So I have a new kitty...I named him Freckles

GoHolistic said:

 
@peaches08, how is Freckles tolerating the azithromycin?

Click to expand...

Thankfully he's keeping it down!  He hates it, but he's keeping it down.  Thank goodness for compounding pharmacies, no way could I pill this cat. 

peaches08 said:

Thankfully he's keeping it down!  He hates it, but he's keeping it down.  Thank goodness for compounding pharmacies, no way could I pill this cat.

Click to expand...

Great to hear!

One more day of antibiotic, and his follow up appointment is Wednesday afternoon.  I'm hoping the bartonella is gone...Freckles is growling and getting harder to medicate.  His eye is not as dilated, which I hope is a good sign.  He's more filled out and much less lethargic too.

There's still inflammation present in the eye, so we're going back to the drops.  Now that I'm not having to fight him with the antibiotic, it should be easier to do.  I'm to take him back in a month to continue monitoring the eye.

The retest for bartonella he said is done in about 6 months.  He also said that the uveitis may or may not be from the bartonella, and can still be an autoimmune reaction.  The pressure was slightly elevated this time, which is a little concerning.  Hopefully I can get the eyedrops into his eye again.  I had to stop them when giving the antibiotic because I literally could not catch him.  It was hard enough catching him for the antibiotic.  Crossing my fingers!

Blighty has to go for his jabs. Goodness knows how I'll get him into the cage.

peaches08 said:

 
There's still inflammation present in the eye, so we're going back to the drops.  Now that I'm not having to fight him with the antibiotic, it should be easier to do.  I'm to take him back in a month to continue monitoring the eye.

The retest for bartonella he said is done in about 6 months.  He also said that the uveitis may or may not be from the bartonella, and can still be an autoimmune reaction.  The pressure was slightly elevated this time, which is a little concerning.  Hopefully I can get the eyedrops into his eye again.  I had to stop them when giving the antibiotic because I literally could not catch him.  It was hard enough catching him for the antibiotic.  Crossing my fingers!

Click to expand...

Ugh. So sorry about that eye. I hope the drops help!  

Oh, no! Will be hoping for good test results.

peaches08 said:

 
There's still inflammation present in the eye, so we're going back to the drops.  Now that I'm not having to fight him with the antibiotic, it should be easier to do.  I'm to take him back in a month to continue monitoring the eye.

The retest for bartonella he said is done in about 6 months.  He also said that the uveitis may or may not be from the bartonella, and can still be an autoimmune reaction.  The pressure was slightly elevated this time, which is a little concerning.  Hopefully I can get the eyedrops into his eye again.  I had to stop them when giving the antibiotic because I literally could not catch him.  It was hard enough catching him for the antibiotic.  Crossing my fingers!

Click to expand...

Sorry to hear this! I hope the drops help. Crossing my fingers for you!

Poor little boy.

I have a few updates on Freckles.  One, I found out some of his background on him.  He was found at about 3 weeks old in a dumpster.  This makes him 10 years old.  The family fed him with an eyedropper and supposedly he never wanted to be an inside cat.  They assumed another family was feeding him when they moved off without him.  In any case, he has a home now.

A few days ago he had some yellow discharge from the right eye (the problem eye), so I made an appointment for today with the eye doctor.  The discharge had stopped the day before, but I knew that doesn't mean we were in the clear.  So I took him in and the doc found a small superficial ulcer on that eye.  He said for me to stop the dex eye drops and use an antibiotic instead (tobramycin).  I'm to follow up in a couple of weeks.  The eye looks OK otherwise, it is still more dilated than the other one.  Basically we don't have a lot of answers about uveitis and even bartonella these days.  I guess all I can do is keep taking him in and monitoring him.

The vet mentioned the possibility of FHV, and I'm thinking about adding lysine to his diet.  I'm assuming people here like the NOW brand?  Dosaging?  Specifically, I'm guessing you add it each meal?  My cats eat twice a day.  Freckles is still fed by himself since he eats so slowly, and when he's done I open the door.  Gadget and Mason then fly in to finish licking the bowl (piggies!).

He looks good and is much more active than when I first took him in, although he still growls at the other cats.  I think he just had to defend himself for so long outside that he may never get completely over that.  For the most part, Gadget and Mason just walk away when he does that.  Julie occasionally fights with him but nothing heinous. 

