Gracie needs vibes.....

[feralvr]

For a good day . :cross: that Gracie stays good with the lower dose of Lasix :nod:. Strength and crashing go together , you had the strength to pick yourself back up for Gracie's sake and plow through those two horrific emotional days. I am certain, absolutely positive, many people would not have sustained what you did for Gracie. Now, that takes GREAT STRENGTH!!!!! :Ginkgo::Ginkgo::Ginkgo::Ginkgo: A few ginkgo leaves for more strength in the day's to come. You and Gracie are survivors.....

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Oh my.  Once again I was away from the boards for a couple of days and when I started reading I was so scared, but thankfully Gracie has had a turnaround

.  I am so glad she is once again eating and drinking and BREATHING better! 

that she continues on this path.

 

[otto]

Carolina, do keep in mind that Vaseline will have the exact same nutrient absorption prevention effect that mineral oil has, so should not be given with food.

The benefit of vaseline would be you could give it on an empty stomach, without worrying about aspiration, by smearing it on her paw or globbing it into her mouth (it is very dangerous to syringe feed mineral oil, that's why it is better to give it with a small amount of food) and wait two hours to feed.

One comment on the vaseline, my vet is adamant against using vaseline internally. Yes it is the "same thing" as what is used in hair ball remedies, but she says hair ball remedies are made with a product meant to be ingested, where as vaseline is not.

Just a little extra info to help you sort things out.

So glad she is doing better.

continued love and hugs

 

[carolina]

Carolina, do keep in mind that Vaseline will have the exact same nutrient absorption prevention effect that mineral oil has, so should not be given with food.

yes, I do understand this, however, the reason I will give it with food is to not stress her - we are dealing with a kitty with congestive heart failure here..... keeping stress at a minimum is the # 1 priority.... Things like syringe feeding and such can take her into a cardiac arrest. She will not lick it off her paw - she doesn't know how.... Weird, but true. I do want to wait for her to have more food into her before giving her the vaseline (or oil, or whatever - as she needs more nutrients right now - I am frankly more immediately concerned about her liver than her poop. I am giving her Miralax though, which I think might help better than hairball meds.... Since she hasn't eaten well in a couple of days (nothing yesterday, really) I am not comfortable having anything coating her digestive tract at the time.

The benefit of vaseline would be you could give it on an empty stomach, without worrying about aspiration, by smearing it on her paw or globbing it into her mouth (it is very dangerous to syringe feed mineral oil, that's why it is better to give it with a small amount of food) and wait two hours to feed.
One comment on the vaseline, my vet is adamant against using vaseline internally. Yes it is the "same thing" as what is used in hair ball remedies, but she says hair ball remedies are made with a product meant to be ingested, where as vaseline is not.

None of my vets ever said this, and I have discussed Vaseline with at least 2 - just did it today again. Because of Bugsy's allergies especially. Vaseline is 100% White Petrolatum USP (pharmaceutical grade) and nothing else - unless you buy something with fragrance - but the 100% pure vaseline is just that - pharmaceutical grade white petrolatum.

Just a little extra info to help you sort things out.
So glad she is doing better.
continued love and hugs

Thanks hun

 

[ldg]

Oh this made my day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh Gracie PLEASE stay stable on the lower dose of Lasix!!!!! and keep eating, baby girl!

Carolina, Gracie couldn't be in better hands! :heart3:

 

[carolina]

Oh this made my day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh Gracie PLEASE stay stable on the lower dose of Lasix!!!!! and keep eating, baby girl!
Carolina, Gracie couldn't be in better hands! :heart3:

Oh yeah...... She could..... Mommy kinda freaked out here this weekend as you know :frusty: My goodness, it was terrifying, frustrating, awful, terribly sad, painful and exhausting, all wrapped up in one - I did not think she was going to survive the weekend, and I thought I was a horrible horrible person for doing this to her....
I just hope and pray she comes out on the other end ok.... she has a very long way to go still.... But when she does, she will know how much she is loved.... And she will be much loved for as long as she stays... She is my very precious grumpy and sweet little old lady :heart3:

 

[otto]

I understand about the stress. If she'll take the miralx easily, all the better, as that will not interfere with her nutrient absorption. After all, with as little as she has eaten, it's quite possible she just doens't have much poop. (though I know you said she'd been straining to go..)

Anyway, I think you are wonderful, and if she can be pulled through this (as it sounds like she is going to be) you are the one to do it. You and your vet that you trust. That's what matters the most.

xxxx

 

[carolina]

For a good day . :cross: that Gracie stays good with the lower dose of Lasix :nod:. Strength and crashing go together , you had the strength to pick yourself back up for Gracie's sake and plow through those two horrific emotional days. I am certain, absolutely positive, many people would not have sustained what you did for Gracie. Now, that takes GREAT STRENGTH!!!!! :Ginkgo::Ginkgo::Ginkgo::Ginkgo: A few ginkgo leaves for more strength in the day's to come. You and Gracie are survivors.....

