Poor Charlie has had some issues again lately. Always something new and frightening.
The reason for the on/in is the Vet said on but the ultrasound report says in. What I've been able to research so far shows a difference between the two. While the report itself says "in" when I look at the accompanying images they do look "on" rather than in.
Issues that started us on the road to get another ultrasound:
Charlies appetite went to pot. He began to toss up way more furballs than normal. He looked tired and a bit lethargic. Will "pick up" once given Mirtazapine / Mirataz ointment 2% w/w .
He doesn't cry in the litter box - even when he had a really bad UTI once - you'd never have known. The end of June he cried in the litter box and went to another and did the same. He had trouble with poop. I thought UTI as that usually what constipates him. Treatment at home was not working and the next day day - took him to his Doctor. He was given an enema. Sent home with Lactulose and Grey Wolf Fiber Boost + GI.
About two weeks later he had to go back, still really hard poops and a couple outside the litterbox. Still trouble.
We decided on an ultrasound which was done on July 17, 2023.
According to the ultrasound all is well minus Mineralization on/in Kidneys and Calcium on/in Kidneys and some debris in the bladder.
Even today tris morning his appetite went again, lethargic, tired and he low growled at me when I picked him up. I gave him Mirtazapine / Mirataz ointment 2% w/w and he picked right up.
He's been going to unusual spots to sleep and coming to me for comfort much more often.
There are a lot of details below as despite the report - something not right that is causing him issues enough.
Charlie history:
Age: 10 years + He will be 11 on Sept 1, 2023. So he's close!
Asthma
Mild HCM (his heart is also at the upper limit of what the chest cavity can hold.)
Suspected IBD or IBS (while this new ultrasound says a bit different and older one says the opposite.
Food sensitivities / allergies
Sensitive Skin
Idiopathic Cystitis and as a result can get constipated.
He gets hairballs a lot lately. I give him - or rather have to force and it helps.
Now arthritis.
Now Pancreatitis. Ultrasounds says fine. fPLI says positive. Now fPLI can have a false negative, I've not yet heard it to have a false positive.
Personality quirks:
Picky eater is an understatement of the century. I lost track at about 70+ wet foods.
Strong sense of smell.
Dominant personality but somewhat afraid of Braveheart who is tiny compared to him.
If you brush him and he is at all awake. Prepare to be bitten.
Stressed by care rides and needs to take the gabapentin or will pant like a dog and have breathing issues.
Home environment:
Mostly Quiet. No children. No drama. No loud music.
On July 19th 2023 we lost Mia who was ill. Near a month to the day she was diagnosed with Cancer.
If I start to get upset - I leave the house or go to the basement away from the cats. That has been a fair bit the past few days.
Does have an issue with one of the othercats, Braveheart, who is also dominate. (Female retired feral. Has been inside 5 years now.)
White Label, the other sister, she is a bit spooked by Charlie sometimes - she runs - he chases.
Current foods/Feeding:
Fed 3 times per day. 2 meals of wet and one dry
Dry: Multifunction Urinary SO + Hydrolyzed Protein
Wet: There are only three he will eat:
Main one: Simply Nourish Adult Salmon pate
Secondary that he will sometimes eat: Performatrin Salmon, turkey and duck
They do think he has a sensitivity to either chicken or turkey however he has had no reaction to this. So I lean more to chicken. He was on wellness for a long time and he reacted to both the chicken and the salmon and turkey pate.
Third one he will sometimes eat: Blue Buffalo wilderness Salmon pate
Treats: Pure bites Salmon - though he's gone off them a bit in recent years. There was a change is processing I think as some bags are somewhat 'wet' and not dry. It's odd.
The vet would like him on just the dry now Dry: Multifunction Urinary SO + Hydrolyzed Protein. I hate that idea but if it's best for him I will have to comply.
Supplements:
-Grizzly Salmon oil
-D'mannose -recent addition - will need to talk about this.
-Forti Flora SA we were trying the Grey Wolf Fiber Boost + GI. The trouble with Charlie is that he has a strong sense of smell. Tricking him is HARD. The Forti Flora SA he takes better but it's still hit and miss - same with the Grey Wolf Fiber Boost + GI but that was more miss.I think because the amount to mix in is more.
UroMAXX for kidney and bladder
Medications:
Lactulose: She had him on a pretty big dosage for a bit - then he went from constipate to soft near diarrhea. There was really no inbetween here.It was a serious fine balance.
