Pig 7/26 pmps 315 **Holy Moly! What a couple of days!**

Yesterday's

First of all, let me apologize for my absence the past couple of days. They have been a whirlwind and just when I thought it could not get any windier.

Well, for starters... We began the week at 16uL (down from 59uL) and it looks like we will be ending out the week at a meager 12uL! Guys.. That is 12uL down from 59uL! In less than 3 months! That is a 47u drop! Pig.. The flipping Rockstar miracle kitty!

Although, the past few days have been a bit sketchy and to be honest, I was getting really freaked out. So, let me tell you a story of Pig. Grab your popcorn because this is a doozy.

So, Monday afternoon I am getting dressed for work and had just stepped out of the shower. I have this obsessive need to check on the boys every little while (@Wendy&Neko I am getting better at hovering, but not by much ), so I went to check them as soon as I got out of the shower. Besides, they were being far to quiet. I round the corner into, that's right, you guessed it, the kitchen... And, guess what I see?

I promise with everything I have that I have not had a house plant in 11.5 years, ever since I adopted the Pig man because I quickly learned nothing was safe. Well, as I round the corner I see a pile of clear, frothy vomit with speckles of potting soil in it. Oh dear god... What had I done!?! My friend has literally just, just brought this plant to me, not knowing the 'rule'. I absently set it in the window sill above the sink thinking, surely he won't get up there. Oh my goodness, did he ever get up there. Now, I call myself lucky because I really have no idea what kind of plant she brought me and all he did was lap up the soil. But, big hunks of fibrous soil. The precise opposite of what he needed to be eating. By the looks of it, he had thrown it all up.

I immediately relocated the plant (through the air) outside.. Wipe my brow, because crisis averted, right? Flipping wrong. He got more and more lethargic and poopy all day long, even refusing food once! Needless to say I was freaking out because, financially, I am tapped right now with not a lot of options. I have spent well over 10 grand in 3 months on medical care and well, I'm tapped. By the time I returned home from work (don't worry, Mike was here - he was never left alone) he was feeling a bit more spunky and hungry, but protective of his belly.

He kept going to the box and trying to pee? poo? It was hard to tell because, really, he was doing it all from a hunched and protected position. He managed to squeeze out a bit of poo and it looked totally normal, so I was not too worried, but thought "okay, maybe the fibrous dirt clogged him up". And, ironically, through all this his numbers were dropping and FAST! They spiked up right after it happened and then began to tank.

Okay, well so then I respond and up his ML and give a dose of Lactulose because Pig and fibers do NOT mix (@eightkitties). After meal and shot he was really getting lethargic and I was freaking. Then I hear this squelching noise and look over and he had released the flood and a small chunk of soft, tissuey mulch? wood? Whatever they put in potting soil.. Along with a ton of dirt. Immediately he perks up, but is still a little puny. But.... and get this. He just pooped out a stick and this boy gets up and walks into the kitchen and starts yowling for food... What!?

The most stressful was not to pass just yet, because it gets better. I get trapped at work due to a death in the family of a coworker and miss his first shot in a whole year. On this day, the day he ate a stick.. So, stressful enough.. Then I get home to realize that he has not peed in something like 15 hours... But, this went on and on and on. I actually will need to call and cancel an ER appoint with the vet because I really thought I was going to have to cath him.. Finally, after a dose of Ace (I finally gave in and he was fine), Prazo, 25mg increase in Gaba, and a round of Rescue Remedy to calm him has decided he feels better and can now pee. And he has done so 3 times in 3 hours!

Moral of the story? Don't eat dirt. Or, don't have house plants with cats...

How much have I slept in the past 48 hours? None. Seriously. None. And it is finals week.

The real moral of the story? Find a better way to deal with nausea induced pica.. or better predict and read his signs. This is becoming a scary trend.

 

I'm glad Pig is okay. How scary.

