28/7 Team Tucker

Tucker

Tucker

Member Since 2018
It's 4am Sunday in Australia and starting a new thread seems the logical thing to do...
Update on Tucker: The vets on duty were concerned about what to do about Tucker yesterday. He was still clearly in pain and refusing to eat unless momma showed up to feed him, but with a mad rush of emergency patients they thought the stress was going to hinder heading. They had put him in a private suite that had a sign on the door "Enter Cautiously! Escape Cat Inside!". His vitals were all elevated and they thought his BG wasn't coming down when they stopped the insulin infusion because of his stress. The practice managing vet said "We treat the whole patient. The stress is hindering healing.". So he was sent home with lots of instructions and will have home nursing visits.

Now I'M the one stressing out! I am scared to death that he is going to decline on my watch. How do I know he is getting enough fluids to heal from pancreatitis? Is he in pain? Gah!
I've re-started his SS- at 6pm he was in the red. His home notes look like this:
6 pm: Arrives home! BG: 450
Hot nose. Pain med then a big wee and poo (whining). Then 1/2 can of FF pate.
9 pm: BG 378. Sleeping happily
12am: BG 360 Shot 1.25 units Lantus. Ate a can of FF Classic. Helped him to the litter box, bit growly and unhappy. Big wee though.
4am: BG 275 Big wee and poo. Ate a Tbsp on FF. His nose is nice and cold again. He sounds a bit 'burpy', nauseated?? Wanting to go walk about, but Daisy following behind him (with the cutest almost-hiss everrr) has him hiding under the bed again.
 
What medications and instructions was Tucker sent home with?

It's great he's eating. Eating is part of the healing process of pancreatitis and is vital. Only time will tell if this was a good move but if he wasn't eating at all at the hospital, I would've brought him home too.
 
He has: Temvet and Buprenophine. We are meant to finish the Temvet first, twice daily and then swap pain drugs. Mirtazapine for appetite (which I don't think we need to use yet, since he just polished off another can of FF. We also have 4 anti nausea pills left. They told me to feed him low carb, but whenever he wants it for now as it is his main source of water. They said as long as he is eating, I don't have to squirt water into him. I don't know what I'm doing but just trying to follow their directions as best as I can.
 
Don't worry, you'll be able to manage all this!:bighug::bighug: It's very stressful but you are not alone! You'll have nursing visits and also, there is a lot of experience with pancreatitis on the Forum!
So nice to hear he's eating well, LB is OK and numbers are starting to go down! All this is great news!:)
Keep posting so we can continue to follow OUR little Tucker :kiss: recovery!
 
I'm not familiar with Temvet. Quick google search tells me it's pain meds. Seems like Tucker is getting lots of pain management which is great.

You're right. I think whatever Tucker will eat is best even if it's not low carb. High fats is not the cause of pancreatitis for cats.

I would be inclined to continue the anti nausea meds well after you think Tucker is out of the woods. What are the anti nausea meds called exactly? Even the pain meds I might continue for a while. There's no harm in keeping Tucker on pain meds and anti-nausea for longer than necessary. The thing with pancreatitis is to keep up with it - sometimes meds are stopped too early when kitty seems clinically fine. A repeat specFPL or even a snapFPL a few days/week later would be beneficial to let you know if the pancreatitis has subsided.

Maybe you could see what your vet thinks about SQ fluids at home if you're worried about hydration.
 
The nausea med is Cerenia, we only have 4 tablets. They took him off of this drug in the hospital because he has not vomited all week. The vet indicated that Temvet is a bit stronger than Buprenophine, or less 'altering' for when he has improved a bit more. The vet also told me to keep him on a bland diet and to avoid rich foods, as they can cause a relapse. It seems their protocol is to keep cats prone to pancreas attacks off of gravy based and oily food. He told me if he were to go too low again, his preference would be to give a drop of honey instead of gravy food. He will have a snapFPL done on Wed.
 
Sounds like your vet is on it! :smuggrin: Although I disagree with the rich foods causing pancreatitis -- but what Tucker is eating isn't that high in fats if I recall correctly. And what he WILL eat is the BEST food. I'm a bigger fan of honey for Ming anyway because he doesn't really react to HC gravy foods. If anything, both the honey and the gravy might upset his stomach anyway but let's hope we don't have to go there with Tucker and he goes down slowly and nicely for you.
 
It's 6 am now....ONE of us got some sleep last night, the other had one eye open since midnight! I've just given him his pain med, and he finished off his third can of Fancy Feast since arriving home 12 hours ago. He's just come up to my pillow for some Tucky love, so whilst it is still dark outside I might see if I can grab a little bit of rest with him. Thank you for all of the support. I'm not feeling confident that this is going to work, but it is nice to have him snuggled next to me on the cold wintery morning!
 
Patty, you’re a real trooper! Tucker is so lucky to have you, you’re going to be fine this week. The vet seems to be very good so I believe that they absolutely know home is the place for Tucker. It’s so great to hear he is eating well and I hope he starts healing soon.

I also think he will be ok because you have amazing instincts I’m not sure if I would have realized something was wrong in the first place. You’re in tune with Tucker so if something is off I am confident you’ll notice :)

We’re all thinking of you at my house - and wishing for Tuckers speedy recovery b
 
Cats are sent home a day or two after surgery. Hell, I was sent home 2 days after a hip replacement! Cats do far better in their home environment unless they need 24/7 monitoring because they are on drips, etc.

This is Marje's Primer on Pancreatitis. It will give you more background. One thing ti remember is that pancreatitis is painful. If you know of a human who's ever had pancreatitis, they will likely tell you it's worse than passing a kidney stone.

You're doing a great job. That Tucker came into bed for snuggles is a very good sign.
 
Tucker said:
It's 6 am now....ONE of us got some sleep last night, the other had one eye open since midnight! I've just given him his pain med, and he finished off his third can of Fancy Feast since arriving home 12 hours ago. He's just come up to my pillow for some Tucky love, so whilst it is still dark outside I might see if I can grab a little bit of rest with him. Thank you for all of the support. I'm not feeling confident that this is going to work, but it is nice to have him snuggled next to me on the cold wintery morning!
Click to expand...
Please only think POSITIVE!!! This all will work out fine!:bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
It might help you to write out a schedule that you can check things off of each time you do it. Any time we’ve had a really sick cat with lots of meds, etc, we always do a schedule. I just get s sense of relief by checking something off; guess it makes me feel like I’m doing my part :rolleyes:

But, yes, the other side is being positive because cats can pick up on your mood, etc. My sister, who just lost her husband, was here for a month and Tobey and Livia didn’t play and just seemed a bit out of sorts. As soon as she left, they were romping around crazy again. I really think all the grief and crying affected them. So, chin up!! Tucker needs to feel you know he will get better :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Nice update. Definitely keep up the pain meds. Ollie's last episode (December n January) took 6 weeks to get over. She ate well throughout, it was the pain with her. So she remains on it twice a day for life. And subq fluids twice a week to keep her "flushed" and hydrated.

For Tucker, you could add a tablespoon or 2 of water to his food to give him extra fluid.

It's a tough illness to get through, you got this. Your doing great.
 
Glad Tucker is home! I think cuddling with you is an excellent sign! Home nursing visits for kitties??? That is awesome! I’ve never heard of it. I think you found Tucker an awesome vet practice. I’m sure caring for him at home is scary, but you have lots of help from people here and your vet. I’m sure you’ll do great! There’s nothing like Mama when you’re sick.
 
Glad Tucker is eating, I gave Buddy an appetite stimulant and all he will eat is dry food. The vet is saying that Buddy can never eat anything except low fat food, she thinks he must have got 1 of the other cats food. His BG is going up without eating much, last time I checked it was in the high 300's, he ate high carb low fat dry food and I gave him a fur shot. I am afraid to take his BG.
 
