Krista's Care

[daftcat75]

I let her out again. Or rather, I closed the office door and opened her pen door. It took her some time to turn around and figure it out. But once she did realize she could come out, the first thing she wanted to do was climb onto my chest for a belly ride.

(I was on the floor so very minimal climbing required. But then she wanted to groom and so the lamp shade went back on. I would have let her groom. But she was rubbing against the floor and she was eventually going to rub her paw against her incision site. So I stopped it before she got into it. She spent the next five minutes facing the wall giving me the angry swishing tail.

And she almost got onto the chair again.

She’s having little hiccups of nausea. Could be any of her drugs or the ear. But she hasn’t barfed yet.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I let her out again. Or rather, I closed the office door and opened her pen door. It took her some time to turn around and figure it out. But once she did realize she could come out, the first thing she wanted to do was climb onto my chest for a belly ride.
View attachment 339815
(I was on the floor so very minimal climbing required. But then she wanted to groom and so the lamp shade went back on. I would have let her groom. But she was rubbing against the floor and she was eventually going to rub her paw against her incision site. So I stopped it before she got into it. She spent the next five minutes facing the wall giving me the angry swishing tail.
View attachment 339816
And she almost got onto the chair again.

She’s having little hiccups of nausea. Could be any of her drugs or the ear. But she hasn’t barfed yet.

Good. Hope that'll be the extent of it.
As for the tail action, well, how would YOU feel if someone put something like that on you and you couldn't get it off? *GRRRRRRRRR**Cattus Unhappius*

 

[daftcat75]

Good. Hope that'll be the extent of it.
As for the tail action, well, how would YOU feel if someone put something like that on you and you couldn't get it off? *GRRRRRRRRR**Cattus Unhappius*

I understand the tail swishing. She has every right to give me the angry tail. It was just weird that she wanted to do nothing but face that bin. Like, “Witness the tail! See how angry I am!”

I have the other pregnancy pillow—I sleep with the U, I also have the C—on the floor with us. She’s getting her physical therapy trying to walk across it. I feel bad that she stumbles. But really. If she is going to stumble and fall, can’t do better than a pillow to catch her.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I understand the tail swishing. She has every right to give me the angry tail. It was just weird that she wanted to do nothing but face that bin. Like, “Witness the tail! See how angry I am!”

I have the other pregnancy pillow—I sleep with the U, I also have the C—on the floor with us. She’s getting her physical therapy trying to walk across it. I feel bad that she stumbles. But really. If she is going to stumble and fall, can’t do better than a pillow to catch her.
View attachment 339829

I know! I noticed that. Is she saying, "Don't gimme that $%!T!"? It has been said that *One never knows with cats*

 

[daftcat75]

That purr!

https://thecatsite.com/media/that-purr.423513/

 

[daftcat75]

We’re out of bupe. Hopefully she doesn’t need it anymore. If she does, I still have some transdermal left. Expired as it may be, it probably still has some potency left.

I hope her appetite picks up now that she’ll be off the smack.

 

[tarasgirl06]

We’re out of bupe. Hopefully she doesn’t need it anymore. If she does, I still have some transdermal left. Expired as it may be, it probably still has some potency left.

I hope her appetite picks up now that she’ll be off the smack.

"Can I use expired buprenorphine?
However, if there is no color or odor change and it is a few days beyond that date – it is probably okay. But this is not a medication that will last long. Medication still in powder form is probably still good for 1 to 2 years beyond the expiration on the label.Dec 10, 2014" via google
I looked for info on transdermal but did not find it listed among the forms discussed by The Irreverent Vet, for instance.
Yes, hoping she doesn't have to go to rehab (NO! NO! NO!)

 

[daftcat75]

"Can I use expired buprenorphine?
However, if there is no color or odor change and it is a few days beyond that date – it is probably okay. But this is not a medication that will last long. Medication still in powder form is probably still good for 1 to 2 years beyond the expiration on the label.Dec 10, 2014" via google
I looked for info on transdermal but did not find it listed among the forms discussed by The Irreverent Vet, for instance.
Yes, hoping she doesn't have to go to rehab (NO! NO! NO!)

Bupe will last long as a liquid. That much I know because I have given Krista some from an expired batch and she got comfort from it. This was back before the recent crackdown on opiates where you could get a 5cc bottle of bupe that would last a good long time. It's the transdermal that I'm not sure about. It's basically how stable is the medicine after it's been compounded? That I can't get any good info on. At this point, since the liquid is used up, I'm playing with house money. It will work or it won't. If I throw it out, it's guaranteed not to work.

