IBD and possible lymphoma, my cat is crashing

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Ocean Planet

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I guess I spoke too soon. He has gone 2 more times today. Bigger amounts of pudding-like consistency. (which finally seems to match the amount of his food intake for once.)

I took some video of the way he sits to show the internal med doctor tomorrow. I need to know if what he is doing means pain. Besides the bathroom habits that is my other main concern. He just doesn't engage much but still comes to get scratchings at times.

Til tomorrow... see what we learn then.
 

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One of my favorite song lyrics that helps me at times like this:
🎶 Healing doesn’t happen in a straight line. 🎶

That he had a solid one means he can have another. But it may still go back and forth for awhile as you figure out what you’re dealing with (IBD, lymphoma, and/or pathogenic overgrowth) and how best to do that (meds, food, and SB.)
 
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Ocean Planet

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Did you meet with the internal med doc today? I hope your little man is hanging in there....and you, too!
We did and just got back a few moments ago.

She said that overall his physical exam went well and she is happy with how he looks. Normal temperature, nicely groomed fur, not dehydrated, stable weight at 11lbs.

We did not get any results back on the lymphoma yet. She said it could be another couple weeks.

He only went the bathroom twice so far today. Started off with some shape and then ends in pudding. She, like other people here have mentioned, says that is an improvement over total liquid. She tells me these inflammation situations takes time to resolve. I guess hoping a steroid and probiotic would help clear it up in 3-5 days isn't realistic (thats on me).

I expressed concern over his bread loafing all the time and showed a video asking if he looked to be in pain. In her opinion she didn't believe that to be the case and said he appears relaxed. I think what I need to do is literally, withhold any more doctor appointments for a few weeks and allow him to get maximum downtime for a good while at home if all stays as is now. I know all of the visits don't help his situation :(

So that is the plan for the next month. Relax at home, prednisolone and supplements (probiotic and try s/b) until we get the last test results back. In the meantime, I need to work on my patience. I just love my little buddy.
 

BellaBlue82

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Sorry for the lack of updates Friday. Between working and 4 hours of sleeping taking care of him, this is starting to take a toll on my health.

I don't know what is going to happen. I ran him in yesterday because I thought he was blocked up. He goes around meowing when he needs to go to the bathroom. So just wanted to be sure...

They looked at his bladder with ultrasound and took a pee sample. All normal and ok. Nothing enlarged and no crystals. They did a rectal exam and did a full body x-ray. Nothing alarming found in his tract and no fluid seen anywhere (like around the heart/lungs). Temperature was a normal 102.x. His weight was 12.5 last summer. He is 11 pounds now :( So all in all a good visit in a way.

This was a different doctor at my usual vet. She really had no solutions for his constant bowel movements based on the situation. She offered Metronidazole but I said we tried that. Makes me wonder if we should try again long term.... I don't know. Going to try filling these capsules first with probiotics and see how that goes with the steroid.

It's possible I'll get the results this week if lymphoma is definitely part of this or not. I think it will have been 3 weeks.
I'm still scared and keeping an eye on his quality of life. I don't know if this diarrhea will ever go away. I don't know if trying to go the bathroom 15 times a day with limited results is good quality of life.

He looked like death yesterday morning. He sat in a bread loaf in the middle of the floor and turned his head sideways and laid it on the floor while like that to sleep. It looked like something out of the exorcist. Never seen a cat do that before. But then last night I gave him some transdermol gabapentin and he fell asleep on me for an hour and kind of perked up the rest of the evening. Not playing, but prowling around a lot kind like how he used to be.

I'm still fighting. Besides my day job I've put my life and hobbies on hold to focus on him 1000%. I still feel like I'm failing. Just wish something would work to get him to stop going to the bathroom. That is the only issue right now! (for quality of life). Have a few more combinations of pills to try but he is getting smarter and getting more difficult to take them. I'm still trying...

He is up prowling around this morning eating and drinking. Holding steady right now.
I just about cried reading this, I'm sending you hugs. Nico recently lost his battle with IBD/lymphoma (but he had other health issues that led to a pretty fast progression.) I can definitely relate with what you're going through right now. The ups when something good happens, the downs when they don't go well, not sleeping much, trying not to stress out about it, staying away from Google, (that's a tough one! Lol) taking care of them and setting everything aside to focus on that... That is true devotional love. Kitty knows this too and loves you even more for it, so hang in there. I'll keep you both in my prayers that everything goes well and he stays on the path of recovery. ❤
 
