How Much Weight Loss Is Too Much.

[Cookster]

Our 8 year old “Cookie” went from 11.5 pounds to 6 pounds in 2 months.

About 2 months ago she started vomiting every few days. We figured hairballs or something. Then about 3 weeks ago we took her to the vet noticing weight loss. Otherwise her behavior was normal...sweet as ever.

During that visit she weighed in at 7.5 pounds. The vet did a blood workup including Thyroid panel which all showed normal results. He recommended an X-ray or ultrasound to further diagnose but we couldn’t afford either so he prescribed prednisone in hopes that her appetite would return. It did but only for a day. We tried to offer her everything !

About 10 days later I called and said still not better so brought her in she weighed 6.5 pounds. Again they said X-ray or ultrasound. I inquired on the cost of the X-ray and was told $80 so I decided to try that (come to find out it’s $80 for each X-ray and they did 2 .. but that’s a different story). The X-ray showed nothing abnormal. He sent us home with mirtazapine for appetite stimulation but she won’t take the pill...even put in cream cheese.

I noticed more vomit probably from the drop of gravy she ate in her food the other day.

Every day she cries for food but no matter what I give her she won’t eat it.

I feel terribly guilty for feeling like we need to put her down but she is terribly skinny and I can’t help but think she’s in pain. We truly cannot afford the ultrasound much less cancer treatment if that’s what it ends up being.

So how much weight loss is too much? I don’t want her to suffer.

 

[Stinky15]

Our 8 year old “Cookie” went from 11.5 pounds to 6 pounds in 2 months.

About 2 months ago she started vomiting every few days. We figured hairballs or something. Then about 3 weeks ago we took her to the vet noticing weight loss. Otherwise her behavior was normal...sweet as ever.

During that visit she weighed in at 7.5 pounds. The vet did a blood workup including Thyroid panel which all showed normal results. He recommended an X-ray or ultrasound to further diagnose but we couldn’t afford either so he prescribed prednisone in hopes that her appetite would return. It did but only for a day. We tried to offer her everything !

About 10 days later I called and said still not better so brought her in she weighed 6.5 pounds. Again they said X-ray or ultrasound. I inquired on the cost of the X-ray and was told $80 so I decided to try that (come to find out it’s $80 for each X-ray and they did 2 .. but that’s a different story). The X-ray showed nothing abnormal. He sent us home with mirtazapine for appetite stimulation but she won’t take the pill...even put in cream cheese.

I noticed more vomit probably from the drop of gravy she ate in her food the other day.

Every day she cries for food but no matter what I give her she won’t eat it.

I feel terribly guilty for feeling like we need to put her down but she is terribly skinny and I can’t help but think she’s in pain. We truly cannot afford the ultrasound much less cancer treatment if that’s what it ends up being.

So how much weight loss is too much? I don’t want her to suffer.

Don't give your cat the option to not take the pill.


The Mirtazapine should help a lot, mine has been on it for nearly 3 months.

It is imperative you get food in your cat.... Mine you to be on an all canned diet. Since he lost his appetite he now eats kibble and I give him some chicken and ham that I eat. Make sure no garlic. He also would eat Gerber Baby Chicken food. No garlic and onion. Sometimes I would have to keep trying to get him to eat when he wouldn't and sometimes if I "jump started" him with a treat he would eat some. I definitely would put the pill in a pill pocket or even the cream cheese to hide the taste. Watch them after you think they took the pill, they can be pretty tricky at spitting them back out. You may read or have it suggested to use a syringe and give them water after you pill. I tried this and all it did was further traumatize my cat so I don't do it.

 

[silkenpaw]

Your vet is probably thinking Inflammatory Bowel Disease. That’s what the prednisone is for. My IBD cat got a steroid pulse given in the following way:
5 mg twice a day for a week
5 mg once a day for a week
5 mg every other day indefinitely
Also, please check that your cat is getting prednisolone, not prednisone. Prednisone is the pro-drug and is converted to the more active form in the liver, but cats don’t always do this reliably, so they should always be given prednisolone.

Good luck with Cookie. I hope she gets her appetite back.

 

[BonitaBaby]

I would ask if it's okay to syringe feed her some Hill's Prescription a/d wet food that has been mixed with water. Other TCS members have done this to get calories into their cat. Kitten replacement milk. I can't remember the other things they've tried.

But to syringe feed her and to get the Mirtazapine in her, I'd wrap her nicely in a towel like a burrito, hold her like a baby in your arms and open her mouth. I'd throw the tiny pill into the back of her mouth, close her mouth as it's tilted back and gently stroke her throat to get her to swallow automatically. That's how the specialist taught me to get the pill into my kitty. For the syringe feeding, if you try it, I'd go slowly and make sure it's not going into her lungs. I'd start with a small amount multiple times a day. If it works, I'd gradually increase the amount until hopefully the Mirtazapine takes effect.

 

[BonitaBaby]

But if she'll eat baby food or anything else, I'd go with that instead of syringe feeding.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Welcome to you even though the circumstances are rough - and yes, that's too much weight loss but I think you realize that. Gosh I'm so sorry!

