Gracie needs vibes.....

[feralvr]

Happy to read that Gracie is eating up her new food and doing so well . She looks SOOOO cozy in her new CatCabin saying "Meowmy LOVES me SOOO much!! Look what I got :lovegrin:" Great news and continued vibes she keeps improving and completely recover's :cross:

 

[carolina]

Didn't the vet say this is reversible? I really hope both her liver and bone marrow will COMPLETELY recover, no damage done!
And she was such a mess, there's no question in my mind you saved this girl's life. :nod: :heart3:
As it turns out, the medication was also making her ill! I mean - it made her better, and she felt better, but it was also hurting her longer term. What I'm wondering is if part of Miss Crabby Pants problem with other cats was in any part due to how she's felt. I mean - maybe once she's stabilized on the food, and the medication is no longer destroying her bone marrow.... if she ends up becoming friendly with the other kitties, now that she already knows them and feels VERY safe at home... if maybe once her body is completely "right," she decides the other kitties are OK?
Well - we can hope! :lol3:

**if** it is what it really looks like to be, then it is reversible. This medication can attack the liver in two ways: 1- It causes anorexia, kitty stops eating, causing hepatic lipidosis. A second, more serious way that is attacks the liver, is by causing severe liver failure. We are hoping the first one is the case, since she did become anorexic, and stopped eating. Also, he charts show that she did have elevated #s before, and they dropped down - so we are hoping that with food they do get back to normal. If it is liver failure, I am not sure.... We will cross that bridge later. Vet thinks it is HL.
In a small percentage of cats, this medicine also attacks the bone marrow - this will induce the immunity you would see in cats with FeLV, FIP, Cancer, and opens the doors for auto-immune diseases. It happens in a very small percentage of cats - that's what happened to her....

That's why when the vet saw the #s on her chart and the liver problem, the first thought was cancer, liver cancer, and ask for a biopsy of the liver. But then when we started to see her past charts, things started to make much more sense for this to be a side effect. Researching the medicine..... all checks.

Yes, once she is off the meds, Methimazole is no longer attacking the bone marrow, and her immunity should go back to normal.

You are right, the medicine was making her ill.... It did control her thyroid for a long time..... but for a sour price.
It is sad that there are no other options - The other drug, I think it's called Carbimazole (sorry if not the correct name, but it is close to that), has the same side effects on the bone marrow, so the vet and I made the decision to not put Gracie on it.

My vet doesn't have any cats on Hills, nor does she know of any who has been on it. We both understand there are no long term studies on that diet.... and I am ok with that. Gracie is not ok even short term on drugs, so for us, that's a heaven sent solution.

I will start looking at Radioactive Iodine treatment for her, which is a permanent solution for her thyroid, to have on the back of my sleeve if things don't work out on this diet. For now, one day at a time, with what I can deal with.... We can only hope for the best and do all we can for our little girl :nod:

As far as the mood goes, being sick definitely has an effect on the mood, especially with thyroid - per my vet, dis-regulated thyroid causes a huge amount of stress on the kitty, so there is definitely a possibility of her becoming calmer once her numbers are stable again :bigthumb:

Happy belated Gotcha Day Gracie! I remember the time well, Carolina. Does Bugsy still try to make friends with her, or has he become resigned to her dislike of other cats, even him?

Graice is still his favorite TV :lol3: He is not so much in love with her anymore, but Lucky is much more friendlier now, which is kind of funny..... I think one day all will come together

***Edit - I just had a chat with Hills - I was told there were, in fact long term studies - Hills studied the food for 10 years before bringing to market. The cats live at Hills Clinics - they are born there, raised at the facility, taken care of in there, and these cats are the ones who go through the Hills clinical trials. These clinical trials were not performed short term - the cats used on y/d were tested long term. Vets can request the results of the trials by calling Hills. Results should be online now, but there is currently a glitch on the site, and it's being corrected.... they said will be put back on. Pet parents can request these results from their vets too.
Just wanted to post my findings from my chat with them...

