07/07 J.D. PMPS 466

Yesterday's Condo

Last Night:
497 PMPS
421 +2
353 +2.5
299 +3.25
240 +6.5

J.D. started the morning with a solid poo.
He did not want to eat any Breffis. I gave him his Denamarin and Herbal Medicine. I syringed 10ml of MaxCal. He went out on the deck and threw up a little bit and I saw his herbal medicine in the dollar sized liquid. He then had really wet barely formed diarrhea. I gave him 2 Flagyl and some cypro and onda. That was all in the first hour. At +1, I syringed another 10ml of MaxCal. At +1.5, he ate a couple bites of FF Chunky Turkey, and ate a couple more bites about 15 minutes later.

The acupuncture vet said she heard a heart murmur that was between a 2 and a 3. And she said she heard a galloping heart beat. Vets have off and on said they heard a slight murmur since he was 5 years old.
I put it in the back of my mind. But, yesterday when I was emailing the vet she said to limit his walking, and I replied why, I thought that exercise was good for arthritis and she said but you have to remember his heart.
So, I'm a little freaked out.
And, I gave him cypro this morning. I need to give him cypro when he doesn't eat.. right? when I go to work?
And, she said to try sardines. So, I bought a tin of sardines in water (no salt added), but I bet they are still salty and he pretty much just drank the juice. If he needs to be on a low sodium diet, then I don't think sardines would be that good for him.

J.D. is out on the deck. It's time to try to get him to eat some more.

Vines, support, hugs, guidance, suggestions, experience, are all welcome.

I wonder if I should try to get him into his regular vet today for his blood work, that is scheduled for two weeks from now, to check on his anemia.

Re: 07/07 J.D. AMPS 464, +1 533 Heart Murmur ?

He just ate over 1/4 can (his normal meal size) of FF, so that's good.

I thought I gave him Flagyl, but I just found it all wrapped up in a pill pocket. I must have hesitated, as I forgot to give him his Orbax last night and don't want to give Orbax to him in the mornings. It's a once a day pill, and would rather give it to him at night as I have been. He has 4 Orbax pills left. I didn't know if I should give him both Flagyl and Orbax, and if skipping 24 hours of the Orbax is okay. I'm just confused and don't know.

I think I'll take him for a short walk.

Re: 07/07 J.D. AMPS 464, +1 533 Heart Murmur ?

I'm sorry I don't know the answer about either the murmur or the pills...but I do want to send along tons of vines and prayers! I would definitely dig a little deeper about the murmur...does the acupuncture vetty think he should have an echo done?

I'm glad J.D. has eaten well this morning!

Re: 07/07 J.D. AMPS 464, +1 533 Heart Murmur ?

Amy&TrixieCat said:

I'm sorry I don't know the answer about either the murmur or the pills...but I do want to send along tons of vines and prayers! I would definitely dig a little deeper about the murmur...does the acupuncture vetty think he should have an echo done?

I'm glad J.D. has eaten well this morning!

Click to expand...

That's the thing.. He hasn't eaten that well. I syringed 10ml of MaxCal twice. He ate some FF Chunky Turkey, and I just got him to eat a couple bites of MC, and he ate the MC a little reluctantly which is weird.

His last (only) electrocardiogram was last January (18 months ago) for his dental and all was fine according to the cardiologist.

I made an appointment for his regular vet at 3:45pm today for his blood work and to discuss the murmur.

He just dove. Why does he dive? And not eating doesn't help.

Re: 07/07 J.D. AMPS 464, +1 533, +2.5 266 Heart Murmur ?

I'm sorry I read that wrong...I thought his appy started to pick up. Sending tons of good vetty vines for this afternoon! And level it off and surf for MamaBean, J.D.!!

Re: 07/07 J.D. AMPS 464, +1 533, +2.5 266 Heart Murmur ?

Hi Dyana,
I know that J.D. enjoys his walks and I would certainly check with your regular vet before limiting his walking. Is it possible that the galloping heartbeat could have been owing to the acupuncture itself? (stress of the needles??) (cats have naturally fast heartbeats in any event)

All I know about Flagyl and Orbax is that they are both antibiotics. I have no idea whether or not it is safe to administer 2 different antibiotics at the same time. A probiotic or some yogurt with active cultures will help his body to cope with the effect the antibiotics have on the digestive system.

If you can get J.D. to his regular vet today, I think it would take away much of your own stress. Write down all the things you want to know about. Sending tons of healing vines to your boy.

Hugs, scritches,

Ella & Rusty

Re: 07/07 J.D. +1 533, +2.5 266, +3 261 Heart Murmur ?

Thank you for the vines and hugs and scritches.

J.D. ate a little more MC and then a bite or two of LC at +3.

I'll ask his regular vet about the walking too.

If he wasn't diving, I could fast him for the next 6 hours and get a Spec FPL done. We'll see. Maybe, he'll surf.

Re: 07/07 J.D. +1 533, +2.5 266, +4 170 Heart Murmur ?

