Mika's Struggles With Cholangiohepatitis

mikameek

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I've decided that I want to keep a diary for Mika's recovery and treatment of her liver and gallbladder issues (cholangiohepatitis). Since I am a first time cat owner and first time pet owner, I was told that I can put it here if I wanted advice or support for Mika as well. I really appreciate and value the knowledge of this community so I want all the help I can get when it comes to this. Any and all help and knowledge is useful here!

For those that don't know Mika's story:

Mika's issues began a few weeks after I found her on the street. She literally walked up to me out of the bushes, meowed and rubbed herself on me. It was instant love and I scooped her up and brought her home. I took her to a local shelter where they checked her out. She was healthy from the initial exam, weighing in at 7.5 lbs. She had no flea or any other issues but they did find a microchip. The vet there called the original family who said they didn't want her anymore (I suspect Mika was abandoned out on that street). At this point, all seemed well until right before finals ended (I'm a college student), she stopped eating. I knew nothing about cats issues with not eating and I was told by people who had owned cat their whole life that it was probably the stress from packing up for the summer to go back to my parent's place. After getting to my parent's house, Mika ate little to nothing. Finally, after a week of no eating, I took her into a vet where I was told that her liver values were through the roof, she was jaundiced, her gallbladder was all out of wack and incredibly inflamed and enlarged. We immediately started her on Ursodiol, Cerenia, and Verflox to get the bile flowing, help with any nausea, and combat any infection that could have been causing this. Mika's appetite didn't come back and we failed miserably with medicating her (she's bad about it and I was very new to it). After another week of force feeding (miserably) and with Mika declining more, I was given an appetite stimulant (Entyce) which did nothing. I had noticed that Mika was gagging anytime food was presented to her and asked for a stronger anti-nausea medication to which I was told, "We don't have anything stronger. Her liver is probably failing, take her to an emergency vet". Of course, I did. The emergency vet basically said, "There is anything I can do for her, take her to A&M." So we did. Mika was immediately admitted to A&M with her bilirubin at 9 and they confirmed that she was having some really bad liver issues. They recommended a liver and gallbladder aspirate to better understand what kind of infection was causing Mika's issues. In the hospital she began eating immediately and having normal bowel movements. The aspirate found gallbladder sludge. The cells of the liver and gallbladder were looked at and found nothing other than inflammation (which was obvious just by looking at the organs). It was speculated, though, that based off all the values, the way her liver and gallbladder looked, and with the aspirate that Mika had probably been suffering from this for a very long time (another reason I believe her original owners dumped her). They cultured their findings from the gallbladder (the sludge) and the liver which resulted in nothing growing. No bacteria. No fungus. Nothing. Mika was sent home after 3 days since she was eating well for them and her values had dropped. Her bilirubin was at 6.9 and her liver values had dropped (I don't know the original values, never saw the results) GGT 43, ALT 740, and ALP 472. Same medications as before, just told to keep it up. We went back 3 days later for a follow up. Mika's levels all skyrocketed. Bili 10.5, ALT 675 (I was told that while this value dropped, it didn't mean anything because her others had risen by so much), ALP 588 and GGT 47. They did another ultrasound to make sure Mika didn't have a blockage somewhere and came back saying the gallbladder sludge was acting like an obstruction on its own. They upped her ursodiol (and made it liquid), kept her on the veraflox, added denamarin (a liver protectant), noted that she had a UTI and prescribed Clavamox for that, and also added praziquantel which is an anti-parasitic in case this was liver flukes. I finally got good at giving Mika medicine and we used that technique to force feed her. I was told that any calories were better than none but when I called to update the vet at A&M about her starting to eat a little on her own more, she was concerned that she wasn't getting enough calories. Mika was supposed to be getting 160 daily for her recommended weight of 8 lbs. She was averaging 90-100 then which I was proud of considering how difficult it was to get her to eat on her own and to force feed her. The vet wanted to put in a feeding tube but wasn't sure Mika was strong enough to handle it (I also didn't have the money to afford it after her hospital stay and her very expensive recheck 3 days later). I continued to force feed her, giving her every food she would eat, trying my best to get her as close to 160 daily as we could. We had a vet visit to get the clavamox where the vet told us her numbers looked better and some were close to normal which we accredited to the denamarin, her bilirubin was still high at 12 (UM???) but this vet (the original vet I had taken Mika to when she got sick before A&M) really thought she would continue to trend downward. We went back after the clavamox was finished and he told us her numbers had gone up a little but not much (Come to find out recently by "a little" he meant ALT and ALP were in the 900s!!) but that her bilirubin was at 7 which was a good sign. He believed the "little" increase might have been because her UTI didn't clear up so we did another round of Clavamox. Eventually we got to a good point. Mika was eating her 160 calories all on her own. She started looking better, acting better and her jaundice seemed to be getting better. I brought Mika to a vet near my apartment up at school to get established before the school year started. Mika had some really itchy ears from an untreated yeast infection (which was diagnosed by the first vet but was put aside because of her other issues) but was acting really well. Her weight had dropped again which the vet said could be the difference of a bowel movement in her colon (it was a small drop from 5.75 to 5.68) and that we could look into steroids to make sure there wasn't inflammation that was causing her to not get all the nutrients she needed. IBD was brought up as something that could cause a cat to not gain weight. She commented on how pretty and soft Mika's coat was and how she was obviously fighting and trying hard to get better. She told me it was really impressive I got Mika eating on her own and acting this healthy without a feeding tube. We did blood work since it had been 3 weeks since her last check and I was fairly positive it would look much better. The results came back with some good news. ALT 453, AST 138 (normal is 100; I don't know levels for this before as it wasn't on any tests that I have or were shown before), GGT 28 (normal is around 10) and ALP 240. Her bilirubin was still at 7 but the vet said that she felt confident that she was obviously doing better. We just needed to worry about her weight now. She called A&M for their advise on the steroids and why they didn't prescribe them before. The vet at A&M was surprised to hear Mika was doing good (I was told they expected to her have died already which the vet there did tell me would happen if I didn't do a feeding tube) but believed that if she wasn't gaining weight and her numbers still being high that they recommended a liver biopsy (open surgery) so they could check for liver abnormalities. I asked if that meant cancer and my vet relayed to me that no, they wanted to check for "congenital or autoimmune abnormalities" in the liver and biliary system. She told me that the biopsy with the open surgery part made sense because she had seen it herself where aspirates of the liver weren't done in the area with abnormal cells and they came back totally normal. However, she didn't recommend it yet because the biopsy could tell us nothing or it could tell us just to keep her on the medication she's been on. The steroids were the route she was recommending and we could just go ahead and do the B-12 shots with it.
I am back at my parents house now and Mika has started exhibiting symptoms of another UTI. Small pees, drinking water more often but she doesn't seem to be going to the litter box more. One of her symptoms before was yellow pee, bright yellow pee. That has returned too as it was gone for a while (almost 3 weeks).

