Krista's Care

[daftcat75]

2:30am: We definitely had solids in the first box. Some soft stuff too. The actual nature of it all was buried!

There was a second helping that she put in a second box. That was decidedly softer. But also a lot smaller. And this too got buried!

Nothing on the carpet or the pee pads or the walls.

 

[daftcat75]

She likes the yeasty beasty bites (a bite of raw rabbit rolled into half a capsule of s. boulardii.) She also seems to devour meals that have the Proviable in them. There's something about the Proviable that she'll get pushy enough to try to eat it off the plate while I'm still weighing it. I liked the litterbox results last night. Still had squirty squishy bits but it also had solids. She buried both. Nothing squirted out of the box. And nothing on the carpet. I will continue to give her yeasty beasty bites (two or three doses a day) and a Proviable across two meals.

 

[tarasgirl06]

She likes the yeasty beasty bites (a bite of raw rabbit rolled into half a capsule of s. boulardii.) She also seems to devour meals that have the Proviable in them. There's something about the Proviable that she'll get pushy enough to try to eat it off the plate while I'm still weighing it. I liked the litterbox results last night. Still had squirty squishy bits but it also had solids. She buried both. Nothing squirted out of the box. And nothing on the carpet. I will continue to give her yeasty beasty bites (two or three doses a day) and a Proviable across two meals.

 

[daftcat75]

Well that was short-lived. I just watched her poop on the carpet from the camera.

I guess now is as good a time as any to head home for lunch.

I’m not mad at her for doing it. I’m sad for her that it still has to be done. If we just got back to perfect solids again, she’d have no reason for bonus bombs. It’s never the first one that goes on the carpet. Thankfully!

This will come up easily enough with the Bissell hand wet vac.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Well that was short-lived. I just watched her poop on the carpet from the camera.

I guess now is as good a time as any to head home for lunch.

I’m not mad at her for doing it. I’m sad for her that it still has to be done. If we just got back to perfect solids again, she’d have no reason for bonus bombs. It’s never the first one that goes on the carpet. Thankfully!

This will come up easily enough with the Bissell hand wet vac.

That device is well on the way to paying for itself, isn't it?

 

[daftcat75]

That device is well on the way to paying for itself, isn't it?

They all have. I have a Bissell army for whichever task it's needed. I have a cordless stick ("Bolt Ion") for quick pickup of litter and food. I have a handheld dry vac ("Pet Hair Eraser") that can do the same. The cordless stick pretty much replaced it. The handheld wet vac ("Pet Stain Eraser") is for small messes like a single soft-serve pile. The Spot Bot is now reserved for larger messes or multiple messes. I don't remember the last double-ended blowout (probably only a week ago.) But those are multi-device events. And then if she really let loose like one of those helicopter barfs, I have a corded Bissell wet vac.

It is because of my Bissell team that I no longer mind (much) her messes. I know they'll come up quickly and easily enough.

But we would both love it if we didn't need to use those machines so often. She actually doesn't mind the machines. Except that I'm not feeding her until those machines are put away again. But for the noise? She doesn't seem to be bothered by the noise as much as I am. She just moves up to a Katris perch along the dining room wall where the furry foreman can supurrvise the clean up effort.

 

[tarasgirl06]

They all have. I have a Bissell army for whichever task it's needed. I have a cordless stick ("Bolt Ion") for quick pickup of litter and food. I have a handheld dry vac ("Pet Hair Eraser") that can do the same. The cordless stick pretty much replaced it. The handheld wet vac ("Pet Stain Eraser") is for small messes like a single soft-serve pile. The Spot Bot is now reserved for larger messes or multiple messes. I don't remember the last double-ended blowout (probably only a week ago.) But those are multi-device events. And then if she really let loose like one of those helicopter barfs, I have a corded Bissell wet vac.

It is because of my Bissell team that I no longer mind (much) her messes. I know they'll come up quickly and easily enough.

But we would both love it if we didn't need to use those machines so often. She actually doesn't mind the machines. Except that I'm not feeding her until those machines are put away again. But for the noise? She doesn't seem to be bothered by the noise as much as I am. She just moves up to a Katris perch along the dining room wall where the furry foreman can supurrvise the clean up effort.

I know! Life became so much easier when the SpotBot arrived here.

