs. The Proviable has been working well for him and I really think that his bout of diarrhea was either stress or the food (in the past when we did food trials for the diarrhea, his poop would be good for a couple weeks on that food then the diarrhea would come back. We will see what his weight is in 2 weeks.
OK. :nod: Metro does have some anti-inflammatory properties, but just so long as you understand it is an antibiotic.
...and given he doesn't finish his food, I think the more frequent, smaller meals may help him. :cross:
And congrats on the new addition to your family!
...and given he doesn't finish his food, I think the more frequent, smaller meals may help him. :cross:
And congrats on the new addition to your family!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #32
**UPDATE**
Diesel went back for his recheck 10/24/12. Initially it was just to check his weight. He is up to 10.55 lbs! Slowly but surely he is gaining. He did have a temp of 102.8 *F so the doctor took a quick look at him. She heard a heart murmur this time; something that has not be ever detected before. So we decided to take him to a specialty hospital and get an echocardiogram done. At the end of the appointment, we retemped him and he came down to 101.7*F...must have just been stress. Because of the heart murmur, the doctor decreased his Prednisolone dose to 2.5mg once daily. We also decided to cut back the Metronidazole to 1/4 tab of the 250mg once every 3 days to see if that is just enough to cut down on the inflammation. The Mirtazapine is 1/8-1/4 tab of the 15mg as needed.
We went to the Cardiologist on 10/26/12. The doctor said everything looked good heart wise and he has what is called a functioning heart murmur. The paperwork we got says he has a grade 2/6 left sternal border systolic murmur. No heart meds for now and she recommends him having a recheck echocardiogram in 1-2 years.
He goes back to the vet 11/7/12 and his calcium will be checked then. Hopefully with the decreased steroid dose, it will stay down. Ill update again once he has his next recheck.
Diesel went back for his recheck 10/24/12. Initially it was just to check his weight. He is up to 10.55 lbs! Slowly but surely he is gaining. He did have a temp of 102.8 *F so the doctor took a quick look at him. She heard a heart murmur this time; something that has not be ever detected before. So we decided to take him to a specialty hospital and get an echocardiogram done. At the end of the appointment, we retemped him and he came down to 101.7*F...must have just been stress. Because of the heart murmur, the doctor decreased his Prednisolone dose to 2.5mg once daily. We also decided to cut back the Metronidazole to 1/4 tab of the 250mg once every 3 days to see if that is just enough to cut down on the inflammation. The Mirtazapine is 1/8-1/4 tab of the 15mg as needed.
We went to the Cardiologist on 10/26/12. The doctor said everything looked good heart wise and he has what is called a functioning heart murmur. The paperwork we got says he has a grade 2/6 left sternal border systolic murmur. No heart meds for now and she recommends him having a recheck echocardiogram in 1-2 years.
He goes back to the vet 11/7/12 and his calcium will be checked then. Hopefully with the decreased steroid dose, it will stay down. Ill update again once he has his next recheck.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #33
**UPDATE**
Diesel went for another recheck 11/7/12. He is up to 10.8 lbs, which Im very pleased with! His calcium has also maintained at 10. So the plan is to recheck him in 1 month (he has his next appt. December 5th) and check his calcium again. The dr decreased his Prednisolone dose to 2.5mg every other day and the Metronidazole every third day. I am pleased with his progress. He has lots more energy and we did introduce a new addition to the family about a month ago (7 month old kitty) and they get along great and tear through the house! I will update again once he goes for his recheck in December. I only wonder how often he will have to go in now and have his calcium rechecked.
Diesel went for another recheck 11/7/12. He is up to 10.8 lbs, which Im very pleased with! His calcium has also maintained at 10. So the plan is to recheck him in 1 month (he has his next appt. December 5th) and check his calcium again. The dr decreased his Prednisolone dose to 2.5mg every other day and the Metronidazole every third day. I am pleased with his progress. He has lots more energy and we did introduce a new addition to the family about a month ago (7 month old kitty) and they get along great and tear through the house! I will update again once he goes for his recheck in December. I only wonder how often he will have to go in now and have his calcium rechecked.
hyperthyroid maybe
