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Go Chumley GO
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Chumley's (FIV+) Health Journal
- Thread starter ldg
- Start Date
Now that I know the story about him, I am totally on his team.
Please tell him so, and kiss him on his pink nose for me. I think he's one of the cutest cats I've ever seen.
I'm one of his cheerleaders. Go Chumley, GO, GO, GO!
(Even though I have no tabbies at the moment, my very first cat was one, and I have a major weakness for them. I struggle constantly not to bring one home from the shelter where I volunteer. I wouldn't bet any money that I'm going to be able to resist long term.)
Robin
Please tell him so, and kiss him on his pink nose for me. I think he's one of the cutest cats I've ever seen.
I'm one of his cheerleaders. Go Chumley, GO, GO, GO!
(Even though I have no tabbies at the moment, my very first cat was one, and I have a major weakness for them. I struggle constantly not to bring one home from the shelter where I volunteer. I wouldn't bet any money that I'm going to be able to resist long term.)
Robin
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #23
Will do.
He doesn't like kisses much, but I'll give it another go.
At a minimum he'll get a headbump from you, because those he likes.
In the trailer, he was a lap kitty, purring, loving being brushed. He did get overstimulated easily, and used his mouth (bit) to say "no" - though he never liked hands reaching out at him. Here - with 7 more cats - he's still getting comfortable. He's not a lap kitty here (yet). He LOVES being friends with Billy, but is a little scared of Lazlo (who, surprisingly, never had a problem with him), is a little scared of Shel still (see earlier post about that issue), and very leery of Spooky, who still hisses at him (though a lot less. They've been found sleeping next to each other up in the front window). He's enjoying being brushed if we start when he's napping or it's part of a "brush round" (where there's a group of kitties in a semi-circle, each taking turns with a couple of cheek brushes each, move on to next cat... ), and he sleeps on the bed (though not every night), often on one of our legs. He purrs in the mornings and if we've been out for a while - and he comes up to say "hi," and get his headbumps, and he gets his purr up. But he doesn't actively seek pets (yet - he will!), and is still very nervous about hands reaching out at him (though once he's up in my arms, he'll relax if I only hold him for a few).
I don't know when Billy became completely comfortable - but it took about a year, maybe a little more. We assume it'll be the same - if not a little longer - for Chum.
We'd never seen a "classic" tabby before. We just thought Chum had the coolest pattern we'd ever seen with those "bullseyes" on his side!
In the trailer, he was a lap kitty, purring, loving being brushed. He did get overstimulated easily, and used his mouth (bit) to say "no" - though he never liked hands reaching out at him. Here - with 7 more cats - he's still getting comfortable. He's not a lap kitty here (yet). He LOVES being friends with Billy, but is a little scared of Lazlo (who, surprisingly, never had a problem with him), is a little scared of Shel still (see earlier post about that issue), and very leery of Spooky, who still hisses at him (though a lot less. They've been found sleeping next to each other up in the front window). He's enjoying being brushed if we start when he's napping or it's part of a "brush round" (where there's a group of kitties in a semi-circle, each taking turns with a couple of cheek brushes each, move on to next cat... ), and he sleeps on the bed (though not every night), often on one of our legs. He purrs in the mornings and if we've been out for a while - and he comes up to say "hi," and get his headbumps, and he gets his purr up. But he doesn't actively seek pets (yet - he will!), and is still very nervous about hands reaching out at him (though once he's up in my arms, he'll relax if I only hold him for a few).
I don't know when Billy became completely comfortable - but it took about a year, maybe a little more. We assume it'll be the same - if not a little longer - for Chum.
We'd never seen a "classic" tabby before. We just thought Chum had the coolest pattern we'd ever seen with those "bullseyes" on his side!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #24
December 5, 2010. Late night feeding. 3rd dose of Consolidate Qi for the day.
December 6, 2010. Early AM feeding. Chum's stool is starting to firm up a bit, but still soft. 1st dose Consolidate Qi for the day on empty tummy. He only got 1/2 of the first Prosperous Farmer pill down today, but I didn't want to force the issue.
