Any handfeeding possiblities? Was there anything in the "my cat stopped eating" thread that helped, like a flat paper plate?
I do hand feed the baby food. Her wet food is served in a flat raised bowl and I top it with crushed treats or a little Fortiflora to get her going. I mound the food back up a couple of times and she will usually eat a little more, sometimes she will eat it out of my hand. Petting her sometimes helps. There aren’t many toppers she likes - no Churu or freeze dried for her. I’ve also tried some non-prescription dry but no interest. Today she has asked for food, but is only eating a small amount each time. She has never been able to meet daily intake on wet food alone so losing the dry is a big deal. Her wet food intake has decreased maybe a third, but she isn’t eating any dry. But those tricks do help some. This bout of inappetance is longer than usual.Any handfeeding possiblities? Was there anything in the "my cat stopped eating" thread that helped, like a flat paper plate?
What is the 'range' for the T4? From the ranges I know, what you are quoting, is ridiculously low. I can't comment on the other levels, as they are not horrendously bad. But the T-4 makes no sense.First off, even though Twyla’s methimazole dose was lowered after her visit 5 weeks ago her T4 went DOWN from .8 to .7 so below normal range.
I know, right? .8 is considered the rock bottom of normal so .7 is below normal. No wonder she has been spending all her time baking in the sunshine and has a suppressed appetite. Probably contributing to the worsening kidney numbers as well.What is the 'range' for the T4? From the ranges I know, what you are quoting, is ridiculously low. I can't comment on the other levels, as they are not horrendously bad. But the T-4 makes no sense.
Unfortunately my vet’s office wasn’t very helpful in that regard. They are actually down a tech at the moment so the current ones are pulling double duty. Hopefully one of my feelers will pan out. Or maybe it won’t take two people to give her fluids. In that case I would just need to get over my fear/phobia so I could do it alone.Thank you for your kind words and anecdotal experience with the Mirataz.Sorry you're going through this. It's so tough for us and them... I understand about needing help with SubQ fluids. Have you asked your vet if they can recommend anyone while your friend is away? Sometimes vet techs or assistants will do house calls to help with fluid administration (for a fee).
In my experience, Mirtaz kicked in fairly quick with my cat when we first tried it (I think within a couple hours, definitely within a day and a little bit went a long way) but your cat may react different. Best wishes to you and Twyla.
Oh no! That is too bad I hope something else works out for you. Can you try giving fluids on your own when your friend can be there as sort of back up support to see if you're able to do it on your own? I started giving fluids with a helper and as I gained confidence, I was able to do it ok on my own.Unfortunately my vet’s office wasn’t very helpful in that regard. They are actually down a tech at the moment so the current ones are pulling double duty. Hopefully one of my feelers will pan out. Or maybe it won’t take two people to give her fluids. In that case I would just need to get over my fear/phobia so I could do it alone.
We are doing the bag-drip method.Twyla has done well with it at the vet but has been doped up on gaba during those times. I may have found a pet sitter that can start on the 13th, so fingers crossed. If Twyla is calm about it than I will see if I can get comfortable with doing it myself.Oh no! That is too bad I hope something else works out for you. Can you try giving fluids on your own when your friend can be there as sort of back up support to see if you're able to do it on your own? I started giving fluids with a helper and as I gained confidence, I was able to do it ok on my own.
Are you using the bag-drip method or the syringe method? My vet recommended the syringe method as it is much faster for the cat. It took less than five minutes to administer her fluids in a 50mL syringe. The only downside was I sometimes found it hard to manage (and push) the large syringe in one small hand while making sure my cat didn't wiggle away with my other hand.
There are also cat jackets or sacks you can try to help restrain her if you are on your own. Not sure, of course, how Twyla will react to that...
Just some food for thought for you
I’m also thinking of moving to a smaller table I have with a light fixture above. This would allow hanging the fluid bag from the light fixture and the table is lower so would be easier to reach into the carrier.So glad to hear her appetite has perked up with a little Mirtaz! I hope it continues to help My vet told me it also helped a little with nausea. At one point I settled into giving it to my cat every 3 days and that went well.
That's a wonderful idea to put her in the carrier to the fluids. I hope it goes well next time