Cat Struggling To Walk For 10 Months

[nunnc84]

Get some New Zealand Antler Velvet. It has glucosamine in it along with lots of other healing ingredients and growth factors that help with healing. I take it for a really bad arthritic knee and it helps a lot. I recommend New Zealand Antler Velvet because New Zealand doesn't have any cases of chronic wasting disease (aka mad cow) in their deer and elk like the US and Canada does. This article suggests not using antler velvet from the US and Canada for that reason.
Chronic Wasting Disease Prions in Elk Antler Velvet

You can find New Zealand Antler Velvet capsules on ebay. Glucosamine supplements were hard on my stomach, but the antler velvet capsules are not.

Ok I bought it, the tab version that helps with arthritis and the liquid version that helps with gingivitis!

 

[nunnc84]

Get some New Zealand Antler Velvet. It has glucosamine in it along with lots of other healing ingredients and growth factors that help with healing. I take it for a really bad arthritic knee and it helps a lot. I recommend New Zealand Antler Velvet because New Zealand doesn't have any cases of chronic wasting disease (aka mad cow) in their deer and elk like the US and Canada does. This article suggests not using antler velvet from the US and Canada for that reason.
Chronic Wasting Disease Prions in Elk Antler Velvet

You can find New Zealand Antler Velvet capsules on ebay. Glucosamine supplements were hard on my stomach, but the antler velvet capsules are not.

I can't wait to try the dry tablets for her joints!
And try the liquid for her gingivitis!
Thanks!
Ill let you know.

 

[Libby.]

Because I also have colloidal sliver which has natural antibiotic properties. Occasionally, I put it on toilet paper and clean under her eyes during drainage.

Colloidal silver is really good for eye infections. You can put it in the eyes as well as give it to the cats internally.

 

[nunnc84]

Colloidal silver is really good for eye infections. You can put it in the eyes as well as give it to the cats internally.

Thanks,
I have done this before
I just didn’t know if it was ok

 

[nunnc84]

any suggestions for an automatic wet food feeder needed twice in 24 hours

 

[nunnc84]

Hello everyone,
This is my first time posting and I am in a state where I don’t know what to do with my cat. My cat Lily is 10 years old and struggles with his hind legs. Back in August, Lily suddenly started limping with his shoulders hunched forward. He suddenly stopped eating, drinking, and going to the litter box. I knew he was in pain so I went to the vet and all they did was take his blood test, blood pressure, and x-ray. All results came back normal so they couldn’t figure out what was causing him pain. Based on physical examination, they assumed he may have pancreatitis because he would hunch forward when touching his abdomen. All they gave me was pain medication and sent us home.

Later that night, Lily urinated on the floor and started meowing in pain. I thought at that moment he was about to pass away but luckily he did not. I went to the vet once more and all they could provide was more pain medication and a fluid shot to keep him hydrated. Over time, I fed Lily cooked chicken, baby food mixed with pancreas supplement, and fancy feast kibble. He gradually started getting better although his walking was still bad. His hind legs would spread outward and his stool would come out in small pebbles. He also could not stretch his leg to scratch his ear so I had to help him. He had a consistent appetite although it was less than my other healthy cat. Months go by and Lily seemed fine except for his walking so I did not feel urgent to take him to the vet considering he gets extremely stressed when taking him out.

Fast forward to this past week, Lily’s walking started getting worse and his hind legs would spread out while he sits or walks. He would trip and it seemed like his legs were weak. He also started losing muscle as well. I took him to a different vet this time and the vet told me that he may have nerve issues in the spine since his legs would not react when pinching them. We took another blood test since it was 10 months since the last one and the results came out the same. He did not have diabetes nor any viruses so those were ruled out. My vet told me that it could be a neurological issue and suggested steroid, buprenex(pain meds), and Clindamycin(anti-inflammatory). I have searched online all day for any possibilities for why he cannot walk and there is too much to figure out. At this moment, Lily can barely walk his way to the litter box. His legs are still spread outward and when he is laying down his back legs stick out straight. His appetite is getting low and he seems lethargic. He can eat while laying down.

Based on my perspective, I feel my cat may have gotten some nerve damage from the excruciating pain he felt back in August when he was meowing in pain. I have yet to truly find out what really was the cause of that pain as the vet only assumed pancreatitis without suggesting taking tests for pancreatitis. Lily did not have a seizure as I was by his side at all times and his body is not stiff in any places. His eyes are clear and he takes interest in his surroundings so I am doubtful about it being neurological. He also plays with strings although he would never attempt to use his back legs to play. Lily has the ability to kick and scratch, although not as much power, but still capable. His tail goes up however I have noticed that when I massage his thigh his tail would slightly twitch. I am planning on visiting a specialist although I am wary because the past two vets that I visited had no answers other than medication. I am also hesitant about getting an MRI because of the risks from radiography as well as putting him under anesthesia for “possible” answers. If possible, I would like any opinions or ideas of what may be wrong with Lily as well as what action should I take from here on out.

