Cerenia for fluid loss???

Marco just went through a long bout of UTI preceded by a bout with crystals. We got him in an hour after the first sign of crystals but the bladder infection took a little longer. Our vets new partner wants him to drink more water and said we should give him 1/2 Cerenia every third day. I thought Cerenia was for vomiting which Marco never does. Did I hear that wrong? He's an indoor male, was an outdoor cat for 6 years before being tossed out. No other medical issues.

 

Good morning Dickson,

I think you are correct about Cerenia being anti-vomit however whenever Ducia appears nauseated and does not eat with her usual enthusiasm I gave her 1/4 of 16 mg Cerenia pill/24 hours and it works well. Ducia is less than 10 lb if helps to estimate the dose.

I mix her foods with water to a stew like consistency, about 2+ Tablespoons per 1.5oz meal to increase water intake. I think you are safe to try Cerenia short term, I never heard it did harm. I wish Marco very speedy recovery.

 

That's the problem. Marco's weight is where it should be, no stomach issues and he eats and drinks as normally as possible. He's a private eater but not finicky. His blood chems are normal. He hates getting pilled so much he flops over and gets really stressed over the whole thing. Then 5 minutes later he looks at me "I love you daddy".

 

I see..

What's his total water daily intake, do you know?
It was recommended that Ducia had up to 10o ml/24 hours EXTRA water - in addition to her 80% - 82% moisture containing wet food (and she is petite cat).
Initially this recommendation was for flushing ketones out but I kept the same ratio afterwards to prevent UT issues. Dr. Pierson blog HERE has good info on why extra water is good for cats.
If Marco does not have heart issues he can have extra water for now - even if only temporarily - as post UTI therapy.

Pilling a cat is a pure nightmare...
Cerenia has no odor or taste so I crush a pill and mix it in with her meal. You can add some stinky foods to camouflage Cerenia even better - like a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. All it needed is a little once in a couple of daysI bought my crusher at Walmart in the Toddler's aisle for $3.50, you don't have Walmarts, I know, but a crusher is something like that CLICK HERE.
I think you can check @any human pharmacy for that. It really help a lot with cat's meds.

 

His water intake? He's the cat you never see in the litterbox, it's all a big secret. We have switched to wet food and his coat and skin are looking good. We used to put something in the dogs water called Slurp-n-Fresh that made her drink but cats are just a mystery. He does do one sweet thing, he comes down after dinner and has to drink from Cynthia's water glass, mine's not good enough. She tips it over for him like any good cat mommy, very sweet to watch when his head goes all the way in.
I need to follow up with the vet because it wasn't made clear to me exactly what his concerns are, kind of vague.

 

I meant how much does he drink a day?

My guess is that vet wants him on Cerenia to make sure he eats regularly and maintains good appy and that will enable you to add as much extra water as you need, not as much as Marco wants or used to drink from other water sources like bowl or a fountain. Relying on a cat to drink a lot is hopeless because they naturally have very low thirst drive. Post UTI kitties need larger amounts of water. The more dilute
urine has lower risks of crystals or stone development. THIS ARTICLE explains it better than I possibly could. Again, extra water is safe only in the absence of heart issues.

It turned out for me that the only way I could control water quantity and to ensure that Ducia drinks daily no less than X ml daily was to mix it with meals and to make her consume water this way. I keep record as to much she drinks ans eats. Mixing water with food doesn't leave her any other choice but to consume.

Good to have caring vet - I think I read you have a good one (I envy you). The above post is my guess only - check with your vet to be sure you understand his recommendations.

 

Dickson Hi, well cerenia is like a car sick pill & for nausea. It was initially for dogs (on my pkg) & discovered ok for kits! I have read that vets do think it has some pain killing properties? Baby is still vomiting occasionally; when she gets really hungry in a.m. The vet said 1/2 tablet for 6 days & now every third day. (16 mg tablet) she weighs 9 lbs.
It works for her. This isn’t solving her problems as she is eating & drinking a bit like her bg is high, but it’s not. Thinking an x-ray may be next.
Baby hates water bowls & loves to drink out of a cup. She has a glass tumbler filled for her water! I fill it am & pm. She will not drink out of the standard water bowl! What we do for our babies!

 

Dickson; I had to go away for awhile; sorry. Nothing to do with this forum...
I hate giving liquid but finally mastered pills! But of course Baby hates this (even though I’m better at it) & I follow her around as she tries to get away from me; with treats in tow. I don’t want that pill sticking in her throat. Thus treats. If I went after her with water syringe to wash it down, she’d hide for 2 days!!! She trots like a horse to get away! Tail in air!!

 

Cerenia has some anti-inflammatory properties. My civie also got Cerenia for his cystitis/crystals. Injections are an option, but it does sting. My vet was willing to give me prefilled insulin syringes with the correct amount so at least it's smaller needles than most give.

Plenty of water was key to helping my civie and flushing out the crystals. Would he drink plain unsalted chicken stock? Or tuna water? I just added more water to the wet food.

 

When Teasel had frequent bouts of cystitis my vet prescribed Cerenia for him because of its anti-inflammatory properties. I have been adding extra water to all his wet food meals and that has helped a lot.

 

Thank you very much everybody. Just a quick story. We were down to 5 cats when I saw Marco (then Eddie) at PetValu on a Saturday. On Sunday morning we went to the shelter and he was hiding in a corner. Six years old and now abandoned. The supervisor was a little surprised when I picked him up no problem. When I flipped him over to rub his tummy she decided to forgo the 20 question clipboard. Then he climbed up Cynthia, "Take me home". We showed him the food, the litter and the bed and that was that! Say hello Marco. "Wahooo-a-roo"

 

Dickson - you have cat attract! Thanks to all who care for the discarded!!