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Ocean Planet

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I just about cried reading this, I'm sending you hugs. Nico recently lost his battle with IBD/lymphoma (but he had other health issues that led to a pretty fast progression.) I can definitely relate with what you're going through right now. The ups when something good happens, the downs when they don't go well, not sleeping much, trying not to stress out about it, staying away from Google, (that's a tough one! Lol) taking care of them and setting everything aside to focus on that... That is true devotional love. Kitty knows this too and loves you even more for it, so hang in there. I'll keep you both in my prayers that everything goes well and he stays on the path of recovery. ❤
Aw, thanks so much. You know the drill to. I will add one more; following them to the litter box hoping for different results. Sorry to hear about your Nico. It's such a challenge to manage these diseases. :(
 

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Aw, thanks so much. You know the drill to. I will add one more; following them to the litter box hoping for different results. Sorry to hear about your Nico. It's such a challenge to manage these diseases. :(
Thank you. ❤
Lol funny not funny, yes following them every time they look like they might go poo, and sometimes hiding half way behind the door trying not to disturb them. 🤦‍♀️ Sigh, what we won't do for them.
 
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Ocean Planet

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So, he may have figured out the pill thing in the A/D food tonight. But it might be partly my fault. I warmed some up for a few seconds which tends to make it a little runny. So what ends up happening he licks all the food leaving the pill, or gets the pill and spits it out. Took like 5 tries tonight. Think I just need to leave it cold straight out of the fridge so it sticks together better.

It's only been a week and a half and the process is such a challenge. He is not food motivated at all. The anxiety of the nightly medication is getting to us both. And nothing is helping yet besides the "medicine games" damaging our relationship. This is a nightmare. Losing hope a little bit......
 

BellaBlue82

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So, he may have figured out the pill thing in the A/D food tonight. But it might be partly my fault. I warmed some up for a few seconds which tends to make it a little runny. So what ends up happening he licks all the food leaving the pill, or gets the pill and spits it out. Took like 5 tries tonight. Think I just need to leave it cold straight out of the fridge so it sticks together better.

It's only been a week and a half and the process is such a challenge. He is not food motivated at all. The anxiety of the nightly medication is getting to us both. And nothing is helping yet besides the "medicine games" damaging our relationship. This is a nightmare. Losing hope a little bit......
Try to hang in there, it was not fun playing the medicine game with Nico. I became a pro and the sneak attack - catch him when he was sleeping open up the mouth and pop the pill in lol. Then I would act like nothing happened and give him Lovins or talk to him like a silly person, just to try and take the stress away from the process.
Sometimes you just have to try different ways of medicating them, and stick with whatever works better than the other options. Sadie my girl cat could care less - she has an autoimmune disorder and takes steroids am and pm. She just sits there and lets me pop it in. But Nico.... Ugh he fought me tooth and nail. This the reason for the sneak attack.
Sending hugs and good vibes, I wish I could take away the stress of the situation from both of you. 😔❤
 
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Try to hang in there, it was not fun playing the medicine game with Nico. I became a pro and the sneak attack - catch him when he was sleeping open up the mouth and pop the pill in lol. Then I would act like nothing happened and give him Lovins or talk to him like a silly person, just to try and take the stress away from the process.
Sometimes you just have to try different ways of medicating them, and stick with whatever works better than the other options. Sadie my girl cat could care less - she has an autoimmune disorder and takes steroids am and pm. She just sits there and lets me pop it in. But Nico.... Ugh he fought me tooth and nail. This the reason for the sneak attack.
Sending hugs and good vibes, I wish I could take away the stress of the situation from both of you. 😔❤
Thanks for the good words. I don't know what long term plan to even figure out with all of this... my kitty is already getting leery of me being close.
 

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Please hang in there. Easier said than done, but try to stay calm because he can feel your anxiety. They are so smart. They hear you getting the medication and know it's coming. That's why the sneak attack works sometimes. If you get it all ready ahead of time and do it when he is not expecting it. Only thing is, they figure that out eventually too. Persevere, is all you can do.

Rest assured, most people have troubles with it. You're not alone. I got lucky with 2 that are very easy to pill, however, my Kokanee was a huge fight every single day. :heartshape:
 

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It is easy to grow despondent. But you are doing a GREAT job. I also do what BellaBlue did - I literally pop it their mouth. The key is to only use enough pill pocket to make a paste - of course, I don't know how big the pills are that you have to give. Is his swallowing fairly strong or does he hack and gag? My girl is currently on 5 pills a day. This is the only method that has ever worked for me. Again, I know your boy is frail right now, but I just wanted to share how I do pills. He loves you and is not afraid of you. He is just darn smart! Hang in there - whatever decision you make or don't make does not have to be tonight.

I still think there are some very positive signs from what you have shared.
 

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My cat is on pred so loves the pill pockets, noms them down of his own accord. I tried putting them in gel caps w/ something tasty smeared on it but found it exhausting and unpredictable. In my case the pill pocket doesn’t seem to effect his IBD any.
 

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My cat is on pred so loves the pill pockets, noms them down of his own accord. I tried putting them in gel caps w/ something tasty smeared on it but found it exhausting and unpredictable. In my case the pill pocket doesn’t seem to effect his IBD any.
Just to echo this, I bought the catnip flavored pill pockets for Nico. They did not cause any issues, and I did the same - just enough to smear around and hide the pill.
 
