Just so there's a record, and I figured having the info public does more good than just keeping it to myself.
History
Chumley turned up at the feral feeder in May. He was SO food aggressive, he drove the other ferals away. He didn't run when we went to put out food.
May 6, 2010. We trapped him and got him to the vet to be neutered. We couldn't release him because of the other ferals. We contacted the foster network to take him. Height of kitty season, they couldn't take him right away. We used a rented trailer parked next to our RV in which to foster him until they had space.
June 13, 2010. We got the call from the foster network they had space. Morning of the 14th, we took Chumley to the vet to drop him off for his FIV/ FeLV test and distemper vaccination. Foster network would pick him up from there.
Got a call from the vet - the foster network did NOT pick him up. He tested positive for FIV. We brought him back to the trailer, completely freaking out because we knew nothing about FIV. Thanks to the good people of TCS - especially eilcon - we got up to speed pretty quickly.
We were worried about his cat aggression, but began scent swapping right away.
June 26, 2010. Began bringing Chumley over here for limited, short introductions. Lengthened daily visits slowly.
July 17, 2010. Chumley came over for a full day and night - we never took him back to the trailer. He's now home, full time.
Health History
May 6, 2010. Neutered. Chumley also received his rabies vaccination and was treated for parasites (Revolution and Drontal).
"Puncture wounds and swelling noted on medial right forelimb - re-opened wound for drainage. Clipped and cleaned area. Gave cefovocin SQ."
Chumley weighed 10.1 pounds.
He had diarrhea from day one. We added pumpkin to his wet food, and started him on l-lysine immediately.
May 18, 2010. Chumley is LIMPING. Run to the vet. His right front leg was previously broken and never set, 70% restriction of motion in ankle. Probably jumped and landed on it wrong. He was given a pain injection (Metacam). Still has watery stool. Picked up Metronidazole and Centrine. Put him on boiled chicken and rice after fasting 24 hours.
May 21, 2010. Still diarrhea. Picked up more Centrine.
June 3, 2010. Stool sample tested negative for all parasites (including giardia).
June 3, 2010. Started Fortiflora probiotic - on it for two days. Turned what had become soft stools into diarrhea so watery the poor baby dripped outside the box.
June 5, 2010. More Centrine and Metronidazole. Fasted him 24 hours and put him on boiled chicken/rice diet for ... somewhere between 1 and 2 weeks.
June 10, 2010. Began acidophilus/bifidus probiotic combo. Worked up to 1 capsule sprinkled on food 2x daily (human dose). Worked. Chumley has soft, stinky stools, but no diarrhea.
June 24, 2010. Full blood work and Western Blot. Results of both: blood chemistry looks great, Western Blot indicates "transient positive" (meaning one of two tested FIV antibodies present).
July 1, 2010. Bumped L-lysine to 500mg/day. Stool became watery again. Reduced L-lysine.
July 3, 2010. Began giving Chumley Transfer Factor - added slowly to diet.
July 6, 2010. Stools "normal" for him (soft, but formed, very stinky). We've noticed Chumley seems to be very itchy. He bites his feet, itches his cheeks, and scratches his ears a lot. We switched him (not slowly) to Hill's z/d anti-allergan prescription food. Did get diarrhea, but resolved in less than a week.
July 8, 2010. Took Chumley to Tuxedo's vet. Chumley is "a very muscular guy." His blood chem "looks great." His missing fur patches are definitely an allergic reaction (did skin scraping). Had ear infection. Sent sample out for culture, but we treated it successfully with Animax ointment 2x/day for 1 week.
Chumley now weighs 12 pounds.
Itchy/scratchies did not resolve on z/d (which he was on for about 2 months). Also tried a grain free, but that gave him diarrhea again. Just put him on c/d which all of our other cats eat.
Mid-September. Tried to give Chumley benadryl. He foamed like crazy. Researched and switched him to zyrtec - human dose delivered 1/2 2x/day.
October 7, 2010. We'd contacted an animal communicator to help resolve a behavioral issue we were having with Sheldon towards Chumley. Shel's normally our ambassador, and he was clearly upset with Chum and being aggressive towards him. Chum was a very bitey kitty, and especially because of the FIV, this worried us. She did a great job (readings with both Shel and Chum over the next 3 weeks), and we're so thankful for her help! She also helped us identify brewer's rice as a trigger for Chumley's itchies, and on her advice we changed all soap and laundry soap to chemical-free, non-toxic, fragrance-free, dye-free. We additionally put out humidifiers. (Already have hepa filters).
