09/07 Shmee AMBG 227, +3 109, +6 63, +8 82, PMBG 122, photos

Amanda & Shmee

Amanda & Shmee

Very Active Member
Previous condo

Hi L&L,
Since its so late and I have a lot of replies I am just going to start his 09/07 condo before I go to bed :p
Thank you all SO MUCH :bighug::bighug::bighug:
Attached is a photo of Shmee and DH before bed :)


Mandy & Rex said:
Have you tried Pill Pockets? My civvie used to get his thyroid supplements wrapped in a piece of Pill Pocket. No fail, he was always waiting for me at the dosing times (6 AM/PM). He loved them!!
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I went to go do this today and realized we don't have pill pockets anymore! I could have swore I had some. I think I gave them away because a while ago I was giving them to him every day and it was skyrocketing his sugar. I should have kept a few for the future.

Olive & Paula said:
How much gabapentin are you giving? I give Olive 12.5 mg every 12 hrs. She's not groggy but was never active much anyways. She is definitely more comfortable. I've read from others that the grogginess lifts as they get use to it if given consistently. I have not used bupre on her but did on previous kitty Smokey. He was on bupre, a low dose daily and he did find with it.
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Phoebes said:
Phoebes Gaba comes in a capsule, it's a 100mg capsule. I divide it in half and put it in a #4 gel cap. I feel like a drug dealer cutting the dope. Lol. It made Phoebe groggy in the beginning. Now she's 10 foot tall and bulletproof. She also gets bupe compounded into gel, we rub it in her ear. That makes her a little sleepy but she gets around better with it.
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@Olive & Paula Only 12! Omg Shmee's Gaba is 100 mg! :eek::nailbiting: I am definitely trying half tomorrow. Maybe less?
@Phoebes Ok I am glad I am not the only one with a 100mg pill - I am going to do the same and try half the pill tomorrow.

Ana & Frosty said:
This makes me think that he is having mouth pain rather than stomach pain. Even if there is no infection it may still be uncomfortable just because it's still fresh, and may explain the not eating. I would keep an eye on that, and maybe let dr. McCue know if it doesn't get better or worsens. My non diabetic Bella had an infection in her mouth a year or so ago and was drooling a lot. After antibiotics it stopped.
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I appreciate your explanation of the drugs!
And this makes sense about his mouth possibly being in pain. I did tell Dr. McCue about the drooling, I believe. I will have to go back in my texts and be sure I did. He always asks for updates, which is really nice. When I took him to the vet he talked to vet even though he was out of the hospital for a family issue :(. He is dedicated that's for sure. I will keep an eye on the drooling, and be sure to update Dr. McCue if it doesn't get better. Thank you for all of this!! I am going to check his mouth again tomorrow to be sure, because I did check his mouth and so did my vet yesterday, and the stiches looked good (so weird to see them in there btw). But I really only saw about a half inch, Dr. McCue said it is 1.5 inches long. I will do a good check tomorrow when he is on the Gaba.

Wendy&Neko said:
If you can, try feeding him a small snack at +8-9 each cycle to see if you can get that pancreas to lower the PS values. Let's call this a food trial, without insulin for now, unless he goes a lot higher. Shouldn't have much depot now. :cool:
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This is interesting! Forgive my ignorance - I thought feeding them makes their numbers go up? Why would giving him a snack make his numbers level out and not go up?

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Catacular said:
I hope you are mostly through the rough patch, Amanda & Shmee! :bighug: Post-surgery's rough for humans and kitties... ​
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Thank you and I love your profile photo - how cute! Is that a big cat she's laying on?​
 

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Oh yes and going to sleep makes me very nervous since he is falling..... but I will take all of your advice and try to get some sleep, since he isn't on insulin and should be ok.
 
@Amanda & Shmee if you are going to reduce the gab I think but not sure you need to do it gradually. I would cut one dose in half and leave the others as is (if more than twice a day) and do it for a few days. Then next dose cut in half and do that a few days and so on. Does that make sense? She still fresh from surgery, you don't want her uncomfortable.
 