Awwwwwwww :heart2:

Stupid question - was a UR panel run? Has mycoplasma been ruled in or out? I don't know if you're familiar with Lauren's (Feralvr) posts about Perla. They thought they were dealing with FHV - even after seeing the feline opthalmologist specialist. When the eye didn't clear up from this, that, and everything else (always got better at first when the treatment was started, and then.... ), it turns out it was mycoplasma, not all the stuff treated for. :dk:

I would absolutely try both lysine AND lactoferrin, together. Mine won't eat lysine in the food (it's salty). Yes, NOW brand is a good one. I have to use the Vetri-Lysine treats (more lysine in the treats vs the Enisyl-F stuff), so easier to get to 1,000mg during a flare or feed 500mg. It has brewer's yeast though.

:rub:

I don't know anything about lysine, but we use NOW brand for other supplements, as does our holistic vet. Sorry to hear about the lingering issue with the eye and possibility of FHV.

But interesting about his back story - and glad he now has a home. He sounds really sweet.

Poor Freckles has had such a hard life. So sorry that his eye continues to be a problem. I give my cats Carlson brand of l-lysine. It is human-grade loose powder and the one that my local Vitamin Shoppe carries. I do put it in Boo's and Sebastian's food and they don't mind it, but I don't feed raw. There's 960 mg per 1/2 teaspoon, so I used to give them 1/8 teaspoon twice a day (total of 480 mg), but then reduced it to two heaping "smidgens" twice a day (which I guessed to be about 300 mg total per day).

Where/what brand of lactoferrin?

I don't think that panel was run, but I'll be sure to ask in a couple of weeks when I take him back in.  Even if the eye is never "pretty" or even super functional, I'd like for it to stop being a problem for him.  Even if it means enucleation.  Not my fav choice, but I'd like to see this dealt with and done.  I'll see if I can find Perla's story. 

I buy Jarrow brand lactoferrin. Here's a thread on it: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/267703/stubborn-herpes-infection-add-lactoferrin-in-addition-to-lysine

Here's some of Perla's odyssey (Lauren tried the combo - it did help, and she updates in that lactoferrin thread). Oh - directly to the update. :lol3: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/239700/...rs-needed-for-feralvrs-perla/240#post_3590742

I ordered the Jarrow lactoferrin, Carlson lysine powder, and 2 bags of Vetri lysine treats.  I really hope it helps.  He's tired of being medicated and I'm tired of forcing it.

   

If you read the thread on lactoferrin, you can see that if it is going to help, it works pretty quickly. The same goes for lysine, I think. A few days and you should at least be able to tell if they're going to help. FYI, the lysine is very salty, and my cats stopped eating it in food when we moved to raw (thus I started with the Vetri Lysine treats, despite all the "other stuff" in them. They love them, so I don't worry about the other stuff). The lactoferrin isn't salty, and though I did have to start with less than half the capsule (like 1/8th) with a couple that need it, Chum and Bill ate the 1/2 cap right off the bat. Sheldon and Tuxie I had to work up to the half cap. But everyone that needs it eats it just sprinkled on the raw food.

:rub:

Nothing new to report, the eye is still more dilated than the other one, and I don't know if that's good or bad or what.  I got all the supplements a few days ago, and Freckles is eating 1/4 capsule of lactoferrin and 1/2 scoop (1/4 tsp) of the Carlson lysine powder both twice a day...would you believe this goofball will NOT eat those lysine treats?  At the vet's office he'll eat their variety of lysine treats though.  Ugh.  I'll have to look and see what brand they are.  The other 3 love the treats.  Oh well, lysine for everybody!

@LDG what is the dosage again for lactoferrin using these capsules?  Is it 1 capsule a day or a half capsule a day?

I've quit medicating the eye.  He's growling and trying to bite me now.  I CANNOT work with a bite on my hand, it's too risky.  So, yeah, I wimped out and got 1.5 weeks of the 2 weeks of eye medication in.  I'm going to call in the morning for an appointment over the next few days (I have off) and hope for the best about this eye ulcer.  He's not had any discharge since that one day before going to the vet, so I think that may be a good sign.  I'm going to ask about mycoplasma while there.

Thanks everybody for the suggestions, I'm kinda at a loss as to what to do.

Just got up to speed on this thread. Sorry things ended up being more complicated with his eye than you initially expected, peaches. I have had no experience with this sort of thing so all I can do is offer my well wishes!

I feed 250 mg of lactoferrin per day, in two doses. That is one capsule of the Jarrow brand.

Good luck with the eye!