Musiaka's journey with IBD and liver issues

Maurey

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I’m really happy to hear that Musiaka is starting to feel a bit better! You’re doing the best you can, so please, don’t blame yourself. We can only so the best we can with the information we have. As cat nap cat nap has mentioned, do take care of yourself!

I’ve been meaning to ask — does Musiaka’s name mean anything? It really sounds like it could mean “One who gets their face dirty/is kind of messy” in Russian, or something along the lines.
 
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Musiaka

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I’m really happy to hear that Musiaka is starting to feel a bit better! You’re doing the best you can, so please, don’t blame yourself. We can only so the best we can with the information we have. As cat nap cat nap has mentioned, do take care of yourself!

I’ve been meaning to ask — does Musiaka’s name mean anything? It really sounds like it could mean “One who gets their face dirty/is kind of messy” in Russian, or something along the lines.
Thanks for the support! :)
The name Musiaka comes from a word me and my mom used to call cats by when I was a child, derived from "catching a fly" in my native language. But I know what you mean, if I remember correctly there is a similar cat name in Russian - Musya or Muska I think :)) some people think I named him after the greek dish Moussaka!
 

Maurey

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Thanks for the support! :)
The name Musiaka comes from a word me and my mom used to call cats by when I was a child, derived from "catching a fly" in my native language. But I know what you mean, if I remember correctly there is a similar cat name in Russian - Musya or Muska I think :)) some people think I named him after the greek dish Moussaka!
Aww that's adorable! The Russian word for a fly is Muha, but any random flying bug can be a Moshka :> Which is particularly amusing as a cat name, since the word for a (female) cat (or a cat in general) is koshka. Musya is also a common cat name here, though haha.
 
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Musiaka

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We had a third liver "coctail" today - iv drip for 1,5 h, sub-q fluids, hepatogen and cerenia. Musiaka is doing well and is in good mood today. We will get another shot of cerenia on Saturday and then I am not sure - maybe another round of iv drip, just to be sure he's going to be fine
 

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Brrr, those lumps are really freaky! But yeah, a cat's skin is very loose, no wonder the liquids travels around.

Musiaka is eating - his beastly appetite isn't back, but he does eat an adequate amount right now, so I'm a bit relieved. He's got good bowel movement - one or two poops in 24 hours, soft but solid. Diarrhea was never an issue with Musiaka as he has it very very rarely, though constipation can sometimes occur.

No one knows how old Musiaka is...I got him more than 5 years ago and he already looked like well into his adult years - I mean, he didn't look like a young cat, but not elderly either. Could be he's anywhere from 8-10+, I wouldn't be surprised if he was 12 or something. He has grey hair and quite worn off teeth. Also chronic congestion and a weird bone on his chest - maybe he was hit by a car sometime ago... No way of knowing :/

Ever since I got him he had problems with digestion, which got gradually worse. I probably am the one to blame for it... Fed him store-bough food for a long time :(

I'm happy to answer questions about Musiaka, thanks for asking! And thanks for reminding that I need to take care of myself too - it truly is exhausting, when your pet is sick...
I totally agree with Maurey Maurey ...that we all do the best we can...with the information we have...at the time...and just kind of learn as we go. It's difficult because none of us want to make mistakes...but really...they are not actual mistakes...since we have to make decisions based on what we can do, time, finances, illness involved, etc.

And there is no way that you should blame yourself for feeding Musiaka store bought food.
He may have genetics to cause his digestive issues.🤔
There are many, many threads on this Site, ...where the cat guardians fed their cats regular store bought food...and their cats lived well into their late old age. I was surprised about that, too. But they wrote it, so I figure that food, genetics, age, plays a big role in disease. (Idk...thats just my thinking.)

You're doing fantastic, since the issues involved with Musiaka are multiple things, and never just a straight forward road.:greenpaw:
Add in the age changes, teeth changes...and any other changes...and it gets to be more involved to deal with.

That's why I mentioned the "taking time for yourself, too,"...because like you said it is truly exhausting...and just stepping away, exercising, doing something you enjoy,....non-cat related...may help, too. Just for a little while, at least.:)

**There is "calorie calculator for cats" online...that I've seen before. Not sure if it would be helpful or not...
CALORIE CALCULATOR FOR CATS
I know that you mentioned that you use grams...but we tend to use calories over here (canada).