December 6, 2010. Early AM feeding. Chum's stool is starting to firm up a bit, but still soft. 1st dose Consolidate Qi for the day on empty tummy. He only got 1/2 of the first Prosperous Farmer pill down today, but I didn't want to force the issue.
He just makes my heart MELT
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #26
Well I decided not to log each and every time I give him a medication.
December 8, 2010. Have continued with Prosperous Farmer as prescribed (1 pill, 2x/day). Tomorrow night will mark one week on it. Also continue slippery elm/aloe vera oral liquid mixture, probiotics (acidophilus/bifidus), and the Consolidate Qi (as needed, for loose stool or diarrhea). Since beginning the Consolidate Qi in the evening of December 4, as of this morning, after watching him go to the bathroom, I cleaned the litterbox. There was another poop in there, and I was unable to tell which was his and which was the other one. (He's a serious digger!).
Edited to add: I've been giving him the Consolidate Qi 3-4x/day.
Early results - beginning of diarrhea became loose stool (which has been "normal" for Chumley), and appears to have been resolved inside of 3 1/2 days.
He is DEFINITELY not as itchy/scratchy. We removed what may have been a trigger (brewer's rice) in early November (in original journal entry, don't remember if it was Nov 4 or 6) by moving the cats to all wet (from combo of dry/wet). The hair growth on abdomen and inner legs had begun, but seems to be growing in rapidly now.
December 8, 2010. Have continued with Prosperous Farmer as prescribed (1 pill, 2x/day). Tomorrow night will mark one week on it. Also continue slippery elm/aloe vera oral liquid mixture, probiotics (acidophilus/bifidus), and the Consolidate Qi (as needed, for loose stool or diarrhea). Since beginning the Consolidate Qi in the evening of December 4, as of this morning, after watching him go to the bathroom, I cleaned the litterbox. There was another poop in there, and I was unable to tell which was his and which was the other one. (He's a serious digger!).
Edited to add: I've been giving him the Consolidate Qi 3-4x/day.
He is DEFINITELY not as itchy/scratchy. We removed what may have been a trigger (brewer's rice) in early November (in original journal entry, don't remember if it was Nov 4 or 6) by moving the cats to all wet (from combo of dry/wet). The hair growth on abdomen and inner legs had begun, but seems to be growing in rapidly now.
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Yippy for you and Chumley
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #28
OK, I am officially a bad kitty meowmy.
Chumley hasn't been back to the holistic vet for his check-up yet.
He is definitely doing MUCH better than he was - his purr is back, he's not manic about grooming, his stools are normal now (but still stinky), and he still absolutely LOVES playing. He still gets a "what's going on" haunted look in his eyes rather frequently - but we don't take it personally.
He's comfortable around the other kitties most of the time now, and we could just not be happier about that! (Lazlo looks at him funny sometimes and that makes him a little leary, and Shel does run over him every once in a while during his "crazies" - but no more going AFTER him.
).
I've been working on getting him used to a baby tooth brush so I can get honey onto his gums (to treat the gingivitis). That project is ... well ... let's just say "in progress."
He loves being brushed with the toothbrush on his lips and cheeks, and he loves eating babyfood off of it - but I'm not having a lot of luck actually getting it IN his mouth without him bugging out yet. I could do the front of his gums, but that's about it so far.
And I thought I noticed thinning hair on a patch on the outside of his front left leg. Confirmed today that there is a small bald patch there. The hair on his tummy is still a bit thin, but it is definitely BACK, and the fur is grown back on the bald spots he'd made on the inside of his legs.
So I know nothing about energy meridiens or what this means, but he does need to get back to the vet!
I have started changing his diet. I know he's "Yin deficient," and the vet had wanted me to contact a specialty food company about a prescription diet. Well, they're still only making food for dogs... but I'm working on incorporating higher quality cat foods that have more "yin" stuff in them. He's still getting the c/d like the other kitties, but now it's only half his calories (which I do need to reduce as he's quite a big boy now!). I'm rotating various Instinct cat foods (95% meat stuff), a few of the Wellness grain free foods, the Holistic food (chicken & lamb) and a number of the Wellness foods with oat fiber.
