Hepatic Lipidosis won't eat AGAIN

Originally Posted by sbbeatnik

Dylan's eating crunchy food!!!

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Great News!

Spotz

I was very excited about it...although only a few nibbles ...this was the first time in two weeks that he has even looked at the crunchy food bowl. (And this was his only diet before he got sick.)

This is a good start.

Dylan is still fighting me on taking his pills everyday. Even though I got a pill gun on Friday. (I can't seem to get this thing to work)

It is all very frustrating, and this morning after a torturous attempt at giving his pill--and him spitting it on the floor after I thought for sure he took it -- I ended up hiding the pill in his breakfast and he ate it.

Anyways...the stress goes on. I left him hiding behind the couch this morning. I can't wait for the Feliway to arrive--I hope it will help take the stress edge off.

Here is a link to newly created cat page with Dylan's picture:

Click here for Dylan's picture

Thank you! Dylan is so beautiful! What a touching story!

What a beautiful story (gee my hormones are going this morning, got a bit tearful when you mentioned him sitting there in shock, and how he murmurs contentment in "kitten speak")...and he's a beautiful boy.

so happy to see he's gaining interest in foods again.. Hopefully the feliway will help his mood.

The vet called me today to tell me she got the Urinalysis and the other in depth blood work back and that it all came back good.

She said that even though his kidney's were small in the ultrasound, they haven't been releasing anything into his bloodstream to indicate that anything terrible is happening...and that we really did catch whatever is going on with them VERY early. Which is great, because she said that means that it will be that much easier to maintain treatment, etc. for them and keep him healthy as long as possible.

She was also pleased to hear that he has been eating so regularly and with little coaxing (unless you consider bonito flakes coaxing-- ).

I did ask her about the pills he is taking, and told her how difficult he is being, even with the pill gun--and she said they don't come in any other form. BUT...for another $30 if I bring them in they can turn them into a liquid. (does this just mean crushing them up and adding water or what?)

Because I think he is only going to be on them for another week..it seems silly to pay twice for the same prescription, just because I haven't gotten the hang of giving him his pills yet.

Tonight I will try the hiding in the food trick again. (one pill stuffed tiny meatball on a plate--before main course bowl of unmedicated food) This morning he didn't even notice. So, if that works, I will just do that.

He used to take pills fine...but that was again, before he had to have them twice a day...and was a once in a blue moon thing.

What wonderful news about the test results! Just a couple of little thoughts of which you may already be aware..If you do get the medication in liquid form, be sure to shake it up really well each time you give it to Dylan. You probably won't even have to end up getting that, though. You're right, that sure is expensive just for it to be in a liquid! When you give Dylan his pill in his special meatball, let him see you get his food ready, and smell how good it smells, and then kind of let him wait for a minute knowing it's there but he can't have it! Then he'll get more enthusiastic about receiving his treat! That way, when you finally "give in" and give it to him, he'll gobble it right up! Hope I'm saying this effectively...just found it comes in handy with finicky pill takers.

The feliway got here tonight and I plugged it in right away. (on the wall right behind the chair dylan sleeps in all the time...a few feet away from the couch he hides behind..and centrally located near his food bowl.)

It was plugged in around 6pm...at that point he acted annoyed and agitated at much that I did...but now, at 9pm he is sleeping so contentedly on his chair...relaxed like a whole new kitty.

Unless he pulled some super kitty magician trick...he ate the pill filled meatball again tonight. However, when it came time for dinner, he insisted that I give him a different kind of food than what had the pill in it earlier. But now that trick is two for two..and if I feed his meds to him this way (in his food) in conjunction with the relaxing /destressing feliway...he may be onto a quicker path to recovery.

I wish that I could post pictures in my threads because I have several GREAT new pictures of Dylan. Keep checkin the link to his catsite, because it is awaiting approval with newly added photos. So, they will prob. be up in a few days. (took 3 days before)

But he looks so cute!
I can't wait for you all to see him in his big kitty splendor!

Tricky little kitty. Not interesed much in food today.

I was only able to get him to eat a few bites of his breakfast and had to try two different flavors to get even that much into him.

The pill trick did not work today...he has already after two feedings gotten wise to it. So this morning, he ran for the under the couch immediately after his very quick breakfast and I was unable to get him out.

He will have to have both pills tonight. One at 6 and one around 12:30.

I will have to chase him around tonight to get him to eat more, this is a backwards slide. Hope the Feliway isn't the negative influence. (IT has seemed to make him more cuddly, but eating is more important than affection at this point)

Any thoughts on this.

Just sounds like one of those "need to be a tough cat mommy day", where his appetite is off due to his illness.

Hopefully he will eat some dry during the day, and you'll be able to get food into him if he won't eat spontaneously tonight. Is he a gravy kitty? Can you take a current favorite and add a bit of warm water to it to make it slushy/gravy-ish?

Hopefully others here will have some ideas for you,

He has lately been into the chunky cat foods, as opposed to the pate style. And does enjoy the gravy sauces around them.

I will have the two flavors that he denied at breakfeast in tupperware in the fridge, so will heat up and give them a second try at dinner.

But, if necessary...there are plenty more types it closet for him to try tonight. And he WILL eat, I won't let him go backwards from this progress he has been making.

Dylan is still not eating.

This morning it took me almost an hour to get him to eat half a jar of Beef and gravy gerber baby food. I had to put some on his lips, he would lick it off, realize he like it...then eat a few laps from the dish...then loose interest and I would have to repeat the entire process.