I am nervous. Mika has been throwing up for the past few nights/mornings. It seems to be her wet food rather than the dry kibble she has been eating. None of the wet foods have a common protein in that may be making her sick, either. She is still eating well but has been favoring her wet food less now that she has kibble she likes. I've been feeding her 1/4th a cup of kibble and Mika has been eating about 1/2 can of 5.5 oz wet foods from Halo. It's been hard to calculate her exact calorie intake but so far she hasn't slipped too much. She's still getting 160 or close to daily (lowest was 152). Her appetite for wet food is definitely going down.

With her peeing yellow, I went and got new ursodiol from the first vet that saw her. I was worried that her liquid ursodiol wasn't working because it had been left out (my fault, for sure) for some time. The vet by my school assured me it should be fine but I would rather be safe than sorry. I had a huge upset with the first vets to see Mika and have decided I will NEVER be taking Mika back there again. The receptionist told me I could get her ursodiol no problem but when I showed up the vet insisted I do an examination plus blood work before I could get her ursodiol. I told them no, we weren't changing the dosage just the formula from liquid to pill. I didn't have the money to do a vet check, blood work and get the ursodiol either because of an issue with my bank. I told them that clearly the receptionist wasn't told I needed all of that otherwise she would have told me over the phone when I asked (she even had the bottle at the front ready for me when I walked in). I got lots of nasty looks and when the vet gave up they tried to UPCHARGE me for the ursodiol. I told them I was told a different number and a vet tech there confirmed I was told the right amount originally which is what I paid.