Another note - on this diet - Kitty can not eat Red die #3, E-127, Fish, Shell Fish, Soy products, Sea Weed, Yolk, Chicken, Turkey.... They are all high in Iodine. No artificial Coloring of any kind. Red Die #3 and E-127 are often found in brown foods (Lol what cat food is not brown :doh3

 

[carolina]

Gracie took a step back on her appetite
I started to taper her off appetite stimulants on the 22nd-24th, and yesterday/last night she ate very little, so today I resumed with syringe feeding... She is also back on stimulants. I will do another round - 7 days 2x a day, then taper off with 7 days once a day.
This will ensure that she will eat on her own while I am out of town the week of the 4th. Gracie is not easy to syringe feed- it takes her being really comfortable with the person who is doing, and in turn, the person needs to be very confident too. She can't be handled like a regular cat - imagine a little feral cat - that's her during force feeding. I literally need to scruff her, lift her off the floor (by the scruff - she does not accept touching any other way), put her in the bag, hold her down, and zip her up. She will hiss and growl during the feeding.
She is getting better and better every time - tonight she only growled once..... She will not run from the bag, nor hide, and she will stay right there afterwards giving me lovings, and licking my hands right after the feedings - she doesn't get traumatized - she just doesn't like to be held - period. It's interesting though, I think as I said before, that she does understand it's for her own good :heart3:
But anyways..... I fed her 3 meals of 2 oz each today, for a total of 6 oz. She did eat a little of dry, but very little. Considering that she ate a can of wet, I won't expect her to eat much dry tonight, but hopefully she will eat some. She already went for a snack 2x since her last feeding - funny - immediately after I fed her last meal :scratch: and about 10 minutes later.... Girl is weird!
She is also having a MAJOR problem with hairballs - I used to control her hairballs with treats, but since she started this diet she can't eat treats, so she's been coughing like crazy for the last 2 days. That might be the problem with her appetite....
I gave her a dose of vaseline today, and will give daily doses for a few days until she gets better then every other day, I think. That's one thing that sucks about this diet -she will need vaseline instead of treats, and that's a bit more complicated, as it requires bagging as I give it with a syringe. (she can not have any pastes, any remedies, anything with dies, flavors, chicken turkey, etc.)
Today also marks the day she is 100% on the diet. A week from now she goes off meds. She has been on 1/2 dosage for a week. Going off meds should help her appetite as well.... She will have a blood test three weeks from now - in theory her thyroid should be good at that point. The one thing that could compromise a little bit, is the 4 treats a day she has - for her thyroid medicine, and for her appetite stimulants. I think it's very little to make a difference, but we will see.
The she will have another test a month from that date - that one she will be all clear and the thyroid will have to be on the normal range.
Hopefully, by then, all the liver and bone marrow numbers will be normal as well - those are my biggest worries, especially the liver :cross:
Anyways, sorry about the long post...... if you can spare a vibe or two for my little girl..... we both appreciate it :heart3:

 

[jcat]

It's a shame her appetite has decreased, but at least you're getting food into her and she's snacking on her own. Lots of that going off the thyroid meds works, and that the vaseline helps with the hairballs.

 

[carolina]

It's a shame her appetite has decreased, but at least you're getting food into her and she's snacking on her own. Lots of that going off the thyroid meds works, and that the vaseline helps with the hairballs.

Thanks Tricia
Yeah.... hopefully all will be sorted out soon.... I think she just needs more time.... and to be off the meds...... That's what I am hoping for at least.....
She is doing well though, her behavior is great, she is happy and chatty, and is not lethargic or depressed like she was when I first caught on that she was sick.... So I know that this is just a roadblock, but she is doing better overall. Hopefully her appetite will pickup soon and will remain stable :cross:

 

[otto]

Gracie :heart3:

I haven't the slightest doubt she knows you are helping her.

 

[ldg]

Aw, I'm sorry she's not doing as well with the eating once you started the taper. Hopefully once she's fully adjusted to the new food and off the medication, she'll do great when you taper her off the appetite stimulant! :nod:

And I think the behavior you're seeing is her natural reaction to fight having anything done to her... but KNOWING it's making her feel better, so once it's done and over with, she wants to let you know.

 

[juliec]

Just reading this. Sending good thoughts to you and your baby.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

just curious...how are you giving her the appetite stimulant?  Is it a pill?  I know you used to hide her pills in treats, but now you can't do that, and guess as long as you force feed her, you can either crush a pill and include it in her food, or if it's liquid, just add it to her wet food prior to syringe feeding, but how will you give to her if you're not force feeding her?  (really, always looking for more sneaky ways to pill a cat!) 

Hoping that this 2nd round of appetite stimulants does the trick and that before you go out of town next time she will be thoroughly enjoying her new food and not need any assistance to help her eat, AND, naturally, that it works in bringing all her numbers back where they need to be

 

[ckovacs]

There is nothing like a great cat parent that takes the time out to see to it that her baby is eating. God bless you and your little one.

