Introducing Betty White

[daftcat75]

One thing the pandemic taught me is that sometimes good enough is good enough. It's probably the aspy in me. But I often get paralyzed wanting things to be just right rather than just doing them and fixing any mistakes as I go. How's that quote go? "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans." (And apparently, while John Lennon sung those lyrics, the quote predates him.)

VCA got back to me yesterday afternoon and said the tech or doc did clarify the procedure with Wedgewood. The Wedgewood rep said unmedicated samples weren't a problem. But they did want to know what flavor to start with. I know Betty likes chicken and that gabapentin is especially bitter so I said, "let's start with a double or triple chicken." (double or triple the amount of flavoring they usually use--useful for especially bitter meds.) This is where a polydactyl cat would come in handy. She could give me a thumbs up or thumbs down.

But anyway, I got a refill of the liquid prescription and we have some samples on the way.

I have leaned into the likelihood that liquid meds are our new normal. But I also told Betty that samples are on the way and I'm looking for formulations to make meds an enjoyable experience for her once more.

I thought I was going to have to refresh her mirtz last night. But with last night's gabapentin dose, she rewarded me with three clean plates (two dinners and a breakfast.) I am now thinking that the times I mirtz'ed her were probably times she was getting an insufficient gabapentin dose. Let's see if we can get back to something regular and easy for the both of us and maybe she won't need mirtz again.

I'm still thinking we should run her past the IM once again and see if her gut is still inflamed and whether he thinks a regular low dose of pred is better than a high dose of Hills A/D plus kibble and spot treatments of mirtz to keep her eating. Honestly, I think she's probably got a full mouth extraction in her future (better than waiting on piecemeal resorption.) But I also think that that is at least three months away at the very earliest. That's if the dentist agrees with me. Otherwise we'll have to keep her eating one way or another through multiple rounds of resorption and extraction until the dentist agrees with me.

 

[tarasgirl06]

One thing the pandemic taught me is that sometimes good enough is good enough. It's probably the aspy in me. But I often get paralyzed wanting things to be just right rather than just doing them and fixing any mistakes as I go. How's that quote go? "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans." (And apparently, while John Lennon sung those lyrics, the quote predates him.)

VCA got back to me yesterday afternoon and said the tech or doc did clarify the procedure with Wedgewood. The Wedgewood rep said unmedicated samples weren't a problem. But they did want to know what flavor to start with. I know Betty likes chicken and that gabapentin is especially bitter so I said, "let's start with a double or triple chicken." (double or triple the amount of flavoring they usually use--useful for especially bitter meds.) This is where a polydactyl cat would come in handy. She could give me a thumbs up or thumbs down.

But anyway, I got a refill of the liquid prescription and we have some samples on the way.

I have leaned into the likelihood that liquid meds are our new normal. But I also told Betty that samples are on the way and I'm looking for formulations to make meds an enjoyable experience for her once more.

I thought I was going to have to refresh her mirtz last night. But with last night's gabapentin dose, she rewarded me with three clean plates (two dinners and a breakfast.) I am now thinking that the times I mirtz'ed her were probably times she was getting an insufficient gabapentin dose. Let's see if we can get back to something regular and easy for the both of us and maybe she won't need mirtz again.

I'm still thinking we should run her past the IM once again and see if her gut is still inflamed and whether he thinks a regular low dose of pred is better than a high dose of Hills A/D plus kibble and spot treatments of mirtz to keep her eating. Honestly, I think she's probably got a full mouth extraction in her future (better than waiting on piecemeal resorption.) But I also think that that is at least three months away at the very earliest. That's if the dentist agrees with me. Otherwise we'll have to keep her eating one way or another through multiple rounds of resorption and extraction until the dentist agrees with me.

I'm exactly the same way. It's terrible and I'm always so glad when I get up the gumption to tackle something again. Failure is not an option for me. I get very angry at me when that happens.

Hoping Triple Chicken works! and that that scenario isn't in her/your future for quite some time.

 

[daftcat75]

I'm exactly the same way. It's terrible and I'm always so glad when I get up the gumption to tackle something again. Failure is not an option for me. I get very angry at me when that happens.

Hoping Triple Chicken works! and that that scenario isn't in her/your future for quite some time.

Honestly, if I thought she'd be better off with a full mouth extraction, and I really believe she probably will be, eventually, I wouldn't hesitate. But the reason why I'm consulting with the dentist is that she will be able to evaluate the situation in terms of options and procedures that are not available to my regular vet. Who knows? Maybe there is an option short of pulling them all out before her mouth has a chance to eat them out of her head (slowly and painfully.) I am still a little hesitant because Krista's remaining mouth extraction (hardly full by that time!) was a difficult recovery for her. Still. If that's what needs to be done, it's not going to get any easier waiting for it to become more urgent.

...