Something else also is to take some pate and mix in a tablespoon of warm water (a shot glass works well for this).
Someone also mentioned the only thing that got their cat to eating again was small amounts of ground chicken...

see if anything here, on her food or separately, will entice your cat to eat (some have already been mentioned);

• Chicken or beef flavored baby food such as Gerber Stage 2 - make sure there is no garlic or onions in the ingredients

• Tuna and/or the juice, a low mercury brand is called SafeCatch

• Salmon

• Sardines (make sure there are no bones)

• boiled cut up chicken or turkey with no seasonings

• canned kitten food any brand - it's usually smelly. Gently heat it and stir.

• Try mixing in Kitten Milk Replacer - there are recipes on the internet

• Fish, tuna or BBQ flavored canned wet food (I personally have never seen BBQ flavors, but...)

• Lickable cat treats or pouch treat gravy poured over the food

• kitten glop (recipes are on the internet, look for some with goat milk)
• Bonito flakes
• fortiflora

• goat milk, or no lactose cow milk
• whole cooked eggs (the white must always be cooked) or raw egg yolk now and then
• broth with no salt and no garlic or onion or seasonings of any kind
• There are also commercial toppers, Applaws is a brand that can work well as a topper
  you could crumble treats onto the wet food, Purebites, Orijen, Meowtinis, Meowables

 

[Cookster]

Don't give your cat the option to not take the pill.


The Mirtazapine should help a lot, mine has been on it for nearly 3 months.

It is imperative you get food in your cat.... Mine you to be on an all canned diet. Since he lost his appetite he now eats kibble and I give him some chicken and ham that I eat. Make sure no garlic. He also would eat Gerber Baby Chicken food. No garlic and onion. Sometimes I would have to keep trying to get him to eat when he wouldn't and sometimes if I "jump started" him with a treat he would eat some. I definitely would put the pill in a pill pocket or even the cream cheese to hide the taste. Watch them after you think they took the pill, they can be pretty tricky at spitting them back out. You may read or have it suggested to use a syringe and give them water after you pill. I tried this and all it did was further traumatize my cat so I don't do it.

I watched the video and gave her the pill!! Thank you so much. I feel like an idiot not googling it myself.

 

[Furballsmom]

Good for you!!!

 

[Cookster]

Your vet is probably thinking Inflammatory Bowel Disease. That’s what the prednisone is for. My IBD cat got a steroid pulse given in the following way:
5 mg twice a day for a week
5 mg once a day for a week
5 mg every other day indefinitely
Also, please check that your cat is getting prednisolone, not prednisone. Prednisone is the pro-drug and is converted to the more active form in the liver, but cats don’t always do this reliably, so they should always be given prednisolone.

Good luck with Cookie. I hope she gets her appetite back.

Yes it’s prednisolone. Got her first pill down. Things are looking up.

 

[Stinky15]

I watched the video and gave her the pill!! Thank you so much. I feel like an idiot not googling it myself.

Great going! I must have misread posts, I thought you had the Mirtazapine already. Hopefully the Pred. will make your cat hungry.

 

[LTS3]

You can use Pill Pockets or other pill dough to get the pills down more easily. Both Pill Pocket varieties contain chicken so if your cat is sensitive to chicken, don't use it. I use a bacon flavored pill dough to give my chicken-sensitive IBD cat his prednisolone.

Mirtazapine is also available as a liquid. Your vet may have that. Or ask the vet to call the prescription to Wedgewood Pharmacy so it can be compounded into another form. Wedgewood Pharmacy has mirtazapine as chew treats and a transdermal gel Mirtazapine Medication & Information for Animals, Wedgewood Pet RX, Wedgewood Pet RX If your cat needs more medicines in the future, ask the vet if it can be compounded for easier administration.

If the vet is thinking of IBD, these web sites have great information:

Raw Feeding for IBD Cats
IBDKitties – Helping Save Lives…One Paw at a Time

Did the vet say anything about food? IBD and other digestive issues do best with LID or novel protein diets. The "blander" the better (i.e. few unnecessary fillers like veggies). You don't need a prescription diet. My IBD cat continues to eat the same brand of raw food he's been eating since a kitten, just not the chicken one.

 

[BonitaBaby]

Did the vet say anything about food? IBD and other digestive issues do best with LID or novel protein diets. The "blander" the better (i.e. few unnecessary fillers like veggies). You don't need a prescription diet. My IBD cat continues to eat the same brand of raw food he's been eating since a kitten, just not the chicken one.

Oh, yeah. Don't listen to me about Hill's Prescription a/d if it is IBD. I don't know if your cat can eat that. For the Mirtazapine, it sounds like people like it in the liquid form. Chew treats sound good. It was easiest on me and my cat in pill form, but that's just us. No liquid medication for my cat if possible.

 

[LTS3]

It does cost more to have a medicine compounded. Factor in a few days for processing and shipping if you order from Wedgewood. A local compounding pharmacy might have a quicker turnaround.

Hills A/D is a high calorie food. For food sensitivities and tummy issues, Hills Z/D is often recommend by vets. There are other brands hydrolyzed protein prescription foods. But any "bland" novel protein commercial canned food is helpful and often more palatable to cats. Raw and home cooked diets are also options.

 

[Stinky15]

Oh, yeah. Don't listen to me about Hill's Prescription a/d if it is IBD. I don't know if your cat can eat that. For the Mirtazapine, it sounds like people like it in the liquid form. Chew treats sound good. It was easiest on me and my cat in pill form, but that's just us. No liquid medication for my cat if possible.

I have an easier time with pills than liquids also.

 

[BonitaBaby]

Great video!! I just saw it.