I don't know if she's in pain. She was quiet all night. She could have been suffering in silence. Now she's a little restless and a touch vocal. That could just be that I'm in the office with her and she wants to be let out. I'm assuming the vet would have prescribed as much as she believes Krista would have needed. I'll be letting Krista out soon. Maybe I'll move the chair out of the office and we can watch some TV together on the floor.

Krista hasn't pooped yet. Last poop was what? 9 or 10 pm on Friday? Bupe is constipating. Anyway, she's eating food with pumpkin. I've been adding a little salmon oil into some of her meals to get her to eat more. And she had a lunch with the green powder. Also, she had a double dose of chemo on Friday. So if anything, I'm expecting a disaster when it comes. Perhaps that's all the more reason to let her out as it will be easier to clean the office than her pen. Fingers crossed she'll return to normal pooping now that she's off the smack.

 

[daftcat75]

I put the chair out and then I let her out. I start to sit down on the floor semi-reclined into my pillow stack. And the first thing she wants to do is climb up me to sit on my belly/chest for a belly ride. I’m not yet reclined for that so it’s a messy climb. A stubborn and messy climb. “Okay. You win. I’ll lay down for you.”

 

[daftcat75]

She’s off the charger. Battery draining quickly.

 

[daftcat75]

Also another good shot of her jaw.

Looks good.

 

[daftcat75]

She finally ed! It was a healthy solid one. Enough to topple Miss Wobbles as she was pinching it off.

Looks like no bonuses or barfs.

She also finished breakfast and a healthy amount of lunch so far.

I did some calculations based off Feline Nutrition article on protein requirements of senior and geriatric cats. To maintain her current weight, she will need to eat between 4.75 oz and 6.75 oz of her food. So we’re going to aim for 6 (and eventually 7 or 8 to gain weight.) If she finishes lunch, that will put her at 3 oz today. I can put salmon oil in dinner for her and she should finish most of that. But overnight, she hasn’t been eating much at all. I think she’s just too depressed in there overnight. But even still, that should put us close to 4.5 oz. Last night she ate a half oz of the overnight. So it’s possible she can hit the low end of that target at 5 oz.

I’m sure her eating will pick up once she’s out of lockdown.

 

[tarasgirl06]

She finally ed! It was a healthy solid one. Enough to topple Miss Wobbles as she was pinching it off.

Looks like no bonuses or barfs.

She also finished breakfast and a healthy amount of lunch so far.

I did some calculations based off Feline Nutrition article on protein requirements of senior and geriatric cats. To maintain her current weight, she will need to eat between 4.75 oz and 6.75 oz of her food. So we’re going to aim for 6 (and eventually 7 or 8 to gain weight.) If she finishes lunch, that will put her at 3 oz today. I can put salmon oil in dinner for her and she should finish most of that. But overnight, she hasn’t been eating much at all. I think she’s just too depressed in there overnight. But even still, that should put us close to 4.5 oz. Last night she ate a half oz of the overnight. So it’s possible she can hit the low end of that target at 5 oz.

I’m sure her eating will pick up once she’s out of lockdown.

The salmon oil is pretty rich, too. Do you know its caloric content?

 

[daftcat75]

The salmon oil is pretty rich, too. Do you know its caloric content?

Im not going by calories but by protein. One 3 oz can has 9g protein and the range for senior/geriatric cats is 6 to 8.5g/kg body weight. Krista is a tiny 2.38 kg as of last Monday.

But yes. There’s 18 cal per pump. And she gets almost a pump broken up over breakfast and dinner. Those are fat calories though. Helpful for sparing protein catabolism. But ultimately she needs her protein needs met first.

 

[Neokin]

How long have you been doing this?

 

[daftcat75]

How long have you been doing this?

Doing what? Caring for Krista? 14 years. Tending this thread? A year and a half. She’s had one challenge or another since before her 13th birthday (she just turned 16.). This thread helps me keep track of what I’ve tried and how it went. I have gone back through it myself when things went sideways and I needed to remind myself how I had righted her in the past.

 

[daftcat75]

Well shoot! She just had a bit of solids in soup.

I hope it had nothing to do with the pressure cooker rabbit I gave her a few hours ago. A few bites as treat meat. But just to be on the safe side. No more of that!

I think it was probably remainder from going so long between poops. About 40 hours from 9 pm Friday to 1 pm Sunday. Or it’s the bupe constipation releasing its grip on her bowels.

