Author Topic: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat  (Read 119137 times)

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Offline DeeDee

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #195 on: May 05, 2017, 02:50:10 PM »

Maybe you should take DeeDee to these appointments!  She did a much better job than I could of understanding and explaining it.  (My brain fog is making it harder to concentrate and comprehend or explain things these days.)


I just noticed that I left something out after #1: 

Breathing HAS to stop during vomiting or else you get aspiration. Aspiration would be worse than losing breathe due to vomiting because  aspiration leads to choking, asphyxiation and aspiration pneumonia.

Yeah. I'd prefer mine to faint instead of aspirate.
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #196 on: May 05, 2017, 04:16:11 PM »
Thank you for that Dee. That is very helpful!  But the concern is, why has this started to happen, when it never happened before?  Vet is talking ultrasound again.  One trip, ultrasound of everything, heart, organs, etc.

Blood work results back by Tuesday.  However it may take longer than that to connect with the vet. She'll e mail the file to me, but if there's something to discuss, she wil want to talk first, before giving me a copy.

Incidentally Mazy cat has adjusted amazingly to the daily Denosyl pill at lunch time.  She doesn't like it, but has accepted it.  Maybe because if it misses going down after two tries I stop. But most times it goes right down.  I am a pro at pilling, and she has become a pro at being pilled.  She is just such an amazing cat. Mazy cat was so wild when she came here I never dreamed I'd be able to do anything such as pill her.

She's done with them though and the vet didn't suggest me taking another pack. Either she forgot or she's decided to wait until the blood work.  I forgot to ask about it, even though it was on my list.  I just lose my head, at the vet. I know a lot of people do.  I wasn't that way with Tolly or Ootay though.  Always organized and on top of it all.  Not like that now. Combination of age, and worry over Mazy cat's stress levels maybe.

Offline DeeDee

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #197 on: May 05, 2017, 04:45:29 PM »
Maybe you should start doing like I do. I save questions from one visit to the next in a Word.DOC, and then when we go in, I hand it to him. As soon as he's looked V&B over, we start going down the questions one by one. I never miss a question when he's got a paper in his hand.
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline Middle Child

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #198 on: May 12, 2017, 07:27:32 PM »
Mazy cat's liver values have returned to normal. Alt is now 98, was 123, which was what caused all the fuss.  Her eosinophils, by the way have returned to normal range too, after being elevated for almost 2 years.

Did not talk to the vet.  Don't knw if I should keep Mazy cat on the Denosyl or not.  So frustrating to never be able to talk to her.

Offline Pookie

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #199 on: May 12, 2017, 11:04:43 PM »
Mazy cat's liver values have returned to normal. Alt is now 98, was 123, which was what caused all the fuss.  Her eosinophils, by the way have returned to normal range too, after being elevated for almost 2 years.

That's great news!  multistars multistars multistars

Quote
Did not talk to the vet.  Don't knw if I should keep Mazy cat on the Denosyl or not.  So frustrating to never be able to talk to her.

 :(
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Offline DeeDee

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #200 on: May 13, 2017, 09:43:44 AM »
I'm so glad to hear she's better!

I didn't know her eosinophils were off. I missed that somewhere. Some were just talking about those in a Black Russian thread in FB--except  about lower ones. "Eosinophilia is usually associated with allergies or parasitism," but of course, Vlad had none of that when he was diagnosed Addisonian, and his were low. Because of that, I had to insist that the lower ones were a signal of something going on, and turns out, this dog we were trying to figure out has "fungal pneumonia." I suppose that fungal infections could fall under parasitism though? Anyway, the owner listened to all of us, denied the surgery (dog developed some palate thickening b/c of labored breathing) & dog is in treatment now for the fungus. None of us could see a reason for surgery without finding the underlying problem.

So what is it that makes higher eosinophils? I looked it up and seems that IBD would be the reason that Mazy has/had them. At least I don't remember her having breathing issues like asthma?

Did not talk to the vet.  Don't knw if I should keep Mazy cat on the Denosyl or not.  So frustrating to never be able to talk to her.

If it were Vlad, and since I can't find any contraindications for long-term use, I think I'd leave her on it due to all the past problems.


"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline Lola

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #201 on: May 13, 2017, 12:33:08 PM »
I am SO glad Mazy is better.  I am SO SORRY contact with your vet is so frickin' frustrating!  Grrrrrr
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #202 on: May 17, 2017, 04:41:16 PM »
Thanks All.  Just to clarify, it's Mazy cat's blood work that has improved.  She isn't "better" because she never was sick. :)

  She had elevated ALT, and that was new. High normal is 100.  Hers was 123. Her eosinophils have been elevated for almost 2 years. At 18 at it's highest. 12 is high normal. Vet was all freaking out about parasites and wanting to do ultrasounds.

Mazy cat took Baytril (antibiotic) for two weeks, and the Denosyl (Sam-e liver support) for a month.  Now blood work, both ALT (down to 98) and the eosinophils (down to 7) are back in normal range.