What daftcat75 daftcat75 wrote in his post #34, before,...is very helpful...in talking about 'cat weight loss', 'dental issues'...and 'keeping a food journal...to look for possible cat ingredient triggers...that would cause the ibd to flare'.
For now, though, I would hold off on any further invasive medical procedures for Musiaka...until he gets to feeling himself, and stable with eating like he regularly does. It doesn't have to be beastly eating...but just normal to maintain his health.
Plus you mentioned that his bloodwork will be repeated in a month, so there you go.

Take it in steps...like you are doing now....and allowing Musiaka's own body to have the time...to heal itself, as well.
Medications, supplements, hydration, are helping...but food and his own body have to kick in too.
We had a third liver "coctail" today - iv drip for 1,5 h, sub-q fluids, hepatogen and cerenia. Musiaka is doing well and is in good mood today. We will get another shot of cerenia on Saturday and then I am not sure - maybe another round of iv drip, just to be sure he's going to be fine
That sounds great.:thumbsup:

When you do go in on Saturday...you could ask them to look at his teeth.
They wouldn't have to do anything but examine his mouth....just to give you an indication...if in the future...he will need some dental work.

You mentioned on a previous post that Musiaka does not chew his kibble...but just swallow it.
My cats don't actually chew either...but sometimes I do hear a crunch...but mostly they just swallow dry food.
I actually think that is normal for cats....weird as it may sound.

My cats won't eat anything but "pate" style wet food...and it has to be slightly warm...not straight from the fridge.
So maybe your Musiaka is like this,...and only likes soft pate style...not shreds, grills, stews or morcels.
If he does only like pate...then just take any food that you have and use a hand blender...or fork...and mush it down...add some warm water and see if he will lick it up.

**Daftcat75 ...also wrote a brilliant tip...in one of his posts, (in his angel cat Krista's treatment thread)...where he mentioned putting 'wet cat food in a ziplock clear plastic bag, adding warm water...and mushing it up in the bag...and then only taking out the portion you need. Placing the rest of the bag with wet food inside it, in the fridge for later use. You can then warm up the whole bag in a bowl of hot water to bring it to the right temperature.
It actually helped me alot...when my 6 year old female was sick last year...so I didn't have to throw away so much wet food...and she was more willing to try to eat it while mushy.

Musiaka Musiaka ...do the Vets in your country...also use outside laboratories for bloodwork?
I mean do they take the cat's blood and send it out for analysis...or is it always done 'in house'?
(The only reason I ask,...is because here in ontario, canada...we have both...with in house being less expensive...and sending out to the Idexx labs being three times the cost...but sometimes the outside labs...do more tests...like thyroid tests, SDMA for kidneys, etc.
I'm just being curious though, and it's not really crucial to know.)

Hope you and Musiaka have a great night. :bluepaw:
 

daftcat75

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I totally agree with Maurey Maurey ...that we all do the best we can...with the information we have...at the time...and just kind of learn as we go. It's difficult because none of us want to make mistakes...but really...they are not actual mistakes...since we have to make decisions based on what we can do, time, finances, illness involved, etc.

And there is no way that you should blame yourself for feeding Musiaka store bought food.
He may have genetics to cause his digestive issues.🤔
There are many, many threads on this Site, ...where the cat guardians fed their cats regular store bought food...and their cats lived well into their late old age. I was surprised about that, too. But they wrote it, so I figure that food, genetics, age, plays a big role in disease. (Idk...thats just my thinking.)

You're doing fantastic, since the issues involved with Musiaka are multiple things, and never just a straight forward road.:greenpaw:
Add in the age changes, teeth changes...and any other changes...and it gets to be more involved to deal with.

That's why I mentioned the "taking time for yourself, too,"...because like you said it is truly exhausting...and just stepping away, exercising, doing something you enjoy,....non-cat related...may help, too. Just for a little while, at least.:)

**There is "calorie calculator for cats" online...that I've seen before. Not sure if it would be helpful or not...
CALORIE CALCULATOR FOR CATS
I know that you mentioned that you use grams...but we tend to use calories over here (canada).

What daftcat75 daftcat75 wrote in his post #34, before,...is very helpful...in talking about 'cat weight loss', 'dental issues'...and 'keeping a food journal...to look for possible cat ingredient triggers...that would cause the ibd to flare'.
For now, though, I would hold off on any further invasive medical procedures for Musiaka...until he gets to feeling himself, and stable with eating like he regularly does. It doesn't have to be beastly eating...but just normal to maintain his health.
Plus you mentioned that his bloodwork will be repeated in a month, so there you go.