I’m going to ask my vet about acupuncture

 

[LuluM]

Update: Lily is doing okay so far. He has been on steroids for a week now and his hind legs are getting slightly better. I’m not sure if the steroids will eventually heal his legs fully or if they are just stopping the symptoms from getting worse, but he is in a better mood now. His stool has gotten bigger, but he will occasionally have the small pebble shaped stools every now and then. I do notice him gaining weight a bit and I’m not sure if it’s because he is regaining muscles (help from steroids) or he is just getting fat from lack of exercise. I feed him the usual amount (1/2 cup dry food) so he’s not overeating.

 

[nunnc84]

Update: Lily is doing okay so far. He has been on steroids for a week now and his hind legs are getting slightly better. I’m not sure if the steroids will eventually heal his legs fully or if they are just stopping the symptoms from getting worse, but he is in a better mood now. His stool has gotten bigger, but he will occasionally have the small pebble shaped stools every now and then. I do notice him gaining weight a bit and I’m not sure if it’s because he is regaining muscles (help from steroids) or he is just getting fat from lack of exercise. I feed him the usual amount (1/2 cup dry food) so he’s not overeating.

I’m glad he’s better. My vet wants to do a X-ray, we are waiting to know when

 

[nunnc84]

Update: Lily is doing okay so far. He has been on steroids for a week now and his hind legs are getting slightly better. I’m not sure if the steroids will eventually heal his legs fully or if they are just stopping the symptoms from getting worse, but he is in a better mood now. His stool has gotten bigger, but he will occasionally have the small pebble shaped stools every now and then. I do notice him gaining weight a bit and I’m not sure if it’s because he is regaining muscles (help from steroids) or he is just getting fat from lack of exercise. I feed him the usual amount (1/2 cup dry food) so he’s not overeating.

O
Iimuquin
Dasuquin
Prescription diet
Maxaguard
Chlorpheniramine
Lysine 500mg day
Is a herpes kitty

 

[LuluM]

Small Update: It is almost about 3 weeks since Lily has been on steroids and currently I notice that he seems lethargic. He’s been sleeping a lot today and yesterday although he doesn’t seem in pain because he sleeps very comfortably, with his body stretched out and front legs stretched forward, so I’m not super worried. His legs aren’t exactly improving from what I’ve seen. The steroids may be causing him to be lethargic, but I don’t know what else I could do to help him get better or at least gain muscle/energy. I’m at a loss.

 

[nunnc84]

Small Update: It is almost about 3 weeks since Lily has been on steroids and currently I notice that he seems lethargic. He’s been sleeping a lot today and yesterday although he doesn’t seem in pain because he sleeps very comfortably, with his body stretched out and front legs stretched forward, so I’m not super worried. His legs aren’t exactly improving from what I’ve seen. The steroids may be causing him to be lethargic, but I don’t know what else I could do to help him get better or at least gain muscle/energy. I’m at a loss.

I’m sorry I don’t know what to say

 

[LuluM]

I would like some advice from anybody that has experience with giving their cat long-term steroids. Right now I have Lily on steroids every 48 hours for long term care and I’m paranoid about side effects and possible diabetes so I would like to know how to prevent them. Anyone know how to go about using steroids safely?

 

[Furballsmom]

I found a couple of posts that refer to long term steroid usage.

I apologize if this has been asked before, but can you feed Lily wet food? That would possibly help with constipation issues and could also help avoid weight gain due to lack of exercise.

but I don’t know what else I could do to help him get better or at least gain muscle/energy.

Are you still exercising him with your hands, by gentle physical therapy, massaging, gently pushing, and gentle pulling and flexing? (- maybe not the loop, that sounded as though it stopped helping in Lily's situation.)

Chronic Pus/bloody Nasal Discharge

Anyone Know How Much Prednisone Costs (estimate)?

 

[LuluM]

I found a couple of posts that refer to long term steroid usage.

I apologize if this has been asked before, but can you feed Lily wet food? That would possibly help with constipation issues and could also help avoid weight gain due to lack of exercise.



Are you still exercising him with your hands, by gentle physical therapy, massaging, gently pushing, and gentle pulling and flexing? (- maybe not the loop, that sounded as though it stopped helping in Lily's situation.)

Chronic Pus/bloody Nasal Discharge

Anyone Know How Much Prednisone Costs (estimate)?

Thank you for the links, I’ve been using the prednisolone on Lily for about a month now. He can use his legs to walk slowly around my room, but he can’t run or jump at all. His hind legs are still sticking outwards too. I have been massaging his legs and pulling/flexing his hind legs to at least keep his legs moving. I own another cat and I can greatly tell the difference in muscle between them. Unfortunately, the Assisi Loop did not work in Lily’s case despite them claiming it would I have fed Lily wet food before back when he stopped eating, but back then he didn’t seem like a fan of it. I’m not sure if it’s the brand (Fancy Feast). I used to feed him baby food as well and he seems to love it very much although I don’t know if that would help him in any way other than hydrate him which he doesn’t need as he drinks plenty of water.