 

[daftcat75]

We may have found a new way to pred. It came to me as I was making one of her yeasty beastie bites. The yeast binds up the moisture and makes it more tacky, less moist. More like dough. Like pill dough. I used a pill cutter to cut her pred in half and made a couple rabbit dough bites. The first half disappeared easily enough. It took two or three more dough bites to get the second half to disappear. I think it’s because I made the first “bite” big enough for her to eat around the second half. Tomorrow we’ll try it one doughy bite at a time. Then she can have the remainder of the portion without yeast.

 

[daftcat75]

On the one hand, her 11 pm squirts were one and done. On the other, they were alarmingly liquid. With bubbles from the force of ejection. At least no bonus or poop pukes.

 

[daftcat75]

I'm going to try skipping the Proviable today. I know she loves those Proviable meals but I'm still not certain it's helping any. It could be the reason why we had solid poop last week and very little since then. I'd also like to test either an increase or a decrease in her raw but one thing at a time. I was reviewing the last few pages here and it seems like we haven't had a solid poop since Feb 5. But we also haven't had a double-ended blowout since the day before.

I keep looking at rabbit legs from Fossil Farms in New Jersey. It's 4.5 lbs of bone-in hind legs, about 8-10 per 4.5 lbs package for $80. That price doubles when I include shipping. But let's look at this another way. I only get half that many hind legs for the same price when I buy the whole fryers. So it basically all comes out in the wash. Now if she likes these, the shipping remains about the same even if I double the order. So yes, I think I should try increasing her rabbit portions to see if those help her out. The only thing that keeps me from feeding her more raw rabbit right now is the size of the batch and how much it costs me to make one. If I can half that price, I'd be happy to deal in legs only and not have to dump the rest of the rabbits on friends.

So no proviable today. More raw tomorrow.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I'm going to try skipping the Proviable today. I know she loves those Proviable meals but I'm still not certain it's helping any. It could be the reason why we had solid poop last week and very little since then. I'd also like to test either an increase or a decrease in her raw but one thing at a time. I was reviewing the last few pages here and it seems like we haven't had a solid poop since Feb 5. But we also haven't had a double-ended blowout since the day before.

I keep looking at rabbit legs from Fossil Farms in New Jersey. It's 4.5 lbs of bone-in hind legs, about 8-10 per 4.5 lbs package for $80. That price doubles when I include shipping. But let's look at this another way. I only get half that many hind legs for the same price when I buy the whole fryers. So it basically all comes out in the wash. Now if she likes these, the shipping remains about the same even if I double the order. So yes, I think I should try increasing her rabbit portions to see if those help her out. The only thing that keeps me from feeding her more raw rabbit right now is the size of the batch and how much it costs me to make one. If I can half that price, I'd be happy to deal in legs only and not have to dump the rest of the rabbits on friends.

So no proviable today. More raw tomorrow.

Wow, $$$! Hope skipping the Proviable helps. Funny how something that's supposed to do one thing might actually do another. Pumpkin is said to help stop/prevent constipation AND diarrhea. How that works, IDK. It's high in fiber, of course.

 

[daftcat75]

Wow, $$$! Hope skipping the Proviable helps. Funny how something that's supposed to do one thing might actually do another. Pumpkin is said to help stop/prevent constipation AND diarrhea. How that works, IDK. It's high in fiber, of course.

I'm assuming the fibers in pumpkin both provide insoluble bulk (helpful with diarrhea) and soluble moisture like Miralax (helpful with constipation.) I imagine the devil is in the dose. Like with all things.

The dr should call back today and we can talk chemo. Increasing rabbit portions will be helpful if I have to pill her multiple times a day. Which is kind of what I'm already doing with the yeast. But I steal from breakfast and dinner portions for her yeasty bites. She still only gets 1 oz a day whether that's two half oz portions or two 10 gram portions and a few 2 g bites here and there throughout the day.

At least with the yeast, I see a reduction in stool frequency when she gets the yeast. She becomes closer to regular even if the consistency is lacking. That said, if we had a watery blowout at 11pm, we could be in for another lunch time surprise.

 

[daftcat75]

As for $$$, I'm spending a small fortune on Rawz having to buy it by the 3 oz case now. I actually have some 5.5 oz cans from my Maryland order. I haven't even opened that box yet. I should check those out tonight as I may have just run out of the firm 3 oz cans from my local store. More than anything, the inconsistencies in the supply and differences in batches of her canned food that is probably contributing to all this instability in her gut.

