Grapefruit seed Extract for Cats

[mrsgreenjeens]

When I read your latest info, I immediately thought about pseudomonas, which is kind of like pneumonia in people (as far as I can tell), and sometimes takes a very long time to get rid of.  Has that ever been mentioned.  It's been coming up here on the forums lately.  Here's just one thread on it:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/261531/botans-recovery-story-pseudomonas

Now, are BOTH kitties suffering from the same issue, or just one? Also, try not to stress over this (easier said than done, I know), because your stress passes to them, as I'm sure you are aware

   You've got to take care of yourself so you can take care of your new (ish) furkids.

 

[c8rams]

First:  I found a bunch of good grapefruit seed extract info, some answers, and a company to contact. Will post all final info in a new thread.

Pseudomonas!  Wow.  This is a new one for me -- I'll check it out and see if I can match symptoms to my A-cat (the older one, he's about 20 months). Everything --diagnostics, healing -- seems to take a lot of time and patience when it comes to cat health. And I was cool with that when it felt like I might be making progress. Then A's symptoms started returning, which brought the worry of not knowing right back. And thanks for the encouragement about not communicating MY stress to the cats -- I'm not always able to stop the impulse, but I can actually change my feelings pretty quickly once I realize what I'm doing, and put out a better energy (I can't stop stress when it's just me, but the things I managed to do for the love of my cats... 

).  

You asked about the other kitty. B is 6 months younger (14 mos old), and seems stronger, health-wise. He was removed from the hoarding situation at 5 months, and does not have the pruritic or anxiety issues that A has. But he has URD symptoms, is a bit cross-eyed and has peripheral cataracts, likely formed as a result of nutritional deficiencies. Sometimes he's a little clumsy, balance-wise -- just falls over, surprised, like he suddenly has no bones (he does, and I think they're being properly calcified!) so I thought maybe there might be a minor vestibular issue, but am not sure.

When they first came home, only the older cat had any "kitty cold" symptoms. Sneezing, clear discharge, labored breathing. But clear eyes. Then the younger one got pretty nasty, painful Conjunctiva (but not meat-eyes). Then the sneezing/ discharge/wet breathing got much, much worse in the older one. Exertion resulted in open-mouthed breathing/panting. Older one given Zithro, younger given Gentamycin. Then the older had bad conjunctiva.  Two weeks later (I remember exactly the sound) I heard the younger one sneeze, and thought "dammit." Then the older one started having abdominal breathing/respiratory distress, and was put on an inhaled steroid. Both have had lysine daily since i got them.

This discharge/conjunctiva stuff went on a months, "B" had one course of antibiotics, 2 of Gentamycin.  "A" had one round of Gentamycin and 7 months of Zithro. B never got as bad as A. There were also 2 trips to an ophthalmologist. Things improved a lot at the end of May, when I switched to raw, and eye/nasal seemed to have leveled off. Breathing still labored. There was one small flare-up in early July, when I went on vacation (vet tech sitter stayed with them), and A's nasal discharge (clear) started up again.

Fast forward: Eyes are being managed without meds. No Zithro. Both have labored breathing (multiple kinds), most of the time. A gets flovent every day. A's eyes starting to accumulate more gunk, pale yellow, and discharge moving from clear to yellow. I've doubled the lysine to 1000 day temporarily.

IF it's herpes, then A is probably a carrier, B might just have been able to resist it becoming chronic.  But based on A's other symptoms, and B's ability to resist them, there's a very slim chance that A has something that seems like herpes, but could be something else. Not sure what would be worse! Or it could be that A has herpes, B has infrequent conjunctival herpes, and A also has other complicating factors that challenge his immune system and make him more susceptible to flare ups.

I wish I had the $$ to get this diagnostics process definitively sorted.  It would help so much to be sure, to just know.

There's also a behavior dynamic I want to ask about, but I should probably do it somewhere other than a "grape" seed thread.

Happy day.   

 

[mstyles]

c8rams, did you find any info for the correct dosing of GSE? I want to start one of our cats on it that has been battling a URI for 2 months now. We think it started as herpes, but then turned bacterial. He was diagnosed with mycoplasma through a bacterial culture. Eye drops, ointment, antibiotics, anti-viral meds are not helping. I have a bottle of the Citricidal GSE (33% GSE, 67% vegetable glycerin). I think I will add a drop or 2 to all the water bowls around the house so all 6 cats get a little. But I wanted to make sure the kitty with the URI gets enough. I was thinking of putting a drop or 2 into a 3mL oral syringe, then diluting with water, and dosing that way. I'd love to know if you found any dosing instructions. Thanks!

 

[c8rams]

yes yes yes! -- I now have what I think is sufficient information.  I'm sorry you've had to wait.  Mycoplasma -- yikes.  I hope it's at a treatable stage. 

I'm going to start a new thread for all this grapefruit seed stuff shortly.  Hang tight! (Well, tight-ish -- my posts tend to take forever to compose).

 

[redrose49]

I am going to try your remedy as soon as I can find it . My kitten was found out side looked dead he was cold and starved . I have had him to the vet now for so many weeks it is all I do . I am willing to try any thing he is congested and has been for weeks now he get better and the worse . He has been takin amoxicillin for so long now and  3 long term shots . I am worried I will loose the little fellow . He has been comatose at first . And  now a little better . But he was running a fever this morning he acts like a kitten he did not for a long time and when he started eating his belly swelled so we got an easy to digest kitten food . I just wish we could get it right I al so worried about this little guy .

 

[stephanietx]

@Redrose49 ask your vet to run a culture and sensitivity test on your guy's drainage/phlegm/mucus to see what is going on.  The culture will tell the vet what kind of infection you're dealing with and the sensitivity test will show which med will best treat it.  Try steaming him in the bathroom to help break up the congestion, too.  YOu can also try baby saline drops, Little Noses.  Just put one drop in each nostril twice a day.  You might also have him tested for parasites, that's usually the cause of a swollen belly.

 

[faygal]

I know this thread is really old, but need to make a correction , as no one else has noticed. You must not give cats or dogs grapeseed extract. It is Grapefruit seed extract. Grape seed is poisonous!