Postings by Gumpy Sweet Boy

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Gumpy Sweet- Boy Love wrapped in- fur     Purred: Thu Jan 31, '13 2:15pm PST  For an older cat, 'normal' values for T4 aren't always considered normal. Quote: "T4 values in an older cat (over age ten) should not *just* be in the reference range, but in the lower half to third of the reference range and decreasing over time. Other ailments, such as CRF (kidney disease), IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), etc. deflate T4 values as well as age...." From this article on feline hyperthyroidism. There are more definitive tests, I believe the free T-4 is one of them. The kitty could still be hyper-t even with values in the normal range. This happened to my parent's cat. Their vet said his T4 was still in the normal range (at the high end), but he had may symptoms including having a seizure. And sadly he died unexpectedly (likely related to this). my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends [notify]

Gumpy Sweet- Boy Love wrapped in- fur     Purred: Mon Oct 8, '12 10:20am PST  Hi, I’m sorry to hear that Simba has been diagnosed with kidney disease. I have found that felinecrf.org is very comprehensive for anything related to CKD - felinecrf.org - Tanya's site. It’s a great site and there is also a helpful online forum (yahoo group). As far as the food, feeding a wet diet with lower phosphorus is helpful. 'Experts’ generally agree about lower phosphorus. Some people feel that feeding the kidney diets to cats with early kidney disease isn’t always necessary and can be problematic because the protein content is quite low (KD has the lowest). You can read on Tanya’s site why keeping phosphorus low is important. There are good food charts on the site which list the phosphorus and other nutritional aspects of many foods at felinecrf.org: canned food chart. And there is another great new food chart from Dr. Pierson at catinfo.org. Charts on both sites are very helpful. You can find a lot of canned foods with lower phosphorus out there. I’ve seen people that feed non-prescription lower phosphorus foods and others who feel prescription diets are the way to go, and cats have done well both ways. I fed mostly lower phosphorus commercial canned foods along with some Purina NF (kidney diet) which I think has better ingredients and a little higher protein. You want to watch the creatinine and the BUN, and you should also watch the actual phosphorus levels (on the blood work) to make sure it’s not getting too high. When the phosphorus starts increasing you may need to use phosphorus binders (usually this happens when the disease becomes more advanced). There are other values to watch also. It is helpful to get copies of the bloodwork and learn what all of those blood values mean. Here is an interesting article about the need for protein for older cats (even those with CKD): Geriatric Pets Need More Protein. For me, I found this disease can be overwhelming as it progresses, as there can be different conditions that may come along with the disease (for example, Gumpy developed hypertension along with CKD). Learning about this disease at an early stage and what treatments may be needed is beneficial before it may become more advanced. I wish I had done more proactively early on. The disease can be stabilized in a lot of kitties and some can live for a long time with some treatments, but the disease can also progress faster in other kitties; it is generally considered a progressive disease, but it can often be stabilized to some extent. There is a lot of great info out there to help out kitties now. I’m wishing you and Simba all the best. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends [notify]

Cat Health > Cat up a tree, HELP!

Gumpy Sweet- Boy Love wrapped in- fur     Purred: Sun Sep 2, '12 9:12am PST  Oh, what an ordeal! So glad he made it back home. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do...like cutting that tree down. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends [notify]

Food & Nutrition > Advice on foods that will avoid overlapping problems

Gumpy Sweet- Boy Love wrapped in- fur     Purred: Thu Aug 30, '12 10:06am PST  On the topic of wet food and urinary health, there actually was a study by Hill's Pet Nutrition about managing FLUTD that showed feeding wet food to be the most effective treatment for cystitis (non-bacterial bladder inflammation - the most common urinary ailment in cats (younger cats without concurrent disease which dilutes the urine, like CKD or diabetes) and often looks like a UTI. ..."To date, of all treatments evaluated, the only one that has been associated with a statistically significant difference in recurrence of clinical signs in cats with FIC (feline idiopathic cystitis) is feeding moist food (> 60% moisture). During a 1-year study of cats with FIC, clinical signs recurred less often in cats fed moist food (11%) compared with cats fed the dry formulation (39%) of the same food." They also talk about increasing salt to get the cat to drink more, but that doesn't sound healthy. How about just increasing the water intake with wet food and water fountains, etc. ..."Increasing salt (eg, sodium chloride) content of food is another method of increasing water intake and causing subsequent urine dilution in cats.13 Short-term feeding of high-salt foods for 14 days was associated with increased water intake and decreased urine specific gravity..." And Hills Pet Nutrition also says: ..."Feeding moist food is indicated for all cats with feline idiopathic cystitis, struvite uroliths or urethral plugs, and calcium oxalate uroliths. " Even Hill's acknowledges wet food is very beneficial, but they still have to promote their diets for crystals, etc. But wet food isn't the only consideration. Stress, lack of exercise, genetics are also factors in urinary health. But wet food is one thing that can help and one thing you can control. I don't know much about allergies. But hopefully you can find a food that might help with that. Best wishes. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends [notify]