Thankfully, I bought the three pack of disposable litterboxes. I keep a clean one loaded with litter and ready to swap out for a dirty as soon as she poops. Or as soon as I notice it. Then I can clean the pooped one on my time. The egg crate material that these are made of is rather thick. So I can scrub off the pooped on bit and have a clean box in no time. They came three to pack. So one is in with her. One is ready to go if I need to swap. And the recently soiled one is washed up and drying off. It’s a perfect system. As long as she doesn’t blow these out two at a time.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Well shoot! She just had a bit of solids in soup.

I hope it had nothing to do with the pressure cooker rabbit I gave her a few hours ago. A few bites as treat meat. But just to be on the safe side. No more of that!

I think it was probably remainder from going so long between poops. About 40 hours from 9 pm Friday to 1 pm Sunday. Or it’s the bupe constipation releasing its grip on her bowels.

Thankfully, I bought the three pack of disposable litterboxes. I keep a clean one loaded with litter and ready to swap out for a dirty as soon as she poops. Or as soon as I notice it. Then I can clean the pooped one on my time. The egg crate material that these are made of is rather thick. So I can scrub off the pooped on bit and have a clean box in no time. They came three to pack. So one is in with her. One is ready to go if I need to swap. And the recently soiled one is washed up and drying off. It’s a perfect system. As long as she doesn’t blow these out two at a time.

Good strategy. Hope she stabilizes soon!

 

[daftcat75]

Her appetite is returning.

Her overnight was pretty much finished--as much as she can finish with a lamp shade on her head.

Her first breakfast was pretty well cleaned by the time I finished cooking my first breakfast.

And her second breakfast looks like she made a significant dent in it already.

I hope we get her antibiotic compounded soon. I absolutely dread pilling her each morning. I feel awful because she's wobbly and wounded under her chin. Best as I can get her mouth open other ways, sometimes I'm touching her incision site. And then her pill, once I quartered it, is virtually indistinguishable from her litter. If she spits it out, I'm worried I'm going to pill her with a stray piece of her litter instead. At least, she likes the freeze-dried lamb tripe treat I give her afterwards. But I'm sure we'll both be happy to be done with this daily wrestling match.

I took her cone off to pill her and it was a mess of food and dried food. So I'm leaving it off right now as I washed it as best I could and letting it dry. I still want her to wear it overnight when I can't watch her. If I have a moment today or tomorrow, I'll go back to the hospital and pick up another. The super cute lion's mane I picked up off Chewy is much too large and would get super messy with food. It's a Halloween costume now for as long as it takes us to get a good picture. Then she won't have to wear it again. Until next year.

I think she's resigned herself to the pen. She was quiet last night and she's settling in for the morning using the compress as a pillow. I'll let her have some supervised freedom over lunch hour. But I can't have her out while I'm working or she'll spend the time trying to climb into my lap or onto the desk. Both forbidden activities right now.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Her appetite is returning.

Her overnight was pretty much finished--as much as she can finish with a lamp shade on her head.

Her first breakfast was pretty well cleaned by the time I finished cooking my first breakfast.

And her second breakfast looks like she made a significant dent in it already.

I hope we get her antibiotic compounded soon. I absolutely dread pilling her each morning. I feel awful because she's wobbly and wounded under her chin. Best as I can get her mouth open other ways, sometimes I'm touching her incision site. And then her pill, once I quartered it, is virtually indistinguishable from her litter. If she spits it out, I'm worried I'm going to pill her with a stray piece of her litter instead. At least, she likes the freeze-dried lamb tripe treat I give her afterwards. But I'm sure we'll both be happy to be done with this daily wrestling match.

I took her cone off to pill her and it was a mess of food and dried food. So I'm leaving it off right now as I washed it as best I could and letting it dry. I still want her to wear it overnight when I can't watch her. If I have a moment today or tomorrow, I'll go back to the hospital and pick up another. The super cute lion's mane I picked up off Chewy is much too large and would get super messy with food. It's a Halloween costume now for as long as it takes us to get a good picture. Then she won't have to wear it again. Until next year.

I think she's resigned herself to the pen. She was quiet last night and she's settling in for the morning using the compress as a pillow. I'll let her have some supervised freedom over lunch hour. But I can't have her out while I'm working or she'll spend the time trying to climb into my lap or onto the desk. Both forbidden activities right now.

The increasing appetite is cause for celebration, isn't it?!! and her incision site is certainly healing over enough that she should be able to go shadeless under observation. Yeah, you don't want her to look like a (male) lion who's just been at his kill, do ya? Now if she'll just cooperate fully for her pill.