Amanda & Shmee said:
I thought feeding them makes their numbers go up? Why would giving him a snack make his numbers level out and not go up?
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Feeding them triggers the pancreas to produce it's own insulin. Acros can have a working pancreas, whereas type 2 diabetic cats do not until it gets healed enough. If you give the snack a few hours before testing, it gives time for the natural insulin to be produced and lower the numbers. See how he went down a couple hours after breakfast today? One hour might still show a food influence.

Love the pic with DH.
 
Another yellow this morning, so odd.
He also didn't really want to eat again. He has been eating SO good, TOO good really... eating every bite at every meal, but today and yesterday he seems to be getting back to his picky self... or something else, possibly the mouth pain like Ana suggested? Not sure. I did notice the meals he wouldn't eat as much were PMBG and AMBG, so maybe its the meds.... He has been eating it fine though before! Before we didn't have the Gaba in the picture though... Ugh. If I am going to be giving him half, I think I need those empty pill containers, but by the time I order and receive them he (hopefully) wont need the Gaba anymore... At PMBG last night I said he didn't eat much and it had his meds (not the Gaba though, I should have given him more of this), well he did end up eating all of it by +2 or +3, so he did go back and finish. This morning, he has eaten about half his food so far. He better go back and eat the rest by at least +3... his meds are in there. And I ended up giving him 1/2 the Gaba in the food, I read this after the fact. But my vet did say in passing that if he was too out of it I could split the pill up, so hopefully 1/2 is fine. I wish I would have given him Gaba last night at PMBG.... that would have been the 12 hour mark, I don't really know why I didn't. Because I can tell he isn't feeling as great this morning... I wanted to put him on my lap for work and he didn't want me picking him up again this morning :( Although hes laying on me now and hes fine, so I tried to just touch his abdomen again while he is on me and he does not meow. So I am thinking Ana could be right, and maybe he just doesn't want to be picked up for another reason. As I am typing this out I am realizing I should just leave him alone and not try to pick him up... the first time I noticed it I was picking him up to weigh him. The other times have been for him to sit on me and for me to test his BG. I am realizing if he doesn't need to be picked up I shouldn't... Its so hard. He is usually such a cuddly bear...
 
Some photos from our trip
 

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A few more, wouldn't let me post all in one. Many people have said "Dr.McCute" LOL - I also call him Dr.McCutie. I was so afraid I was going to mess up and say McCutie at the hospital haha. The gray cat was outside my AirBNB one day when I left to visit Shmee. He got half my lunch!! (green beans and chicken :rolleyes:)
 

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Re gabapentin: I don't know if this will help, Amanda, but my vet has told me that the 100 mg capsule is a typical dose that doesn't change in relation to the size of the cat. I've used it to calm Teasel's brother before a trip to the vet. He's a big boy and it made him sleepy and wobbly but did take the edge of his anxiety. My vet said it generally lasts 8 to 12 hours and my guy was a bit unstable into the evening after getting it around 1 PM. Another vet at my clinic told me a while ago that the capsule contents can be opened, mixed with a measured amount of water and part of it syringed in if you want a fraction of the usual 100 mg dose. I don't know if the powder dissolves or not because I haven't tried that. I can tell you, though, that the powder is quite bitter. I tasted a tiny dab of it before I mixed it into Teasel's brother's lunch. My vet had suggested mixing it into food. He's a good eater and gobbled it all up.
 
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I get the 50mg tabs from my vet. They are triangle in shape so hard to quarter into consistent sizes. But I don't think that's to much a big deal with Olive. It's easily crushes between fingers and I mix it in her +2 meals. Olive is so food motivated, anything can go in her food.
 
Some very nice pics Amanda - thanks for posting. Dr. McCue looks so young....oh to be young again! I like the Mickey blanket for Shmee.

