Munchie's Many Issues

oneandahalfcats

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Well I am a MUCH happier mama now.  I just took him up to see my dad.  He does not have a heart murmur or a rapid heart rate, so the heart is NOT causing any symptoms at the moment.  He thinks the fluid in the lungs is related to the Respiratory issue that has been going on for several months.  He does have severe arthritis in hips and one of his front legs.  He said there is a possibilty that the front leg could have cancer as there is new bone growth and the bone is larger than the other leg.  But that could also be due to arthritis.  He does need to have hip surgery but at this point it's not worth the risk on the heart for now.  So our plan of action is to put him on the Zeel (homeopathic remedy for arthritis), Tramadol, Buprenex for pain.  Also adding Krill Oil as right now he is just on Fish Oil.  I am going to research other remedies for arthritis as well.  Enalapril for his heart, and Ciprofloxacin for the infection.  I love the fact that my dad understands that funds are tight so wiil write me scripts for walmart';s $4 list LOL.  He wants to re-evaluate with more xrays in a few months to see how it's doing.  He said that I could get the ultrasound done ($300 with my discount) but all that's going to tell us is what it is in the heart that is wrong.  The treatment for heart conditions is pretty much all the same so that really doesn't matter all that much.    We are going to switch his steroid inhaler to the Beclomethasone ones as the one he's on now isn't working as well and he's already on a high dose of it.  So overall I think we have a good plan of attack.  I am much relieved.  He did say that if he isn't showing improvement in his limping etc in a few months that we should consider euthanasia.  But also to evaluate his quality of life as well. 
If I remember correctly, Munchie is the Siamese. Your big boy who has no qualms about laying across and on top of poor Mini-Dee in the cat bed? :)

As a suggestion, I wonder if Devils Claw and/or Glucosamine could help with the arthritis? These are supplements you may be familiar with, that humans take for arthritis, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, with some good to very good results. I know there are mixtures for cats and dogs as well. Here is a link to a bit of information about these supplements that are available for cats : http://www.nativeremedies.com/petalive/pet-faqs/muscle-joint-support-supplements.html

.. Has there been any discussion about diet in helping Munchie to slim down? Less weight would surely help to lighten the load on joints.

As you say, Munchie LOVES life and no doubt loves his Mama - These are very good reasons to stay hopeful :)
 
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cprcheetah

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If I remember correctly, Munchie is the Siamese. Your big boy who has no qualms about laying across and on top of poor Mini-Dee in the cat bed?


As a suggestion, I wonder if Devils Claw and/or Glucosamine could help with the arthritis? These are supplements you may be familiar with, that humans take for arthritis, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, with some good to very good results. I know there are mixtures for cats and dogs as well. Here is a link to a bit of information about these supplements that are available for cats : http://www.nativeremedies.com/petalive/pet-faqs/muscle-joint-support-supplements.html

.. Has there been any discussion about diet in helping Munchie to slim down? Less weight would surely help to lighten the load on joints.

As you say, Munchie LOVES life and no doubt loves his Mama - These are very good reasons to stay hopeful
Thank you for the suggestions.  Yep, Munchie is the one who has no qualms about laying on top of poor Mini Dee.  He is on a lower calorie diet he has lost 1# since December 1st.  He is down to 15# form 16#   I have him on Cosequin he has been getting 2 capsules a day since he was about 1 year old.  My vet recommending increasing it to 3 capsules a day.  I will check into Devils Claw. 
 
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oneandahalfcats

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Thank you for the suggestions.  Yep, Munchie is the one who has no qualms about laying on top of poor Mini Dee.  He is on a lower calorie diet he has lost 1# since December 1st.  He is down to 15# form 16#   I have him on Cosequin he has been getting 2 capsules a day since he was about 1 year old.  My vet recommending increasing it to 3 capsules a day.  I will check into Devils Claw. 
Oh, very good. December wasn't that long ago and so Munchie will no doubt continue to slim down.

Its hard to tell sometimes which arthritis solution is going to provide the best for the buck. And of course, it always depends on the animal and what they will respond to. I have read that cosequin is widely used on cats and dogs, and in some reports that there is greater bio-availability with this than some of the human-grade supplements.
 
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mrsgreenjeens

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Just wanted to say that I have been following this thread from my phone the past several days. I don't really have anything to add, but am sending mega vibes your way for poor Munchie. 


And, of course, lots of support for your continued patience and strength to get through all this. It's a lot to deal with. 
Me too.   I'm reading, just don't have any advise on any of his issues.  But my thoughts are with you and all your sick kitties
.  Thank goodness for your Dad, huh?
 

