Once again asking for vibes / prayers / good thoughts for my little Cindy

Sorry I didn't realize u posted the pics already, lol...they both look so sweet. Swanie is def on the plump side...I love fat kitties! But Cindy is absolutely adorable. She looks pretty healthy to me.

Bebe28 said:

Sorry I didn't realize u posted the pics already, lol...they both look so sweet. Swanie is def on the plump side...I love fat kitties! But Cindy is absolutely adorable. She looks pretty healthy to me.

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Thank you!  Yep - Swanie is my 25 pound sweetheart soul mate lap kitty, and Cindy is the sweetest little kitty I've ever known (and she is DH's soul mate).. 

LDG said:

Oh - the probiotics and weight gain studies were done with "energy dense" diets. Luckily, cats typically do very well on high fat diets - without the side-effects these diets have in humans.

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Thanks for all the links and stuff.  Maybe I'll just jot down some of the web sites that need a subscription and the general information and see what the vet(s) think.  I am determined to lick this.

Unfortunately, she barfed up the Evo last night (I assume that was the cause). I was thinking it would probably be too rich for her little tummy - but there's other food out there to try.

I just got some REALLY GOOD NEWS!!!!!!

The only abnormality is LOW B12!  Laurie, you called it!

We are going Tuesday for her first shot and to learn how to do it ourselves.

I'm beside myself with happiness right now.

Great news!!! And the key to injections is to poke with the needle quickly. Poking slowly is painful due to needle drag.

This is fantastic news!!!!

I would still ask about probiotics and digestive enzymes - because we're still left wondering WHY her B12 absorption isn't .... as it should be.

Stanford University conducted a study on weight loss after gastric by-pass surgery, and found that B12 absorption is improved with probiotic supplementation.

Now - with gastric by-pass patients, obviously weight loss is the goal. With Cindy, you want her to gain weight, and the B12 should help with that - as will feeding her more calories. So the point of this link isn't the weight loss (and she's not having gastric by-pass surgery ), but the issue of higher levels of B12 in patients taking probiotics.

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2009/july8/probiotics-071309.html

"The study also found that levels of vitamin B-12 were higher in the patients taking probiotics—a significant finding because patients often are deficient in B-12 after gastric-bypass surgery. The probiotics group had B-12 levels of 1,214 picograms per milliliter at three months, compared with the control group’s levels of 811 pg/mL."

                   

Here's to B12 and roll on Tuesday!!!!      Really hoping this is the answer, will keep up the vibes till we know how it goes tho'.

I will definitely ask about probiotics.  Right now, I'm just very happy that we have at least something to focus on, and hoping it will put a little weight back on her so we can deal with anything else.  I'm still wondering about allergies too.

:lol3: Of course! And one thing at a time. :nod: :heart2:

Got some Fortiflora probiotics from the vet today.  Cindy is eating it with her supper.

Fortiflora must be pretty tasty stuff. Cindy dug into it, and I pretty much had to hold Swanie back until she was through, then he dug into it too.  Maybe I need to put some in his food too so he'll stay away from hers.

Fortiflora has animal digest in it.  Animal digest is what many companies spray on kibble that makes it so addictive for cats.

Yes, Fortiflora is the magic powder that helps cats dig into their food. When using it to transition foods or introduce new food, we call it "Floritification." :lol3:

Was this based on the probiotics discussion?

If so, I guess the vet figured probiotics wouldn't hurt and didn't look into the probiotics and B12 uptake. Fortiflora has only the strain E. Faecium in it. The probiotic used in the study that indicates "probiotics" help with B12 nutrient absorption was L. acidophilus. I use this one, giving 1/2 in the morning and 1/2 at night:
Cats like it, but it doesn't have the amazing taste power of animal digest. :lol3:

(There are a zillion different strains of probiotics. :nod: ).

But it's good to know she likes it (haven't even heard of a cat yet that doesn't!). It can REALLY help when kitties are off their food or you're trying to get them to eat something new.

LDG said:

Yes, Fortiflora is the magic powder that helps cats dig into their food. When using it to transition foods or introduce new food, we call it "Floritification."

Was this based on the probiotics discussion?

If so, I guess the vet figured probiotics wouldn't hurt and didn't look into the probiotics and B12 uptake. Fortiflora has only the strain E. Faecium in it. The probiotic used in the study that indicates "probiotics" help with B12 nutrient absorption was L. acidophilus. I use this one, giving 1/2 in the morning and 1/2 at night:
Cats like it, but it doesn't have the amazing taste power of animal digest.

(There are a zillion different strains of probiotics.

).

But it's good to know she likes it (haven't even heard of a cat yet that doesn't!). It can REALLY help when kitties are off their food or you're trying to get them to eat something new.

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Yes, she said she had FortiFlora I could try and that it wouldn't hurt her, and she would look further into the other study.  So, in the interest of getting something started, I got a box of the FortiFlora.  As I mentioned, it was very popular with both of them.

It was actually kind of funny.  Swanie knows he isn't supposed to eat Cindy's food, but at some point he smelled that she had something tastier than he had.  So, he went down to the end of the couch, jumped off, went around the recliner chair and tried to sneak up on it from that way.  Unfortunately for him, I'm on to his sneaky tactics

:lol3: Poor Swanie! DENIED!

Misty8723 said:

 
Yes, she said she had FortiFlora I could try and that it wouldn't hurt her, and she would look further into the other study.  So, in the interest of getting something started, I got a box of the FortiFlora.  As I mentioned, it was very popular with both of them.

It was actually kind of funny.  Swanie knows he isn't supposed to eat Cindy's food, but at some point he smelled that she had something tastier than he had.  So, he went down to the end of the couch, jumped off, went around the recliner chair and tried to sneak up on it from that way.  Unfortunately for him, I'm on to his sneaky tactics

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Poor old Swanie!    The world can be so cruel, he  must have been thinking 'What's she done that I haven't? And how come they always know when I'm sneaking up on food, life's just not fair?'

Good to hear Cindy's eating well just now and more hope with the different probiotics and vitamin absorption to come.

I'm so glad to hear that it was just low B12...that will be very easy to fix. I hope the very best to u & your kitties! Good luck in the future!

Cindy had her first B12 shot this morning, and her weight is actually up a bit.  Not a lot (was 2.56 kg, now it's 2.6 kg), but since it's been trending downward each time, we are encouraged.

Regarding probiotics, the specialist told us that what they've seen is that probiotics don't have the same benefits for cats and dogs that they do for people regarding B12.  She said that probiotics are okay to give, but that she would have to research that brand LDG mentioned and thinks I should stick with the FortiFlora for now.

We went down to a compounding pharmacy to get fish flavor added to her Metronidazole.  Added $30+ to the price! But the other stuff was causing her to foam and I didn't like that at all!

:cross: I hope the compounded version helps!

And continued for the B12 shots... :rub:

I don't think the compounded is any better - still causing her to drool - and she actually seems to dislike it more than the other stuff.  I hate to keep putting her through this, twice a day.  I wonder if she really needs it.