Asthma meds:
FloVent HFA 125mg aerosol
He usually only really needs this two times a year for a couple of months. Side note: it seem to help with his constipation. Maybe it's helping the inflammation in the GI? He has needed it lately more - maybe from all the fires and poor air quality?
Recently he has had this a couple of times:
Mirtazapine / Mirataz ointment 2% w/w - notice that if he doesn't feel good and gets this med - he perks right up both in his personality, mood and his eating.
Tonight:
She sent him home with buprenophine 0.3mg/ml and wants me to give him 0.2ml 3 times a day for a few days. Although the medication bottle says twice a day.
If his breathing acts up because of his Asthma she wants me to take him to the ER. (To me that didn't need ot e said but maybe right now with me being in a grieving state might not be bad to hit me in the head. I take that back. HIt me in the head anytime. Best to make sure someone gets it then assume they will.) That at the moment is a terrifying thought. Are ER right now is so busy that often have to send people near an hour away. I'm not starting this until tomorrow night wne I will be home a few days to monitor.
Vet would also like to put him on Anti-anxiety medicine, Amitriptyline - I have not read enough yet or made a decision here. He cannot take that with the Mirtazapine / Mirataz ointment 2% w/w do to Serotonin syndrome being possible.
Water: THIS ONE IS WEIRD
This is kind weird. I use healthy mouth in their water. I opened a new one a couple a weeks ago. The kitties had been on a water bringe and I noticed they all started drinking a bit less. Mia, who left me Wednesday, in the height of Mia being sick she refused it, and once threw it up. I changed it out with normal water and she drank. The filtered water was the same I used for the healthy mouth. Right after that, none of the cats would drink it. They have been for years without issue and liked it. Maybe a coincidence, I don't know. I email the the manufacturer with the lot # to ask if the formula had changed, they said no. I emailed them back explaining the strange sudden reaction to it and on that - I have not heard back yet. Could be just a coincidence but I think it's worth noting.
There are two water fountains and 2 large bowls around the house.
He likes the water fountains - not the bowls.
What the Vet said:
There was mineralization and calcification "on" the kidneys. She was very clear about that and the debris in the bladder.
She would like to put him on anti-anxiety meds and have me feed him only the hydrolyzed protein.
Attached ultrasound report with some pictures.
I may be missing some things but I'll catch them as we go. There are some red flags to me that go beyond those two changes IMHO.
Any insight is appreciated.
The reason for the on/in is the Vet said on but the ultrasound report says in. What I've been able to research so far shows a difference between the two. While the report itself says "in" when I look at the accompanying images they do look "on" rather than in.
Issues that started us on the road to get another ultrasound:
Charlies appetite went to pot. He began to toss up way more furballs than normal. He looked tired and a bit lethargic. Will "pick up" once given Mirtazapine / Mirataz ointment 2% w/w .
He doesn't cry in the litter box - even when he had a really bad UTI once - you'd never have known. The end of June he cried in the litter box and went to another and did the same. He had trouble with poop. I thought UTI as that usually what constipates him. Treatment at home was not working and the next day day - took him to his Doctor. He was given an enema. Sent home with Lactulose and Grey Wolf Fiber Boost + GI.
About two weeks later he had to go back, still really hard poops and a couple outside the litterbox. Still trouble.
We decided on an ultrasound which was done on July 17, 2023.
According to the ultrasound all is well minus Mineralization on/in Kidneys and Calcium on/in Kidneys and some debris in the bladder.
Even today tris morning his appetite went again, lethargic, tired and he low growled at me when I picked him up. I gave him Mirtazapine / Mirataz ointment 2% w/w and he picked right up.
He's been going to unusual spots to sleep and coming to me for comfort much more often.
There are a lot of details below as despite the report - something not right that is causing him issues enough.
Charlie history:
Age: 10 years + He will be 11 on Sept 1, 2023. So he's close!
Asthma
Mild HCM (his heart is also at the upper limit of what the chest cavity can hold.)
Suspected IBD or IBS (while this new ultrasound says a bit different and older one says the opposite.
Food sensitivities / allergies
Sensitive Skin
Idiopathic Cystitis and as a result can get constipated.
He gets hairballs a lot lately. I give him - or rather have to force and it helps.
Now arthritis.
Now Pancreatitis. Ultrasounds says fine. fPLI says positive. Now fPLI can have a false negative, I've not yet heard it to have a false positive.
Personality quirks:
Picky eater is an understatement of the century. I lost track at about 70+ wet foods.
Strong sense of smell.
Dominant personality but somewhat afraid of Braveheart who is tiny compared to him.
If you brush him and he is at all awake. Prepare to be bitten.