 

bumping above the spam

 

I'm glad Pig will be all right. Cats don't learn!

 

Yikes

 

Can't feel good to poop a stick

 

Awh haha this quote made me giggle. I am so sorry you have had to deal with that... I would have been so scared. I am happy that he is feeling better though now and able to pee. I saw you mentioned Rescue Remedy. Wendy has mentioned this as well and I was wondering about it - do you use it in replacement of Gabapetin? I see its more "natural". What are you in school for? I cannot imagine being in school on top of everything else!! I hope Pig continues to do well today.

 

I can't even imagine how freaked you must have been! Bad kitty! So glad he's ok though. He really suits his name doesn't he?

 

pooped out a stick

 

Thank you! I swear, he the toughest guy I know. I was pretty freaked out, but more so about him not peeing. I know how to make him poo, but nothing about how to make him pee!

 

Thank you!

 

Thank you! And, no. No they do not. This boy is sort of like a toddler. There was one time I had to pull the 1 inch tail of his favorite mouth from the back of his throat because he was for real trying to eat it. The poor stuffed body of the thing was just dangling from the corner of his mouth while he was chewing and chewing on the cloth tail. Apparently, he does not get enough to eat..

 

I can't imagine so. I actually felt of it and it was very soft and pliable or else we would have been going in to check for internal injuries. I have been stalking his poos as well and there is no sign of internal bleeding or blockage at this point, so he is a very, very lucky guy.

 

OMG a stick!!!!! So glad that didn't create damage.

 

That poor plant.. I am actually a little bummed because I was finally able to get my hands on some good, quality catnip seeds and was looking to grow them. But, if all he is going to do is eat a pot full of dirt...

I am not going to lie. I was pretty frightened. I understand a lot about Pig, but am really just learning this bladder thing. However, I am learning a lot! And days like the past two allow me to gather some very valuable data and insight, despite how terrifying they are. For example, I learned that Pig may just need a more aggressive pain management system in place than just Gaba and that an actual anti-anxiety may also help him to urinate more. Things to discuss with my vet, but I have a few ideas up my sleeve already.

Rescue Remedy is a great product and you can get it at Chewy.com here... You can get it other places, but you have to make sure it is the one especially formulated for pets because it is made with no alcohol.


No. It should not be used in place of Gabapentin. Gaba is used as a relaxant and sedative in kitties because it does have a large margin of safety. In Pig and a lot more kittehs, besides, it is used for pain management. RR cannot do that. Gaba is actually an anti-epileptic drug that also has the ability to treat certain types of neuropathic pain. So, it is a nerve pain pill. The RR cannot replace that, but it can compliment it in times of stress.

I am well over 3/4 of the way done with an English degree with a concentration in writing and a Minor in Religion. Books and Cats and Learning are my life.

Thank you so much for the well wishes! I imagine you have your mind and plate pretty full right now! But, I will say this. I went through the same sort of fear about my choice to take Pig to WSU, but both @Wendy&Neko and @JeffJ really helped me to see that it really was the best course of action. You are doing what is right and best for him. You are an excellent Momma Beans. This Acro thing is a complicated matter and it has a HUGE learning curve, but we all just learn to do what we must!

Hey... @Wendy&Neko do you have the shareable link to "Traveling with Diabetic Kitties"? Mine will not let me share... Amanda, this file helped me in more ways than one on our journey! Watch the second video (I believe) (Day 2 of Pig's Fantabulous Journey) because it shows all the inside prep work and kits I made for traveling. The hardest part, loading and unloading it all into the car day in and day out...

 

Poor Pig, his Mom is starving him to death so much that he has now resorted to eating plants. Blech.

Just about anything is fair game here. Little Dude is eating the cicadas that are emerging this month. I just found the front half of one, so we know what happened with the abdomen part. Double Blech.

The little doglets are the worst. She really should muzzle them when they go out back. They eat every bug they can find, and most of them end up in a barf pile. Yeah, so much fun.