I have called the vet up by my school and waiting for her to return my call. Mika still has a very full feeling belly despite throwing up. I'm wondering if that could be over eating? But I have been trying to weigh her regularly (not as accurate as it could be because it's me on a scale then me plus Mika on the scale and subtracting the difference). Yesterday her weight was 6.2 lbs. Today it's 5.2 lbs. I'm sick to my stomach. Mika is still acting okay. She's cuddling, she's climbing around and she's asking for pets. She wanted to go outside earlier but it's too hot right now.

I will update once I get a call back from my vet.
 
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mikameek

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I did some calculations a few minutes ago to the best of my ability based off how much I thought Mika ate of her dry & wet food. I realized I also gave her treats when it was time for her medication and after. She gets around 5-8 treats depending on how good she did (2-4 before and 3-4 after). So that's roughly 10 to 16 extra calories going into her belly. Which is likely putting her over her recommended calorie count daily.

This makes me more worried about her yellow pee. That means it more likely related to the UTI or her ursodiol than because she isn't eating. If thats the case, I need to be conscious to keep her calories up as much as I can to make sure we can rule out poor liver function due to HL as a cause.

Vet still hasn't called back but I expect the call closer to the end of the day. I am looking into buying actual Milk Thistle supplement to get into Mika. I know her Denamarin has something like that already in but I will speak the vet about the extra supplement. Also, possibly adding vitamin C or other things I could do to avoid antibiotics for Mika's UTI (if at all possible).
 
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mikameek

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Vet update:
She told me that if Mika was having real inflammation and flare ups from her cholangiohepatitis that she would likely be throwing up more often than just once. I mentioned that Mika has been eating grass and she told me to not let her do that anymore and see if the throwing up stops. Other wise it could be a food thing because the food has been digested when it comes up.

She told me we can definitely put her back on Denamarin which will make me feel better about Mika's liver. We talked about the dosage of Mika's ursodiol and that I could break up her pills into 1/8 and 1/16 to make up the small difference between the compounded liquid and the pill form (I was worried about the differences and how it would affect her recovery time) but it wouldn't be necessary unless Mika isn't getting better.

We spoke about the UTI and she told me to find a clinic to get her properly treated for it. She said that I can continue to give her probiotics while she's on the antibiotics. I'm looking into finding another vet around me that I can take Mika to that will be able to get her medications.

The weight thing she also put me at ease by saying that the pound loss was more likely a pound gained by me (it was in today's case) and Mika is probably maintaining a steady weight. So long as she is doing that then we can hold off on her steroid use till I return to school and Mika has cleared her UTI.

She said that the fully belly comment and her peeing yellow are concerning only because she can't put her own eyes on her to know. I don't think Mika has a pot belly, especially because when I asked the vet to describe what that meant to her, she asked if Mika still had a dip near her hips like she has a waist. Which she does. The vet didn't seem too convinced though and it definitely was something she wanted looked at. Another thing to put down for ANOTHER new vet.

The peeing yellow, she said, could either be a build up of bilirubin again or could just be the body actually passing the bilirubin. I don't know what to think with that. If she is passing the bilirubin, she hasn't ever gotten rid of it before so it doesn't seem likely to happen this time either. I hope it isn't a sign her bilirubin has gone up.

With that though, Mika is going to be closely watched. We start with not letting her eat grass. If that doesn't help then I'm going to be making a log of what protein she is eating and if she pukes during the night. If there is no clear pattern like it has seemed to be so far, then we'll look at removing/switch the dry food.
 
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mikameek

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Last night/this morning Mika threw up (around 5 am). It had grass in it which further supports the grass is upsetting her sensitive stomach. Yesterday was day 0 of the no grass because she had already gone out before the vet had called. Today we'll keep her from eating grass to see how that helps.