October 16, 2010. It was suggested we try cold pressed, extra virgin, organic coconut oil made from fresh coconuts (as opposed to most coconut oils, which are made from chopra, e.g. dried coconut) to treat his allergies. It has antifungal, antiviral, antibacterial, and antihistamine properties. I did begin introducing it to his diet, and he liked it and it didn't cause tummy problems. However, the issue of plant-based fats in cats was brought to my attention. I did a lot of research on it, and it seems that coconut oil is actually fine for cats - may even be healthy for them.* There is also a small study out of the Philippines that indicates it suppresses the viral load in HIV-infected people. So there were a lot of positives to potentially using coconut oil. But because I wasn't sure about it, I stopped its use with Chumley.
I did ask the new vet about it, and she wasn't familiar with it. She's going to do her own research, but wanted to stick with what she knows for now.
*For those wondering, the issue is that cats do not have the D6D (delta 6 desaturase) enzyme required via digestive process to convert ALA (alpha linolenic acid), a precurser to EPA and DHA. Dogs and cats naturally and directly metabolize EPA and DHA (essential fatty acids), but cannot metabolize ALA. Coconut oil is about 2% ALA. The concern is the effect on the liver over time. Cats can obtain EFAs from fat in meats, though fish oils (especially salmon oil or krill oil) have the needed Omega-3s (as opposed to the Omega 6s). If you want more info, feel free to PM me. Worth noting, most grain-free diets have flax seed in them. Flax seed oil has far more ALA than coconut oil, and lots of healthy EFAs. So if flax seed is provided as an alternative to grain, and cats are tolerating that, it seems to me coconut oil should be just fine. Coconut oil is a medium-chain saturated fat (MCT, medium chain triglyceride), and when MCTs were delivered in the form of Palm Oil, it was well tolerated by cats (Winn Feline Foundation reporting on study published in I forgot-which peer review animal medical journal). But they didn't study long term effects on kidney function, just whether they'll eat it.
We discontinued the zyrtec. It did not appear to be helping much.
October 31, 2010. Chumley now has small patches of what look like shaved spots on the inside of his forelegs and his entire abdomen has short hair - he's been nibbling at it, not licking it and thus not completely removing it, just "shaving" it.
November 4, 2010. Learned ingredients in z/d dry include Brewer's Rice, which is often an allergan. The c/d dry also has brewer's rice. Stopped ALL dry feeding for ALL cats, and moved to 4 meals of wet c/d per day.
By the time appointment for new vet (see below), hair on Chum's legs and abdomen growing back in a bit, but he's still very itchy/scratchy.
November 24, 2010. Initial visit to holistic DVM. Alternate med training includes Chinese Herbs, Western Herbs, Acupuncture, various energy healing methods, and nutrition. Chumley is extremely Yin deficient with spleen Qi deficiency. He is "hot" (not in terms of a fever, but in terms of energy imbalance) and that's why he's pulling out all his hair in the places he is. Prescribed (chinese herbal) "Wei Qi Booster" and "Si Miao San." Begin Wei Qi Booster first - try sprinkling VERY SMALL AMOUNT from capsule onto food (2x/day), working up to 2 full capsules 2x/day. When stable, add Si Miao San.
Vet does not want us to switch food for now. We'll probably have to do home made. Did give me reference to a prescription diet for his Yin deficiency, but the specialty place doesn't make cat food yet, only dog food. (http://www.pettao.com)
That night and morning of November 25, we sprinkled an almost minuscule amount of Wei Qi booster onto food - and he immediately had terrible, liquid diarrhea. In touch with holistic vet by e-mail. Stop Wei Qi Booster. She placed alternate prescription with online vendor.
November 27, 2010. Vet suggested (via e-mail) that we put Chumley back on slippery elm, but that we increase the amount (gradually), and instead of just adding the slippery elm directly to his food we combine it 1:2 slippery elm to probiotic to the point where he receives 1/4 tsp of slippery elm 2x daily. Mix that into a paste with approximately 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon (however much is needed) of aloe vera oral liquid. We got the aloe vera oral liquid, but because his probiotic is already a 2x dose, we only mix the slippery elm with the aloe vera oral liquid, add that to his food, then sprinkle the contents of the probiotic capsule on top.
December 2, 2010. New (chinese) herbal prescriptions arrived by mail. Give "Prosperous Farmer" 1 pill 2x per day. Use "Consolidate Qi" oral liquid "as needed" for diarrhea. Begin with late night meal.
The Prosperous Farmer is a large pill, and I can't use a piller. Try cutting it in half and using pill pockets for each half. Chumley has no problem with this.
December 3 and 4, 2010. No sign of diarrhea yet. Stool (so far) seems firmer and less stinky.