Take it in steps...like you are doing now....and allowing Musiaka's own body to have the time...to heal itself, as well.
Medications, supplements, hydration, are helping...but food and his own body have to kick in too.

That sounds great.:thumbsup:

When you do go in on Saturday...you could ask them to look at his teeth.
They wouldn't have to do anything but examine his mouth....just to give you an indication...if in the future...he will need some dental work.

You mentioned on a previous post that Musiaka does not chew his kibble...but just swallow it.
My cats don't actually chew either...but sometimes I do hear a crunch...but mostly they just swallow dry food.
I actually think that is normal for cats....weird as it may sound.

My cats won't eat anything but "pate" style wet food...and it has to be slightly warm...not straight from the fridge.
So maybe your Musiaka is like this,...and only likes soft pate style...not shreds, grills, stews or morcels.
If he does only like pate...then just take any food that you have and use a hand blender...or fork...and mush it down...add some warm water and see if he will lick it up.

**Daftcat75 ...also wrote a brilliant tip...in one of his posts, (in his angel cat Krista's treatment thread)...where he mentioned putting 'wet cat food in a ziplock clear plastic bag, adding warm water...and mushing it up in the bag...and then only taking out the portion you need. Placing the rest of the bag with wet food inside it, in the fridge for later use. You can then warm up the whole bag in a bowl of hot water to bring it to the right temperature.
It actually helped me alot...when my 6 year old female was sick last year...so I didn't have to throw away so much wet food...and she was more willing to try to eat it while mushy.

Musiaka Musiaka ...do the Vets in your country...also use outside laboratories for bloodwork?
I mean do they take the cat's blood and send it out for analysis...or is it always done 'in house'?
(The only reason I ask,...is because here in ontario, canada...we have both...with in house being less expensive...and sending out to the Idexx labs being three times the cost...but sometimes the outside labs...do more tests...like thyroid tests, SDMA for kidneys, etc.
I'm just being curious though, and it's not really crucial to know.)

Hope you and Musiaka have a great night. :bluepaw:
That's an interesting modification for adding moisture. Especially if your cat doesn't mind the extra moisture. Krista did, however. But she also ate more than enough wet food in a day that I didn't need to spike her food with extra water. For her, I would seal the wet food in a baggie and run that sealed baggie under a hot water sink stream until the food within the baggie felt lukewarm (slightly cooler than you like your bath water)--like fresh prey.

A lot of cat food labels have the calorie content listed in Kcal/Kg. If you divide that number by 1000, you get the calories per gram for that food. I calculated Krista's calorie needs using several different internet calculations to give me a few different targets to aim for. If I had more than one value, I'm sure I took a middle value and that was our calorie target. Depending on the food and its calorie content, I would calculate how many grams of that food she needed to eat each day and divide that by her ideal meal size which we figured out through much trial and error (between 45 and 56 grams depending on the week.) That told me how many meals per day she needed. Often as many as six (or more!) I would weigh the food that I put down. I would weigh the remainder that I picked up before next meal. And day by day, week by week, I looked for improvement in our goal to achieve or maintain target calories and to gain or maintain her weight. I did all this accounting in a Google Sheets spreadsheet. Each tab was one week. Each week, I duplicated a tab and zeroed out its contents for the new week. I color coded the cells if she had a butt or gut incident after a meal. And I used the Insert Note on each cell to make notes on that meal about how she was feeling and how well she ate or didn't eat that meal. This spreadsheet was my food journal for her. If we hit a rough spot, I'd go back over previous tabs to see which ones weren't so colorful and what we were doing that week.

If that's all we had to do, I think we could have managed. But she had tooth resorption on top of IBD. Every few months, her eating would slow way down again. Every few months, I had to argue and beg her vets to do another dental. "She's not eating enough to pill and pray until the next re-test. The greater risk is not doing the dental." I wish I had taken her to a dental specialist a lot sooner and had them all removed at once rather than so many different rounds of extractions and what must have felt like so many different mouths to her. And I also wish I had taken her to an internal medicine specialist. I believe my general vets were out of their depth with her IBD and eventual lymphoma.