She peed a normal patch in the litter box this morning but I don't know if thats from the Denamarin or the Ursodiol. I might take her off the Denamarin if her yellow pee stays away. She has been having some really large bowel movements. Even my mother made the comment about them. It looks almost like our small dachshund went into the litter box to go to the bathroom (obviously not happening though).

She's currently chowing down on Halo Salmon. I wish we hadn't picked up the salmon but we couldn't get the sale without grabbing SOME fish flavors. At least she likes it. She won't get any where close to the full can (most of the cans have been 185 calories per can so I have been letting her eat more wet if she wants) because its 211 calories (!!!!!!).

We set up a new visit with a vet very close to us. They only have a $1 vet exam for new patients so we'll see about getting her antibiotics for her UTI.

Mika's weight has stayed steady again today. 6.2 lbs. Her stomach didn't feel as full (probably from those large BM) so I'm hoping that means she's actually putting on some weight.
 

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Just wanted to say that your dedication and devotion to Mika is amazing. I wish all cats could receive the loving care you are giving her. I hope she continues to improve daily. Having someone as caring as you in her corner is making a world of difference. :hearthrob::vibes:
 
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mikameek

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Just wanted to say that your dedication and devotion to Mika is amazing. I wish all cats could receive the loving care you are giving her. I hope she continues to improve daily. Having someone as caring as you in her corner is making a world of difference. :hearthrob::vibes:
I really appreciate this, thank you! I want to do right by her. She's the most loving kitty and deserves to be happy and healthy. She reminds me every day just how lucky I am to have found her. I have truly been blessed to have her!
 
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mikameek

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I changed out the litter today; her pee is really thick. I remember someone told me that this could be because of the bilirubin or a UTI.
She pee'd some more yellow spots that were small. I remember her having intermittent normal and yellow pees the first time this happened. The pee is also very pale yellow, which is another thing I take as a sign. I have hope.

I might have to go get Mika new litter though. I switched recently and she seemed to handle the mixed box really well. I finally switched to all of the new litter today and she doesn't seem to like it as much (but she's still using it).

She's gone to the box multiple times today but doesn't seem to be doing much which I'm not sure if I should take as a sign against the litter or a problem with her. It's a good thing we have a vet visit tomorrow.
 
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We visited the new vet today. I really loved them and what they had to offer but I did have to set the vet straight on a few things that she was trying to push on me. Hopefully that means that the other stuff she told me that I wasn't knowledgeable on wasn't bull too.

She wanted to do a Covenia shot for her UTI, which I told I wasn't comfortable with. She said we could go ahead and start on steroids so long as we're treating the UTI at the same time. She prescribed a depo shot at a lower dose (she called it therapeutic rather than at a "immunosuppressive level") just to see if that helped Mika gain weight.

Speaking of weight, she lost a few ounces (she weighed 5.6 today) and she believes that the weight I was seeing on the scale could have been food weight rather than muscle or actual weight. She also told me what I already knew -- me weighing myself and then Mika with me was not an accurate way to read things.

The vet also talked to me about the blood panel that they do. It checks all of her liver enzymes that need to be monitored but also includes a FIV/FLV test each time (which she said even though Mika tested negative before, they could be in remission and then when they get sick it flares up again) and also includes a fecal test for parasites in the cost. It's significantly less than what I was paying JUST for the blood at the other vet.

They took a picture of Mika for their records that they then printed out and put in a frame for me (made me feel good). The vet was really nice and was very polite and understanding when I turned down the Covenia. Instead she is on Clindamycin for 10 days since she's already been on Clavamox and Veraflox. She also tried to get me to buy the Hills I/D which I told her I didn't want to feed to Mika. She at least didn't push that it's better for her, instead she said she proposed it because it was less protein which she felt was better for the liver/gallbladder and was also for digestive issues. She even told me that Hills would buy back the bag if Mika didn't like it. I still turned it down.

The vet also mentioned that if Mika does well on the depo shot (we have a recheck visit for her UTI and the shot in 2 weeks) then she will be switched to something called Budesonide (which is a pill and I will be looking into it).