Below, was late June. That plant is now outside.

 

In every single way! Thank you! He is a brand new kitty this morning! I swear, a trooper and a soldier this one is!

 

I count us (or him!) very lucky, indeed. It was pretty soft in the soil, so I imagine by the time his tummy softened it up some more it was passable. Thank God! It was about 3/4 inches long, but super pliable when it came out. He was very blessed. I have been monitoring his stools for any sign of internal damage, but with his behavior he seems fine. However, Pig is a tough dude and rarely shows signs of discomfort. He does, but they are subtle and to someone who doesn't know him... That's why most think I am crazy! But, the last time he acted all weird to me and everyone else said I was being paranoid, he was hospitalized with a severe bladder infection and dx with diabetes. I know my kitty.

Thank you! I am over the moon with how fast he as recovered from this! Such a trooper!

 

For real, right!? This guy would eat 16oz a day or more if I let him. I was just blown away by how fast he turned around. Literally, he was very lethargic and puny feeling... Then he pooed out that bit of mulch and without missing a second, jumped up and ran to the kitchen, yowling for more food the whole way...

Today, he is acting just like Pig. Like nothing ever happened. I am pretty sure my heart lost about a years worth of beats over this one... I have had enough adventures for a while. He literally just recouped from the colitis.

AWWW!! I am loving this pic of Chinus! We hardly get to see her, but she is soooooo gorgeous!

 

Sheesh. So, Pig was sleeping in the closet on one side of the house... My kitchen is the farthest distance from said closet. I checked on him and went to "quietly" get him a small snack to eat in bed. I open the fridge... Slip out the RadCat.. Start to pop the lid.... and here comes the jingle of a collar... Guess breakfast in bed is not what he wanted.. lol.

 

Think hanging plant. Neko destroyed the catnip in a pot on the window sill. But it was safe hanging from the ceiling and I could serve it in my time frame. Though I have had a cat try to plot a path up to it. Thank goodness Pig seems to have gotten rid of what distressed his insides.

You are now shooting 94 units of less insulin a day, if his dose had stayed at 59 bid. Do the math, you are saving quite a bit of money daily now. Not only is it better for the cat, the SRT will eventually pay for most of itself (I hope).

Speaking of dose, good luck sticking to the same one for at least six cycles. Darn depot sure confuses things.

Gaba by itself wasn't enough for Neko, we had to go to buprenorphine twice daily. Made a huge difference for her. I got it compounded in chicken flavour.

 

Levemir Cost Analysis - pre SRT and now
for Leo and Pig

LEO
$144 / month - pre-SRT= 40 units x 30 days x 0.12
$18 / month - post-SRT= 5 units x 30 days x 0.12

PIG
$425 / month - pre-SRT= 118 units x 30 days x 0.12
$101/month - post-SRT = 28 units x 30 days x 0.12

Levemir used
Leo
- 40 units/day before
- 5 units/day, 22 months later

Pig
- 118 units/day before
- 28 units/day, 3 months later

Levemir cost
$180 - 1500 units Levemir - 5 pens, 300 units each
= $0.12 per unit (12 cents/unit)

 

Lol, I think you needed the Rescue Remedy (maybe with the alcohol added back in!) more than Pig did! Seriously, though, I'm really glad he's okay.
My civvie Candy has pica, she eats all sorts of weird things and I always have to worry about whether or not they'll exit the other end, and what condition her insides will be in. I've done the quick retrieval of the almost-swallowed object, too; scary. And no, they don't learn!

 

Pig, no! They're not making this easy are they? Seriously though, I'm glad he's fine. Animals are incredibly resilient.

 

Wah! Post of the FDMB year perhaps.

 

Why does Pig wish to eat soil?
I mean , it is good to be an individual but dirt?
Does it smell great to him or summat?

 

Sometimes Pica means they are deficit in a mineral.