So yeah. If I can summarize this to a few key points:

a. Food journal and diet modification to manage those butt and gut symptoms. Get that under control and the liver should have a lot less spillover infection or inflammation.
b. B-12 injections. These are essential for any cats with digestion problems. Ask your vet about these the next time he goes in.
c. Specialists! If you have access and can afford them, use them! They have the time and expertise to give the attention your cat's case needs and deserves. They also often have long waiting lists. Get on them now rather than waiting until you need one. The wait time doesn't change when your cat really needs to see one.
d. Discuss a dental plan with your vet. "How long do we try the cocktails and meds and re-tests before we consider and address the infection and inflammation in his mouth?"
e. It's my single cat tested experience that food texture preferences are often indicative of pain or discomfort in the mouth. It's possible he prefers dry because he knows he can crunch once or twice and swallow. Wet may require too much chewing for him depending on which teeth are bothering him. You can certainly try adding water to the food to make it more mushy and see if he'd prefer lap it up rather than chewing it. But the teeth do need to be addressed at some point...

Okay, that's plenty to chew on.
 
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Musiaka

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I totally agree with Maurey Maurey ...that we all do the best we can...with the information we have...at the time...and just kind of learn as we go. It's difficult because none of us want to make mistakes...but really...they are not actual mistakes...since we have to make decisions based on what we can do, time, finances, illness involved, etc.

And there is no way that you should blame yourself for feeding Musiaka store bought food.
He may have genetics to cause his digestive issues.🤔
There are many, many threads on this Site, ...where the cat guardians fed their cats regular store bought food...and their cats lived well into their late old age. I was surprised about that, too. But they wrote it, so I figure that food, genetics, age, plays a big role in disease. (Idk...thats just my thinking.)

You're doing fantastic, since the issues involved with Musiaka are multiple things, and never just a straight forward road.:greenpaw:
Add in the age changes, teeth changes...and any other changes...and it gets to be more involved to deal with.

That's why I mentioned the "taking time for yourself, too,"...because like you said it is truly exhausting...and just stepping away, exercising, doing something you enjoy,....non-cat related...may help, too. Just for a little while, at least.:)

**There is "calorie calculator for cats" online...that I've seen before. Not sure if it would be helpful or not...
CALORIE CALCULATOR FOR CATS
I know that you mentioned that you use grams...but we tend to use calories over here (canada).

What daftcat75 daftcat75 wrote in his post #34, before,...is very helpful...in talking about 'cat weight loss', 'dental issues'...and 'keeping a food journal...to look for possible cat ingredient triggers...that would cause the ibd to flare'.
For now, though, I would hold off on any further invasive medical procedures for Musiaka...until he gets to feeling himself, and stable with eating like he regularly does. It doesn't have to be beastly eating...but just normal to maintain his health.
Plus you mentioned that his bloodwork will be repeated in a month, so there you go.

Take it in steps...like you are doing now....and allowing Musiaka's own body to have the time...to heal itself, as well.
Medications, supplements, hydration, are helping...but food and his own body have to kick in too.

That sounds great.:thumbsup:

When you do go in on Saturday...you could ask them to look at his teeth.
They wouldn't have to do anything but examine his mouth....just to give you an indication...if in the future...he will need some dental work.

You mentioned on a previous post that Musiaka does not chew his kibble...but just swallow it.
My cats don't actually chew either...but sometimes I do hear a crunch...but mostly they just swallow dry food.
I actually think that is normal for cats....weird as it may sound.

My cats won't eat anything but "pate" style wet food...and it has to be slightly warm...not straight from the fridge.
So maybe your Musiaka is like this,...and only likes soft pate style...not shreds, grills, stews or morcels.
If he does only like pate...then just take any food that you have and use a hand blender...or fork...and mush it down...add some warm water and see if he will lick it up.

**Daftcat75 ...also wrote a brilliant tip...in one of his posts, (in his angel cat Krista's treatment thread)...where he mentioned putting 'wet cat food in a ziplock clear plastic bag, adding warm water...and mushing it up in the bag...and then only taking out the portion you need. Placing the rest of the bag with wet food inside it, in the fridge for later use. You can then warm up the whole bag in a bowl of hot water to bring it to the right temperature.
It actually helped me alot...when my 6 year old female was sick last year...so I didn't have to throw away so much wet food...and she was more willing to try to eat it while mushy.

Musiaka Musiaka ...do the Vets in your country...also use outside laboratories for bloodwork?
I mean do they take the cat's blood and send it out for analysis...or is it always done 'in house'?
(The only reason I ask,...is because here in ontario, canada...we have both...with in house being less expensive...and sending out to the Idexx labs being three times the cost...but sometimes the outside labs...do more tests...like thyroid tests, SDMA for kidneys, etc.
I'm just being curious though, and it's not really crucial to know.)