 

[amandag1]

As for $$$, I'm spending a small fortune on Rawz having to buy it by the 3 oz case now. I actually have some 5.5 oz cans from my Maryland order. I haven't even opened that box yet. I should check those out tonight as I may have just run out of the firm 3 oz cans from my local store. More than anything, the inconsistencies in the supply and differences in batches of her canned food that is probably contributing to all this instability in her gut.

Ive been following along Krista's story for a bit- and your updates. You are an amazing pet-parent! She is so loved. Can you give me a quick rundown on what Krista has? IBS? (Just out of curiosity really) Hope she puts on some lbs and gets better ! Lots of love

 

[daftcat75]

Ive been following along Krista's story for a bit- and your updates. You are an amazing pet-parent! She is so loved. Can you give me a quick rundown on what Krista has? IBS? (Just out of curiosity really) Hope she puts on some lbs and gets better ! Lots of love

She's had multiple struggles over the last few years:

Resorptive lesions. I had the last of her teeth removed last October rather than waiting for them to go bad. She's thrilled about no longer having teeth issues every few months. I told the veterinary dentist, "make this the last dental procedure she'll ever need." He did an awesome job!

She has IBD that's been reasonably well-managed until this last six months or so. She had a clostridium infection over the summer and fleas. She had teeth issues before her last dental procedure she'll ever need. She had some liver inflammation and "stuffy gallbladder and bile ducts" last January. That started this thread as she was in the hospital for that. She had pancreatitis a couple summers ago and a flare-up just before that hospital stay.

In that stay, the one that started this thread, she also had an ear cleaning that pushed enough gunk to rupture her eardrum. And she needed dental extractions. We ended up putting a feeding tube in her since she hadn't eaten much from Christmas to New Year's and we weren't sure how well she would eat after her dental extractions, ruptured eardrum, and being in the hospital cage all day on IV fluids and such. She resumed eating pretty quickly and the tube came out within a month. She actually yanked it out when the doctor was trying to re-adjust the sutures. I wasn't using it for anything other than medicine (and a little bit of food to "take with food") at that point.

She also has arthritis.

It's not a matter of what she has but what she doesn't. She doesn't have kidney disease, thyroid issues, dental issues (no more!), and her heart and lungs are good. She hasn't had a pancreatic flare-up since last January. But what we're not able to say is whether she has lymphoma or not. The rule of thumb that I've always gone by since she was first diagnosed with "intestinal changes consistent with IBD or small cell lymphoma" is that if she can maintain or gain weight, it's probably not cancer. Lately, she has not been able to gain weight and it's probably only the increased calories from steroids (pred) that's keeping her weight stable. But she's had a couple of weight drops between stable weeks. And I don't know how much more weight she can lose without regaining any.

So that's basically where we are today. She hasn't had consistently solid poops in months. We tried steroids. I am waiting to hear from her doctor today whether we should give the steroids more time or start in with the chemotherapy. I'd like to try the chemo already. I've read that cats respond quite well to it. Most don't suffer any side effects, or mild ones. Not at all like chemo with humans. The outcomes are much better too. I could reasonably expect another two or more years with her if we get her gut and butt back under control. But she's a tough one. She may just outlive us all.

 

[tarasgirl06]

She's had multiple struggles over the last few years:

Resorptive lesions. I had the last of her teeth removed last October rather than waiting for them to go bad. She's thrilled about no longer having teeth issues every few months. I told the veterinary dentist, "make this the last dental procedure she'll ever need." He did an awesome job!

She has IBD that's been reasonably well-managed until this last six months or so. She had a clostridium infection over the summer and fleas. She had teeth issues before her last dental procedure she'll ever need. She had some liver inflammation and "stuffy gallbladder and bile ducts" last January. That started this thread as she was in the hospital for that. She had pancreatitis a couple summers ago and a flare-up just before that hospital stay.

In that stay, the one that started this thread, she also had an ear cleaning that pushed enough gunk to rupture her eardrum. And she needed dental extractions. We ended up putting a feeding tube in her since she hadn't eaten much from Christmas to New Year's and we weren't sure how well she would eat after her dental extractions, ruptured eardrum, and being in the hospital cage all day on IV fluids and such. She resumed eating pretty quickly and the tube came out within a month. She actually yanked it out when the doctor was trying to re-adjust the sutures. I wasn't using it for anything other than medicine (and a little bit of food to "take with food") at that point.

She also has arthritis.