I haven't changed his slippery elm, aloe vera juice, probiotic or chinese herbals.
He is definitely doing MUCH better than he was - his purr is back, he's not manic about grooming, his stools are normal now (but still stinky), and he still absolutely LOVES playing. He still gets a "what's going on" haunted look in his eyes rather frequently - but we don't take it personally.
I've been working on getting him used to a baby tooth brush so I can get honey onto his gums (to treat the gingivitis). That project is ... well ... let's just say "in progress."
And I thought I noticed thinning hair on a patch on the outside of his front left leg. Confirmed today that there is a small bald patch there. The hair on his tummy is still a bit thin, but it is definitely BACK, and the fur is grown back on the bald spots he'd made on the inside of his legs.
So I know nothing about energy meridiens or what this means, but he does need to get back to the vet!
I have started changing his diet. I know he's "Yin deficient," and the vet had wanted me to contact a specialty food company about a prescription diet. Well, they're still only making food for dogs... but I'm working on incorporating higher quality cat foods that have more "yin" stuff in them. He's still getting the c/d like the other kitties, but now it's only half his calories (which I do need to reduce as he's quite a big boy now!). I'm rotating various Instinct cat foods (95% meat stuff), a few of the Wellness grain free foods, the Holistic food (chicken & lamb) and a number of the Wellness foods with oat fiber.
I haven't changed his slippery elm, aloe vera juice, probiotic or chinese herbals.
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Your Chumley is such a beautiful cat! I'm so glad you took him in, he wouldn't have made it this far without you.
Just read this whole thread!!! I think I have learned more about FIV today than ever before. Thanks very much for this thread and it will be extremely helpful for anyone that is dealing with FIV cats. It is really not as scary as everyone thinks. They need to read your thread you have done alot of research
and I thank you for that
.
Chumley, well, what a CAT!! His markings are absolutely gorgeous. I adore his big head and that smile. He is very lucky he found you.... I honestly don't think he would be around if you didn't take him in and get him healthy.
Chumley, well, what a CAT!! His markings are absolutely gorgeous. I adore his big head and that smile. He is very lucky he found you.... I honestly don't think he would be around if you didn't take him in and get him healthy.
Chumley, you re one lucky boy!!!!!
Thank you for logging all this info
very helpful
and thank you for taking him in- your an angel
Thank you for logging all this info
and thank you for taking him in- your an angel
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #32
March 31, 2011 Thursday Had our first follow-up visit with the holistic vet.
CHUMLEY IS DOING "AMAZING!"
- Couldn't detect any heart murmur
- His fur looks FABULOUS. NO bald spots. Hair on abdomen is still growing in, but this can take a "really long time," and he's doing much better than she could have imagined in the three months.
- His rodent ulcer is GONE.
- His tongue is still a little thick (swollen), and still red around the edges (indicating issue with stomach and... shoot, I don't remember). BUT, the swelling is much less than when he was last there, and before his entire tongue was too red.
- Whatever pulses she listens to (not his heart pulse, his Qi pulses or whatever) are MUCH stronger than before.
She was absolutely BEAMING. She doesn't want to "fix what isn't broke," and since his progress is much faster than she anticipated, the only thing she wants us to do is up his Prosperous Farmer to 3x per day instead of 2x per day.
He still has the problem with gingivitis, obviously, as we haven't done anything to treat it yet. That was this visit. She recommended exactly what MA suggested: RAW (untreated) organic honey smeared on his gums. The way to do this is to take a baby toothbrush, get him used to it with baby food, then have a warm wet towel available when making the switch to honey.
The "only problem" with the honey is that it is not good for his "wet" condition, so I'm to keep an eye on his tongue, and she showed me what to look for.
We'll find out next month if this helped, because we scheduled a dental that will be done without anesthesia. !!!! It is a service they provide there, but not by them: a practitioner from California flies in every few months to provide the service. Here's a link if anyone's interested: http://houndstoothpetdental.com/
If the gingivitis hasn't improved by the date of his dental (May 10), then she wants to try antibiotics. She'd prefer doxy, but as it only comes in liquid, and I can't get liquid meds down him (he still doesn't handle very well), we'll consider the Convenia shot, though she doesn't have as much confidence in it for this. But we'll see.