Mika didn't throw up last night which tells me it was the grass. She did throw up in the car to the vet. It was all the small amount of wet food I left out for her for breakfast.

Hopefully things get better.
 
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mikameek

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I went out tonight with a friend to see a movie. While I was gone Mika did lots of small pees. She seems to be loafing more and hanging out by the front door. She definitely doesn't feel good which makes me sick to my stomach. I hope I didn't make things worse for her by allowing the steroid shot.

She hardly ate any of her wet food. She finished off most of her dry food. It wasn't her full 1/4 a cup (I just filled it to that for her when I got home) and she ate a small amount of the wet food I offered. The can of wet food only has 175 calories for the whole 5 oz can. If she doesn't eat the dry food, she will most definitely be under her calorie count for today. She didn't eat all of the treats I gave her for her medicine (which was TERRIBLE) either. That tells me she's definitely feeling crummy again.

Medicine was awful. Clindomycin is supposed to be 2 mls for the day, but thats a lot of liquid to get into her and it smells AWFUL so I can only imagine how awful it tastes. I feel terrible. Her ursodiol was also bad because she wet the whole pill which made it impossible to get out of the pill popper.

The vet replied to my email about the vet visit. She told me that it would be okay for the steroid to be used but I'm nervous. She said that it can be used to reduce the inflammation of the bladder with UTIs. I think it made it worse. She also told me that it would be better to get Mika off the dry food because it's probably causing her larger stool sizes. She wants her on strictly wet which I don't know we can do that. Mika was so excited to eat the dry.

She also told me that if Mika's symptoms get bad that I can give her buprenorphine to alleviate any pain Mika might be having with regards to the UTI. I will give her some if her eating isn't better tomorrow. I hope I can chalk it up to it being a stressful day with the vet and getting a steroid shot and her UTI.

She's curled up on the edge of my bed right now facing away from the food bowl I brought in with me. I feel terrible. I love her so much and I hate that she's not feeling any better. I also believe that since the Clindomycin is for 10 days it will probably take longer for it to kick in and make her feel better. I sure hope it works.
 
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mikameek

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Mika's appetite seems to be back today. She didn't wake me up for food but when I woke up, she immediately went over to the food bowl with the rest of the 1/4th of kibble (she must have eaten most of it over the night) and finished the rest of the bowl. I offered her some Rabbit Halo wet food for "sensitive stomachs" but she turned her nose far up for that. I offered Indoor Chicken by Blue and she finished that off, so her appetite is there.

She hasn't thrown up in the early morning since not letting her eat grass. That makes me feel better about the food she's getting because it has a CHANCE to digest and get to where it needs to.

I'll have to go out to change out the foods I have left from Halo. They're all turkey flavors and I know Mika will not eat them. I'll have to look for other options.

I have taken notice that some days, Mika's tongue looks more yellow. But as the day goes on, it turns pink. I don't know what to think of that but Mika's tongue was yellow this morning. Speaking of yellowing, I think the yellowing on her belly is inching out. It makes me nervous about her Ursodiol working well. Is it possible for compounded versions to work better than pills?
 
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Well, Mika's pickiness is coming out in full color today. She has ignored basically three foods that were offered to her. One of them she flat out ignored with dirt covering and loud screams of protest was a new flavor by Halo. Chicken and Egg for sensitive stomachs. The other two are shocking. She flat out ignored the guineafowl which she adored before and only nibbled slightly on salmon today. She really isn't liking this wet food thing now that she knows she can get dry food. There are literal cries of protest.

Her poops have been a little off which is why I'm trying to cut back on the dry food. They have been large still but the beginning part seem to be solid and almost dry (but not quite) while the ends are more like soft serve. I have limited her down to an 1/8th of a cup of dry food today to see how this helps her poops. If it does nothing I will contact the vet to see what dry food she would recommend switching to since it seems Mika refuses to be off dry.