I don't mind failure as long as it doesn't cost me more than I can afford, that I can learn from it, and that I can have another shot at it (if it deserves another shot.)

But yeah, I think there should be an option for a flavor flight where I could talk with a Wedgewood rep and pick out some flavors and formulations and have a sample pack arrive the next week. I was getting annoyed that I couldn't talk to a rep about that. But honestly, I just need some options to try and we can work from there. So if Wedgewood or VCA feels they need to cut me out of this to get it moving, as long as I get to provide feedback and the next steps once Wedgewood has the prescription and Betty has had a chance to try the samples we start with. In the meantime, Betty is still a good sport about these twice daily foul liquid doses.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Honestly, if I thought she'd be better off with a full mouth extraction, and I really believe she probably will be, eventually, I wouldn't hesitate. But the reason why I'm consulting with the dentist is that she will be able to evaluate the situation in terms of options and procedures that are not available to my regular vet. Who knows? Maybe there is an option short of pulling them all out before her mouth has a chance to eat them out of her head (slowly and painfully.) I am still a little hesitant because Krista's remaining mouth extraction (hardly full by that time!) was a difficult recovery for her. Still. If that's what needs to be done, it's not going to get any easier waiting for it to become more urgent.

...

I don't mind failure as long as it doesn't cost me more than I can afford, that I can learn from it, and that I can have another shot at it (if it deserves another shot.)

But yeah, I think there should be an option for a flavor flight where I could talk with a Wedgewood rep and pick out some flavors and formulations and have a sample pack arrive the next week. I was getting annoyed that I couldn't talk to a rep about that. But honestly, I just need some options to try and we can work from there. So if Wedgewood or VCA feels they need to cut me out of this to get it moving, as long as I get to provide feedback and the next steps once Wedgewood has the prescription and Betty has had a chance to try the samples we start with. In the meantime, Betty is still a good sport about these twice daily foul liquid doses.

Yeah on Paras 1 and 3, absolutely. On Para 2, a/yes, b/yes, and c/absolutely. These days, though, a) is often a painful proposition, for me at least. I used to allow myself one rather large misstep annually. Now, not so much. Why should I give someone else something I can barely afford, because I screwed up or didn't research it thoroughly/read the fine print? NOPE.

 

[daftcat75]

Yeah on Paras 1 and 3, absolutely. On Para 2, a/yes, b/yes, and c/absolutely. These days, though, a) is often a painful proposition, for me at least. I used to allow myself one rather large misstep annually. Now, not so much. Why should I give someone else something I can barely afford, because I screwed up or didn't research it thoroughly/read the fine print? NOPE.

Research is allowed and encouraged. I think you should put in an amount of time proportionate to the expected lifetime. If you’re planning on owning it for a number of years, you should spend more research time than something I’m going to offer my cat and get feedback in five seconds. It works. It doesn’t. Cross it off and move on to the next option. At this point, I just need options to try.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Research is allowed and encouraged. I think you should put in an amount of time proportionate to the expected lifetime. If you’re planning on owning it for a number of years, you should spend more research time than something I’m going to offer my cat and get feedback in five seconds. It works. It doesn’t. Cross it off and move on to the next option. At this point, I just need options to try.

*Absolutely* on all of the above. And like I tell Elvis, *there are only so many readily available, socially acceptable animals to eat in this place. So while I understand that "finicky" is an adjective often applied to cats, it can only be exercised so much.* *He generally fixes me with a blank stare and goes on about his business. Which often includes snubbing whatever it is he's being offered.*

 

[daftcat75]

*Absolutely* on all of the above. And like I tell Elvis, *there are only so many readily available, socially acceptable animals to eat in this place. So while I understand that "finicky" is an adjective often applied to cats, it can only be exercised so much.* *He generally fixes me with a blank stare and goes on about his business. Which often includes snubbing whatever it is he's being offered.*

I honestly wonder if Betty wasn't severely underestimated for her age at the shelter. They estimated her at five. But her teeth, her body condition, her joints, her activity level--it all suggests a cat much older than five. The vets and I think she may be twice that estimate. So she may have been ten when I adopted her or a cool dozen next month. In that light, it wouldn't surprise me that between her teeth and just being older in general, she may have become less gastronomically adventurous.

That said, it's amazing how well she's adapting to our new meds routine. She doesn't like it one bit. But she is surprisingly quick to forgive my foul trespasses. She must indeed know that I have her best interest in mind. She certainly eats better when she gets an adequate and full dose no matter which way she takes it. I am definitely looking for options she'll be happy with.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I honestly wonder if Betty wasn't severely underestimated for her age at the shelter. They estimated her at five. But her teeth, her body condition, her joints, her activity level--it all suggests a cat much older than five. The vets and I think she may be twice that estimate. So she may have been ten when I adopted her or a cool dozen next month. In that light, it wouldn't surprise me that between her teeth and just being older in general, she may have become less gastronomically adventurous.