I did notice he seems to have some dandruff. It's not bad, and I really couldn't find any to show her. But she said IF I want to try krill oil (I take krill oil pills, so I already have it here), she'd prefer that over salmon oil (better for his "wet" condition). She wants me to start small - though really, she thinks his coat looks GREAT, and if I do it, again, she wants me to keep an eye on his tongue.
We'll see where things stand in May, but one thing recommended for his Spleen Qi Deficiency is sub-Q fluids daily. Helps "cool" him down. He is really well hydrated (of course, I feed him only wet food and add water to each meal LOL), but this wouldn't be for hydration, but to increase his energy flow to help cool him down.
And he is 2-3 pounds overweight. She'd be happy with him at 12, but between 11-12 would be best. He weighs 14 pounds, 6 ounces.
So I have to start decreasing the amount I feed him.
(He loves food!)
But... she was really pleased by the fact that his appetite is so good!
As to the FIV herbal therapy (which is one of the reasons we wanted to get him to an alternative vet to begin with), she wants me to send her all of the information. (I offered to print it out and send it rather than e-mail her the link). So I'll get that in the mail.
As to the round worm... the Profender was the right thing to do, and she thinks he should have at least one more treatment (which is what we were planning). We got the 2nd application on earlier this week.
The post-scrip here is that someone threw up a round worm earlier this month. We're pretty sure it was Chumley, but weren't sure. Fecal came up negative, but we decided to treat ALL of the cats anyway. The first round was March 8th. We're replacing all the litter and boxes this weekend (five days after 2nd application of Profender). 2nd treatment was earlier this week, and they'll all get treated again in another 3 weeks.
YAY CHUMLEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CHUMLEY IS DOING "AMAZING!"
- Couldn't detect any heart murmur
- His fur looks FABULOUS. NO bald spots. Hair on abdomen is still growing in, but this can take a "really long time," and he's doing much better than she could have imagined in the three months.
- His rodent ulcer is GONE.
- His tongue is still a little thick (swollen), and still red around the edges (indicating issue with stomach and... shoot, I don't remember). BUT, the swelling is much less than when he was last there, and before his entire tongue was too red.
- Whatever pulses she listens to (not his heart pulse, his Qi pulses or whatever) are MUCH stronger than before.
She was absolutely BEAMING. She doesn't want to "fix what isn't broke," and since his progress is much faster than she anticipated, the only thing she wants us to do is up his Prosperous Farmer to 3x per day instead of 2x per day.
He still has the problem with gingivitis, obviously, as we haven't done anything to treat it yet. That was this visit. She recommended exactly what MA suggested: RAW (untreated) organic honey smeared on his gums. The way to do this is to take a baby toothbrush, get him used to it with baby food, then have a warm wet towel available when making the switch to honey.
The "only problem" with the honey is that it is not good for his "wet" condition, so I'm to keep an eye on his tongue, and she showed me what to look for.
We'll find out next month if this helped, because we scheduled a dental that will be done without anesthesia. !!!! It is a service they provide there, but not by them: a practitioner from California flies in every few months to provide the service. Here's a link if anyone's interested: http://houndstoothpetdental.com/
If the gingivitis hasn't improved by the date of his dental (May 10), then she wants to try antibiotics. She'd prefer doxy, but as it only comes in liquid, and I can't get liquid meds down him (he still doesn't handle very well), we'll consider the Convenia shot, though she doesn't have as much confidence in it for this. But we'll see.
I did notice he seems to have some dandruff. It's not bad, and I really couldn't find any to show her. But she said IF I want to try krill oil (I take krill oil pills, so I already have it here), she'd prefer that over salmon oil (better for his "wet" condition). She wants me to start small - though really, she thinks his coat looks GREAT, and if I do it, again, she wants me to keep an eye on his tongue.