Cat Health > Tough choice and need opinions

Gumpy Sweet- Boy Love wrapped in- fur     Purred: Mon Aug 27, '12 11:20am PST  Yes, he did start feeling better. He had been peeing in huge clumps and drinking lots of water, both of which decreased. He also just looked better and put on some weight which he had lost. One mistake I made was trying diet change for too long. I kept reading about low carb wet food (it doesn't have to be prescription, either) and I thought that would be enough. But by the time symptoms of diabetes show up, it's usually too advanced for diet change alone to be enough...and insulin IS needed. Even though I said it's very doable, I will say that at first it's not always easy. It's takes time to learn how to give shots and a little time for the kitty to get used to it (hopefully with Ophelia). It takes time to learn about this disease and the different aspects. But again, lots of info and support are available and it usually becomes routine for most people. Note, if the vet is recommending using a vial of Lantus, that type has a limited usage and quick expiration (it's more fragile and produced differently), which I believe is one month. But the pens or cartridges ( I can't recall) of Lantus last longer and are more economical, and it is a very effective insulin. Prozinc, I believe, has a very long usage and expiration (two years I believe). Sorry if this is info overload. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends [notify]

Gumpy Sweet- Boy Love wrapped in- fur     Purred: Mon Aug 27, '12 9:24am PST  I want to add that if you are not going to treat her diabetes, then yes, you should make the most compassionate decision to let her go because untreated diabetes does create a lot of suffering. But I will say that diabetes is a very treatable disease with a good possibility for remission. Gumpy was in serious shape when he was diagnosed back in 2006 and the vet even told me a number times that he may not make it. Now at 18 his pancreas continues to work and I still test his BG to make sure. Though, yes, being a fractious kitty makes it more difficult and is part of your decision. It's your decision and whatever you feel is best is what is best for her. I just wanted to offer some encouragement as to it being a treatable disease and that there is a lot of support and information available. For example learning that neuropathy is reversible. I know this is a tough situation and decision. Hugs.... my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends [notify]

Cat Health > Tough choice and need opinions

Gumpy Sweet- Boy Love wrapped in- fur     Purred: Mon Aug 27, '12 8:24am PST  Hi again, Here's some info about diabetic neuropathy (back leg weakness) and how to treat it. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends [notify]

Cat Health > Tough choice and need opinions

Gumpy Sweet- Boy Love wrapped in- fur     Purred: Mon Aug 27, '12 8:02am PST  I read your post quickly and didn't focus as much on her being a difficult kitty. All I can say is there there are hundreds - actually thousands - of kitties on the FDMB, and I've seen a number of people who gave daily shots to "fractious" kitties and they also tested their BG levels at home. There are some tricks and tips that can help and people there who can help you with treating a kitty who is more difficult. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends [notify]

Cat Health > Tough choice and need opinions

Gumpy Sweet- Boy Love wrapped in- fur     Purred: Mon Aug 27, '12 7:51am PST  Hi, my strong opinion is to treat her diabetes. Gump had diabetes and went into remission after a period of time (he's 18 now). It seems a little overwhelming at first, but the shots become routine. Ophelia will get used to the shots and it only takes a couple minutes or so. You can also get thinner needles which can help with any small amount of pain. Her quality of life will improve and she'll feel better, in addition to stopping the peeing everywhere. Also the back leg weakness will improve and with some methylcobalamin (a form of vitamin B12) it should be resolved. I'm not sure if the cataracts are related to the high glucose. What insulin is that for $200 a month? I used PZI-Vet and a vial was about $80 - $100 dollars and lasted a couple months depending on the dose, and I ended up using the last vial for over six months. PZI-Vet is no longer available, but Prozinc is comparable. I don't know what the current price is, but I don't think it's that pricey. If your vet is referring to Lantus, you can buy another form of it that which is cheaper (the pens instead of the vial). There is a cat here, Merlin, who knows the prices for Lantus and other insulins. I know this is all overwhelming right now, but it's very doable. And actually many cats end up going off insulin and into remission with low carb wet food and insulin to bring down the glucose levels to help the pancreas recover. But she needs insulin, and the sooner the better. Many people also test their kitties glucose levels at home. This also seems overhwhelming but it's also doable and helps with treatment. I can help and there are others here with experience with diabetes, but I would also recommended getting help from the feline diabetes message board. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends [notify]

Gumpy Sweet- Boy Love wrapped in- fur     Purred: Sun Aug 26, '12 10:29pm PST  First you and the vet need to try to figure out what's causing the vomiting. Maybe something in the food is irritating him or he's allergic to something. It's hard to know for sure. This happened with Gump a few years ago where he would vomit hours after eating, but his bloodwork revealed some elevated liver numbers. No, don't use Pepto Bismol!, but you could try Slippery Elm Bark to help sooth his tummy. It's a herb that is used like pepto bismol or pepcid ac to sooth the digestive tract. I know the name sounds a little odd, but it's often recommended and used on sites like felinecrf.org which is a pretty conventionally oriented crf website, in addition to more holistic sites. You can find it at some natural food stores; I found it in bulk at Whole Foods, or you can order it online. It's a powder that you can mix into wet food. It's helped Gumpy with vomiting that often comes with kidney disease. He has advanced CKD and rarely vomits since I've been giving this to him. my posts | my page | msg me | my family's posts | gift me | become friends [notify]

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