Hope you and Musiaka have a great night. :bluepaw:
Hello cat nap cat nap :)
Thanks for your post - I was somehow not notified of the latest post on this thread.
Musiaka is doing well - he has good appetite and is enjoying Specific's Digestive care paté and sometimes some RC Hepatic kibble. He has not vomited for more than a week now, but today I'm expecting a step back because my mom has left her chlorophytum plant out Musiaka has eaten a big chunk. I was so upset... :( hopefully it won't throw us back too much from the progress we made. Chrolophytum doesn't seem to be toxic for cats, but Musiaka throws up whenever he eats any greens.

Food diary is a very good idea! I have started one for Musiaka. So far so good, I think the Specific's paté sits well with him (although he started pooping more). He even eats it from the fridge although I try not to serve it cold too often.

About the dental work - he will definitely need some, but right now it's too risky to sedate him due to his recent liver failure... Musiaka was sedated only once while in my care and it took him a while to recover. But we will at least get some oral hygiene done when he's better. His teeth are quite yellow.

Actually, I think vets here do tend to send bloodwork to external labs. Definitely for thyroid and probably some more. Our vet told me when I suggested to check on Musiaka's thyroid. So we never ended up checking on it
 

daftcat75

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If you need to serve food from the fridge, what I used to do for my angel Krista was place the portion in a baggie, seal it up, then run that baggie under hot water until the food inside was warmed up. In her last year, I did this for both fresh and leftover food. She likely never knew the difference. 😻
 
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Musiaka

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That's an interesting modification for adding moisture. Especially if your cat doesn't mind the extra moisture. Krista did, however. But she also ate more than enough wet food in a day that I didn't need to spike her food with extra water. For her, I would seal the wet food in a baggie and run that sealed baggie under a hot water sink stream until the food within the baggie felt lukewarm (slightly cooler than you like your bath water)--like fresh prey.

A lot of cat food labels have the calorie content listed in Kcal/Kg. If you divide that number by 1000, you get the calories per gram for that food. I calculated Krista's calorie needs using several different internet calculations to give me a few different targets to aim for. If I had more than one value, I'm sure I took a middle value and that was our calorie target. Depending on the food and its calorie content, I would calculate how many grams of that food she needed to eat each day and divide that by her ideal meal size which we figured out through much trial and error (between 45 and 56 grams depending on the week.) That told me how many meals per day she needed. Often as many as six (or more!) I would weigh the food that I put down. I would weigh the remainder that I picked up before next meal. And day by day, week by week, I looked for improvement in our goal to achieve or maintain target calories and to gain or maintain her weight. I did all this accounting in a Google Sheets spreadsheet. Each tab was one week. Each week, I duplicated a tab and zeroed out its contents for the new week. I color coded the cells if she had a butt or gut incident after a meal. And I used the Insert Note on each cell to make notes on that meal about how she was feeling and how well she ate or didn't eat that meal. This spreadsheet was my food journal for her. If we hit a rough spot, I'd go back over previous tabs to see which ones weren't so colorful and what we were doing that week.

If that's all we had to do, I think we could have managed. But she had tooth resorption on top of IBD. Every few months, her eating would slow way down again. Every few months, I had to argue and beg her vets to do another dental. "She's not eating enough to pill and pray until the next re-test. The greater risk is not doing the dental." I wish I had taken her to a dental specialist a lot sooner and had them all removed at once rather than so many different rounds of extractions and what must have felt like so many different mouths to her. And I also wish I had taken her to an internal medicine specialist. I believe my general vets were out of their depth with her IBD and eventual lymphoma.

So yeah. If I can summarize this to a few key points:

a. Food journal and diet modification to manage those butt and gut symptoms. Get that under control and the liver should have a lot less spillover infection or inflammation.
b. B-12 injections. These are essential for any cats with digestion problems. Ask your vet about these the next time he goes in.
c. Specialists! If you have access and can afford them, use them! They have the time and expertise to give the attention your cat's case needs and deserves. They also often have long waiting lists. Get on them now rather than waiting until you need one. The wait time doesn't change when your cat really needs to see one.
d. Discuss a dental plan with your vet. "How long do we try the cocktails and meds and re-tests before we consider and address the infection and inflammation in his mouth?"
e. It's my single cat tested experience that food texture preferences are often indicative of pain or discomfort in the mouth. It's possible he prefers dry because he knows he can crunch once or twice and swallow. Wet may require too much chewing for him depending on which teeth are bothering him. You can certainly try adding water to the food to make it more mushy and see if he'd prefer lap it up rather than chewing it. But the teeth do need to be addressed at some point...