Shmee looks pretty good in all the pics including the after-surgery pics. He has been through a lot. It may take him awhile to heal. He may not be feeling 100%. Leo gets like that sometimes. I heat up his Fancy Feast and make a big deal about feeding him. I don't know if it makes him feel better, or it just makes me feel better giving him "special treatment".:D

I hope you have a relaxing weekend with Shmee as he continues to recover.:bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Hardly wanted to eat today, although he didn't seem interested each meal he eventually would eat most of it. As of right now he won't even touch his PM meal (with his meds :mad:).
He did walk around the house a little more today and used the cat tree and window perch again so that is good. So confused about the eating.... he was eating so good and then bam, doesn't want to anymore. He eventually would eat, and now he doesn't really want to at all. I just checked his mouth again (the vet did too Wednesday) and he wouldn't let me look too much and I didn't really know what to look for but it seemed ok? Although I did see yellow lines on his teeth - I need to start brushing them. I have never brushed his teeth, which I'm sure is why he needed those 7 teeth pulled :arghh:… I just bought this to get us started. Since there is an open wound in there though I won't start for a while. I will ask the vet about his mouth on Monday. At this point its been an hour and hasn't eaten his PM meal... I really don't want to pour it out and try a new flavor since his meds are in there but if he doesn't eat after may +2 or +3 I will try another flavor. DH isn't home, but I will try and have him help me hold him so we can get a better look in his mouth. When I just tried, he did meow at me, but I don't know if it was just because he was annoyed...
 
When I give meds in food, I just use a small amount of Fancy Feast and put the rest in the fridge. And I use this strategy for feeding throughout the day. The FF does get stale in the fridge after 2 days. But each small meal with a microwave warmup feels like a new "special meal" to the kittehs.

Little Dude got S.Boulardii today too. Runny poo from our little guy.
 
It’s maddening isn’t is Amanda. Doesn’t he know you are trying to make him better!?!

I know ECID, but have you been able to get in touch (or have any way to get in touch) with any of the other parents whose little ones have been through this surgery? It would be nice to share experiences and maybe they could answer some of your questions and offer advice. Wish I had some for you. I do know that you are a wonderful caretaker.

Love reading updates. So invested in his recovery. xx
 
Wow I thought i replied but got distracted bc Frosty is sick today :(

Love the pictures (of both the cat and the doctor, HA!!!)

I think the reason he’s grazing now vs. gulping is because he no longer has the growth hormone making him feel starving all the time. Now he’s grazing like many normal cats do, eating a little at a time, then coming back. I think right after surgery some of the growth hormone was still floating around, but after a few days all of it is gone and he’s now eating less. I think this might just be an expected change, even though I know it’s frustrating bc you know he needs to take his meds!!

Can any of them be given as an injection? I can see this being a big problem for anyone with multiple cats - how do u prevent other cats from eating the food with the meds if it’s just sitting out all day? Short of locking the poor cat in a room with his food and meds all day.

Again, i know it’s a very slow process but i hope he continues to improve more and more every day. :bighug:
 
Three hours after PM meal still didn't eat it. Gave another flavor with the meds and still not eating. All day today it has been like this, even the meals without meds. For AM & PM meal, the liquid meds are chicken flavored and the only additions have been the probiotic and Gaba. I need to get some of those smelly meow mixes for the Gaba and probiotic I guess, but it still doesn't make sense because its not just those meals now, its all of them. Yes I do warm up his food so its smelly. I am in tears, I am so frustrated and scared to run out of the liquid meds now since I have thrown away a few of those meals. And he is not grazing, he just does not want to eat. Yesterday he would eventually eat all his food by the time of the next meal, but he would sit next to it and refuse for a long time before he finally relented. Today, he wont even do that now. He just will hardly eat. The only times he ate earlier is when I really pushed him, brought him the food after a few hours of him not eating it, putting the spoon to his mouth. PM meal now wont even do that. His meals are FF, they never stay in the fridge for longer than the time between meals because he gets half can. Although now that Wendy said when hes not eating his pancreas isn't working (or however it works) I am realizing I need to leave food out at night too. The last meal he gets is PM +3. But that I need to worry about later and try to get him to eat now.... I am so beat down. I might just run out and get that Meow Mix Lizzie suggested as a last resort to just get him to eat something. Or I wonder if I should just leave the food out through the night and hope for the best?
 