 

LOL I loved this line.
I think I saw somewhere that she mentioned he has pica, which just means they are obsessed with something abnormal. Like my Shmee, he has pica for plastic bags its horrible, he eats them. Even if left alone for a few seconds with one there will be multiple holes hes eaten. Everyone knows when they come to my house all plastic bags have to go up in the cupboard immediately. He will RUN to it if its in the house. I just learned about pica a few months ago, its so weird!

 

OMG! That Pig keeps you on your toes, doesn't he! And I thought I had a wild thang Glad he's better! No more dirt, Pig!

 

This is an excellent idea!

It is actually pretty close already. If he were still at the 59u then that would have meant $425 a month, per @JeffJ calculations. At $425 x 3 = $1,275 and then minus the box I bought after we got back $1,275 - $180= $1,095... So, over half the costs recouped already! At least what I have saved so far I can apply to his new found hobbies. I am not counting the trip because, well, that was just vacation!

Yeah, this depot is getting the better of things sometimes. From the looks of it and depending where he goes in the next 2 cycles, he might need to be brought back up to 14u. Looking like the residual from 18 & 16u are what carried the brunt of the 14u hypo... *sigh* Well, no matter. 14u is still a far cry from 59u!

I have long suspected pain was an issue when addressing the LB usage. It is not hard to spot from his behavior. As in, he will step partially in and 'think' about what he wants to do next and it always takes a bit for him to fully squat almost like an arthritic old man. I said as much to my vet and she said while that may be part of it, it would not be enough to keep him from it. I tend to disagree with that a bit. That is why I switched to the Senior Care litter over a year ago and I actually saw a huge improvement in LB habits almost immediately. Also, he is more apt to use the box when all the litter has been scooted to the outer edges and he does not have to finagle those slippery crystals. He will just back up to the litter and do his thing from the safety of solid ground. I saw him pee far more readily on the increased Gaba dose, but he is pretty maxed out on dosage with the 50mg dose.

 

Yes, Schmee eating plastic bags is can definitely be termed as a form of Pica. However, its a bit different with plastic as there is a base chain polymer that a lot of plastics are made from (think Ziploc and shopping bags) that a lot of cats are attracted to. Pica is sort of an abnormal obsession with eating weird things and in a lot of humans it is classified as an eating disorder. However, sometimes it can be attributed to a lack of certain nutrients or in Pig's case, random bouts of nausea.

But, @JanetNJ is right that Pica can also signal a mineral deficiency. Actually, that was how I pin-pointed Pig's B12 deficiency because he suddenly started displaying an almost obsessive case of coprophagia. That was many moons ago, though. As soon as I began to supplement with cyano B12 the behavior stopped. I believe in humans, the behavior has to persist for more than 30 days to be dx a disorder. In case you were curious... Here is a great piece I found about Pica in our felines from icatcare.org:

I found it interesting!

 

I cannot imagine dealing with this on the daily! It actually terrifies me quite a bit... How do you manage it with Candy?? With Pig, if I stop the nausea, then that behavior stops. But, I can't give him cerenia all the time and I would like to find a way to manage it. Its never so bad that he looses his appetite (well only one time after the dirt thing), but I feel like he manages the nausea differently. As in, he searches for things to quell that tummy.

 

It was my fault, really... I was trying to do overdo the Cerenia and I saw the signs of him getting a bit nauseous the night before (ie. drinking lots of water and smacking his lips), but decided to wait out the dose until the a.m. cycle...

Well, I waited a little too long and he found something he thought would settle his tummy. He will do this, like lick plastic and try to eat the litter crystals.. He has never been quite this bad before and I have to imagine that it has to do with some of the meds he is on. I have tried to spread them out as much as possible, but their are some like the prokinetic drugs and anti-spasmodic that need to be given around the same time to achieve the full effects of each other... He will settle down once I maintain consistency for a while. As in, no more add ins or anything to his diet.

