How is everyone?

Hope all is well.

I'm trying to get Rex better (hyperT, not eating, losing weight rapidly) and get Honey better, too (emaciated, 4.5 pound, 10 year old girl who wandered into my life a couple weeks ago... she's also hyperT and just starting Tapazole).

Sorry for not being around... can't yet bring myself to help, and I know that's terrible.

I just miss him so damn much and am still so angry.

 

Hey there! Good to see you stop by - I have to disagree with you about your not helping ... it seems like you may have your hands full getting Rex better and starting Honey on her road to better health. She wandered into the perfect place for help, that's for sure!

I hope you are able to find some ways to get the two of them to eat nicely and put on a bit of weight. What are your plans of attack, or do you need to hold them close to your chest, just in case Rex and Honey sneak online and get wind of your plans.

I hope the Tapazole kicks in nicely and works well for Honey.

 

Boo's 1 yr OTJ anniversary was yesterday. She appears to feel well and has become a very sweet, cuddly kitty (she was not a cuddly kitty before diabetes).

However, her blood work says she's not doing well. Her kidney values continue to worsen. I absolutely hate having the blood work done because the results are so incredibly depressing. Also, I rushed her to the vet Wed. morning this week - she was acting very, very strange....hissing at me and just very angry. Her blood pressure at the vet's was sky-high (200) and I had to bring her back yesterday for a re-check. Thankfully, she was back to normal and will not need BP meds yet. Something must have happened Wed. morning that just pissed her off really bad and I must not have seen it happen. She's on 125 ml fluids every other day, benazepril has been doubled, just started the calcitriol again (had to stop because her phos was too high). She's not eating well and has lost 1/2 a lb since June. She's almost back to her diabetes-diagnosis weight. In order to get all of her meds in, I have to mix up a small plate w/ phos binders, miralax, and tuna to make sure she eats the meds (and the babies don't). I've started giving her a bit of dry food each meal just to make sure she eats something. I wonder how much time she has left.

 

To all of you

I so hope that soon Rex is eating more and able to gain some weight back. That Honey is settled in her home and that the Tapezole helps her. And that you Carolynn - your heart will feel joy again.

Gayle - that Shadoe and Oliver stay healthy and happy as well as YOU!

And Heather - omg - I had no idea that pretty Boo was having so many difficulties. There is no advice to offer here but only the warmest of thoughts as always. I'm sure you already are there but have you checked out the CRF boards and asked for any help there. I joined and only read there but it seems like there are some really knowledgeable people there that might be able to help. Please please keep us up to date.

Our Boris who we adopted in January is back on insulin. He got sick with liver failure a couple months ago. Now on Ursodial, Denamarin, and Prednisolone. sooooo - back on insulin. We had hoped it was just one of his brief little times that he goes on/off. I've been using his old vetsulin he "came with" - using a sliding scale. For the most part - able to keep him in the 100's. But looks like we'll be going to the vet for the real thing this week. Soooo - Lantus? Levemir? Prozinc? This new vet isn't exactly my favorite. He's going to have a $#*T fit when he finds out what I've been doing. He never knew Merlin. sigh......

Please please take care of yourselves!

 

We're doing ok -- Rusty is bored living in the bedroom, but the rest of my kitties are much happier -- Mauser and Luci have gained some of the weight they had lost, and are _mostly_ using the litterbox again after several months of going anywhere in the house.

Rusty and Tiggy are both well regulated on a tiny dose of Levemir. Buster is getting Tapazole twice per day (1.25mg a.m., 0.625mg p.m.) and while he was freaked out at Rusty, his fur grew back (his hyperthyroid hair loss turned into compulsive licking - he stopped licking when he was watching Rusty to prevent unpleasant surprises.)

Charlie is still unemployed and depressed - this weekend, he's had miserable cold symptoms. I've been really busy at work - which is good for the job security but Charlie misses me when i'm frequently home late. He may be doing some remodeling for my sister next month - some finishing work in her basement including adding a wall/door.

