4/4 China PMPS 151,+3 141,+6 91 Starting Cypro!

Yesterday's condo

After doing a little research into Cyproheptadine as an appetite stimulant (and finding it's also an antihistamine) I called China's vet and asked if we could try it since she's still not eating much at all. She has been on Chlor Trimeton awhile for her coughing, so I told Dr. Brady that I'd like to try the Cypro, both for the coughing and to see if it will stimulate her appetite. After assuring her I would only try it for a short time and if China's appetite didn't improve, I'd definitely be bringing her in, she agreed it was worth a try. Instead of yet another trip to Jefferson City (where I've already been twice with DM this week) she's going to call it in to a local pharmacy since it's also a human medication. YEAH!!! 1 mile versus 60 miles (one way)!!

China only ate .3oz of the Nature's Variety Raw this morning, and maybe a teaspoon of FF at +3 and she used to eat about .75-1oz of the NV and up to 2-3tsp of FF per cycle. For the last week, she's not even gotten close to that much food. She's not vomiting, and she doesn't seem to be in any pain, so I'm at a loss as to what's going on with her. She's acting pretty normal in every other way.

Questions...China already got her 2mg of Chlor Trimeton this morning (she's on 2mg 2-3 times/day) and usually gets it at about 8am/8pm (when twice/day). When would it be most beneficial to give her the Cypro? PMPS is at 6pm CDT so a little over 6 1/2 hours from now.

How quickly should I see improvement if it's going to work? Would I expect to see her appetite improve tonight,(if it's OK to give tonight) or only after taking it for several days?

Dr. Brady said she'd have to figure out the dosage, but if I'm remembering right, I think everyone gives about 1/2 a 4mg tab? Or how much? She weighs about 15.5lbs

Thanks for any help, and I'll be letting everyone know if it works! She really doesn't need to gain any more weight (she's a little too "fluffy" as it is) but the drastic change in her appetite has me concerned

Re: 4/4 China AMPS 123,+3 89,+5 69 Starting Cypro!

Oh Chris, I hate it when they don't eat and you don't know why! Good luck with the cypro, I'm glad you can at least be spared the trip for now. I hope that someone can come answer all your questions soon.

And I'm sending some appy and feel good vines to China, just because Eat your fuds, China! Hugs to you guys, and happy Friday!

Re: 4/4 China AMPS 123,+3 89,+5 69 Starting Cypro!

Just my opinion....my vet recommended 1/2 tablet, but after learning stuff here in LL (particularly from Liz, Anne, and Zener who just use a crumb), I used less than 1/4 tablet with my civvie Noah last fall. It took about 20 minutes to kick in; he ate like a charm but didn't go through any crazy personality changes. So, I'd be inclined to "start low, go slow" with it...like I said though, that's just my opinion.

Hopefully others will chime in with their experiences, too!

Re: 4/4 China AMPS 123,+3 89,+5 69 Starting Cypro!

My vet RX'd half a tablet too, but we only use 1/8th or less. At that point you are get dust so it's hard to tell just how much. For most cats it seems to take about half an hour to kick in and make them want to eat. It's usually recommended to give ondansatron as well. That deals w/ nausea which is the usual cause of inappitance. We don't w/ Tess because she eats, just not enough.

Re: 4/4 China AMPS 123,+3 89,+5 69 Starting Cypro!

Hi Chris,

I have never used cypro, but I see you are already getting some good answers. I just hope it improves China's appy and her allergies too. Have a great Friday!

Re: 4/4 China AMPS 123,+3 89,+5 69 Starting Cypro!

I haven't seen any signs of nausea either (or I would have asked for the ondansatron too). She's not lip smacking or vomiting or in any way really showing she doesn't feel well other than not eating!

Have Monday appointments for me and DM so that day is out, but if China's not doing better by Tues/Wednesday or if she gets worse or shows signs of something else going on, I'll take her into the vet for a once over. I would rather not have to do that drive again, but I won't risk her health either.

I have a pill splitter I've been using with the Chlor Trimeton, so I'll try using it on this and see how small I can get it. Maybe start with 1/4 tab? I totally agree that going slower makes more sense too!

Re: 4/4 China AMPS 123,+3 89,+5 69 Starting Cypro!

Hi Chris

I hope your kitty starts eating a bit more!

Re: 4/4 China AMPS 123,+3 89,+5 69 Starting Cypro!

Good luck with the cypro. I hope it helps China's appy get back on track. That's great the vet agreed to call in the prescription to a pharmacy close to you.

