Am I overreacting?

[fionasmom]

Thank you for letting us know that you got some good news! She has to eat, so you are doing the best you can to get her healthy food. Aluminum hydroxide can cause constipation; it is dose related in most cases. Did your vet advise starting Miralax simultaneously or waiting to see if there is a problem? I use Miralax daily with one of my cats and have not had any problems with it.

 

[silent meowlook]

I haven’t seen constipation with aluminum hydroxide but I am sure it can happen. I see constipation more from dehydration in cats.

 

[Twylasmom]

Thank you for letting us know that you got some good news! She has to eat, so you are doing the best you can to get her healthy food. Aluminum hydroxide can cause constipation; it is dose related in most cases. Did your vet advise starting Miralax simultaneously or waiting to see if there is a problem? I use Miralax daily with one of my cats and have not had any problems with it.

We did not discuss Miralax - they called with results so I only talked to a tech. I was surprised by the phos level since her appetite has been great. All of her foods are .68% on a dry matter basis, one is .52%. She must just be reaching a point where her kidneys aren’t filtering as well even though her other numbers are better. I’m going to start with a conservative dose (1/8 tsp) divided between her dry food and her first wet meal of the day. I’m not going to add it to the .52% food that is her evening meal since thatbis almost at a prescription diet level. I’m going to have to figure out her twice daily med schedule so that it isn’t affected by the binder (especially her benazepril). I need to dose meds twice daily with no binder one hour after or three hours before. Evening meds shouldn’t be a problem. I may need to set aside a little binder free dry food for that 5 am snack she always demands. I have Miralax on hand so can start if I notice any issues (can be a bit tricky with two cats!).

 

[Twylasmom]

I haven’t seen constipation with aluminum hydroxide but I am sure it can happen. I see constipation more from dehydration in cats.

Fortunately her hydration is good. she gets 100 ml fluids twice a week and her hydration level at vet visits is good, even two days after fluids. I’m just paranoid about her getting constipated and having to add in Miralax to her routine.

 

[fionasmom]

Have you used Miralax before with your cats? It has to be dissolved in water or added to very wet food like stews or gravies, which is what I do. It cannot be sprinkled on the food.

 

[Twylasmom]

Have you used Miralax before with your cats? It has to be dissolved in water or added to very wet food like stews or gravies, which is what I do. It cannot be sprinkled on the food.

I have used it with another cat. My plan is to dissolve it in water and add to a purée treat since these are mostly water anyway. Hopefully I won’t need to use it but better to be prepared.

 

[Twylasmom]

I just want to take a moment to say how grateful I am for Twyla. She accepts all her treatments with minimal fuss, takes pills like a champ, tolerates her vet visits, and is such a sweet loving girl. Today she had to put up with me spying on her in the litter box (yay perfect poop). Anyway, here is a recent picture of her judging me from the top of the cat tree.

 

[Twylasmom]

She’s been having appetite issues the past couple of days. Looking back through this thread I see this happened after her last quarterly checkup as well. She ate great the Friday and Saturday than really dropped off on Sunday and even less today. Had to do back to back days of Mirataz yesterday and today from a brand new tube (just like before) when she usually gets it every 5 to 7 days. I’ve been adding a small amount of aluminum hydroxide (1/16 tsp mixed into her dry food and 1/16 in half a can of one of her wet foods) since Friday but she has been getting it periodically in certain foods prior to this without issue. I had to resort to baby food to supplement today, which I haven’t done in a long time. Fingers crossed todays Mirataz dose does the trick. She has been showing a little more interest in food the past hour. She has been on 4mg of Cerenia every other day for months and the vet suggested trialing it to every third day to see how she does. If today was any indication that might not work.

 

[silent meowlook]

I just want to take a moment to say how grateful I am for Twyla. She accepts all her treatments with minimal fuss, takes pills like a champ, tolerates her vet visits, and is such a sweet loving girl. Today she had to put up with me spying on her in the litter box (yay perfect poop). Anyway, here is a recent picture of her judging me from the top of the cat tree.View attachment 466805

She is so beautiful!!!

 

[Kwik]

I just want to take a moment to say how grateful I am for Twyla. She accepts all her treatments with minimal fuss, takes pills like a champ, tolerates her vet visits, and is such a sweet loving girl. Today she had to put up with me spying on her in the litter box (yay perfect poop). Anyway, here is a recent picture of her judging me from the top of the cat tree.View attachment 466805

Twyla is a gorgeous girl
You have been doing such a good job with her and she is just a champ

Twyla(& you) have been in my prayers all along.... everytime I am getting ready to comment someone says what I was going to say- just letting you know I'm a supporter ,cheering your girl on

 

[Twylasmom]

Well, the Mirataz kicked in about 2 am. I didn’t get much sleep but she ate several times. Now to see if it sticks for a few days. I’ll give the Cerenia reduction the rest of the week to see how it goes but we may need to go back to every other day dosing.

 

[cocoanlace]

Hi Twylasmom !