Thank you Lauren
Believe me, I think I crashed pretty badly..... Had her vet not told me that she was going to go through some really bad day, but had a chance.... I would let her go in peace.... and I was very close.... because she was suffering a great deal.... more than I personally would ever want to suffer....
I just hope that we will only get better and better from now on... There are so many things to take care of now..... Stabilize her heart, her liver, he thyroid.... hope that none of this is cancer - not on the liver or the lungs..... and after that, hope that she remains stable.... I guess I do need to be strong.... and just think one day at a time.... as if I think of the whole picture... too much!
I will just let her "take me by the paw" :love:

 

[carolina]

I understand about the stress. If she'll take the miralx easily, all the better, as that will not interfere with her nutrient absorption. After all, with as little as she has eaten, it's quite possible she just doens't have much poop. (though I know you said she'd been straining to go..)
Anyway, I think you are wonderful, and if she can be pulled through this (as it sounds like she is going to be) you are the one to do it. You and your vet that you trust. That's what matters the most.
xxxx

Thank you Gail.... I am doing my best to manage everything here the best I can..... :nod:
Yeah, I think the advantage of the Miralax is that not only it doesn't interfere with nutrient absorption, but it also is a stool softner - that is really what she needs - the little poop she managed to get out yesterday was as hard as a rock - I think because it was so dry. I also have cocconut oil here... I have been using to coat the pills when I pill her.... Do you know anything about it? That might be agood alternative?
It is the extra virgin, organic, raw, unprocessed, all that- bought to give to the kitties..... Bugsy didn't do well on it though.....
And yes, she was straining yesterday - but then again, she was too weak, so "straining" is way relative :nod:
Thank you so much for your support - gotta go give my girl some meds

 

[coolcat]

....how can be far from this...:disa:

so sorry Carolina, I´ll be praying so strong for her improve today...:indiff:

 

[carolina]

....how can be far from this...:disa:

so sorry Carolina, I´ll be praying so strong for her improve today...:indiff:

Thank you my friend

 

[carolina]

Well, just hanging out until her next pill, at 1 am.... The Lasix.
She did much better today, but did cough twice tonight.... I would not call it cough fits or cough episodes, as it was only a couple of coughs - literally, each time, and soon after I pilled her, so it might be just that the pill bothered her throat. She didn't run out of breath or anything, so that's good.
One thing that's concerning me a little, is that she is very weak on her hind legs - what comes to mind is the high doses of diuretic, and not drinking water yesterday might dehydrated her - she might have lost too much potassium, making her weak. That's the only thing I can make sense of.....
She is drinking water normally now, and the diuretic is lower - she is also eating better, so I believe that with time this will get better. I will call the vet tomorrow to make sure that is the case. I was able to feed her another meal of Ziwipeak, which is highly nutritionally packed, so even though she didn't eat a LOT of it, she ate a good amount today. Ziwi blends into a very creamy pate, making it easy for her to swallow.... If there is any texture in the food, she just licks the gravy out of it and spits it off - not enough energy to chew as of yet
She did pee twice out of the litterbox - once during the night, and once during the day, right in front of me. I then noticed the weakness on her legs, and made some stepping stools for her to go up on the box (it is not too tall, but it makes it easier for her to go up) - I cleaned the spot with an enzyme cleaner, and topped the box with cat attract litter. She used the box already, so I think she will be fine with this arrangement. I am not too concerned - I know a house smelling like pee sucks, but my biggest concern is making sure she is alright.... She is not happy not being able to make to the box, I am sure....
Anyways, hopefully tomorrow will be yet a better day..... and the day after a better one too.......
I love you little Gracie :heart3:

 

[carolina]

Ok.... time to go to bed.... in 6 hours or so I need to wake up to give her more meds - and so is the life of a kitty nurse , it seems!
I pilled her and she gagged the poor thing.... Hate pilling her
Hopefully she will be strong to chew on her treats soon :cross:
On a good note....................................... She found her purrrrrr
Good night TCS - Here is for a better tomorrow for miss Gracie - hopefully she will have a day of improvement tomorrow too! :cross:

 

[otto]

Thank you Gail.... I am doing my best to manage everything here the best I can..... :nod:
Yeah, I think the advantage of the Miralax is that not only it doesn't interfere with nutrient absorption, but it also is a stool softner - that is really what she needs - the little poop she managed to get out yesterday was as hard as a rock - I think because it was so dry. I also have cocconut oil here... I have been using to coat the pills when I pill her.... Do you know anything about it? That might be agood alternative?
It is the extra virgin, organic, raw, unprocessed, all that- bought to give to the kitties..... Bugsy didn't do well on it though.....
And yes, she was straining yesterday - but then again, she was too weak, so "straining" is way relative :nod:
Thank you so much for your support - gotta go give my girl some meds

Coconut oil is very bad for cats. I found out the hard way. I was trying it for my cats for hairballs. I mentioned it to my vet and she looked it up on a vet info site and found the information that medium chain triglyceride fatty acids are very bad for cats and their livers.