We'll see where things stand in May, but one thing recommended for his Spleen Qi Deficiency is sub-Q fluids daily. Helps "cool" him down. He is really well hydrated (of course, I feed him only wet food and add water to each meal LOL), but this wouldn't be for hydration, but to increase his energy flow to help cool him down.
And he is 2-3 pounds overweight. She'd be happy with him at 12, but between 11-12 would be best. He weighs 14 pounds, 6 ounces.
So I have to start decreasing the amount I feed him.
But... she was really pleased by the fact that his appetite is so good!
As to the FIV herbal therapy (which is one of the reasons we wanted to get him to an alternative vet to begin with), she wants me to send her all of the information. (I offered to print it out and send it rather than e-mail her the link). So I'll get that in the mail.
As to the round worm... the Profender was the right thing to do, and she thinks he should have at least one more treatment (which is what we were planning). We got the 2nd application on earlier this week.
The post-scrip here is that someone threw up a round worm earlier this month. We're pretty sure it was Chumley, but weren't sure. Fecal came up negative, but we decided to treat ALL of the cats anyway. The first round was March 8th. We're replacing all the litter and boxes this weekend (five days after 2nd application of Profender). 2nd treatment was earlier this week, and they'll all get treated again in another 3 weeks.
YAY CHUMLEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh thats just such good news to hear! He is a great guy, and you take such good care of him.
Your post just made my day!
Your post just made my day!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #34
Raw honey:
how careful do you have to be about bacteria?
Convenia:
has he had this injection before? I'm beginning to read some negative stuff about it - although - it's been wonderful for me and Gray (our FIV guy). On another occasion I had to use an oral antibiotic (ugh!), I used the "wrapping in a towel" method, which worked okay. I was prepared for an all-out war - but there's something about being cuddled in that large towel that seemed to settle him down - go figure.
Dandruff: maybe what you saw was more stress related (?)
Teeth: I remember when you were first preparing to bring him inside - I think you just found out he tested positive for FIV - you were thinking about the pros and cons of having his canine teeth pulled so he couldn't give a deep bite wound to the other cats - I don't recall what you decided to do - I'm thinking that once you got to know him and how he reacted to the others that you decided you didn't want to do something that drastic (?).
Dental without anesthesia:
seems like this would be stressful - causing secondary problems? Gray seems to develop a cold after a vet visit - then I have a heck of a time keeping him confined enough to keep all the other cats from catching the cold virus. That's probably the main reason I dread taking him to the vet.
Does your holistic vet have a position on feeding raw? I'm currently introducing Feline's Pride raw food into some our cats' diet, but dragging my feet for our FeLV cat (Buddy), and for Gray our FIV. On one hand I think the diet would be a whole lot healthier for them - on the other, with their immune systems being compromised and possible bacteria issues I'm afraid to take the chance.
Round worm: fecal sample - my vet said that it's not likely that roundworm would show in just one fecal sample. Gray surely has this parasite because his son showed me he has it in a vomit spot he produced - and if one has it, the other 3 have to have it too. (?) I haven't given the meds yet (I have to sprinkle it on their food because I am unable to handle all the feral born cats, we're getting close, but not enough to put a dose of meds on them - and if only one gets the meds it does little good), but am continuously!!! cleaning out the litter until I can find a food they will be sure and eat with the meds in it.
Thanks for the progress report, Laurie.
g
how careful do you have to be about bacteria?
Convenia:
has he had this injection before? I'm beginning to read some negative stuff about it - although - it's been wonderful for me and Gray (our FIV guy). On another occasion I had to use an oral antibiotic (ugh!), I used the "wrapping in a towel" method, which worked okay. I was prepared for an all-out war - but there's something about being cuddled in that large towel that seemed to settle him down - go figure.
Dandruff: maybe what you saw was more stress related (?)
Teeth: I remember when you were first preparing to bring him inside - I think you just found out he tested positive for FIV - you were thinking about the pros and cons of having his canine teeth pulled so he couldn't give a deep bite wound to the other cats - I don't recall what you decided to do - I'm thinking that once you got to know him and how he reacted to the others that you decided you didn't want to do something that drastic (?).