 

[Furballsmom]

I mentioned the wet food with the thought of working to see if his poops would become better and to see if it might ease any constipation issues, especially since he's not getting typical levels of exercise

 

[sandyshores]

I would like some advice from anybody that has experience with giving their cat long-term steroids. Right now I have Lily on steroids every 48 hours for long term care and I’m paranoid about side effects and possible diabetes so I would like to know how to prevent them. Anyone know how to go about using steroids safely?

Luna sounds like she is going thru what my Peanut girl went thru. Peanut is a 16 year old tortie persian. She started limping and then a couple days was falling down trying to get in the litter box. Blood work was fine. But she was only 6.5 pounds and had got down to 5.5 pounds. Vet recomended a cancer specialist and they did xrays and mri.... thought it may be cancer. They also did a biopsy of and it came back degenerative joint disease... basically arthritis. Then I went to the orthopedic specialist after I found out it wasn't cancer. It is severe in her hind knees and moderate in her front elbows. He first put peanut on an anti-inflamatory med for 3 days (cats can't do mass doses of anti-inflamatory long term). Then after that he put peanut on prednisolone 2.5mg 2xday for a week, then the next week 2.5mg 1/day, then the next week 2.5mg every other day. The prednisolone has anti-imflamatory and pain properties in it. She was fine and jumping on the couch again so he dropped it to 2.5mg every 3 days. A renal panel is needed every so often because prednisolone can affect the kidneys. However the orthopedic specialist said 2.5 is a really low dose and doesn't really affect the kidney function. Seems larger doses of prednisolone stop the kidneys from producing something or another, but the low doses still allow the kidneys to produce it. She has been on prednisolone 2.5 every 3 days for 3 years now and doing fine, no limping, jumping up on couch, etc. So fast forward to now. Peanut had a relapse and was walking with head down like she was stalking a prey. Couldn't jump on couch and started limping again. When she would eat (her dish is an elevated bowl and on tile floor), her back legs would slip out from under her so she looked spread eagle in the back. I took her to the ortho specialist and he put her on 2.5mg prednisolone every day to see if that helped her get out of the relapse... which it did but she has never gotten over the right leg limp and cannot jump on the couch without a step. What you have to understand when something is wrong with their hind legs, it is important to give them help in jumping (steps) because when a cat jumps down, almost all the weight lands on their hind legs... so you don't want them jumping as it really hurts. She was due for her yearly senior blood work and this time it came back stage 2 CKD. I then went to the Internal Medicine specialist who is at the same place the ortho specialist is. The internal medicine specialist didn't think the prednisolone caused the kidney problem because every so often on her yearly blood tests the BUN/creatine levels were up some so her kidneys were not 100% for the past 5 years. She thinks the kidney is more old age. She is back to the prednisolone 2.5 every 3 days. Still has a slight limp in the right hind leg and the ortho specialist says she is compensating by putting more weight on her front legs now. She can't turn around fast and takes a whlle to lay down, but I'm glad she is still here and I'm making her as comfortable as I can. The Internal Medicine specialist suggested a kidney diet with BalanceIT because she won't eat the bland special diets like Hills. I have had my cats on a raw diet for almost 10 years so hopefully I can get her transitioned to a "kidney friendly" diet. My regular vet did suggest accupuncture when she had the flare up, but the ortho specialist said that is just pain management and no anti inflamatory stuff like the prednisolone. Oh, I also give her vitamin B12 shots every month. That seems to help too, probably because of her age.

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[LuluM]

My vet did a physical examination where she pinched Lily’s foot to see if his reflexes respond and he didn’t which was why she said it was a nerve issue. We did x-rays and blood tests but results were fine and he isn’t diabetic either. I know that there might not be a full cure for Lily since the only other option to find out what he may have is through MRI which I don’t really want to do. I know this is also part of his life/fate so I’ll accept it if it comes to a point where there is nothing I could do but just be there until his final moments. As of now he isn’t in pain or behaving strange. He’s his usual self and he does walk around the house on his own even if he’s slow. I like to believe he’s doing his best to live on even if he is permanently disabled.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hello! May I ask how things are going?

 

[LuluM]

Hello! May I ask how things are going?

Hello,
Lily is doing okay at the moment, I have him on prednisolone 5mg every other day and I have been massaging his hind legs to help him keep his legs moving. His condition is still the same however, and I am still searching for another vet to take him although for right now I’m not in a rush since Lily is still eating and drinking and behaving just fine. He can walk around the house, but he is very slow. Overall his condition is stagnant, not getting better or worse.