It's not a matter of what she has but what she doesn't. She doesn't have kidney disease, thyroid issues, dental issues (no more!), and her heart and lungs are good. She hasn't had a pancreatic flare-up since last January. But what we're not able to say is whether she has lymphoma or not. The rule of thumb that I've always gone by since she was first diagnosed with "intestinal changes consistent with IBD or small cell lymphoma" is that if she can maintain or gain weight, it's probably not cancer. Lately, she has not been able to gain weight and it's probably only the increased calories from steroids (pred) that's keeping her weight stable. But she's had a couple of weight drops between stable weeks. And I don't know how much more weight she can lose without regaining any.

So that's basically where we are today. She hasn't had consistently solid poops in months. We tried steroids. I am waiting to hear from her doctor today whether we should give the steroids more time or start in with the chemotherapy. I'd like to try the chemo already. I've read that cats respond quite well to it. Most don't suffer any side effects, or mild ones. Not at all like chemo with humans. The outcomes are much better too. I could reasonably expect another two or more years with her if we get her gut and butt back under control. But she's a tough one. She may just outlive us all.

*PRAYERS* for a big "YES" on that last sentence (or actually, many more years, enjoyed in comfort, safety, and love!)

 

[Furballsmom]

Me too!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Thanks, daftcat75 for a very nice summary of Krista's care! I keep losing notices on your thread, so I do try to do 'catch up' when I realize it. But, one question: how long ago did the IBD vs. possible lymphoma diagnosis come up? I only ask because now you are considering chemotherapy, and I wonder if Krista would not have 'declined' much more so than she has if that were the case. Notwithstanding the concept that chemo is not as hard on a cat as it can be on a person, she has gone through so much already...do you really believe this approach is necessary?

 

[daftcat75]

Thanks, daftcat75 for a very nice summary of Krista's care! I keep losing notices on your thread, so I do try to do 'catch up' when I realize it. But, one question: how long ago did the IBD vs. possible lymphoma diagnosis come up? I only ask because now you are considering chemotherapy, and I wonder if Krista would not have 'declined' much more so than she has if that were the case. Notwithstanding the concept that chemo is not as hard on a cat as it can be on a person, she has gone through so much already...do you really believe this approach is necessary?

She first got the presumptive IBD or lymphoma diagnosis spring of '18 I think. I elected not to put her through a biopsy because she was able to gain weight once we sorted out her food triggers. I've always operated under the rule of thumb that as long as she can maintain or gain weight, it's probably not cancer. So as long as she was able to put weight back on, I never deemed the biopsy necessary.

Now here's the thing. I've heard that IBD inadequately treated can progress to lymphoma. It seems inevitable that given enough time, the constant inflammatory immune response would run afoul.

I talked with her vet this afternoon. What a predicament she's in. She's not responding adequately to steroids alone. She still has poop issues and she still cannot gain weight. Each time she loses weight, that weight is gone and it doesn't come back. The vet doesn't want to prescribe chemotherapy until she's had a diagnosis for cancer. That can only happen with a biopsy. I refuse to put her through a biopsy now. Everything I've heard about the biopsy is that it's hard on the cat and comes with a recovery period. If she loses weight during this recovery period, it's not coming back. I consider the risk of the biopsy greater than the risk of her taking a course of chemo without the diagnosis. The doctor said she'll have the owner of the practice, one of the first board certified feline practitioners in the area, to call me tomorrow to discuss our options. I don't want to put her through the stress of a second opinion if that second opinion is simply going to press for a biopsy or another ultrasound--especially if either of those require her to suspend the pred. She may not be adequately responding to it, but she is making progress. We haven't had a poop puke in a week and her poop is already approaching solid after I removed the Proviable today.

I have read a lot about feline lymphoma. The worst thing you can do is assume chemotherapy is going to be as tough on cats as it is on people. Cats tolerate chemo a lot better, most experiencing mild side effects if any. The outcomes are a lot better too with as much as 18 to 24 months of remission before a return of malignancy. If she can regain weight and her poops firm up again, I see no reason why she can't keep going on very happily for a good long time.

 

[daftcat75]

I came home over lunch to swap her plates and check her boxes. I'm glad I did. She must have been waiting for me to come home just for this. She ate half her meal and then went to the boxes. We had solids in the soup. It was a good thing I was home because her next round would definitely be deposited on the carpet if she hadn't looked over her shoulder and saw me watching her. Even that liquid bit wasn't as bad as much of what's been coming out of her lately. I think we're definitely on to something removing the Proviable. I think I'll give it a few days where we are now with the raw rabbit before I try to give her more. Let's see what the yeasty bites and no Proviable does for her.