That said, it's amazing how well she's adapting to our new meds routine. She doesn't like it one bit. But she is surprisingly quick to forgive my foul trespasses. She must indeed know that I have her best interest in mind. She certainly eats better when she gets an adequate and full dose no matter which way she takes it. I am definitely looking for options she'll be happy with.

She knows. And I hope so, too.

Yeah, the process of "aging" anyone is difficult. I always say I'm no good at it when it comes to humans.

I adopted Elvis at 9, in 2016. That makes him 16. He doesn't look 16, though. His early history and circumstances are totally unknown to me. Was he adopted from a shelter, or from the streets? How old was he then? Big mysteries.

 

[daftcat75]

I purchased Vitality Science's Hemp Oil awhile back. I figured once she was off steroids, we would give it a try. Well, we had the dental drama, and the meds protocol collapse. But in the last few days, since she's been getting regular gabapentin, I have also been putting two to four drops (not droppers, but drops) of the hemp oil into her food in the last few days. She hasn't objected. In fact, her plates are looking cleaner in the last few days. It could be a coincidence. It could be that, having finally given into the liquid, she's getting a reliable and regular dose (no guesstimating her dose into capsules each Saturday.) But if it's helping, I mean it certainly doesn't seem to be hurting, I'll go ahead and keep giving it. My 80-year old dad swears by the gummies for his neuropathy in his feet and nausea from other medications and conditions. I'm dubious that such a small dose would have an impact. But I also chose it precisely because I figured a dose that small would be easy enough to hide in her cake frosting. She did first pass on dinner and didn't even come fetch me. She went back to her cave for her next nap. I like to wait out her first nap (meds kicking in) and first pass in the office before I prepare my dinner. When I prepare my dinner, she's usually looking for a treat. I want her to eat before treats. And eat she did. Her first pass looks better than what I was picking up at the end of the shift last week. Alright. She ate. Now I can eat.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I purchased Vitality Science's Hemp Oil awhile back. I figured once she was off steroids, we would give it a try. Well, we had the dental drama, and the meds protocol collapse. But in the last few days, since she's been getting regular gabapentin, I have also been putting two to four drops (not droppers, but drops) of the hemp oil into her food in the last few days. She hasn't objected. In fact, her plates are looking cleaner in the last few days. It could be a coincidence. It could be that, having finally given into the liquid, she's getting a reliable and regular dose (no guesstimating her dose into capsules each Saturday.) But if it's helping, I mean it certainly doesn't seem to be hurting, I'll go ahead and keep giving it. My 80-year old dad swears by the gummies for his neuropathy in his feet and nausea from other medications and conditions. I'm dubious that such a small dose would have an impact. But I also chose it precisely because I figured a dose that small would be easy enough to hide in her cake frosting. She did first pass on dinner and didn't even come fetch me. She went back to her cave for her next nap. I like to wait out her first nap (meds kicking in) and first pass in the office before I prepare my dinner. When I prepare my dinner, she's usually looking for a treat. I want her to eat before treats. And eat she did. Her first pass looks better than what I was picking up at the end of the shift last week. Alright. She ate. Now I can eat.

Excellent!
Well, you know about the Bach Rescue Remedy and other Bach products, and homeopathy in general, right? It's the same premise. I can't explain how or why it works. But I don't take any drugs other than aspirin, and when I am extremely stressed, I use the Rescue Remedy. Of course it doesn't take the stressor away or completely relieve the stress, but it DOES help and it's not just psychosomatic (or maybe it is. Who really knows?) so hey, I'll take it. Maybe the oil works the same way?

 

[lisahe]

Excellent!
Well, you know about the Bach Rescue Remedy and other Bach products, and homeopathy in general, right? It's the same premise. I can't explain how or why it works. But I don't take any drugs other than aspirin, and when I am extremely stressed, I use the Rescue Remedy. Of course it doesn't take the stressor away or completely relieve the stress, but it DOES help and it's not just psychosomatic (or maybe it is. Who really knows?) so hey, I'll take it. Maybe the oil works the same way?

Rescue Remedy works great for Edwina! It helps cut her stress, which helps cut her barfing when there's a lot of noise or when the barometric pressure dives like it's doing now.

 

[daftcat75]

Unmedicated samples Rx showed up on my Wedgewood account. I have 1 chew treat, 10 medi-melts, and 30 mL of the oral oil on its way. I can see why they wanted a prescription. The oil alone even without medication was $38 for 30 mL. The chew treat is $2 for one treat. The medi-melts were the most affordable at $1 for 10. But if Betty likes the chew treats, she's saving me that money having converted from I/D stew to I/D pate. I was going through about $50/week and dumping more than I was serving. I can get several days out of a single I/D pate can. I might cut her chew treat in half simply to make sure that it's popular the second time around. I've served her more than a couple treats she would try only once. Like salmon-flavored pill pockets. That one surprised me because she's not a fish girl. But then the second time I offered it to her, she remembered, "oh yeah. I don't like any Pill Pockets."