History
Chumley turned up at the feral feeder in May. He was SO food aggressive, he drove the other ferals away. He didn't run when we went to put out food.
May 6, 2010. We trapped him and got him to the vet to be neutered. We couldn't release him because of the other ferals. We contacted the foster network to take him. Height of kitty season, they couldn't take him right away. We used a rented trailer parked next to our RV in which to foster him until they had space.
June 13, 2010. We got the call from the foster network they had space. Morning of the 14th, we took Chumley to the vet to drop him off for his FIV/ FeLV test and distemper vaccination. Foster network would pick him up from there.
Got a call from the vet - the foster network did NOT pick him up. He tested positive for FIV. We brought him back to the trailer, completely freaking out because we knew nothing about FIV. Thanks to the good people of TCS - especially eilcon - we got up to speed pretty quickly.
We were worried about his cat aggression, but began scent swapping right away.
June 26, 2010. Began bringing Chumley over here for limited, short introductions. Lengthened daily visits slowly.
July 17, 2010. Chumley came over for a full day and night - we never took him back to the trailer. He's now home, full time.
Health History
May 6, 2010. Neutered. Chumley also received his rabies vaccination and was treated for parasites (Revolution and Drontal).
"Puncture wounds and swelling noted on medial right forelimb - re-opened wound for drainage. Clipped and cleaned area. Gave cefovocin SQ."
Chumley weighed 10.1 pounds.
He had diarrhea from day one. We added pumpkin to his wet food, and started him on l-lysine immediately.
May 18, 2010. Chumley is LIMPING. Run to the vet. His right front leg was previously broken and never set, 70% restriction of motion in ankle. Probably jumped and landed on it wrong. He was given a pain injection (Metacam). Still has watery stool. Picked up Metronidazole and Centrine. Put him on boiled chicken and rice after fasting 24 hours.
May 21, 2010. Still diarrhea. Picked up more Centrine.
June 3, 2010. Stool sample tested negative for all parasites (including giardia).
June 3, 2010. Started Fortiflora probiotic - on it for two days. Turned what had become soft stools into diarrhea so watery the poor baby dripped outside the box.
June 5, 2010. More Centrine and Metronidazole. Fasted him 24 hours and put him on boiled chicken/rice diet for ... somewhere between 1 and 2 weeks.
June 10, 2010. Began acidophilus/bifidus probiotic combo. Worked up to 1 capsule sprinkled on food 2x daily (human dose). Worked. Chumley has soft, stinky stools, but no diarrhea.
June 24, 2010. Full blood work and Western Blot. Results of both: blood chemistry looks great, Western Blot indicates "transient positive" (meaning one of two tested FIV antibodies present).
July 1, 2010. Bumped L-lysine to 500mg/day. Stool became watery again. Reduced L-lysine.
July 3, 2010. Began giving Chumley Transfer Factor - added slowly to diet.
July 6, 2010. Stools "normal" for him (soft, but formed, very stinky). We've noticed Chumley seems to be very itchy. He bites his feet, itches his cheeks, and scratches his ears a lot. We switched him (not slowly) to Hill's z/d anti-allergan prescription food. Did get diarrhea, but resolved in less than a week.
July 8, 2010. Took Chumley to Tuxedo's vet. Chumley is "a very muscular guy." His blood chem "looks great." His missing fur patches are definitely an allergic reaction (did skin scraping). Had ear infection. Sent sample out for culture, but we treated it successfully with Animax ointment 2x/day for 1 week.
Chumley now weighs 12 pounds.
Itchy/scratchies did not resolve on z/d (which he was on for about 2 months). Also tried a grain free, but that gave him diarrhea again. Just put him on c/d which all of our other cats eat.
Mid-September. Tried to give Chumley benadryl. He foamed like crazy. Researched and switched him to zyrtec - human dose delivered 1/2 2x/day.
October 7, 2010. We'd contacted an animal communicator to help resolve a behavioral issue we were having with Sheldon towards Chumley. Shel's normally our ambassador, and he was clearly upset with Chum and being aggressive towards him. Chum was a very bitey kitty, and especially because of the FIV, this worried us. She did a great job (readings with both Shel and Chum over the next 3 weeks), and we're so thankful for her help! She also helped us identify brewer's rice as a trigger for Chumley's itchies, and on her advice we changed all soap and laundry soap to chemical-free, non-toxic, fragrance-free, dye-free. We additionally put out humidifiers. (Already have hepa filters).