Okay, that's plenty to chew on.

Hello @daftcat!

I haven't started calorie count yet... right now I'm free feeding Musiaka, just trying to get him back on track as I suspect he didn't get proper nutrition on RC Diabetic food he was getting since January. He probably didn't like it much and we were constantly under 65 grams which was recommended. He would only eat around 50 grams and the rest was massive water intakes. Now he gets around 200 grams of wet food and 20-30 grams of kibble he eats during the night. He seems to be especially hungry then. That's when he normally vomits (although he hasn't vomited since we started treating him).
I don't know if I have enough discipline to calorie count. I will try... but what if Musiaka wants more than he gets? Maybe I should give him as much as he wants, as he seemed to be better off on it? I limited his eating when we tried to get his blood glucose down and it ended up messing up his liver.

The Specific's Digestive care is so moist and soft, that mushing it in a bag under warm water is probably not necessary yet. But this advice will definitely come in handy when I start feeding him other wet food I had in mind (IBD friendly monoprotein wet food from Gusto) as it's much harder in texture. Definitely keeping a food journal! We started one :) i write down the amount in grams though...

Will definitely ask about b12 injections! No vet has suggested them... How many of such injection can be required? For an amout of time of regularly?

Taking him to a specialist is a bit more difficult though. I don't have a car and live in a smaller city. We would depend on someone to drive us there and back and Musiaka is sick in a car, so I would have to hold him on my lap. We will be moving to a bigger city towards the end of the year, so hopefully that is when we can start seeing someone specialized in cats with IBD. I hope I can maintain him until that with local vets and treatments available here.
 
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Musiaka

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If you need to serve food from the fridge, what I used to do for my angel Krista was place the portion in a baggie, seal it up, then run that baggie under hot water until the food inside was warmed up. In her last year, I did this for both fresh and leftover food. She likely never knew the difference. 😻
I warmed it up in a microwave a couple of times :D but your sollution is better lol :)
 
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Musiaka

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I have to give him a liver pill (called Epato, it's based on Milk Thistle) and that has become such a drama. Before, I could pulverize the pill, mix it with a lickable treat and Musiaka would lick it up on his own, no questions asked.
Now - same pill, same treat, but he acts as if it's the most offensive thing in the world and won't touch it. I put it on his teeth and he gets so stressed by it and starts salivating.
So I have to pulverize the pill, add the lickable treat, squeeze out some juice from Sheba I bought especially for this and then add a bit of water to spray this concoction to his mouth. Only this way he kinda tolerates it
 

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I was treating Krista for pancreatitis when I started with the calorie targets. It wasn’t to limit her. It was to keep the both of us honest and healthy and make sure she was eating enough calories. When she was better and eating willingly on her own again, I still imposed limits. But that was based on trial and error (food journal) discovery of her ideal meal size and frequency. If she ate too much, I’d know one way or another and adjust. After awhile, it just became automatic to weigh every portion and feed every meal on a schedule. I even programmed my smart lights to fade up on schedule in an attempt to teach the schedule to Krista.
 

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I have to give him a liver pill (called Epato, it's based on Milk Thistle) and that has become such a drama. Before, I could pulverize the pill, mix it with a lickable treat and Musiaka would lick it up on his own, no questions asked. Now - same pill, same treat, but he acts as if it's the most offensive thing in the world and won't touch it. I put it on his teeth and he gets so stressed by it and starts salivating. So I have to pulverize the pill, add the lickable treat, squeeze out some juice from Sheba I bought especially for this and then add a bit of water to spray this concoction to his mouth. Only this way he kinda tolerates it
Try different lickable treats. One of the ones I was giving to Feeby with her meds she is totally turned off to now and refuses to eat it. Thankfully the others I use she is still eating. I have used Applaws, Vitakraft, Wholhearted, Tiki Cat Stix, and Inaba Churu. It is the last one that she will no longer eat.

You could also try baby food meats (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut). I use those too with Feeby. And, the last time she refused the Inaba Churu, I added some baby food meat and she ate it!!

Canned tuna or chicken in water have worked for me as well. I mix the meds with the 'juice' and then give Feeby a bite of the tuna or chicken afterward.

There was one med Feeby has taken that made her foam at the mouth, but when added to any of the above it apparently masked the taste altogether.
 

daftcat75

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You asked earlier about B-12 and I forgot to reply to that.