 

[carolina]

just curious...how are you giving her the appetite stimulant?  Is it a pill?  I know you used to hide her pills in treats, but now you can't do that, and guess as long as you force feed her, you can either crush a pill and include it in her food, or if it's liquid, just add it to her wet food prior to syringe feeding, but how will you give to her if you're not force feeding her?  (really, always looking for more sneaky ways to pill a cat!) 

Hoping that this 2nd round of appetite stimulants does the trick and that before you go out of town next time she will be thoroughly enjoying her new food and not need any assistance to help her eat, AND, naturally, that it works in bringing all her numbers back where they need to be :heart3:

Hi Sally
I stopped the hairball treats, as it was too many a day - she is getting vaseline instead.
For the meds, she is still getting treats. I am fully aware that it might reduce the effectiveness of the diet, however it is a compromise I had to make. It is only 3 treats a day - 1 1/2 in the morning, and 1 1/2 at night.
By next Friday, she will be eating only one treat a day, as she will be off Methimazole and on only one appetite stimulant, in the morning.

Considering that she eats 1/2 cup of dry and 4oz of wet a day, I don't expect 3 treats to make a lot of difference, but here are my priorities for now:

1- liver
2- bone marrow
3- Thyroid

I do not want to neglect her thyroid - but it is not my biggest concern for the moment. Her numbers are not off the chart to begin with, and she is still on some medication - so I think we are fine this way. Per Hills, her thyroid should be all good one month after starting transition, and for some cats, 2 months - I am ok if she falls into the second category......... as long as I bring her liver values down and her bone marrow values start improving.

So.... I am shooting for her to be completely off treats on December 10th. Per Hills, 3 weeks on a 100% diet her thyroid should be at level. That puts her on the 31st, which is a couple of weeks after her first blood test.

We will see how these treats affect her..... It might, it might not..... I am not too concerned - Her Hepatic Lipidosis is concerning me way more.
If the thyroid comes good on the first test, it will be a great bonus - I will paste the results here

As far as putting medication on the food, as a rule of thumb of force feeding, it is a no-no as it can induce vomiting, so it is counter productive.
She will not eat if I mix it and spoon feed it to her....

 

[ldg]

Just popping by to add more vibes for Miss Gracie!

 

[carolina]

There is nothing like a great cat parent that takes the time out to see to it that her baby is eating. God bless you and your little one.

Thank you

Just reading this. Sending good thoughts to you and your baby.

Thank you

Just popping by to add more vibes for Miss Gracie!

Thank you hun

And I guess I should do a little follow up...... I am not sure if it is the appetite stimulants of if the syringe feeding day jump-started her appetite (I think the latter, then the appetite stimulants kicked in), but she is back!
The day I syringe fed her 6oz of wet food, right after my last feeding, she walked literally from the bag to the bowl.... and ate some dry food. Then about 10 minutes later she did it again. I know it was not the app. stimulants, as they take 24-48h to kick in, and she had just taken a dose....
Her dry food woke up almost all gone, which was surprising since she had eaten a can of wet - little piggie is back

I am now able to just spoon-feed her two meals - 2oz of wet in the am, and 2 oz in the pm - she is eating 1/2 cup of dry on her own.
Her cough, while still there, is way way less intense and less frequent - so the vaseline is definitely working
I will give it to her until the cough is all gone and I see that she passed the hairballs. The lack of appetite might have been due to it - she has a BIG problem with it.
I was considering shaving her, but she needs to go under anesthesia, and I am not putting her through that for shaving. She will have a dental as soon as my finances are back on track - probably in January/February, and I will shave her then. Until then, Vaseline will have to do the trick.
As far as her behavior goes..... all good - chatty chatty (she doesn't know she is a cat, so she talks, and LOUD :lol3, playful, loooooves her laser light, happy, alert, and just being my loving little old lady :rub:
I think we will dodge this bullet with flying colors!

 

[tntrouble456]

Only wanted to chime in to add some more good vibes. We all know how much it can mean when you feel so down from all that we cat lovers go through. So...am hoping that Gracie is feeling better soon and eating like a crazy lady! She is so lucky to have such a giving, unselfish, loving person watching over her and doing all that you have done.

 4 Gracie!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Glad to hear she's her old little "piggy" self again

 

[mbjerkness]

Good to hear, Gracie is eating well again

 

[ldg]

Here's more vibes that Miss Gracie is still being little Miss Piggy! !!!!!!

 

[feralvr]

Miss Gracie Piggy !!!!!!! Sound's just adorable. Hope she is having a good day today too :cross:

 

[zeety]

My two week old furbabies are living proof those

vibes

work wonders! Passing them on to Miss Gracie Piggy

   

 

[otto]

Gracie! :heart3::heart3: :heart3: