AZJenks
Member Since 2014
3/31
We've been lucky with calm waters and smooth sailing for a long time now, but are currently in the midst of some turbulence with Mr. Jenks.
When last we saw him, he had just visited the vet after a couple nights of vomiting and diarrhea. The vet prescribed a 5-day course of metronizadole, which he tolerated surprisingly well considering how unpalatable it is. He suffered some side effects though, specifically lethargy and decreased appetite, which was a problem because he was already experiencing a decreased appetite as a result of the vomiting and diarrhea. His desire to eat ebbed and flowed. Some meals he tore after hungrily. Others he pushed away. His inconsistent eating resulted in some trips too far out into the lagoon, which required us to make several dose reductions over the past 10 days or so.
We thought we'd be out of the woods once we stopped the metronizadole, but the inappetance persists and I'm starting to get a little worried. Some times, he outright refuses food. Rarely, he eats like we're used to. And most times, he's just peckish. He seems alert and in good spirits. He's purry. He moves around the house and isn't hiding. But you can just tell that he's not feeling himself. He perks up and will eat dry treats and gravy, but lately he's very "eh" about the wet food.
I discovered that the vet sells FortiFlora, so I picked up a box yesterday to try to stimulate his appetite. I wish I knew this at the outset of the metronizadole because it would've been preferable to put him on a probiotic supplement during the course of antibiotics. He got his first taste of the FortiFlora with his meal last night and hungrily ate his portion, often taking big bites of it. That was encouraging. Unfortunately, the same thing didn't happen this morning. Was it because the flavor of the food was different? Was it because he got a taste of the FortiFlora and is now over it? Who knows.
He did eat a little. I used the rest of the food (and by rest I mean what was leftover after the civvies got done destroying the part with the FortiFlora mixed in....why am I surprised it appeals to every cat except the one for whom it's intended?
) to experiment with some frequently recommended appetite stimulants on here. Oregano was a no go. But parmesean cheese, however, appeared to be even more appealing to him than the FortiFlora was. He ate that food eagerly, which means I'll keep the cheese in reserve as an option for when we need it.
The plan is to nurse him along for a couple more days on a natural appetite stimulant to see if his appetite comes back normally before considering a return trip to the vet for a pharmaceutical solution.I guess something like Ondansetron would be in order, right? [EDIT: no, this is wrong]
In the meantime we're monitoring his numbers closely. If I weren't constantly on edge about his eating, I'd be astonished at his performance at these rapidly reducing doses. We're down a whole unit in the past 10 days and that's crazy. I'm just so worried we're reducing too fast, but I'm just following the numbers and trying to keep him safe until his appetite returns. We haven't been this low since 2014 and he's still having the best numbers of his life.
I finally caught him in the litterbox this morning. Normal pee. The poop was normal colored, but on the soft side which tells me there might still be some GI distress. But at least we know he's not constipated, blocked, or not getting enough food to even form a bowel movement.
We've been lucky with calm waters and smooth sailing for a long time now, but are currently in the midst of some turbulence with Mr. Jenks.
When last we saw him, he had just visited the vet after a couple nights of vomiting and diarrhea. The vet prescribed a 5-day course of metronizadole, which he tolerated surprisingly well considering how unpalatable it is. He suffered some side effects though, specifically lethargy and decreased appetite, which was a problem because he was already experiencing a decreased appetite as a result of the vomiting and diarrhea. His desire to eat ebbed and flowed. Some meals he tore after hungrily. Others he pushed away. His inconsistent eating resulted in some trips too far out into the lagoon, which required us to make several dose reductions over the past 10 days or so.
We thought we'd be out of the woods once we stopped the metronizadole, but the inappetance persists and I'm starting to get a little worried. Some times, he outright refuses food. Rarely, he eats like we're used to. And most times, he's just peckish. He seems alert and in good spirits. He's purry. He moves around the house and isn't hiding. But you can just tell that he's not feeling himself. He perks up and will eat dry treats and gravy, but lately he's very "eh" about the wet food.
I discovered that the vet sells FortiFlora, so I picked up a box yesterday to try to stimulate his appetite. I wish I knew this at the outset of the metronizadole because it would've been preferable to put him on a probiotic supplement during the course of antibiotics. He got his first taste of the FortiFlora with his meal last night and hungrily ate his portion, often taking big bites of it. That was encouraging. Unfortunately, the same thing didn't happen this morning. Was it because the flavor of the food was different? Was it because he got a taste of the FortiFlora and is now over it? Who knows.
He did eat a little. I used the rest of the food (and by rest I mean what was leftover after the civvies got done destroying the part with the FortiFlora mixed in....why am I surprised it appeals to every cat except the one for whom it's intended?
) to experiment with some frequently recommended appetite stimulants on here. Oregano was a no go. But parmesean cheese, however, appeared to be even more appealing to him than the FortiFlora was. He ate that food eagerly, which means I'll keep the cheese in reserve as an option for when we need it.The plan is to nurse him along for a couple more days on a natural appetite stimulant to see if his appetite comes back normally before considering a return trip to the vet for a pharmaceutical solution.
In the meantime we're monitoring his numbers closely. If I weren't constantly on edge about his eating, I'd be astonished at his performance at these rapidly reducing doses. We're down a whole unit in the past 10 days and that's crazy. I'm just so worried we're reducing too fast, but I'm just following the numbers and trying to keep him safe until his appetite returns. We haven't been this low since 2014 and he's still having the best numbers of his life.
I finally caught him in the litterbox this morning. Normal pee. The poop was normal colored, but on the soft side which tells me there might still be some GI distress. But at least we know he's not constipated, blocked, or not getting enough food to even form a bowel movement.
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. It sounds like you’ve got a good plan though. Give it a little more time then a return trip to the vet.
. Drives me crazy!
Maybe it’s the tummy troubles, but you never know, he’s been on a steady dose decline this entire year so far, so it wouldn’t exactly be out of place either. 
Hope he’s back in fighting shape really soon. 
Feel better, Jenks, and keep being your adorable and green self!