 

Yes, yes he does.. Pig is very independent and strong willed. He is spoiled like that. When he was little, he traveled the country side with me for work and I tried to expose him to as many situations as I could so he would not be afraid of things. Pig is a chest puffer... He walks like he is worth a million bucks! But, here is a little secret and don't tell him... He is worth so much more than a few measly million dollars...

 

I thought of this pic when I read your story...I laughed out loud when I read that...sorry..I know it's not funny..poor pig...but really...they think they're indestrucat-able...

 

Candy does it all the time. There really is no managing it, I just have to watch her like a hawk. Her favorite thing to eat is plastic, in any form. She is also addicted to licking plastic bags, especially when she is hungry. She was a rescue from a very bad cat-hoarding situation; I got her at about 11 months and she's always done tis. I think it probably stems from her rough start in life. She also never has a big appetite and is quite picky about what foods she will eat! She has IBD, the first two years I had her was nothing but constant diarrhea, to the point that I thought it was going to kill her. So finding foods she will eat that won't trigger a flare of her IBD can be a nightmare!

 

Do you give him probiotics?

 

I do... He gets a 30 Bil CFU alongside prebiotics and I never make fast changes. He eats raw and does marvelously on it. But, like Candy, he has always had a thing for plastic bags and especially when he is hungry. He also has IBD and has had constant diarrhea his whole life! Soooo, maybe there is something there..?? @Squalliesmom

 

Wow, sure sounds like it! What do you do for the diarrhea? The only thing that finally stopped Candy's was s. boulardii in conjunction with SEB (and, of course, finding a food she could eat). Luckily, she hardly ever has flares now, and I can usually stop them almost immediately with the S.boulardii and SEB.

 

Leo has some arthritis too. He is not yet getting bupe, but that could be soon. Amazingly if a dog kibble falls on the ground, Leo's arthritis magically disappears as he runs to get it.

 

Spontaneous picture of cuteness - Little Dude, Theresa, and Trinket

 

I actually do not try to stop his diarrhea. I was going to attempt the S. boulardii, but did not. Pig is different than most, though. He is a Manx and what is considered a 'rumpy riser'. What this means is that he has not tail. Actually, his spinal column stops at his hip joint. Basically, this is considered a sacral spinal deformity or rather, the closest thing to spinal bifida that is seen in cats. (thanks to @manxcat419 for helping me understand this better! ) What all of this means is that Pig is, for all intents, neurologically compromised in regards to digestive and urinary function.
In fact, even the softest of poos can seem like a constipated BM for him. Needless to say, I keep his poos a little softer. Now, the raw and other things I do help to keep it formed to some degree, just soft. When he was on canned food it was like water. Not to mention, it always smelled exactly liked whatever the canned smelled like, which told me he was suffering malabsorption issues. I always suspected IBD or Pig's closest version, but it was not until we got the US at WSU that I knew he was on his way in that direction.

For now, I give a 30 BIL CFU, prebiotics / digestive enzymes, and EZ Egg coupled with a few prescriptions to help his form and motility.

There is a fabulous raw feeding group on FB. Not sure if you are a member...

 

This made me laugh. That is Pig. He doesn't want to be on those back legs, but let food come out and all of that is forgotten. I know he can use them and they are still strong. He jumps on top of the counters all the time! Even all the way to the top of the water heater just the other day

 

I love this picture! Theresa is very beautiful and you are a very lucky man!! To have such an amazing wife and all those great kittehs! And one puppers, besides!

 

I am familiar with the Manx spinal deformity, sorry Pig suffers from it. I am a member of the raw feeding group, I had great plans to start all my guys on raw but it kind of fizzled out when I realized it would cost even more than I was currently spending. Still haven't gotten a grinder...But I have a friend in the UK who is an avid and very active member member!

 

Does your Mother know you talk like this?
Are you sure you are not studying to become a vet or medical specialist?