It is so important to cats and so difficult for them to absorb when they have inflamed intestines like in IBD.

This article is really "meaty". But I hope it gets the message across.
The Importance of B12 – IBDKitties

A typical B-12 replacement therapy schedule might start with weekly subcutaneous injections for a month. Then tapered to twice a month. And finally reduced to once a month as maintenance. Fortunately, these are very easy for you to give at home. You will tent the skin at scruff of his neck and inject it into that "dead space" between skin and muscle rather than into a vein or a muscle. Do it right and the cat never notices. Do it wrong and you may have the change the needle, chase your cat, and try again. You'll learn quickly. You can even search YouTube to see how it's done. It's much easier (and cheaper!) for you and Musiaka to do these yourself at home rather than to have to shuttle back and forth to the vet every week.

But you will need the prescription and supplies (B12, needles, syringes, and sharps disposal) from your vet. If Musiaka is going back soon for a blood re-test, you can ask the vet to test his B-12 first. But often, any kind of frequent or chronic vomiting will require B-12 whether you test his levels or not. Also, it's water soluble and extremely safe. If you give him the shots and he doesn't need them, he'll just pee out whatever B-12 his body can't use.
 
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Musiaka

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You asked earlier about B-12 and I forgot to reply to that.

It is so important to cats and so difficult for them to absorb when they have inflamed intestines like in IBD.

This article is really "meaty". But I hope it gets the message across.
The Importance of B12 – IBDKitties

A typical B-12 replacement therapy schedule might start with weekly subcutaneous injections for a month. Then tapered to twice a month. And finally reduced to once a month as maintenance. Fortunately, these are very easy for you to give at home. You will tent the skin at scruff of his neck and inject it into that "dead space" between skin and muscle rather than into a vein or a muscle. Do it right and the cat never notices. Do it wrong and you may have the change the needle, chase your cat, and try again. You'll learn quickly. You can even search YouTube to see how it's done. It's much easier (and cheaper!) for you and Musiaka to do these yourself at home rather than to have to shuttle back and forth to the vet every week.

But you will need the prescription and supplies (B12, needles, syringes, and sharps disposal) from your vet. If Musiaka is going back soon for a blood re-test, you can ask the vet to test his B-12 first. But often, any kind of frequent or chronic vomiting will require B-12 whether you test his levels or not. Also, it's water soluble and extremely safe. If you give him the shots and he doesn't need them, he'll just pee out whatever B-12 his body can't use.
Thanks!
I gave him a couple of shots last week so I think I would manage, however the vet advised against injecting into the skin between the shoulder blades as it can give him an abscess. Is it more tricky to inject into the skin above his leg? I don't see a lot of instructional videos about that. If it's risky, I could just take him in for a moment and let the vet inject it, as we live only 2 min walk away from the vet. Last time we came in for cerenia shot, I carried him in my arms, went in, the vet injected it while I was still holding him and we were on our way. Although injecting at home would be eveeen better.
Funny thing is I also need B-12 injections, so me and Musiaka are on the same boat :)

By the way Musiaka hasn't vomited yet! Even after eating the chlorophyum. He usually holds up pretty well after several cerenia shots and might avoid vomiting for up to a month. Then it comes back.
 
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Musiaka

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Musiaka had a bit of softer stools today, not quite diarrhea but not very solid either so I think I need to plan his meals and consumed calories much better. I give him many small meals during the day and he is back to having big appetite so maybe it's getting out of hand.
He is in a very good mood today though. Took him out on a leash for a little walk, he was pleased and is having zoomies now. Very different from last week.
Will start counting his consumed calories!
 

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Is it more tricky to inject into the skin above his leg? I don't see a lot of instructional videos about that. If it's risky, I could just take him in for a moment and let the vet inject it, as we live only 2 min walk away from the vet. Last time we came in for cerenia shot, I carried him in my arms, went in, the vet injected it while I was still holding him and we were on our way. Although injecting at home would be eveeen better.
I know it certainly looks trickier to me! Feeby's vet is doing blood draws via the inner leg/thigh. And, it sure looks harder to me, but maybe it really isn't. Ask your vet about doing it a home the next time you see them. Maybe they can show you a few times before you try.
 