Max has had a heart murmur since he was about 5 as well. His original US said it was benign. In April my bet thought it sounded stronger so he sent me to a cardiologist. She did an echo and said his murmur was benign and no further appointments would be needed. His diet and activity were to remain the same. His murmur is the type that sounds stronger when stressed. The ehco and appointment cost me about $695 but I am so glad I did it. I no longer need to worry about his heart. If it was something he would have gotten the treatment that he needed.

I'm sending vines to JD to feel better.

Re: 07/07 J.D. +1 533, +2.5 266, +4 170, +4.5 142 Heart Murm

Thanks for sharing. I hope J.D.'s is fine. His last echocardiogram was fine when he got his dental.

He was 142 at +4.5. He ate a little FF and a few cat treats. I am hoping to fast him the rest of the day, but don't know if I can. He did get cypro this morning, so it may be unfair to him.
His last food was at 10:45am and his appointment is at 3:45pm. So, she might do the Spec fPL.
It would be good to know if he has pancreatitis or not.

Re: 07/07 J.D. +1 533, +2.5 266, +4 170 Heart Murmur ?

Dyana,
Sending many feel better vines, good appy vines and healthy poo vines for J.D.
And big hugs to you. :YMHUG:

Lucy isn't feeling/eating well either, so I feel you pain.

There was one time the vet mentioned a galloping heart beat on Lucy.
Before we did a dental in April, I asked the vet if I should see a cardiologist to investigate it further.
She said it was up to me, but if Lucy was her cat, she wouldn't feel the need because it was just that one time out of many many times she listened to her heart.
She said many cats have a galloping heart beat at the vet because they are stressed and scared.
She told me of an example. She was listening to this cat's heart, and a tech just walked by, and the cat had a skipped heart beat.
So something as little as that could cause it.
She said there are things that U/S can miss but X-rays can catch, and vice versa.
So at that time, after discussing with the vet, I decided to do at least a chest X-ray, so if her heart looks abnormal, like enlarged or something, then I can do more about it.
Her heart looked completely normal, so I didn't do anything else about it.
But at that time, after this conversation with the vet, I was going to buy a stethoscope so I can listen to her heart at home when she's relaxed and as often as I like.
I thought I could also listen to her lung if it's wheezy.
But I completely forgot about that until today. I think I'll look into it again.

About the antibiotic, when she wasn't doing well and saw the vet in April, we did a b/w, but the vet put her on Metronidazole before the results because she had a poo issue.
When the b/w came back with really high liver values, they vet put her on another antibiotic called Zeniquin.
I asked the vet if I should stop Metronidazole, and he said, No, two antibiotics can work really well.
So she was on both antibiotics for a several days. I don't know about Orbax.... maybe it depends on the target bacteria of different antibiotics.

Good luck with the vet visit.
I hope both our kitties will be feeling better later today.

Re: 07/07 J.D. +4 170, +5.75 135 Heart Murmur ?

Thank you for sharing Mariko. I really appreciate it. I hope both our kitties are feeling better and eating better real soon.

I think J.D. is hungry, but I am going to try not to feed him. It's only 3 and 1/2 more hours before we leave for the vet.

Re: 07/07 J.D. +4 170, +5.75 135 Heart Murmur ?

Good luck with the vet visit. I bet it is p'itis. Since you had the echo recently, I assume the murmur is a benign one as well. If they saw anything suspect they would have you consult with a cardiologist. When benign, the staging can vary and doesn't mean anything. It also will not get worse although it may appear stronger at times but is all normal. That is good news!!

Re: 07/07 J.D. +6.5 151, +8.5 185 Heart Murmur ?

J.D. was so hungry and following me everywhere. Especially to the refrigerator.
My friend brought over cheese steak sandwiches for lunch and I had to lock J.D. in the bedroom. When we were done and the food was put away, I let J.D. out and he was right there next to us hanging around wondering where the food he smelled was.

We're off in 10 minutes. I'm bringing a can of food and a plastic spoon to feed him as soon as the blood is drawn. I know how it feels to fast before a blood test. I've never done it after having an appetite stimulant though. Poor guy.

Wish us luck with the blood work.

Re: 07/07 J.D. +6.5 151, +8.5 185 Heart Murmur ?

Sending lots and lots of good vetty vines, and appy vines and any other vines J.D. needs! Hugs to the bean, too. :YMHUG:

My civvie Minka has a murmer. She's hyperthyroid, so I was really concerned, but her vet said it's benign and they just keep an eye on it. She also is frequently given two antibiotics at the same time. We just came home yesterday with Zeniquin and Clavamox.

I hope you get all your questions answered, and that J.D. feels better soon.

Re: 07/07 J.D. +6.5 151, +8.5 185 Heart Murmur ?

Not to dismiss a galloping heartbeat, but Buster has had that ever since he came to live with us at about 1.5 yrs old. He's now about 15 and has never had any issues as far as that's concerned. I know a murmur is different, and I think a little more concerning. I hope it doesn't affect J.D. Sending more happy appy vines your way!