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I'm sorry cprcheetah. That is a lot to have to take in. As far as the Adequan, I purchased individual dosing in a syringe from the vet. I wanted to make sure it would be"fresh" each time. My vet had no qualms about me giving it subcutaneously at home. It's nowhere near as dangerous as stuff like insulin. ;)

Sending many vibes to you and your Munchie.
 
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cprcheetah

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Munchie isn't doing too good.  He isn't eating.  He will only eat the Meow Mix cups like DeeJay.  He is my piggy of a boy, he literally will eat his food and then push the rest of the cats out of the way and eat their food too which is why I feed all my cats in separate rooms.  So this definitely has me puzzled.  I'm wondering if it's the new Lysine (I just bought the NOW 1# jar) maybe he doesn't like the taste?  I will try leaving it out tonight and see if he eats any better.  I do think his respiratory infection is improving however he seems to not be as loud when he breaths.  Poor Guy.  I can't tell it the tramadol and buprenex are helping his joints yet either.  I know he had a hard time getting on the bed last night. 
 

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How frustrating with the eating. I am still trying to get 3 of my cats eating more than they are, and it is proving difficult. They change their mind every meal about which wet food they deem acceptable...
 

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Come on, Munchie! You have to get better. Your mom needs a break.


(I can't imagine what you're going through with your little ones. I just admire you and others here
for being strong enough mentally to not give up. I'd have fallen apart and been committed weeks ago.)
 

mrsgreenjeens

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How's everyone doing today?  Munchie, DeeJay, Mini-dee, and Mom? 
 
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cprcheetah

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How's everyone doing today?  Munchie, DeeJay, Mini-dee, and Mom? 
Munchie still wont eat except DeeJay's food.....she was no where to be seen for breakfast and he wouldn't touch his even with no supplements in it so he came in the office and ate her food (which had her supplements in it) which are both pretty much the same and gobbled it right up.  His breathing isn't as congested.  Mini Dee is back to normal, eating like a champ.  DeeJay is having a rough couple of days, she's constipated again and doesn't seem to want to eat very much again, which I don't blame her as less in equals less of a tummy ache.  DeeJay still eats her pills in the pill pockets, thank heavens.  She goes back on Thursday to see if her infection is gone in her bladder and to see if we can start her on Prednisolone again for her possible intestinal cancer.  She did have diarrhea about 3 times in the last week.
 

scarlett 001

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Munchie and Murchie are in sync. I cannot get Murchie to eat much of anything today. I don't know about you, but I am at wit's end. I just don't know what to do.

Did you ultrasound DeeJay? Was she the pancreatitis cat? TBH, although Murchie's bloodwork showed pancreatitis (high values), I am still wondering if there could be a cancer and if I should ultrasound (but running out of money having just spent $4500 on my cats in the past month). Murchie just won't eat enough and is no doubt losing small amounts of weight. I may talk to vet about some prednisolone for him - be it pancreatitis or cancer, he might need some if I cannot get him eating more.
 

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Hi Cprcheetah.  I just read your post and the following thread.  Wow, your Munchie has a lot going on right now.  I don't know if I can answer any questions, but I have had (and still have) kitties with a number of the same issues as your baby.  I will give you a quick summary and if it sounds like my experience with any of their issues will be helpful, please let me know.  This past March and October I lost my elderly (18 yo) two kitties - Griffin and Sabine.  They were brother and sister and between the two they shared a number of  Munchie's issues..  Both of them (and my third, Lyric) were under the care of a general vet and an internist.  Additionally, Griffin and Sabine saw a cardiologist.  Over the years we tried so many things for their many diseases.

Sabine was a sever asthmatic from the age of 3.  She was on daily pred, daily flovent, albuterol when needed, as well as cyproheptadine as needed.  In addition to many other medical issues, she had HCM and sever arthritis.  For her arthritis, she was on cosequin daily, buprenex as needed (often daily), and I used gentle massage and she slept on a special heating pad.  The pred also helped when things got bad.  I had modified her living space to limit her need for mobility, moving her box and dishes near my bed and building multiple ramps and steps to the bed.  She had bad and good days, but up to the end, I was able to manage her pain so that she had many more good than bad.  She was scheduled to begin acupuncture for the arthritis (which her internist strongly recommended) when I found out that she had cancer, so I never went through with the acupuncture. 

Like Sabine, her brother Griffin had HCM (and a host of other diseases), but his had gone to end stage when he passed away from cancer.  Both of them had ultrasounds to track the progression of their disease and to assist in determining what drugs to give.  We finally added a blood thinner to Griffin's daily beta blockers and calcium channel blocker based on what was seen on the ultrasound.   Griffin and Sabine also had early CRF and were managed for that and Griffin had advanced IBD, so a poor or spotty appetite was something I battled daily with them.  Griffin relied heavily of appetite stimulants in his last years.   