Dental without anesthesia:
seems like this would be stressful - causing secondary problems? Gray seems to develop a cold after a vet visit - then I have a heck of a time keeping him confined enough to keep all the other cats from catching the cold virus. That's probably the main reason I dread taking him to the vet.
Does your holistic vet have a position on feeding raw? I'm currently introducing Feline's Pride raw food into some our cats' diet, but dragging my feet for our FeLV cat (Buddy), and for Gray our FIV. On one hand I think the diet would be a whole lot healthier for them - on the other, with their immune systems being compromised and possible bacteria issues I'm afraid to take the chance.
Round worm: fecal sample - my vet said that it's not likely that roundworm would show in just one fecal sample. Gray surely has this parasite because his son showed me he has it in a vomit spot he produced - and if one has it, the other 3 have to have it too. (?) I haven't given the meds yet (I have to sprinkle it on their food because I am unable to handle all the feral born cats, we're getting close, but not enough to put a dose of meds on them - and if only one gets the meds it does little good), but am continuously!!! cleaning out the litter until I can find a food they will be sure and eat with the meds in it.
Thanks for the progress report, Laurie.
g
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #36
Honey is antibacterial. It's also anti-inflammatory. In fact, it's one of the oldest medicines there is. But this has to be done with RAW, organic honey. Stuff you buy at the supermarket has been too processed to retain the healing properties needed to make it work.
Hopefully we won't have to use an antibiotic... but if she thinks it's OK to try and he needs one, we'll use this option first and go from there.Originally Posted by GloriaJH
Convenia:
has he had this injection before? I'm beginning to read some negative stuff about it - although - it's been wonderful for me and Gray (our FIV guy). On another occasion I had to use an oral antibiotic (ugh!), I used the "wrapping in a towel" method, which worked okay. I was prepared for an all-out war - but there's something about being cuddled in that large towel that seemed to settle him down - go figure.
Doubt it, I couldn't find any at the vet's office.
We began introductions slowly, and he showed no aggression whatsoever to our gang. He was incredibly aggressive outside, but apparently that was food motivated only.
Chum is actually pretty mellow at the vet. He complains for the first few minutes of the car ride, but once we're under way and settled in the room, he's pretty good. He had quite a few vet visits those first months, and he never got sick just from going to the vet. Lazlo and Shelly used to, and we had to battle a number of URIs those first two years. But it hasn't been a problem since.Originally Posted by GloriaJH
Dental without anesthesia:
seems like this would be stressful - causing secondary problems? Gray seems to develop a cold after a vet visit - then I have a heck of a time keeping him confined enough to keep all the other cats from catching the cold virus. That's probably the main reason I dread taking him to the vet.
She doesn't want him on raw with the FIV. She has VERY strong feelings that NO cats should be on ANY dry food at all for any reason, and she does prefer the (mostly) grain free diet. Cats, in the wild, do get grains from eating stomach contents of mice, but as re: Chumley, her concern (re: grains) is more about his allergies than anything else.Originally Posted by GloriaJH
Does your holistic vet have a position on feeding raw? I'm currently introducing Feline's Pride raw food into some our cats' diet, but dragging my feet for our FeLV cat (Buddy), and for Gray our FIV. On one hand I think the diet would be a whole lot healthier for them - on the other, with their immune systems being compromised and possible bacteria issues I'm afraid to take the chance.
Yeah, it's not that round worm doesn't necessarily show in just one fecal sample, it's that it may not show in a fecal sample period. Basically to see the eggs, you pretty much have to run it immediately to the vet - and if they don't do the fecal float there... they collapse, and they can't be detected. That's why we almost never bother with fecal samples. We have ALL the ferals treated whenever they're in for anything (Revolution), and Chum was treated too, and with a follow-up. But we SAW the round worm, so we knew he had to be treated again. Did the fecal... I don't know why LOL.Originally Posted by GloriaJH
Round worm: fecal sample - my vet said that it's not likely that roundworm would show in just one fecal sample. Gray surely has this parasite because his son showed me he has it in a vomit spot he produced - and if one has it, the other 3 have to have it too. (?) I haven't given the meds yet (I have to sprinkle it on their food because I am unable to handle all the feral born cats, we're getting close, but not enough to put a dose of meds on them - and if only one gets the meds it does little good), but am continuously!!! cleaning out the litter until I can find a food they will be sure and eat with the meds in it.