Cats should not have coconut oil. I was unable to access the site, because it is vet only, but she gave me a print out

..

She said she also found the same info at the UC Davis University Vet site.

 

[carolina]

Coconut oil is very bad for cats. I found out the hard way. I was trying it for my cats for hairballs. I mentioned it to my vet and she looked it up on a vet info site and found the information that medium chain triglyceride fatty acids are very bad for cats and their livers.
Cats should not have coconut oil. I was unable to access the site, because it is vet only, but she gave me a print out
..
She said she also found the same info at the UC Davis University Vet site.

Actually..... Extra Virgin Coconut oil (NOT simply coconut oil is over 50% essential fatty acids, more specifically, lauric acid. The problem is when "Coconut Oil" is used - the hydrogenated type, sold in supermarkets - yes, that one is very bad, full of saturated fats, and with none of the goodies. It should never ever be given to pets, that is absolutely true.... but there is a big difference in between the two, though IMHO.
If you were giving extra virgin, cold pressed organic coconut oil, such as the NUTIVA brand, you were not harming your kitty hun, there are tons of holistic vets who use that to their kitties very successfully :nod:

 

[otto]

Actually..... Extra Virgin Coconut oil (NOT simply coconut oil is over 50% essential fatty acids, more specifically, lauric acid. The problem is when "Coconut Oil" is used - the hydrogenated type, sold in supermarkets - yes, that one is very bad, full of saturated fats, and with none of the goodies. It should never ever be given to pets, that is absolutely true.... but there is a big difference in between the two, though IMHO.
If you were giving extra virgin, cold pressed organic coconut oil, such as the NUTIVA brand, you were not harming your kitty hun, there are tons of holistic vets who use that to their kitties very successfully :nod:

No. It's not the hydrolyzed or hydrogenated oil that is the problem. I'm not talking about cholesterol here.

It is the medium chain fatty acids, which is what pure virgin cold pressed coconut oil is mostly made up of, that is bad for cats. Medium chain fatty acids, such as are in coconut oil, are very good for humans. But very bad for cats and their livers.

And...this next part is my opinion only, before I even talked it over with my vet, I started to worry that it might hide problems. The coconut oil makes their coats so luxurious. Often a poor quality coat is the first physical sign a cat is ill. But if they are on this oil, and their coat stays gorgeous because of it, it may take longer for signs of illness to appear.

(I was using Nutiva brand. Tolly's fluid build up started after he'd been taking the coconut oil daily for two weeks. It's possible that it is just coincidence, the cancer was already there, of course, we just didn't know it yet, but it is also possible that the MCT hastened the growth of his liver cancer)

PS Sorry to de-rail Gracie's thread Carolina., I didn't mean to, just wanted to put my concern out there. I won't say any more about it.

 

[otto]

I hope this morning found Gracie still purring, breathing easy and with an appetite. Maybe even a poop?

:heart3:

 

[carolina]

Let me just say..... I :heart3: my vet, Dr. Escobedo is a very special man; this is the second time he saves one of my babies..... and this is an amazingly difficult case, not many vets would be so attentive :heart3:
I do have other vets, but when the case is serious, there is no other like him - he is just unbelievable :nod:
He calls me every day to check on Gracie (or when Bugsy was going through his issue), discuss and adjust medications, guide me through the issues.... He is truly a one of a kind
So with that stated..... I just hung up the phone with him, and here is what he said:
As of today, she is considered stable
The weakness on her hind-legs can be caused by dehydration, but it is not likely, as she was not on diuretics for long enough - this is most likely due to the heart not pumping enough blood, and she is simply too weak. As the heart gets stronger again, she will feel better. If she was dehydrated, fluids is not a good idea on her case - but, I can mix her food with pedialyte to give her electrolytes back.
He wants me to syringe feed her a little, if it doesn't stress her too much - if it does, stop.
We are dropping the heart medication (Enalapril) to once a day to increase her appetite. Now that she is stable, she should be fine on that dosage - her appetite should increase in 24 hours.
She will continue on the diuretics 2x a day for at least another week, when we will try to bring her down to once a day - if she remains stable, that will be her dose for life. If she relapses, we will keep her at 2x a day.
The lowest dosages are better because of her liver.
Now that she is stable, she is going in for a follow up in 2 weeks.......
Hopefully she will continue to improve day by day.
Her breathing is great, and she has eaten some Ziwipeak this morning - not much, but some.
I will go buy some pedialyte to mix some more for her.....
No poop as of yet......
No pee outside of the litterbox - she is back to using the box like a good girl

 

[otto]

Stable! Follow up in two weeks! I am thrilled to read this news! You have done such a great job with her Carolina, feel proud!

:heart3:

 

[jcat]

Wonderful news that she's stable! A great weight must have dropped from your heart after talking to Dr. Escobedo. for more improvement!

FWIW, my vets recommend thistle oil for constipation.