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Thanks!
I gave him a couple of shots last week so I think I would manage, however the vet advised against injecting into the skin between the shoulder blades as it can give him an abscess. Is it more tricky to inject into the skin above his leg? I don't see a lot of instructional videos about that. If it's risky, I could just take him in for a moment and let the vet inject it, as we live only 2 min walk away from the vet. Last time we came in for cerenia shot, I carried him in my arms, went in, the vet injected it while I was still holding him and we were on our way. Although injecting at home would be eveeen better.
Funny thing is I also need B-12 injections, so me and Musiaka are on the same boat :)

By the way Musiaka hasn't vomited yet! Even after eating the chlorophyum. He usually holds up pretty well after several cerenia shots and might avoid vomiting for up to a month. Then it comes back.
Hi Musiaka,:wave3:...
as daftcat75 previously wrote...there are many youtube videos with very good instructions and visuals...on how to give sub-q injections at home.

It's kind of great, though, that you live only 2 min walk away from your vet. :)
You get fresh air and exercise from the walk...and hopefully your vet does not charge too much money...for giving those injections, either.
I also like FeebysOwner's suggestion of asking your vet...or even a vet tech...to show you a few times on how they do it...so that you see their methods...and tips and tricks...to getting it done fast.

**One of the videos that I find extremely useful...is done by 'Fundamentally Feline'.
She really explains things well,...and has so many different videos...on so many cat related topics.
Check this one out,...which does specifically deal with B12 injections:


**Also, not sure if it would be helpful or not...but would putting those Epato tablets into 'gelatin capsules' ...make the pilling easier for Musiaka.
(I don't know with ibd cats if this is okay, or not,...due to gelatin shell or absorption...so probably best to ask the Vet.)
(I'm not sure about the different sizes of the empty gelatin capsules...and the ones that would be useful for you...as I have never tried them myself...but have read on this Site...how others have ordered them...for placing awful tasting pills inside of them...or adding more pills to one capsule...for easier pill giving. You might have to research online...for advice about sizes and reviews.)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PYVJU1A/?tag=

**Lastly, does your Epato come in different forms...like pastes and liquid:
Maybe the paste would taste better and easier to give to Musiaka. (just a thought.)
▷ Epato Pasta Plus For Cats Fatro 【 Cat 】
 

daftcat75

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Hi Musiaka,:wave3:...
as daftcat75 previously wrote...there are many youtube videos with very good instructions and visuals...on how to give sub-q injections at home.

It's kind of great, though, that you live only 2 min walk away from your vet. :)
You get fresh air and exercise from the walk...and hopefully your vet does not charge too much money...for giving those injections, either.
I also like FeebysOwner's suggestion of asking your vet...or even a vet tech...to show you a few times on how they do it...so that you see their methods...and tips and tricks...to getting it done fast.

**One of the videos that I find extremely useful...is done by 'Fundamentally Feline'.
She really explains things well,...and has so many different videos...on so many cat related topics.
Check this one out,...which does specifically deal with B12 injections:


**Also, not sure if it would be helpful or not...but would putting those Epato tablets into 'gelatin capsules' ...make the pilling easier for Musiaka.
(I don't know with ibd cats if this is okay, or not,...due to gelatin shell or absorption...so probably best to ask the Vet.)
(I'm not sure about the different sizes of the empty gelatin capsules...and the ones that would be useful for you...as I have never tried them myself...but have read on this Site...how others have ordered them...for placing awful tasting pills inside of them...or adding more pills to one capsule...for easier pill giving. You might have to research online...for advice about sizes and reviews.)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00PYVJU1A/?tag=

**Lastly, does your Epato come in different forms...like pastes and liquid:
Maybe the paste would taste better and easier to give to Musiaka. (just a thought.)
▷ Epato Pasta Plus For Cats Fatro 【 Cat 】
Gelatin is good for IBD cats. Like today’s collagen health food craze for people. I used to make my Krista meat stock (like bone broth but not cooked so long) for her gut. It seemed to help until that fateful undercooked drumstick that almost certainly was the source of a terrible clostridium infection.🤦🏼‍♂️😿
 
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Musiaka

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I know it certainly looks trickier to me! Feeby's vet is doing blood draws via the inner leg/thigh. And, it sure looks harder to me, but maybe it really isn't. Ask your vet about doing it a home the next time you see them. Maybe they can show you a few times before you try.
Once, a month of two ago, I got a cerenia shot for Musiaka and the vet was quite easy going about me injecting it, just showed me real quick on another cat and said I was good to go. But I got home and chickened out!
It was a bit easier for me to inject into the skin above Musiaka's shoulder blades, because there's less space to get things wrong, lol
 
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