Stressed by care rides and needs to take the gabapentin or will pant like a dog and have breathing issues.
Home environment:
Mostly Quiet. No children. No drama. No loud music.
On July 19th 2023 we lost Mia who was ill. Near a month to the day she was diagnosed with Cancer.
If I start to get upset - I leave the house or go to the basement away from the cats. That has been a fair bit the past few days.
Does have an issue with one of the othercats, Braveheart, who is also dominate. (Female retired feral. Has been inside 5 years now.)
White Label, the other sister, she is a bit spooked by Charlie sometimes - she runs - he chases.
Current foods/Feeding:
Fed 3 times per day. 2 meals of wet and one dry
Dry: Multifunction Urinary SO + Hydrolyzed Protein
Wet: There are only three he will eat:
Main one: Simply Nourish Adult Salmon pate
Secondary that he will sometimes eat: Performatrin Salmon, turkey and duck
They do think he has a sensitivity to either chicken or turkey however he has had no reaction to this. So I lean more to chicken. He was on wellness for a long time and he reacted to both the chicken and the salmon and turkey pate.
Third one he will sometimes eat: Blue Buffalo wilderness Salmon pate
Treats: Pure bites Salmon - though he's gone off them a bit in recent years. There was a change is processing I think as some bags are somewhat 'wet' and not dry. It's odd.
The vet would like him on just the dry now Dry: Multifunction Urinary SO + Hydrolyzed Protein. I hate that idea but if it's best for him I will have to comply.
Supplements:
-Grizzly Salmon oil
-D'mannose -recent addition - will need to talk about this.
-Forti Flora SA we were trying the Grey Wolf Fiber Boost + GI. The trouble with Charlie is that he has a strong sense of smell. Tricking him is HARD. The Forti Flora SA he takes better but it's still hit and miss - same with the Grey Wolf Fiber Boost + GI but that was more miss.I think because the amount to mix in is more.
UroMAXX for kidney and bladder
Medications:
Lactulose: She had him on a pretty big dosage for a bit - then he went from constipate to soft near diarrhea. There was really no inbetween here.It was a serious fine balance.
Asthma meds:
FloVent HFA 125mg aerosol
He usually only really needs this two times a year for a couple of months. Side note: it seem to help with his constipation. Maybe it's helping the inflammation in the GI? He has needed it lately more - maybe from all the fires and poor air quality?
Recently he has had this a couple of times:
Mirtazapine / Mirataz ointment 2% w/w - notice that if he doesn't feel good and gets this med - he perks right up both in his personality, mood and his eating.
Tonight:
She sent him home with buprenophine 0.3mg/ml and wants me to give him 0.2ml 3 times a day for a few days. Although the medication bottle says twice a day.
If his breathing acts up because of his Asthma she wants me to take him to the ER. (To me that didn't need ot e said but maybe right now with me being in a grieving state might not be bad to hit me in the head. I take that back. HIt me in the head anytime. Best to make sure someone gets it then assume they will.) That at the moment is a terrifying thought. Are ER right now is so busy that often have to send people near an hour away. I'm not starting this until tomorrow night wne I will be home a few days to monitor.
Vet would also like to put him on Anti-anxiety medicine, Amitriptyline - I have not read enough yet or made a decision here. He cannot take that with the Mirtazapine / Mirataz ointment 2% w/w do to Serotonin syndrome being possible.
Water: THIS ONE IS WEIRD
This is kind weird. I use healthy mouth in their water. I opened a new one a couple a weeks ago. The kitties had been on a water bringe and I noticed they all started drinking a bit less. Mia, who left me Wednesday, in the height of Mia being sick she refused it, and once threw it up. I changed it out with normal water and she drank. The filtered water was the same I used for the healthy mouth. Right after that, none of the cats would drink it. They have been for years without issue and liked it. Maybe a coincidence, I don't know. I email the the manufacturer with the lot # to ask if the formula had changed, they said no. I emailed them back explaining the strange sudden reaction to it and on that - I have not heard back yet. Could be just a coincidence but I think it's worth noting.
There are two water fountains and 2 large bowls around the house.
He likes the water fountains - not the bowls.
What the Vet said:
There was mineralization and calcification "on" the kidneys. She was very clear about that and the debris in the bladder.
She would like to put him on anti-anxiety meds and have me feed him only the hydrolyzed protein.
Attached ultrasound report with some pictures.
I may be missing some things but I'll catch them as we go. There are some red flags to me that go beyond those two changes IMHO.
Any insight is appreciated.
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