I keep thinking I just want to take him to the ER vet and say FIGURE OUT WHATS WRONG WITH HIM but I guess it could just be that stomach ache or whatever pains from his surgery.... ugh
 
At some point, some food is better than no food at all. I would get some gravy food. Sometimes I give Leo a couple of carb crunchies to get the intake going. I'm sorry to hear that Shmee is not hungry.

If this persists then maybe syringe feeding. We did it for Leo when had issues last year. Very messy, but it does get the food into the kitteh.
 
Yes, I would leave it out overnight and hope he eats. I don’t think him skipping one round of meds will cause any significant harm. And he might get hungry and eat later tonight.

If by the morning he still hasn’t touched it, I would call Dr. McCue to discuss. I know how hard it is not to get frustrated but he may also be picking up on your stress. Maybe when you go to sleep he will get hungry and eventually eat everything. His eating habit will definitely change now that he doesn’t have that growth hormone constantly making him hungry. Maybe he will be more of a grazer or maybe he will require less food, we don’t know. Hang in there amanda! Hugs and please get some rest. :bighug:
 
Thank you so much guys, I don't know what I would do without everyone here. I really want to get that Gaba in him because I know it helps him.... Ugh I should not have put it in the "second try" meal.... I should have just gave him the pill. I don't want to throw away another meal though. @JeffJ I am not allowed to give him any dry food with the stiches, but if he hasn't eaten by tomorrow morning and if he still refused to eat I will try some high carb gravy. I think I am going to run out and get some of that Meow Mix just in case too, for the morning.

He wasn't constantly hungry before the surgery. Before the surgery he was actually getting extremely picky, and a few weeks leading up to the surgery he would not eat unless I really coaxed him and put the spoon up to his mouth. Which is another reason I am thinking this could possibly still be pancreatitis. Surgery came and he has been eating well, but he has been on meds so maybe those hard meds were making the pancreatitis or whatever subside. Now that hes not on the hard meds anymore that pain from before the surgery is coming back. Again just a theory.... could be his mouth too since he is still drooling. I hate this so much.
 
One thing with dry food that worked with Leo. You can soak it in water. It smells the same. Then as soon as it is almost mushy, but the crunchiness is gone - deliver the new feast to Shmee. This will confirm your goddess level ranking with Shmee, and then he will probably snuggle with you again too! Just saying.:D:woot:
 
JeffJ said:
One thing with dry food that worked with Leo. You can soak it in water. It smells the same. Then as soon as it is almost mushy, but the crunchiness is gone - deliver the new feast to Shmee. This will confirm your goddess level ranking with Shmee, and then he will probably snuggle with you again too! Just saying.:D:woot:
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Good tip! I will remember this if he continues to not eat.
 
:bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:

Have you tried all meat baby food? For some it's irresistible. Is he showing any interest in food? Going up to food then turning away? Just wondering if there is nausea or inappetance or pain. Pancreatitis is helped by pain meds and antinausea meds and fluids.
 
Sending healing vines to you and Shmee this am, it wouldn’t bring up your guys name for me to add you all to my list, know u are in my thoughts and prayers:bighug::bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
Saw on your spreadsheet that Shmee had started eating, which is very good news. Hope it continues! Also saw that your numbers look very good. Keep it up!
 
Hàve just been reading Shmee's story....it is so interesting.
You are amazing beans!
I do hope his appetite improves for you. It may be worth trying some anti nausea meds if you are thinking it could be pancreatitis. Sending many apply vines.
 
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