Pig 3/25 +10 201; amps 196; +3 181; +4 161

Yesterday's

Well, I woke up to him rolling around on the carpet and playing! He actually ran and chased his ball! This must be the blues talking.

I am trying to get realigned with the lower numbers and the effects that they will have. His appetite does not seem as ravenous and he is not peeing as much. I do think that he is still quite constipated and I do not know why, but that will always effect his bladder. I am trying to get an appointment with the vet in Tulsa for Friday. However, if he does not empty his bladder soon, then it will be off to the ER vet for us. The pee will come out with some massaging of his bladder and it will always flow out when he sleeps, I just have not been able to catch him peeing in the box. Maybe he does not have to after everything leaks out...?? I do not know, but I worry a lot about things like that. I hate to blow the insane amount of money at the ER vet, but him not urinating on his own tells me that he might have a very bad infection or be very constipated. I am going to run an at home urine test as soon as I can get enough for the sample!

 

Rats!
It sounds more as if his full intestines are weighting down his urethra making it very hard to pee. This happened to my TiTI. What she needed was a good cleanout, some antibiotics, and ongoing make-her-crap meds.

 

Yes! That is it exactly! This is precisely what his x-rays have shown time and time again. All the reason for me to try to do the enema thing as that is exactly what is needed right now. The fact that his vet is 2 hours away does not help, but might be we need to make a trip in for an enema if I cannot get one to produce results. I quit giving him raw and he is on MiraLax and Cisapride, but all of this stopped working as well so suddenly?? He is having movements, but they are just the liquid around the solid. He has a block in there and I cannot get it to move. I am also thinking some Prazosin for the antispasmotic thing.. That always seems to help with releasing the bladder. It is messy business, but at this point I just need him to go.

I am sooooooo glad someone has experience with this here! This is it exactly!

 

All my tests indicate he is negative for infection. So, unless it is a very deep rooted one then it is merely constipation for now. Let the bladder massaging and sneak attack enemas commence...

 

If he has a blockage, an enema can be dangerous. I think he needs a vetty trip. Sorry, but if it is depressing his urethra, you might need professional help. I let it go too long, and TiTI's bladder ballooned out. That did it, I raced to the doc.

 

Yes, I agree with you implicitly. However, this has been an issue for Pig long before the dx of diabetes then Acro. His bladder is almost constantly ballooned up and nothing that me or the vet have tried can solve the issue. So, he gets enemas, Cisapride, and MiraLax. I blend his food into a water pulp and still he gets constipated. He is a Manx and suffers Manx syndrome which causes a host of neurological issues in the hind end, this being one of them. I am at my wits end. I do not know what else to do. His vet is 2 hours away and I cannot just run up there all the time. I could take him to the ER vet but they will likely charge me 500$ to just do an enema. When he was dx diabetic they wanted to charge me about 2,000$ just for 6 hours of stay for something I could do at home. I have no issue paying to help Pig get better, but I am wary of the $$ game some of these country vets play. My vet has done x-rays and we know this is the issue, but the solution has always been MiraLax and enema. I was the one to push Cisapride. I am thinking of pushing Lactulose as well. Also, I am trying to hold off until Friday because I am trying to get him in for a second opinion and Ultra Sound from the Feline Specialists. The issue is I am limited on vet experience here in this area as it is so isolated. That and I am trying to maintain funds for SRT. His bladder waxes and wanes. Sometimes it is large and sometimes it is not. He did get up and use the potty by himself, so I know he can pee, but because of all the neuro issues in the hind end, sometimes he just cannot feel that he needs to pee... Which, of course, makes it a bit more of a challenge.

 

Good to hear Pig is loving the blues. Sending vines for his GI system.

 

I ordered the Easy Egg Yolk stuff and figure that it is worth a shot. Also, I am going to be trying, again, to get him into Feline Specialties on Friday in hopes they have a solution. In the mean time.. Do you think another raise in Lev is warranted. I mean, I know his numbers could use it, but my wallet may not be able to handle it. Do you think we will see a big enough effect to warrant it? I am trying to balance SRT with management at this point..

 

Try the R increase first. The advantage of a higher R dose comes when they start needing less insulin. In that case, you just stop or reduce the R for the cycle after they earn a reduction. With a cat with a large basal (Lev) dose, you have to worry about a correspondingly large depot. The R is in and out so no longer term effects to worry about,

 

I didn't realize he has the Manx cat syndrome. That adds another layer of complication. If he is peeing, then it's not an emergency. If there is nothing different than what you have seen before, then you should continue to do what has worked in the past. Massage sounds like just the thing for Pig, what with Manx cat syndrome and all. Poor lil guy.

A lot of vet practices and emergency rooms are now run by corporations. That may account for some of the charges. I have a vet who owns and runs his own practice. They are getting more and more rare these days.

Hugs, purrs, healing vines, and some of my oddball prayers.

 

Ahhh... Yes! This makes a tremendous amount of sense. I did not think about it that way. This I can do! I increased it by .5u across the board today and depending on what he does at the +4-+5 (is it possible that his nadir off R is +5, because it sort of seems that way to me - he will go low at +5 from R and then creep up until it is about +7-+8 from Lev) I will then increase again tomorrow night. I cannot be home to monitor in the morning as this remodel at the store if finally kicking off. Big wigs and all the corporate ruckus. I have to be there or no job for me!

 

It gets a bit complicated, but I am hoping this vet in Tulsa will have an answer. She has dealt with this before and mentioned a few medications to get the bladder walls to contract. It is a very weird thing. He will relax and sleep and when he does all of his pee will leak out, so I know he is emptying his bladder. However, he just does not want to actually do it in the box...?? He has had these constant muscle spasms in his rear end ever since he was a kitten. My vet thinks it is simply those nerves malfunctioning and firing off randomly. It has never seemed to hurt him or hinder him, but I am wondering if this is contributing to the issue some, which is why I was considering the Prazosin. I also wonder if something like and anti-anxiety would help him to relax that region even more..?? Questions for the new vet!

I guess the best way to describe it is like @manxcat419 explained to me and that is that it is the closest thing to feline spinal bifida. I had never heard Manx Syndrome likened to that, but it actually is about right. No worries, though.. Pig is a fighter! Always has been! I just thank you for your support and care!

And yes on the privately owned vet practice! That is partially why I will not switch Pig's regular vet as she is co-owner with her friend. Small, experienced, and wonderful. A two hour drive, but worth it every time!