6-28-17 Jones AMPS 94, +4 115 - IM vet Update

[Tracey&Jones (GA)]

Previous Condo

It has been a couple of weeks since my last update. A lot has been going on!

1. So the BIL situation is all resolved and thank goodness.
2. The drop of the metronidazole - did not work. I ended up putting him back on it to see if we could stop the diarrhea he had. It worked but then he was constipated. So, I dropped the dose in half. I now have soft stool but not diarrhea or constipation. In the midst of all this the appetite has gone away and we lost the 100g we gained by increasing the prednisolone.
3. Since all this was going on...he has decided that the FF was no longer on the menu. So now we are on the hunt for different food.
4. Since we are on the hunt for new food - I have explored cooking some new food for him and his civvie sisters. So far I have made some chicken broth (something nutritious if he isn't really interested in eating to stimulate the appy); some slow cooked turkey with chicken heart and liver - pureed to a nice soft pate (going to try adding some small chunks next time). This weekend looking at doing some slow cooked beef and some beef broth (may take a bit).
5. His BG's vary. I am trying to keep him below 200/11 but with the different issues with the IBD, the small variations in the pred pill size,what he is willing to eat. I think I am holding it together and sometimes he even awards me with a green.
6. Today we had a follow up with the IM Vet. I like this guy! He has a great sense of humour and is easy to work with. I would recommend him to anyone in the Edmonton area.
7. So, first he went through the events and the results.
   1. He wants to actually increase the metronidazole up to 1 and 1/2 tabs a day. A half tab more than what he is getting now. As he says - it is what Jones needs so he will get it and we will see if there is something else we can do and try again another time.
   2. He also want to increase the prednisolone to 5 mg a day. So we are doubling it again. He left me to deal with the insulin dose and keeping his BG's in check.
   3. He wants to drop the Cerenia. Outside of some acidic stomach vomit I don't think he has nausea as he doesn't do the lip smacking thing and hasn't thrown up food in a long time. So I am willing to do that.
   4. Everything else is the same.

So that is Jones' story and we are sticking to it for now. We have a phone call recheck in 3-4 weeks and we will go from there.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Good to hear from you again Tracey. I am super happy you found an IM vet you like and can work with. That does make it easier. Good luck with the meds changes. Have you ever tried getting some of them compounded? I know you can get metronizadole compounded. We have chicken flavour here. It's also easier to modify the dose with a syringe than fussy cutting a pill. Have you ever tried S. Boullardi for his runny poo? I can't remember if you had his cobalamin and folate tested.

Jones' numbers look pretty good for such a tiny dose of insulin. That must be a pain to draw. And best of luck with the fuds. What we won't do for our cats!

 

[Tracey&Jones (GA)]

S. Boullardi

Pro-biotic right? I have him on the one you suggested. He has 1/2 capsule (so 6 million units) a day - steadily now. I ended up having to pill him with it because he can smell it when I mix it into the food and will not eat it.

I actually take some time out each Sunday morning over coffee and do up his medication box. I bought capsules size 3 & 4 and cut the pills and put them in the capsules and do up the pro-biotic. Then I just have two capsules instead of many little pills to give. He likes them coated in butter. I am such a pro at pill cutting - after my drooler then Jones started in on the medication box.

cobalamin and folate tested.

Not that I am aware of...unless it was part of the panel done. All test results in the past are in his spreadsheet.

I am actually getting pretty good with the dosing, only issue is when I get a very sticky syringe then I can't get the syringe to roll and get the small drops. I don't use calipers but using the print out of the fine doses - I know I am usually close to the same dose daily.

I have the pill box done up till Sunday , so I will make the dose changes then.

The IM - said "your welcome for that" - when I said Jones had now decided he needed new food. Funny guy! I found maybe 2 he likes.
I gave him the evil eye. He just chuckled.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

S. Boullardi is a different kind of probiotic. Check out the section on probiotics on http://www.ibdkitties.net/probiotics/

Cobalamin and folate are tested as part of the Texas A&M GI Panel, somsent to TAMU. Many ibdkitties are lowmin cobalamin, which may indicate B12 supplementation.

 

[Tracey&Jones (GA)]

Would that be the B12 shot I do once a month? Are is that a different b12? His b12 was tanked when he was first diagnosed.

 

[Tricia Cinco(GA) & Harvey]

Would that be the B12 shot I do once a month? Are is that a different b12? His b12 was tanked when he was first diagnosed.

I believe the shot is usually Cobalamin. The other kind of B-12, methylcobalamin is the kind that is in Zobaline.

I love that the IM said he would leave dose adjustments on the insulin up to you! Keeper!

I have explored cooking some new food for him and his civvie sisters. So far I have made some chicken broth (something nutritious if he isn't really interested in eating to stimulate the appy); some slow cooked turkey with chicken heart and liver - pureed to a nice soft pate (going to try adding some small chunks next time). This weekend looking at doing some slow cooked beef and some beef broth (may take a bit).

Are you adding Taurine to this? Taurine is very necessary to cats, so if you are making his food, you need to investigate what minerals, vitamins, etc. they need to stay healthy.

 

[Tracey&Jones (GA)]

Are you adding Taurine to this? Taurine is very necessary to cats, so if you are making his food, you need to investigate what minerals, vitamins, etc. they need to stay healthy.

Using the recipe from TCFeline web page which is the raw one but with ground meat without bone that I am cooking. I have compared it to Dr. Lisa's recipe and they are very similar in the sense of muscle meat to liver to other organ meat ratios however there is a few added vitamins in Dr. Lisa's that I have added to the TCFeline one that I am using - the B12 Complex is the one specific one that comes to mind. As I am cooking it I am adding in the recommended amount of bone meal vs. grinding bone. Taurine is definitely in there and I have been adding chicken hearts as well. I have ordered all the same vitamins that Dr. Lisa recommended as she has vetted them already. I also did a quick look at the IBDKitty.net site for their recommendations, was going to put that into my spreadsheet as well to compare. So I believe I have everything covered off or will have shortly. We are just adding it into the mix, so definetly not part

The bone broth is just something to sooth and hand out as a treat. I have seen it help with him and my CKD civvie. A tablespoon of that broth and about a half hour later both are willing to eat something. Which is great and they get some added vitamins and good stuff in their systems which they may need more of due to their issues.

I am going to see if I can add that additional probiotic Wendy suggested, see if he can sniff that one out. Trying to find a good one that I can pick up here. Doing some googling this long weekend while I am cooking my new found grass feed cow soup bones.

Keeper!

Right?! He doesn't even discuss it really outside of understanding the dose I am using and what his general numbers are. I am happy with that!