Vet says not to continue the denosyl.  She wants to retest again in 8 weeks.  Not going to happen. Mazy cat needs a break from vet trips. I'll push it to four months.

Until today when it became so hot, Mazy cat has been unbelievably active for a 13 year old cat.  If I hadn't just seen her bloodwork and t-4 numbers, I'd worry about hyper-T. But nope, it is just her feeling good and happy.

It's not really my vets fault that we cannot connect by phone.  Her hours are 8-2:30.  My work hours are 8-4.  I cannot do personal business at work.  Especially not cat stuff. Not because I'm not "allowed".  Because I can't handle it. Work is very busy and I cannot manage my personal life while I am trying to work. Other people can, everyone does it all the time.  I cannot.

Anyway she's doing great,  until today when it got so hot.  It's been very cold here so I haven't had the ac in.  Now it's impossibly hot in here and will be tomorrow too, but then it's supposed to get cool again. Thank goodness.  I used to love it hot.  I don't any more.  love1

Offline DeeDee

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #203 on: May 18, 2017, 09:18:21 AM »

Her eosinophils have been elevated for almost 2 years. At 18 at it's highest. 12 is high normal. Vet was all freaking out about parasites and wanting to do ultrasounds.



Vlad's proof that eosinophils aren't always allergies or parasites. It would seem that so is Mazy.
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline Lola

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #204 on: May 19, 2017, 01:34:56 AM »
I meant "better' as in her liver values and eosinophils being normal.
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #205 on: May 22, 2017, 05:00:36 PM »
Mazy cat went 19 days without puking.  This morning she brought her breakfast up.  thankfully it was a true regurgitation, it just came up, no force, no projectile, and there was none of that staggering thing.

The ten hour fasts on Friday and Saturday nights are really crucial to her.  I wish I could give her 10 hours every night.

The last time she had to fast 12 hours for bloodwork, she actually ended up going 13 hours without food.   Three days later she had this humongous poop, 5 large pieces, all solid fur. She had been 2 days without a puke at the time with the 13 hour fast.  She went on to go 17 more days.

Twice during that time she had an urpy spell where I thought she was going to, but she didn't.  The first time she ran downstairs and I followed with the camera, and did the hyuck type spasm, but then stopped.  She sniffed around as if she expected to see puke, and that was it.  The second time, she was on my chest and had a couple of burps, then jumped off me and down to the floor.  She hunched there for a moment, then came back up on my chest.

Here's the part that I always get annoyed with msyelf about.  As i served her her second breakfast serving this morning, something in my head said, she's going to bring this back up.  I don't know WHY I thought that but I did.  I hesitated to give it to her, then shrugged it off and gave it to her.  And she brought it right back up (that and the previous serving a from a half hour earlier)

I don't know why I "know", like that sometimes, but I do. Maybe there's something in her look, her face or posture or something, that I am noticing subconsciously.   And I don't know why I don't listen to myself more often, when I do know like that.  But..I don't know how much difference it would have made.  Other times I DO listen, skip the meal,  and it only seems to delay it by a few hours or a day, if I withhold that meal.

I think I am going to aim for a once a month 12 hour fast.

Offline Pookie

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #206 on: May 22, 2017, 05:23:20 PM »
Wow.  That's a lot of fur!   :o

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Here's the part that I always get annoyed with msyelf about.  As i served her her second breakfast serving this morning, something in my head said, she's going to bring this back up.  I don't know WHY I thought that but I did.  I hesitated to give it to her, then shrugged it off and gave it to her.  And she brought it right back up (that and the previous serving a from a half hour earlier)

I don't know why I "know", like that sometimes, but I do. Maybe there's something in her look, her face or posture or something, that I am noticing subconsciously.   And I don't know why I don't listen to myself more often, when I do know like that.  But..I don't know how much difference it would have made.  Other times I DO listen, skip the meal,  and it only seems to delay it by a few hours or a day, if I withhold that meal.

grouphug

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I think I am going to aim for a once a month 12 hour fast.

 fingerscrossed fingerscrossed fingerscrossed
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Offline Middle Child

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #207 on: May 25, 2017, 07:30:04 PM »
Mazy cat is showing her usual pattern after an extended period with no puke episodes.  The day after she was okay but she threw up yesterday, and again tonight.  None of that staggering thank goodness.  They were what I've come to think of as shallow pukes...not a lot of force or projectile.

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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #208 on: May 25, 2017, 10:37:49 PM »
Quote
None of that staggering thank goodness.
  Yay! 
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Re: The on-going ever-evolving process of feeding Mazy cat
« Reply #209 on: May 26, 2017, 04:12:29 PM »
And again this morning, and acting sick.  Hope today is the end of it.  Those long stretches..almost not worth it because of what comes after.  Not that I do have a choice, but I'm not sure which way is worse, for her or for me.

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