Re: 4/4 China AMPS 123,+3 89,+5 69 Starting Cypro!

celebrating with you - one less trip out of town is a good thing!

the thing that would concern me is the underlying reason for her not wanting to eat. if she's not nauseated, could something in her mouth be hurting when she eats? any sores you can see? does her breath smell bad? has she had a dental?

could it be that her blood sugar has dropped and is pretty consistently in good numbers - before she was diabetic did she eat more than she's eating now? i think i'd look at Dr. Lisa's site and figure out the calories she's getting and see if you think that's enough to maintain her weight.

hope the crumb gets her eating back to normal!!

Re: 4/4 China AMPS 123,+3 89,+5 69 Starting Cypro!

I use a razor blade to cut the pill, those little pieces are really hard to cut in the pill cutter.

Re: 4/4 China AMPS 123,+3 89,+5 69 Starting Cypro!

She had a complete dental on 12/19/13. Had 5 teeth extracted. I'm sure hoping she doesn't need another one this soon!

She's been in pretty decent numbers since about 8/13 (the link to her 2013 SS is in my signature) and while she did used to eat a lot more and be really skinny, she'd been pretty consistent in how much she'd been eating until just lately.

She saw the vet on 2/27/14 to be evaluated for the cough she's developed and all her bloodwork came back pretty normal. Here's the 2/28 condo. The only other test was for heartworm and that came back a few days later and was negative.

I wish I knew what was going on with her, but I'm hoping maybe the Cypro will get her going again. I assured the vet that if it didn't I'd be bringing her in for another look. I'll only use the Cypro for a few days and then I'll stop it and see if she will continue to eat or goes back to eating next to nothing.

So far tonight, it seems to have worked though! She ate better than she has in quite awhile.

Recap
AMPS 123
+3 89
+5 69
+7 67
+8 72

PMPS 151

Re: 4/4 China PMPS 151 Starting Cypro!

glad to hear it worked tonight. woot!

and when you palpate her stomach she doesn't act like it hurts? what about her breath?

Re: 4/4 China PMPS 151 Starting Cypro!

Max was getting cyproheptadine when he first became inappetent from pancreatitis. I was also giving him ondansetron. It turned out he needed more ondansetron and when we got the dose right I was able to stop the cypro. While he needs 2mg of ondansetron twice a day, he only needs 1/8 of a 4mg cypro to spark his appetite. It's a drug where it is most effective at the smallest dose that works. It doesn't work for all cats but I am 2 for 2. My CRF/lymphoma kitty was on it until close to the end of her life. I hope it works for you.

Elise

Re: 4/4 China AMPS 123,+3 89,+5 69 Starting Cypro!

Chris & China said:

...She saw the vet on 2/27/14 to be evaluated for the cough she's developed and all her blood work came back pretty normal. ....

Click to expand...

A thought - if the heart isn't working effectively, some fluid can back up into the lungs and trigger cough. If its mild, the vet might not be able to hear anything different, but x-rays or ultrasound might be able to detect it.
And heart failure can trigger a loss of appetite.

Re: 4/4 China PMPS 151,+3 141 Starting Cypro!

If her tummy hurts, she's really good at hiding it! I've been pushing, poking and palpating since this started. Pancreatitis was my first concern since it's so common.

Her breath seems to smell fine too. I haven't tried to really inspect the inside of her mouth, but since I've been using a pill gun to pill her, I get a pretty good look twice a day. I'll try to see if she'll let me get a better look next time

The possibility it's her heart has worried me too, but the vet said her lungs sounded rough when we went in and felt it was probably allergy related asthma which is why we've been on the antihistamine. She's not coughing near as much as she was since we started it. The vet said if it didn't help at all, the next step would be x-rays, but since it has helped (and I've been crazy busy with DM's move and my knee surgery since then), getting her back for another vet check just hasn't been something I've been able to do.

As much as I hate to admit it, money is also an issue. I live on less than $700/month, and that leaves very little for anything. I'm hoping now that the worst of the cold weather is over (and hopefully the $200+ gas bills) I might be able to save up a little, but there's never a lot of money in the house for anything extra. The only way I was able to do the dental was by doing a YouCaring fundraiser. Finding the money for the Cypro, while only $17, means some other bill is going to get shorted this month. My budget is just that tight and I can't ask DM to help more than she's already helping. :sad:

Re: 4/4 China PMPS 151,+3 141 Starting Cypro!

everyone's got to work within their budget, chris - you don't have to apologize for it!! you do a lot for China and she's been doing great. let's hope she just needed to get her appy jump-started!