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Thanks everyone. I just hit an overwhelming moment last night and felt lost.

OK, so when you say you pop a pill in their mouth you are coating it with a pill pocket or similar? Not just the pill by itself? My kitty clamps his jaws down hard when I try to give him a syringe. It takes a few minutes for him to budge!

Going to the store today and will get some pill pockets as a backup to have more options. I've never seen catnip flavored pockets, is that new? (Just chicken and salmon from Greenies that I remember.)
 

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Thanks everyone. I just hit an overwhelming moment last night and felt lost.

OK, so when you say you pop a pill in their mouth you are coating it with a pill pocket or similar? Not just the pill by itself? My kitty clamps his jaws down hard when I try to give him a syringe. It takes a few minutes for him to budge!

Going to the store today and will get some pill pockets as a backup to have more options. I've never seen catnip flavored pockets, is that new? (Just chicken and salmon from Greenies that I remember.)
My store had Greenies catnip pill pockets, I used them since there is no fish byproduct in them. Here's what they look like just for reference:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NFG3FQQ/?tag=thecatsite

To answer your question, yes I would use just enough pill pocket to form a barrier to the pill. I would get one ready about a half hour before I planned to medicate, then try to find him when he was as relaxed as possible. If you can stick your index and thumb in the back part of his jaws (gently!) This will get him to open up his mouth. I would quickly pop the pill in when he opened.
Please don't feel defeated if it doesn't go as planned!! Lol this took me many many tries to get it in there sometimes. If I struck out three times in a row, I would walk away for about 15 mins to let us BOTH calm down, and try again later. Even years of doing this I would get frustrated if Nico spit it up lol... I would just come back later when I was calmer and try again.
Good luck, hopefully the pill pockets help!!
 
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Ocean Planet

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OK thanks BellaBlue82 BellaBlue82 , I had not seen that flavor before! I'll have to order some since my store didn't have that. I'm still going to try the old school method of letting him eat the wrapped pills on his own for now.

I need to be careful on the frustration part because I tend to cuss out loud when med time doesn't work out but I know that can scare him so I'm trying to do it in my head only... ha ha. They really do see our tension. It's incredible. 15 minute breaks between tries seem like a good idea.

Quick update - He is still going to the bathroom about 4-5 times per day. It's still for the most part pudding. With no more vet visits on the horizon for 3 weeks, I hope he can calm down (besides medication times). Still eats and drinks great, grooms himself and I can get a couple bats to a toy every now and then. So good and bad, but sort of stable.
 

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OK thanks BellaBlue82 BellaBlue82 , I had not seen that flavor before! I'll have to order some since my store didn't have that. I'm still going to try the old school method of letting him eat the wrapped pills on his own for now.

I need to be careful on the frustration part because I tend to cuss out loud when med time doesn't work out but I know that can scare him so I'm trying to do it in my head only... ha ha. They really do see our tension. It's incredible. 15 minute breaks between tries seem like a good idea.

Quick update - He is still going to the bathroom about 4-5 times per day. It's still for the most part pudding. With no more vet visits on the horizon for 3 weeks, I hope he can calm down (besides medication times). Still eats and drinks great, grooms himself and I can get a couple bats to a toy every now and then. So good and bad, but sort of stable.
I feel you on that, it's very hard trying not be frustrated in front of them. Walking away for a bit was something that seemed to work for me, I used to work as a chef in a kitchen so I tend to get trucker mouth when I'm upset 😂.

I take the other signs as a positive, eating drinking and going to the bathroom (even though it's pudding 😔) are all good, even interest in his toys and grooming are telling me he's still stable. Hopefully a few more days and the poops will start to firm up some more. 🤞
 
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The salman pill pockets were a hit and he ate them right up. Easy to medicate but then he looked a little down later in the evening and I wonder if they upset his stomach. Now I'm unsure if to try them again.

Then he went to the bathroom 3 times so far overnight. All liquid. :( I just got the S. boulardii delivered yesterday so may try to wrap some in a capsule to try. Things just are not getting any better. :(
 

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The salman pill pockets were a hit and he ate them right up. Easy to medicate but then he looked a little down later in the evening and I wonder if they upset his stomach. Now I'm unsure if to try them again.

Then he went to the bathroom 3 times so far overnight. All liquid. :( I just got the S. boulardii delivered yesterday so may try to wrap some in a capsule to try. Things just are not getting any better. :(
It could be the medication making him seem a little down, I know they all seemed to have that effect on Nico. On the other hand, I'm glad the pill pockets worked!

I'm glad you got the SB, as Daftcat75 stated they do work for the runs. It may take a few days, but hopefully they will help. ❤
 
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