Then when it came to pill time...I wrapped him in the blanket, got the pill gun...and tried to administer the pill...bleh. over and over he spit the pill onto his chest...to the point that it turned to mush and I had to get another pill.

I then tried wrapping him tighter in the blanket and flipping him on his back on my lap and dropping it in his mouth that way...and really thought I succeeded. He was terrified, panting, sweating, stuffy nosed, his ears were hot like fire and he was wimpering softly it was awful...when I let him go, he was so upset he didn't even run to hide. But when I picked him up to comfort him, there on his chest fur was the pill--crunched up into a wet powder.

He at this point was so traumatized that I couldn't do it again. I had to hold him and kiss him and reassure him to get him to stop breathing so heavily. Then I offered him a bowl of real kitty food and showed him the jar of bonito flakes and asked if he wanted a "snack" he blinked really hard as if to stop crying and looked at me as I crunched a large pinch of flakes over the food and set it in front of him. When I left he was eating it. Don't know if he was just licking the flakes of or actually eating the food underneath though. but he was eating.

What a horribly stressful morning.

I'm sorry Have you tried putting the pill in a teensy bit of food to make a tiny meatball that you pop into his mouth (as opposed to letting him eat the meatball...which I believe you've tried and Dylan has figured out the trick)?

I am currently getting glucosamine into one of my kitties this way..I make it a very tiny little meatball and just pop it in carefully...obviously you want them to not choke.

Hopefully others will chime in with other suggestions.

I am however encouraged that you say Dylan did eat some baby food for you and was eating (hopefully) his dry food when you left.

He is a really messy dry food eater...and so when he eats any....there is always a huge crunchy mess on the floor around the bowl. Unfortunately, the only time in the past 3 weeks he ate dry food was when I posted a few days ago.

Is there a certain type of food works best for making these tiny meatballs? I normally feed him fancy feast, but have half a dozen other brands and textures in my closet currently. Fancy feast won't hold its shape well enough to contain the pill..which is the only reason I put it on the plate as opposed to feeding him directly. (and the fact that he fights me on anything I push in his mouth!)

I use some of the ground flavors of Fancy Feast such as the cod/sole/shrimp..it's a soft ground but will hold up enough to wrap a bit around a small pill (or mix with powder as I'm doing with the glucosamine capsule contents I give).

Any flavor he'll eat that has a ground texture should work for you.

What other food tricks can everyone offer? I have gotten a few responses via PM as far as giving him his pills (Thanks Stephanie) And will try them tonight...but as far as getting him to eat of his own free will...am looking for a few other tricks beyond the bonito flakes. (will also be trying tuna juice as a means to eating...to bad they don't bottle and sell that...or do they??? )

Anyways...I am looking, with a high level of desperation...as I don't feel he can ultimately survive on beef and gravy baby food.

Suggestions?

Thanks guys!

Susan
Dylan's mommy

Originally Posted by sbbeatnik

What other food tricks can everyone offer? I have gotten a few responses via PM as far as giving him his pills

(Thanks Stephanie) And will try them tonight...but as far as getting him to eat of his own free will...am looking for a few other tricks beyond the bonito flakes. (will also be trying tuna juice as a means to eating...to bad they don't bottle and sell that...or do they???

)

Anyways...I am looking, with a high level of desperation...as I don't feel he can ultimately survive on beef and gravy baby food.

Suggestions?

Thanks guys!

Susan
Dylan's mommy

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I'm not aware of bottle tuna juice and want to caution you to be sure you get tuna packed only in water...if vegetable broth is listed, it may contain onions which are harmful to cats. They do bottle clam juice, this is another option to try, as is homemade chicken broth over the food, homemade beef broth, even sprinkling a bit of catnip on the food can be tried.

Just keep being patient and persistent!

Pretty good news to report today...

Last night I went home, after a trip to the store...with Tuna in water...and the smelliest fancy feast I could find (Sardines, Crab and Shrimp in Aspic Sauce)

I barely had to wave the bowl in front of dylans face and he hopped of his perch on his chair and ran over to where I put the bowl and chowed down!!!

Then, once he was finished, there was still the task of his medication...which someone suggested I crush up and put in tuna juice (i.e. water from tuna can). I did this, put a about a teaspoon of juice in a shot glass and mixed well, then added a pinch of tuna and put on a tiny saucer. Dylan had lapped it all up within 5 minutes.

This was so great and I was so please with him, because even if he does go back to no interest...atleast he had a good meal in between.

But!! In the middle of the night, somehow, (I probably had a bad dream, or my boyfriend--the bed hog--pushed me over...) but dylan, who was sound asleep at my side, woke me with clawing noises at the side of the bed as he tried to catch himself from falling off. Poor little guy got pushed off the bed! I got up and tried to comfort him...but he was so startled by this that he slept on the floor.

At some point, he crept into the living room and finished off the smelly fancy feast in his bowl...and ate enough crunchy food to make a huge mess on the floor around the bowl...or as Elizabeth says about Sasha--"food art" !

So, because I don't know what time he had this late night snack...I wasn't that upset that he wasn't interested in breakfast. He had a few bites then hid. And ate only a few bites of the pill infused tuna plate too.

Tonight I will make sure he has a bigger dinner...maybe one when I get home and one before we go to bed.

Susan
Dylan's Mommy

Great job! I wonder if it would help to give him his medicine/tuna juice before his meal while he's the most hungry?