I'm sorry! Don't cry!Now this makes me cry. Thank you and Sebastian so much for caring. Sometimes I think these cats know a lot more than we give them credit for.
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Muffin - Bad news vet visit today
- Thread starter blueyedgirl5946
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...................For now his pill pockets have become a piece of boiled shrimp with the pill hidden deep inside. My goodness, does anyone think maybe he is spoiled. Some meals I have to sit on the kitchen floor and feed him with a spoon.Just one day at the time.
Muffin has so many fans and so much love coming your way he just has to be spoiled!.................. He is a special cat and I love him.
:lol3:Yeah! So glad Muffin is still hanging in there and eating some. Cats love being spoiled. It's their right! At least they think so! I know it's hard trying to do all you can to get him to eat, take his pills, etc. You're doing great!:nod:
I think of you and Muffin often. So glad to hear he is doing better.
It can't be said you are not devoted to that little guy. I know we have all grown to love him too.
Continued prayers
It can't be said you are not devoted to that little guy. I know we have all grown to love him too.
Continued prayers
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Thanks everyone for the good thoughts and love you send our way. It means a lot to me and I tell Muffin every day that his cat friends are loving him and sending good thoughts and prayers to him all the time. His eating has dropped again. This is a real roller coaster. I never know what I will be dealing with each day when I get out of bed.
A thought came to me last night and so I wanted to ask this question here before I run it by my vet on Monday. The steroid Muffin has been treated with since last May a year ago when he had his surgery has been Prednisolone capsules. His dosage has been adjusted from time to time, nearly getting him off of it before the vet said this cancer has come back. Since May of this year his dosage has been two pills a day. When I renewed his prescription the middle of October, I notice what he got was round pills, not capsules and so I called the vet's office. I spole with his wife, who works there in the mornings. She said the pills are Prednisone, which is used interchangeably with Prednisolone. Does anyone have any education about the difference in these two medicines and how they are ,metabolized by cats through the liver. I am wondering if this has anything to do with the fact that Muffin seems to be deteriorating. When I think about it, the change in him think has been since his medicine changed. He started taking the Prednisone on the 12th of October. Sorry if this question is putting too much out there, but I know there are others who have dealt with cats and terminal illnesses and their medicines who are members here.
A thought came to me last night and so I wanted to ask this question here before I run it by my vet on Monday. The steroid Muffin has been treated with since last May a year ago when he had his surgery has been Prednisolone capsules. His dosage has been adjusted from time to time, nearly getting him off of it before the vet said this cancer has come back. Since May of this year his dosage has been two pills a day. When I renewed his prescription the middle of October, I notice what he got was round pills, not capsules and so I called the vet's office. I spole with his wife, who works there in the mornings. She said the pills are Prednisone, which is used interchangeably with Prednisolone. Does anyone have any education about the difference in these two medicines and how they are ,metabolized by cats through the liver. I am wondering if this has anything to do with the fact that Muffin seems to be deteriorating. When I think about it, the change in him think has been since his medicine changed. He started taking the Prednisone on the 12th of October. Sorry if this question is putting too much out there, but I know there are others who have dealt with cats and terminal illnesses and their medicines who are members here.
They aren't really completely interchangeable. The liver turns prednisone into prednisolone which means the liver has to work more. Also some of the dosage is lost in the process. They may be out of the prednisolone. There was a nationwide lack of prednisolone a while back and there are still spotty shortages of the prednisolone. When my vet couldn't get the prednisolone anymore she put Patches on dexamethasone. He probably has liver damage from having had fatty liver and cholangiohepatitis. I think that's why she went the dex route, she has just kept him on the dex.
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So if I understand what you are saying here, Muffin's liver is having to work harder to convert the Prednisone? This might not be good because liver cancer is what he had surgery for and the report that came back said there was some liver damage.