In case you weren't aware, there are two specialized online groups for folks managing their asthmatic kitties' health:

• Feline Asthma and Respiratory Disorders "This board opened in January, 1999....."
• Feline Asthma, Inhaled Medications "Discussion of methods for treating feline asthma with inhaled medications..."

The first began in January 1999, the second's been active since 2002 and combined, over 4000 folks and their cats have participated....that makes for a huge trove of collective experience to be drawn on.

These were the original internet cat communities...before forums like this came along

Yes! The FAIM board was immensely helpful when I had a cat with asthma (now deceased). I did not realize the board was still operating.

 

[Twylasmom]

Not much new to report, but just wanted to mark the 2 year anniversary of this thread. Twyla continues to do well and is maintaining her weight at a bit over 12 pounds. Her appetite is pretty good as long as she gets a weekly bump of Mirataz and she still keeps Hooper on his toes. We’re do for a three month checkup in about three weeks so hopefully all will look good, though that is never a for sure thing.

 

[Kwik]

Not much new to report, but just wanted to mark the 2 year anniversary of this thread. Twyla continues to do well and is maintaining her weight at a bit over 12 pounds. Her appetite is pretty good as long as she gets a weekly bump of Mirataz and she still keeps Hooper on his toes. We’re do for a three month checkup in about three weeks so hopefully all will look good, though that is never a for sure thing.

Happy to hear Twyla and you are well- praying her follow up in 3wks is GREAT

 

[fionasmom]

Great news!

 

[Twylasmom]

Quarterly check up time again. Kidney values were checked and both her creatinine and phosphorus were up a bit from last time. Phos was 6.9, which is the highest it has been. This puts her back at stage three. Sigh….. Her blood pressure also went up some so we are increasing her amlodipine dose to twice a day. Didn’t check thyroid today.

I am really struggling with the phosphorus control. For a while I was pretty good at adding aluminum hydroxide to her food, taking care to keep it away from medication time, but then my work schedule got crazy and there wasn’t enough time at home to separate meals from twice daily meds, so I was just feeding the lowest phos food she would eat (which is .68% on a DMB, so reasonable). So my lack of discipline on this issue hasn’t helped. Things are more normal now, and my summer break is only a few weeks away, so time to get back on the phosphorus control train.

I was able to get a sample pack of Hill’s k/d foods from the vet to try out. Twyla is eating Hill’s as her regular food so fingers crossed. When she was first diagnosed, she liked the Purina NF Early Care for a few months but hated everything else. I also didn’t have Mirataz to stimulate her appetite at that point.

The vet also gave me a few capsules of Naraquin to try. Can’t be used at the same time as aluminum hydroxide, but doesn’t interact with meds so it might be a better option. We shall see. I asked about niacinamide, but my vet didn’t have much knowledge on the subject.

Her weight has remained stable and she remains a happy, active cat who still can put her 17 lb “brother” in his place when she needs to. I have to remind myself that she is doing pretty good for an asthmatic, arthritic, hyperthyroidic CKD cat with high blood pressure, a heart murmur and one functioning kidney who is pushing 17 years old.

 

[Furballsmom]

for an asthmatic, arthritic, hyperthyroidic CKD cat with high blood pressure, a heart murmur and one functioning kidney who is pushing 17 years old.

You go, baby girl!!

 

[Twylasmom]

So far Twyla gives the dry prescription food a paws up, but is less impressed with the tuna stew. Hooper ate what she didn’t 🫤

 

[Twylasmom]

It seems she always has appetite issues for a few days after her vet visit. This time she is shunning her wet food almost completely (she even turned up her nose at baby food earlier) but has polished off the sample pack of k/d dry over the weekend. I have a bag ordered which should be here in a couple of days. Also going to try more frequent Cerenia (has been getting it every third day but giving it a couple days in a row) since she has seemed to be a little nauseous, though no vomiting. Also adjusting to increased amlodipine dose to twice a day could be contributing.

I swear she knows when I add binder to her wet food! Also, I mirtzed her yesterday, but accidentally did it in the same ear I had previously so it may not has been as effective (I usually clean her ears after she has gotten one dose on each ear).

 

[Twylasmom]

Still struggling with getting Twyla back to eating after this last vet visit. She turned up her nose at both wet and dry food yesterday evening, overnight and this morning. She ate baby food last night and a couple of Temptations purées this morning as well as about a quarter of a can of wet food with phos-bind added (not a low phos food). I gave her a couple of pieces of Hooper’s dry food as a test which she gobbled up (of course, because she is not allowed). I know she would eat probably eat a serving of that If I gave it to her but I’m not going down that road because the phosphorus level is way too high. She has had 2 doses of Mirataz 36 hours apart that haven’t done much and has had Cerenia two days in a row.

Prior to the vet visit she had an excellent appetite with a weekly “boost” from the Mirataz so this is not normal for her.I’m hoping she will get excited over the prescription food when it gets here since she loved the sample.

We are having severe weather today which likely isn’t helping. I am taking a work from home day though plan to run out to get more baby food and some Fortiflora as an appetite enhancer. I am praying this is just a bump in the road and not the start of a serious decline.

Her attitude is good and she’s being very snuggly with the weather.