 

[tarasgirl06]

Unmedicated samples Rx showed up on my Wedgewood account. I have 1 chew treat, 10 medi-melts, and 30 mL of the oral oil on its way. I can see why they wanted a prescription. The oil alone even without medication was $38 for 30 mL. The chew treat is $2 for one treat. The medi-melts were the most affordable at $1 for 10. But if Betty likes the chew treats, she's saving me that money having converted from I/D stew to I/D pate. I was going through about $50/week and dumping more than I was serving. I can get several days out of a single I/D pate can. I might cut her chew treat in half simply to make sure that it's popular the second time around. I've served her more than a couple treats she would try only once. Like salmon-flavored pill pockets. That one surprised me because she's not a fish girl. But then the second time I offered it to her, she remembered, "oh yeah. I don't like any Pill Pockets."

One thing you can definitely say about Betty. She's NEVER predictable. Or boring. *Oh yeah. That's two things.*
Well, she's high-maintenance. A girl reserves that right. But it would be nice if she'd cut you some slack once in awhile...

 

[daftcat75]

We're settling into the new meds routine. So much so that she no longer gets off the bed with me in the morning or joins me at the kitchen edge in the evening. She knows she's getting a mouthful of foul at those times now. I had to yank her from her cat cave this morning. I don't want to do that.

But it's hard to argue with the results. Since she's been getting a reliable and consistent dose (and the hemp oil in her food), her plates are getting a lot cleaner. I'll find out on Sunday if I will need to adjust her portion size or composition.

I hope she likes the compounded chew treat even if it's $2+/dose. I would love it if meds and meal time became something she looked forward to again. Maybe she'll like the medi-melts as well and I can alternate them to spread out the chew treats. Or the flavored oil. To be honest, I think the flavored oil would be the best because I could also hide her ondansetron in there. But she may also not even need ondansetron. We'll figure that one out next. Right now, those 1/4 tablets are so small that they can be hidden in a multitude of ways.

 

[tarasgirl06]

We're settling into the new meds routine. So much so that she no longer gets off the bed with me in the morning or joins me at the kitchen edge in the evening. She knows she's getting a mouthful of foul at those times now. I had to yank her from her cat cave this morning. I don't want to do that.

But it's hard to argue with the results. Since she's been getting a reliable and consistent dose (and the hemp oil in her food), her plates are getting a lot cleaner. I'll find out on Sunday if I will need to adjust her portion size or composition.

I hope she likes the compounded chew treat even if it's $2+/dose. I would love it if meds and meal time became something she looked forward to again. Maybe she'll like the medi-melts as well and I can alternate them to spread out the chew treats. Or the flavored oil. To be honest, I think the flavored oil would be the best because I could also hide her ondansetron in there. But she may also not even need ondansetron. We'll figure that one out next. Right now, those 1/4 tablets are so small that they can be hidden in a multitude of ways.

*Pix would be nice* *Of Betty's cleaner plates, that is*
Yeah, they're worth it and then some if they give pleasure AND improve/maintain Betty's wellbeing.

And then, there's THIS:

 

[daftcat75]

This was a lunch. Maybe a single pass. Or a light second pass. Also at the end of her meds. Still better than before.


Now this was a second dinner/overnight. Much better. This is also what breakfast looks like right now.

 

[tarasgirl06]

This was a lunch. Maybe a single pass. Or a light second pass. Also at the end of her meds. Still better than before.
View attachment 466803

Now this was a second dinner/overnight. Much better. This is also what breakfast looks like right now.
View attachment 466804

MUCH better, Betty! Keep up that good work.
*CATS*

I had to throw out most of Elvis' lunch and almost all of his dinner. This will not do, Elvis. Especially after the boasting I've been doing about your good appetite.

 

[daftcat75]

9.6 lbs. Might have to trim the A/D to I/D mix before she gets too big again. Let’s see what next week’s reading says.

 

[tarasgirl06]

9.6 lbs. Might have to trim the A/D to I/D mix before she gets too big again. Let’s see what next week’s reading says.
View attachment 466864View attachment 466865View attachment 466866

Maintaining! and she looks so well -- lustrous coat, bright eyes, and beautiful Betty!

 

[daftcat75]

Maintaining! and she looks so well -- lustrous coat, bright eyes, and beautiful Betty!

Gaining, purrhaps? Maintaining would be 9.3/9.4. I might make small changes this week like a little leaner A/D mix or a few less kibble each day. But mostly I think I need another data point.

I found her weigh-in from last year while doing a year in photo review. She’s a cool pound lighter and I’d like her to keep it that way.