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His liver will have to work more to metabolize the prednisone. I'm thinking your vet is probably out of the prednisolone and it's on backorder. That has been a persistent problem for a while. Some people have found other sources like a compounding pharmacy or a human pharmacy. If it isn't possible to find it you could talk to your vet about another alternative. My vet is using the Dexamethasone, I am sure there are also other alternatives. If you need to I would certainly use the prednisone for the weekend.
I'm glad you asked that question. I've saw "prednisolone" on this site a lot. My cats have always been given prednisone. It's always been a pill except for this last time with Bubba. They put him on liquid prednisone. I had to get it at my pharmacy because it had to be compounded. I've been wondering what the difference was. I hope you'll be able to get the prednisolone for Muffin soon and that he will start eating again.
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Muffin seems to have crashed today. He refused the shrimp this morning. I tried to get the appetite stimulant, thyroid medicine and the pred in his stuck in pieces of shrimp. I finally used the pill popper to get the round prednisone pill in him. The appetite stimulant I think he finally got it, but the thyroid medicine I am not sure about. It could have melted in the tuna juice. The shrimp I gave him were boiled as he ate them well last night. I gave him that again this morning as I don't have much time to spend trying to get food in him before church. He absolutely ate nothing. When we got home hubby cleaned some more shrimp. I am going now to see if he will eat some raw ones. This is not looking good for my boy. I am going to call my vet at eight in the morning when he opens and ask him this question about the prednisone versus the prednisolone. l Barb, I appreciate the offer of Toby's medicine. I will let you know tomorrow. Need prayers for Muffin and for me and hubby too. Thanks, dear friends.
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Barb, yes please check to see if you still have it. Then I will know if the vet says it might can make a difference.
I'm sorry to hear Muffin is not having a good day.
Many thoughts and prayers for Muffin, you and your family.
Many thoughts and prayers for Muffin, you and your family.
I am so sorry things aren't going well. Hopefully he is just having an off day.
I'm sorry you and Muffin are having such a hard time. I was hoping he would continue to eat the shrimp. Just trying to get one pill down any of my cats is a job! I can't imagine trying to get that much medicine down one. Keep hanging in there. Tell Muffin to hang in there too!
Poor Muffin; he just doesn't understand how important his pills are. :cross: and 
that his appetite. picks up again. Have you tried crab? That sometimes worked with Jamie. So did Scandinavian fish paste.
that his appetite. picks up again. Have you tried crab? That sometimes worked with Jamie. So did Scandinavian fish paste.- Thread Starter Thread Starter
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Last night, I had to use the pill popper to get the prednisone pill in. He finally did eat what was left in his bowl from yesterday morning. So he eventually did get all his medicine, including the thyroid and appetite stiumlant. Where did you get the crab and the fish paste. I have some fresh trout cleaned in my freezer. If I need to I can try that.Poor Muffin; he just doesn't understand how important his pills are. :cross: and
I am now waiting for the vet to call me back. He is trying to see if he can get some of the prednisolone tablets.. What he told me is that in most cases either one would work, but in Muffin's case because of his liver problems, it might not and trying to find the prednisolone would be well worth it.
Thinking of you....I hope Muffin ate (or will eat) some dinner tonight.
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Thank you for caring. Yes, he did eat some pieces of shrimp and a slight amount of wet cat food. I managed to get all his medicines in him for today. Now I can rest until tomorrow.:nod:Thinking of you....I hope Muffin ate (or will eat) some dinner tonight.
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Muffin is still fighting. He is eating a little here and there, mostly the shrimp that hubby cleans for him. l am having to put the steroid in with a pill popper. This morning my vet called and said he can't find the pill form of the prednisolone anywhere from his suppliers or the local drugstores. He had two ounces of liquid in his office that he let me have this morning. He said it will be enough to try to see if it will perk up our kitty some and know if the change in him is due to the steroid prednisone he has had since Oct 15th instead of the prednisolone which they couldn't get. Toes and fingers crossed please that it will help and that I can get it down his throat. I have never given him liquid medicine before.
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