I’m glad he is home with you. I was so scared to care for Alice at home, post-DKA, thin as a stick. I promise you will be able to do it and get through it because you have to and because there is no other choice. It just becomes automatic in some ways. I barely slept but we got through it and she is so much better!

I definitely think making a schedule sounds very good, and this will also help you figure out when to sleep. I recommend prioritizing sleep when it becomes an opportunity, just in case it is not an opportunity again for awhile.

You will all get through this and Tucker is so deeply loved and that is wonderful. :bighug:
 
Little lunchtime update. He's not showing any signs of regulation on the shots of Lantus yet, but the hospital did say it could take several days for things to kick in after being on the iv insulin up until yesterday. He's been home 18 hours and has eaten 4 cans of Fancy Feast Classic pate, and a bit of Science Diet pate. He's used the litter box 6 times. He just walked through the house and made a move on the remnants of a bowl of porridge with milk in it that some slacker had left in the sink...fantastic, up to old tricks so quickly. He does seem to be in some pain, especially when the next shot is nearly due.
Confession time : I did have one 'Terms of Endearment' moment at the hospital when his pain shot was due and the nurse was busy... "Just give me the needle and I'll give it to him now!!"....oops.
I'm not leaving his side (even have a locum come out to look at my eye owie so he's not here without me). Thank you for your encouragement and for keeping helping me keep Tucker safe.
 
It sounds as if Tucker has slipped right back into his family life again....no problem!
There is no place like home with his Mommy!
The photos you sent me last night showed a VERY happy and contented kitty!
What @Marje and Gracie said is so true......cats do pick up on how people are feeling so get out your song book and dancing shoes so he can see you are happy.
It sounds like his appetite is good which is great........that's a big plus because often cats recovering from pancreatitis are still nauseated and don't want to eat.
I hope you are taking every opportunity to grab some sleep. You must look after you so you are ok to look after Tucker.
 
Awesome news, you are doing such a great job with Tucker. It's great that Tucker walked around the room and came up by you to cuddle. Im keeping my fingers crossed that Tucker continues to improve. You also need to rest when Tucker is resting. His appetite seems to be good. Onward and upward Tucker.
 
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Tucker said:
Little lunchtime update. He's not showing any signs of regulation on the shots of Lantus yet, but the hospital did say it could take several days for things to kick in after being on the iv insulin up until yesterday. He's been home 18 hours and has eaten 4 cans of Fancy Feast Classic pate, and a bit of Science Diet pate. He's used the litter box 6 times. He just walked through the house and made a move on the remnants of a bowl of porridge with milk in it that some slacker had left in the sink...fantastic, up to old tricks so quickly. He does seem to be in some pain, especially when the next shot is nearly due.
Confession time : I did have one 'Terms of Endearment' moment at the hospital when his pain shot was due and the nurse was busy... "Just give me the needle and I'll give it to him now!!"....oops.
I'm not leaving his side (even have a locum come out to look at my eye owie so he's not here without me). Thank you for your encouragement and for keeping helping me keep Tucker safe.
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:bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Sounds like Tucker is doing well at home...being up to old tricks already:)!! You've got this! I second the words about pain meds. EXTREMELY painful condition so my team's advice has always been to make sure he's not in pain & is comfortable & eating. Smaller meals definitely work best. Too much food at one time always resulted in more pain for him, so T has an open food policy. He actually learned on his own to eat less at one time--they are smart.

Sending continued healing thoughts your way. So happy to hear Tucker is home & doing well.
 
We all know it can be scary and stressful, but you are doing a GREAT job of nursing your kitty back to health. For Tucker, just being home is probably so comforting to him and having his Mama and family around him is also probably his best medicine:)
Keep strong and know that you have lots and lots of people praying for Tucker each moment:bighug:
 
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