Her medicating has been going easier. I picked up some antibiotic free sliced turkey from the deli today, along with some sliced cheese. I'm hoping that maybe we can tempt Mika into eating her pills in that. Pill pockets haven't worked except for putting it in the pill popper and shooting it into her mouth. She wont eat it regularly. I haven't tried the chicken flavor but I think it will be similar. Any less stress on her and me with pilling and medicating is much needed, so crossing fingers that the meat or cheese will work.

I leave Friday (July 27th) for vacation. I have found a pet sitter through a friend who works at a local pet shelter AND fosters cats/kittens. She is well versed in taking care of sick cats but I doubt she has seen anything like Mika when it comes to medicating. She will come by Wednesday (July 25th) to see how the process works, meet Mika and my parent's miniature dachshund Chanel, and get a feel of the house. It makes me nervous because I need to be sure that Mika's medications get into her properly. This will also be the first time I am away from her since her hospital stay (where she was away from me rather than the other way around). It's only for two nights. We will return Sunday (July 29th) afternoon so the sitter will only have to medicate Mika twice. I suspect her biggest issue will be with her antibiotic which I am PRAYING will be finished before we go on the trip. The vet said 10 days but I am suspicious. It has only been 3 days and it seems we are already half way through the bottle.

Mika has been acting like she feels much better these past two days. She has been exploring the counters (to my mother's dismay; not as much of a cat person as my father) and staring out the window longingly. She really wishes she could go outside. I would love to let her out but I don't want her eating grass. With the heat we have too (it was in the 100s yesterday) it is better for her to be inside. Even letting her out in the early evening is exhausting because it involves following her around to keep her from eating grass. I feel bad but its keeping her from getting sick.

Yesterday was my parent's 39th wedding anniversary. My aunt (my dad's older sister) came over to celebrate with us. She absolutely adores Mika and fawns over her so much. Mika likes the attention too. And despite my mother not being as much of a cat person, she still likes talking with Mika. She'll get excited when Mika responds to her or laugh at cute things she does. I think Mika is winning her over for sure. We watched a segment on TV today about wild cats and my mother oo'd and aw'd and coo'd over all of them. Despite my efforts though, I don't think they'll ever get a cat of their own.
 
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We had a huge accomplishment last night with Mika! She ate her Ursodiol in a piece of turkey meat. It took me a few tries because it kept slipping out but she eventually just took a piece and swallowed it without chewing. I've never been so excited in my life! Hopefully we can keep this up this way and that will keep medicating in the future stress free for everyone involved.

We're still fighting with the antibiotic and its only day 5 of the treatment (tonight, that is) which leaves 5 more days of treatment. Saturday this week (while I'm away on vacation) will be the last day of the antibiotic. I feel bad leaving the last two days of the medicine to our pet sitter but hopefully it'll be easy for her by then.

Mika has been really unhappy about her wet food choices. She still really wants her dry food. It makes me nervous but there is nothing I can do if thats what she'll eat. She hasn't pooped since yesterday which also makes me really nervous about the dry food. I'm low on funds since its the end of the month and we leave soon but I really think I need to get a new dry food or at least more wet food she'll eat.
 
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mikameek

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Mika has completely ignored her wet food options now. However, she seems to be getting much hungrier and comes by to tell me she's hungry more often with her dry food. I have given in, really, and let her eat the dry food. I still offer wet food but I've caught the dog going for it rather than Mika. I have bumped her feeding to 3/8th of a cup. I don't know if that's good for her weight considering she was getting closer to 200 calories with the combination of wet and dry. The 3/8 of a cup comes out to 169 calories. It doesn't seem she's lost any weight but I can't tell if she's gained either.

Her bowel movement today worried me. It's very soft. Large, but soft. I've read that some antibiotics can cause softer stools but I'm leaning towards it being related to her meat intake. I gave her some bits of the turkey meat as her treat for being good during medication (she also ate her ursodiol in the turkey again last night which means we have a good system for keeping medicine stress free till she decides she doesn't like turkey anymore). She has been refusing the dry salmon treats she used to love. I don't want to stop the turkey since she takes her medicine in it but less bits tonight to see how that affects her stool.