I also have a kitty, Lyric, who has been battling advanced destructive chronic rhinitis for 4 years.  He has been scoped and biopsied twice and this past May he had a CAT scan to determine the extent of the destruction.  His disease is complicated by a pseudomonas infection that we will never get rid of.  From time to time he sneezes green snot, but for the most part he is managed with daily pred and daily zenequin (3 years and counting).  He used be on flovent in lieu of the pred, but it didn't sufficiently control the inflammation.  He was also on daily nose drops, but we have discontinued those at this time.  When he gets really stuffy (and seems to feel punky), I rinse his nose with a saline mist that comes in a can (made for babies) and steam his sinuses daily.  The combination seems to loosen the mucus and sometimes he rewards the effort by sneezing out the gunk, which makes him feel so much better.  In the past he has aspirated the mucus and had trouble breathing, so I am pretty vigilant now about the mist and steam at the first sign of sever congestion or repeat sneezing.   Every 6-9 months, he goes under anesthetic and has his sinuses flushed, which has seemed to help quite a bit in keeping the obvious infection down.  This summer I also started him on daily chlortrimeton, even though there is no indication his rhinitis is allergic.  It has helped a bit with the constant stuffiness, although his nose is still drippy most days.

I am sorry your guy has so many things going on at once - it can really get overwhelming at times, but know that there are many of us out here sending both you and Munchie lots of good thoughts.  From your posts it is clear that Munchie is a really lucky guy to have such a dedicated and loving mom!! 
 

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I'm so sorry to hear of Munchie's fussiness with food and not eating all that great.  


Continued vibes for Munchie... 
 
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cprcheetah

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Okay, I think we may have a winner.  Munchie ate some raw last night, and I gave him some cornish hen boney pieces this morning and he gobbled it right up.  Hubby walked into the hall where Munch gets fed and Munch grabbed his food and ran and hid in the bathroom, I think he thought he was in trouble for having it. 
.  He then tried to eat my Chihuahuas raw (she has to have it warmed up to room temp before eating).  So I really think this is the route to take.  Hubby is on board with me switching Munch to raw so I think that is the route we are going to take.  I'm excited as I have seen what it did for my chihuahua.  I did give him maybe a tablespoon of canned so I could mix his supplements in and he ate that as well so that's a good sign too as he hasn't had them for a few days since he's been so picky.  I am happy with his progress.  He is still very congested when he is breathing but doesn't seem to be sneezing as often or as much so I think the antibiotics are helping some.....FINALLY. 
 
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goholistic

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Wow! That's great! A lot of people say that raw is the way to go with all these kinds of issues. You may want to post a new thread in the raw forum for your new raw journey with Munchie. 
  I know all the raw feeders out there will be delighted to hear it!
 

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:lol3: I can just see Munchie running away with his food!

Aw ... that is GREAT! :clap: :clap: :clap: Raw doesn't cure everything ... but it sure can help improve their overall health and immune system function! Many :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: :vibes: you see all kinds of improvements!
 
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cprcheetah

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Wow! That's great! A lot of people say that raw is the way to go with all these kinds of issues. You may want to post a new thread in the raw forum for your new raw journey with Munchie. 
  I know all the raw feeders out there will be delighted to hear it!
I will do that.  I am delighted that he is actually eating and eating everything I gave him.  Zoey my chihuahua had so many issues pre-raw, she was on 8 different medications each day.  After about 2 months on raw we were able to eliminate all but 1 of her medications.  She is so much healthier.  Granted she has a bladder infection right now but considering she was having them every other month or so and throat infections up the wazoo.....I'm happy that it's not as frequent. 
I can just see Munchie running away with his food!

Aw ... that is GREAT!
Raw doesn't cure everything ... but it sure can help improve their overall health and immune system function! Many
you see all kinds of improvements!
I know raw isn't a cure all but it sure does help.  I'm very excited for the possibility of helping Munchie out in any way I can.  I know it has helped my Zoey's immune system 10 fold. 
 

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cprcheetah .. I'm so sorry to hear Muchie has had such a roller coaster ride -- not to mention how overwhelmed you must feel.  I am relieved to see he is now eating and truly hope you are all on the road to healthy and happy.
 
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cprcheetah

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Yeah it's like DUH why didn't I think of this when he was diagnosed? 
  I know how much it has helped my dog, why wouldn't it do the same for my cat?  Silly me!  He did eat dinner really good, it was probably quarter sized chunks of chicken.  So I am a very happy mama.  I have all the ingredients to make Dr. Pierson's recipe (minus the grinder) tomorrow when I get home from work.  Right now Munchie is snoring like a motor boat LOL.  He seems to be doing well now. 
 
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