Re: 07/07 J.D. +6.5 151, +8.5 185 Heart Murmur ?

Oliver has a heart murmur that is benign. Snugs, however, has a fairly serious heart condition, He is at risk for congestive heart failure and takes medication for it.

I don't want to scare you, but Snugs had an echo cardiogram before surgery for parathyroid carcinoma and everything was fine. He then went through 6 rounds of chemotherapy and he got a fairly thorough physical exam before each chemo treatment. When I took him in for his last treatment, the oncologist heard a galloping heartbeat and had him seen by the cardiologist who is part of this specialist practice. So, within 6 months he went from a normal heart to a high risk of CHF. It's possible that the chemo damaged his heart, but the cardiologist said his heart did not look like a heart that had been damaged by chemo.

Anyway, their hearts can change quickly. This was the first time anyone heard a galloping heartbeat in Snugs and it turned out to be serious. This all happened a year and a half ago, and, so far, Snugs has done well on the medication.

Cardiologists are expensive, but, if you can afford it, I would take J.D. to one. I have had several cats with heart conditions and they have all responded well to medication.

Re: 07/07 J.D. +10.25 (at vet) 219 - we're back

J.D. got blood pressure first, and the vet said it was good. I'll get the written report with his blood work results tomorrow. I got the full work up including the thyroid T4, and I got a Spec fPL. His heart rate was 140 which the vet said is excellent for being at the vet, and she said his murmur was just slight and less than a 1 on the 1 to 6 scale and his heart went thump thump not thump thump thump thump like a horse so she said there was no galloping. Whew, that made me feel better. She said maybe it was because of the new vet and car ride to in strange direction and new vet office and all that. We decided against a Cobalamin which I think requires a longer fast anyway, although he's had the cobalamin/folate tests before with no fasting, and she didn't think he needed a urinalysis.
She said he was hydrated. I told her about his fluctuations in BGs and she said that could be why he has the hind end weakness? She said all else I could do was TID, which I said would be real hard for my schedule.
She said I could give the Flagyl if needed while on Orbax, and that accidently missing last night's dose of Orbax was okay ..things happen.

She said he's a great cat and I'm doing a good job with him.

I brought a can of food with me, and he ate a bite in his carrier as I sat on the waiting room floor waiting to pay and he ate a couple bites when we got home.

I think I'm going to go for a swim.
The blood work will be back tomorrow and the Spec fPL in about half a week, she said.

Re: 07/07 J.D. +10.25 (at vet) 219 - we're back

Hi Dyana. I hope that you got some answers at the vet and that J.D. was able to get some food in his tummy and he is all nice and happy by now.

I also hope that you saved him a little of the steak sammie.....I know how much J.D. enjoys his steak!

You asked me the other day how Molly handled the fire works.....well, not well at all. Unfortunately the neighbors shot off fireworks not just Friday, but also Saturday and Sunday nights as well. Poor girl was horrified and the thunder shirt did not work well at all. I had to sit with her in the bathroom, with the ceiling fan on, the lights on, and a radio on to help drown out the booms. That seemed to work, however, she would not stay in the bathroom by herself.

Re: 07/07 J.D. +10.25 (at vet) 219 - we're back

This is really good news. I'm glad she didn't hear the gallop. Hopefully, he was just stressed. When Snugs had the galloping heart beat, the oncologist did ask me if he seemed unusually stressed on the way to his appointment, so, apparently stress can cause the gallop.

Re: 07/07 J.D. +10.25 (at vet) 219 - we're back

Poor Molly. I think she needs ear muffs too.

Re: 07/07 J.D. +10.25 (at vet) 219 - we're back

That's good news about the heart murmur. I'm glad you got an answer on the meds. I hope you get good b/w results back. Sending good appy vines for J.D. :YMHUG: :YMHUG:

Re: 07/07 J.D. +10.25 (at vet) 219 - we're back

Great report. Now you can put the murmur out of your mind. Isn't that nice? What is TID?

Re: 07/07 J.D. +10.25 (at vet) 219 - we're back

What is TID?

Click to expand...

I think that's the code for three times a day or every 8 hours.
The only way I could do that is if we got lunch hours at work, and it's a 25 minute drive each way, so not much time for testing and making sure he eats after his shot, if I could pull it off. Nobody at my office takes a lunch hour.

Oh, this cat. I brought out the R but I didn't give him any, because of the way he dives without it.
I gave him 1/4 cypro at +11.5 and he ate a full dinner.

Now, I am going swimming, as soon as I find Ginger.

No diving JD, let's try sliding tonight. Good vetty report today - sending vines for good b/w tomorrow. I guess the vet didn't think there'd be any problems with walking JD? Neko has a heart murmur too and I wasn't told anything about not walking. Her murmur is about the same every time her main vetty tests it, though quieter when the acupuncture vetty checked her out.

Enjoy your swim, sounds like it's warm there.

Hi Dyana,
We are very happy to hear this encouraging news. Have a great evening and enjoy your swim.

Hugs and scritches,

Ella & Rusty