She does seem to have lots of energy again though. She has been jumping around, explored the study today, under a table she hadn't gone to because of all the boxes under it and in my closet. She's following me too, sleeping when I'm stationary. She slept on the top of the couch I was on watching a movie and is now at the edge of my bed.

Her pee is consistently very pale yellow with parts of it turning the litter white. However, it does seem to be fading to grey.

Mika has until Saturday (July 28th) with this antibiotic. I can't wait for it to be done. Once it is, she'll be stress free when it comes to her medicine. I can't wait to see what that does for her.
 
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We had a mishap with the antibiotic today. I tried to give the medicine shallow and Mika gagged forward. I felt it hit her throat and I immediately dropped her and felt bad. It was thankfully her last dose of the antibiotic (she has to get two full droppers of it; 2 ml). I gave her lots of pieces of turkey to make up for it but she's not happy with me.

I feel bad. Hopefully she doesn't hold it against me and still sleeps with me tonight. My days until my vacation are inching close so I want to cherish the last few nights we can cuddle together.
 
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mikameek

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We had a really long day today. I have had some family issues going on involving my older brother. These things caused us to be out of the house for most of the morning and into the early afternoon. I left 1/4 a cup of dry food out for Mika to eat for most of the day as I knew I wouldn't be home for lunch. I didn't notice it but my mother later told me she ate it all in one sitting. So not good.

When we got back, though, Mika immediately came into my room for snuggles. We napped for an hour together which was really nice.

The pet sitter came over; lovely girl. She immediately took to Mika and was petting on her. Even the antisocial dachshund came over for pets from this girl so she's clearly something special. We showed her around and let her see everything they needed (I will also be writing it down). We showed her how to medicate Mika. It was intense and Mika wiggled out of the burrito. She said she would bring a friend to help medicate Mika in the evening.

I can't believe I'm going to be leaving soon and having Mika taken care of for two nights. I'm almost too sad to go. She's currently curled up on the end of my bed.

She had a really small pee today in the litter box that makes me a little suspicious. It was still pale yellow but being more than halfway through the antibiotic, she shouldn't still be having very small pees. The pees she's been having recently were normal sized. I'll keep an eye on her other pees till we leave and have the sitter check it too.

I asked the sitter that the only thing I really wanted to know about were her litter box use and her eating. I trust her but man, I am so nervous. What if she doesn't get Mika's medicine in well enough? What if she isn't careful? What if Mika gets really sick? I once said that Mika dug up all those motherly hormones that had been hiding out in me but MAN! I never knew I could feel so protective over something before.
 
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mikameek

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I don't know if I should be nervous or not but Mika didn't want to eat much this morning. I put 1/8th of a cup of dry food into her bowl which she ignored except for a few bites. I then put some wet food down and she nibbled on that as well. She has gone back and eaten a little more of the dry kibble but isn't interested in the wet food. I got nervous because I don't have much in the way to offer to her until tonight when I go out. I did give her some KRM just to try and keep calories in her and she did drink that down. She probably got about 24-36 calories from that.

My nieces are heading over soon (they are coming on the vacation with me) and haven't seen Mika since she was very sick. I was hoping that she'd be acting like she has the past few days (lively, happy and doing much better with food) but now I'm a little weary. I hope she livens us when new people come to pet her.

I wil update later tonight when I get her new foods. Hopefully she's not for some reason going down hill again.
 
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mikameek

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Mika barely ate any food during the day but I got her lots of new options for wet food and a new bag of dry food. She seemed really keen to try the new dry food and chowed down on that for a minute before finishing off half of a 3 oz can of wet food. Her belly feels full so that tells me she's eaten enough but I don't know calorie wise where that puts us.

She's acting fine otherwise. She was rolling around outside and begging to go out, trying to scratch up my parents couches (the joy, right?), and begging for her turkey scraps. She also tried to get food from us from dinner but we were having pizza so nothing she could sneak or get.

Her medicine was a bit iffy, it kept falling out of the turkey or she was eating such small pieces she wasn't able to get it. I eventually just popped a small chunk of turkey with it in her mouth and she swallowed it. Doesn't bode well for the sitter this weekend.

I'm nervous to leave tomorrow.
 
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