Norton's picture is on my laptop desktop at work --

 

Hi everyone,
Things here are looking up. Cody started Lev in June and after a month or so, started getting pretty good numbers- and now hangs in the blues and yellows most of the time-
and our other the exciting news is that he is doing well on a new pain med called Gabapentin. It is an antiepileptic drug, that is also used for beans especially with neurologic pain and other chronic pain. It is fairly safe with few side effects, but it is also not well known yet for use in kitties.

(copied from another post):
1)
Re: UPDATE-seeking beans who have used Gabapentin/4pain
This is just an update for those of you who posted on this thread back in May. Cody's vet went to a big vet conference last week, and inquired about the use of gabapentin. The speaker strongly endorsed it, and so my vet called in a compounded Rx, which Cody started on Sept 5. His first day, he seemed immediately more bright eyed and social, but it seemed to wear off in the evening and the next day he woke up Very thirsty and with high BG. Today has not been great, so maybe it was a coincidence or his aspirin day one that made him better yesterday. I know Ele said it took a few days to kick in.

His dose is 30mg 1x/day, compounded with water and tuna powder- yummmm (30mg/ml, dose = 1 ml)
Hoping for my old kitty back- I was really excited yesterday as he seemed so much like his old self, that I hadn't seen in years.

2)
Re: UPDATE-seeking beans who have used Gabapentin/4pain
by Nancy and Cody » Mon Sep 13, 2010 6:52 pm

Cody has been on 30mg compounded gabapentin for one week and I am very pleased. He does not seemed drugged or buggy eyed and he has been much more like his old self.

Instead of spending much of his time in a dark closet, he has started spending time with us. He's jumped up and sat with me on the couch. He is sleeping on my bed again, he is lounging less often in a frog leg position and more often in a head upright normal cat position. He started cruising around outside for almost an hour. He is still stiff, and highly food motivated (growing acro boy), but I think his huge acro belly and his suspected light avoiding headaches are definitely improved. And even when he's sleeping, he frequently looks like he's smiling again. I know its not curing his acro, but he is acting like he's feeling much better.

The compounding pharmacy made a 14 day bottle for $9.65, so its not bad. Its only been a week , so I'll update again.

 

Oh Nancy - I love hearing about how well the gabapentin is working for Cody! Encourages me more to ask for it for my old girl Nellie!

And Phoebe - Norton is on your laptop - Merlin is on mine too. I love seeing him everyday yet!

 

Hi there - Better late than never. As usual, I'm not keeping up so never find time to check the board. Enjoyed reading how everyone is doing.

Bryce went in for her four month follow-up with the Cardiologist yesterday. Everything is status-quo which is good news. Her enlarged heart has not changed at all,and everything else was normal. We go back again in 8 months. We had blood drawn for a second IGF-1 test, so I will post on the spreadsheet when the results come back. Her first number was so high (429) back in May. Thought it wouldn't hurt to get a second number (not that it will change anything).

She's doing well, but so hungry all the time. Amazes us sometimes. She wavers between 14 and 14.2 lbs. Would eat can after can after can if put in front of her. She's such a good girl, and has such a great disposition. We're very lucky to have her.

 

Hey Debbie,
So exactly how much food do you feed? I used to give Oliver all he wanted but now he's down from maybe 30oz a day or more to maybe 10oz or so. Shadoe did the same thing ... she has gone from maybe 24oz down to close to 8oz if that.

Has the hunger always been huge?

Good to hear the heart news was good and hope the test results are also good.

 

Hi Gayle -

Bryce gets one can (FF 3 oz) in the morning and one at night, plus a 1am snack (1.2 oz blanched chicken) and lunch (1/4 can FF). The am & pm feedings are split to two different feedings so they are spread out. In total, she gets ~ 7 oz FF per day plus the chicken. She's also been getting another 1/4 - 1/2 can at times due to low BG #'s. She also gets the "lickin's" from her sister's bowl, but not much to speak of there. :smile:

She used to get another 3 oz a day, but it was just too much. Would love her to lose a pound, but just don't see that happening without decreasing her food. She's so hungry (and has been like this for a while...nothing new), so we'll just keep things status-quo for now.

Hope all is well on your end.