October 16, 2010. It was suggested we try cold pressed, extra virgin, organic coconut oil made from fresh coconuts (as opposed to most coconut oils, which are made from chopra, e.g. dried coconut) to treat his allergies. It has antifungal, antiviral, antibacterial, and antihistamine properties. I did begin introducing it to his diet, and he liked it and it didn't cause tummy problems. However, the issue of plant-based fats in cats was brought to my attention. I did a lot of research on it, and it seems that coconut oil is actually fine for cats - may even be healthy for them.* There is also a small study out of the Philippines that indicates it suppresses the viral load in HIV-infected people. So there were a lot of positives to potentially using coconut oil. But because I wasn't sure about it, I stopped its use with Chumley.
I did ask the new vet about it, and she wasn't familiar with it. She's going to do her own research, but wanted to stick with what she knows for now.
*For those wondering, the issue is that cats do not have the D6D (delta 6 desaturase) enzyme required via digestive process to convert ALA (alpha linolenic acid), a precurser to EPA and DHA. Dogs and cats naturally and directly metabolize EPA and DHA (essential fatty acids), but cannot metabolize ALA. Coconut oil is about 2% ALA. The concern is the effect on the liver over time. Cats can obtain EFAs from fat in meats, though fish oils (especially salmon oil or krill oil) have the needed Omega-3s (as opposed to the Omega 6s). If you want more info, feel free to PM me. Worth noting, most grain-free diets have flax seed in them. Flax seed oil has far more ALA than coconut oil, and lots of healthy EFAs. So if flax seed is provided as an alternative to grain, and cats are tolerating that, it seems to me coconut oil should be just fine. Coconut oil is a medium-chain saturated fat (MCT, medium chain triglyceride), and when MCTs were delivered in the form of Palm Oil, it was well tolerated by cats (Winn Feline Foundation reporting on study published in I forgot-which peer review animal medical journal). But they didn't study long term effects on kidney function, just whether they'll eat it.
We discontinued the zyrtec. It did not appear to be helping much.
October 31, 2010. Chumley now has small patches of what look like shaved spots on the inside of his forelegs and his entire abdomen has short hair - he's been nibbling at it, not licking it and thus not completely removing it, just "shaving" it.
November 4, 2010. Learned ingredients in z/d dry include Brewer's Rice, which is often an allergan. The c/d dry also has brewer's rice. Stopped ALL dry feeding for ALL cats, and moved to 4 meals of wet c/d per day.
By the time appointment for new vet (see below), hair on Chum's legs and abdomen growing back in a bit, but he's still very itchy/scratchy.
November 24, 2010. Initial visit to holistic DVM. Alternate med training includes Chinese Herbs, Western Herbs, Acupuncture, various energy healing methods, and nutrition. Chumley is extremely Yin deficient with spleen Qi deficiency. He is "hot" (not in terms of a fever, but in terms of energy imbalance) and that's why he's pulling out all his hair in the places he is. Prescribed (chinese herbal) "Wei Qi Booster" and "Si Miao San." Begin Wei Qi Booster first - try sprinkling VERY SMALL AMOUNT from capsule onto food (2x/day), working up to 2 full capsules 2x/day. When stable, add Si Miao San.
Vet does not want us to switch food for now. We'll probably have to do home made. Did give me reference to a prescription diet for his Yin deficiency, but the specialty place doesn't make cat food yet, only dog food. (http://www.pettao.com)
That night and morning of November 25, we sprinkled an almost minuscule amount of Wei Qi booster onto food - and he immediately had terrible, liquid diarrhea. In touch with holistic vet by e-mail. Stop Wei Qi Booster. She placed alternate prescription with online vendor.
November 27, 2010. Vet suggested (via e-mail) that we put Chumley back on slippery elm, but that we increase the amount (gradually), and instead of just adding the slippery elm directly to his food we combine it 1:2 slippery elm to probiotic to the point where he receives 1/4 tsp of slippery elm 2x daily. Mix that into a paste with approximately 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon (however much is needed) of aloe vera oral liquid. We got the aloe vera oral liquid, but because his probiotic is already a 2x dose, we only mix the slippery elm with the aloe vera oral liquid, add that to his food, then sprinkle the contents of the probiotic capsule on top.
December 2, 2010. New (chinese) herbal prescriptions arrived by mail. Give "Prosperous Farmer" 1 pill 2x per day. Use "Consolidate Qi" oral liquid "as needed" for diarrhea. Begin with late night meal.
The Prosperous Farmer is a large pill, and I can't use a piller. Try cutting it in half and using pill pockets for each half. Chumley has no problem with this.
December 3 and 4, 2010. No sign of diarrhea yet. Stool (so far) seems firmer and less stinky.