Thanks for the progress report, Laurie.
g
With round worm, you have to treat them every three weeks. MOST cats are OK with just two treatments 3 weeks apart. But Chum's doc says it could be that as his immune system is compromised, he's not as good at getting rid of the worms. She agrees it's best to give at least one more round of treatment (three treatments, each three weeks apart).
We're treating ALL of the cats for it, not just Chumley. It's best to assume they've "shared" it via the litter box.
Chumley couldn't have found a better place to come and chow down last May, he was in the right place at the right time and it is wonderful you rescued him and saved him. Lots of
RAW Honey: thanks for reminding me - you know - I think I learned that ages ago - in fact so long ago I forgot!
Teeth: I'm so glad that he acclimated so well and that he didn't require any teeth to be removed - hopefully you'll be successful in his treatments, and he won't lose any teeth.
Food: Good to hear your vet's take on the raw feeding. I fully concur with 86ing the dry - I only use it for training treats.
Worms: Yeah, my vet really poo-pooed (pun?
) the fecal testing for round worms.
I did get Jr.'s worm to the vet for confirmation of the kind of worm, so I know it isn't a tape worm for sure.
No - can't get the meds on them - yet. Have to try and get it IN them with food, and sometimes they don't want the food.
The mommy feral-born is just now allowing me to stroke her back - they've all been exclusively inside since the first of October 2010, so they really are progressing in the socialization training.
Both mommy and Jr. will get close enough to me, now, when I'm brushing Gray, that's how I can get them to briefly allow me to stroke their backs.
The female "kitten" is the most wary, but we are seeing trust improvements almost daily.
We have 3 cat zones. The Gray Family (four cats) in the kitchen, family room, and office area - with access to an outside enclosure from the office window.
KiKi Family - KiKi was our first cat, then we got two others from my husband's niece. They have the master bedroom, the laundry, both baths, and hall.
Buddy has a bedroom all to himself because the FeLV is very contagious.
My husband and I are learning to move through the house latching and unlatching barriers that divide the "cat zones".
I can't imagine how you would keep your charges separated if you're living in a motor home.
Teeth: I'm so glad that he acclimated so well and that he didn't require any teeth to be removed - hopefully you'll be successful in his treatments, and he won't lose any teeth.
Food: Good to hear your vet's take on the raw feeding. I fully concur with 86ing the dry - I only use it for training treats.
Worms: Yeah, my vet really poo-pooed (pun?
I did get Jr.'s worm to the vet for confirmation of the kind of worm, so I know it isn't a tape worm for sure.
No - can't get the meds on them - yet. Have to try and get it IN them with food, and sometimes they don't want the food.
The mommy feral-born is just now allowing me to stroke her back - they've all been exclusively inside since the first of October 2010, so they really are progressing in the socialization training.
Both mommy and Jr. will get close enough to me, now, when I'm brushing Gray, that's how I can get them to briefly allow me to stroke their backs.
The female "kitten" is the most wary, but we are seeing trust improvements almost daily.
We have 3 cat zones. The Gray Family (four cats) in the kitchen, family room, and office area - with access to an outside enclosure from the office window.
KiKi Family - KiKi was our first cat, then we got two others from my husband's niece. They have the master bedroom, the laundry, both baths, and hall.
Buddy has a bedroom all to himself because the FeLV is very contagious.
My husband and I are learning to move through the house latching and unlatching barriers that divide the "cat zones".
I can't imagine how you would keep your charges separated if you're living in a motor home.
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We couldn't, so anyone with FeLV, we couldn't adopt. Thankfully, we haven't encountered that one yet.
My holistic vet recommended raw bones for teeth cleaning. She said you willl never pay for a dental again. (that would be in addition to their regular food). Of course mine will not touch a raw bone but I did try.
