My Cat Had A Stroke

joyrachael

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Hi. My 14 year old kitty Mandy had a stroke a week and a half ago. This is her second stroke. The first one was last year and mostly affected her vestibularly but this one has caused paralysis. She is regaining some movement and can stand up for a few seconds but really isn't herself. Was wondering how long it might take for her to be able to walk again. I feel so bad for her. She's not eating a whole lot and wants to sleep most of the time. She stayed in the hospital for three nights when it first happened then two more nights the following weekend due to a severe UTI. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
 

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daftcat75

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Can you make her a meat stock? It is concentrated nutrition that will likely perk up her appetite but also give her so much raw materials to fuel healing and recovery with. I'm going to give you a link here for people and bone broth but cats experience the same benefits. The difference between a meat stock and a bone broth is the cooking time. Bone broth is cooked for a lot longer than meat stock but also has more glutamine which can be difficult for some individuals (human or otherwise.) Meat stock has all the same benefits but it is lower in glutamine and is considered more gentle medicine than bone broth.

Bone Broth Benefits: Everything You Need to Know | Chris Kresser

I've been giving my Krista meat stock for a few days now, a teaspoon with each meal and sometimes a teaspoon between meals, and the results have been nothing short of amazing. She's moving better, eating better, digesting better, and a long-standing issue with food sensitivities and one of her ears seems to be finally clearing up. That ear is receiving its first scratches, rubs, and general loving attention like it hasn't received in months! (Just touching that ear used to set off a head shake.)

Meat stock/bone broth is high in natural collagens like gelatin but also glucosamine and chondroitin. It's also high in amino acids and minerals. It's the perfect stuff to be feeding a sick cat who isn't eating so well. If Mandy goes for it like my Krista does, she'll be eating right in no time and all those raw materials in the stock will jumpstart the healing process.
 
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daftcat75

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Don't use a store bought stock, broth, or bouillon as these can have too much salt or worse like garlic and onions which are toxic to cats. Make your own.

Here's a page that explains making bone broth specifically for cats. You just cook it a lot shorter for meat stock. 3-4 hours for chicken. 6 hours for beef and pork. Turkey somewhere in between the two. I did turkey drumsticks and wings in a crock pot on low for two cooks of 3 and 4 hours but the first hours of both cooks are getting the water up to temperature. Next time, I'll try a single cook of 5 hours. You'll know it's good to go when the meat easily slides off the bone with a spoon or ladle rather than having to tear it off the bone with a knife.

Is Chicken Broth Good For Cats? (Quick & Easy RECIPE)
 
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joyrachael

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Hi thanks for your reply. I don't think I can give her bone broth because I have to keep her phosphorus down since she has CKD. She's not supposed to have any bone. I feed her lightly cooked meat which I put in a blender and I add a meat completer to that which is made from eggshell calcium and has digestive enzymes in it.

She is eating about four tablespoons per day and I am syringe feeding her for now. Maybe I need to be feeding her more. I feel so bad having to leave her home alone while I'm at work. i hope she recovers!!
 

daftcat75

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I have no experience with CKD so take my advice with a grain of salt.

A meat stock isn't cooked as long as a bone broth so it's not extracting as much. But Ca-P balance is something I just don't know about especially with meat stock.

You also don't need to feed that much to make a big difference. 1 teaspoon with each meal is getting Krista to finish her food and showing big differences in her chronic conditions.

Because she has a chronic disease process (CKD) and an acute one (the stroke), you should be feeding her as much as you can to give her the raw materials to heal. Don't feel bad about leaving her during the day. She also needs time to sleep because a lot of healing happens in her sleep. But you might need to add extra meal times for her while you are home. They don't have to be evenly spaced. You might consider a dinner when you get home and a late night meal before you go to sleep. Then a first breakfast when you wake up and a second breakfast before you leave for work if there's enough time between them. My Krista can eat every two hours if you ask her but I try to space her meals four hours apart with meals during the day and overnight coming from timed feeders.
 
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joyrachael

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Ok I will check with my vet about the broth. Thank you so much for the info.

Did your kitty have a stroke? Ok I am going to try to feed her much more than I have been. She is definitely sleeping a whole lot which is great! Good idea to add more meals. I'll try to feed her three times in the evening and twice in the morning. Just hoping she will regain some strength. Poor baby!
 

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Hi. So sorry about Mandy and her strokes. I have no experience with this, but did a search on this site for other members who have in the past posted about strokes.

I am sure they all vary, and some won't apply, but maybe they might be helpful in reading some of the members' approaches in helping their kitties.

Search Results for Query: stroke | TheCatSite
 
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joyrachael

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Hi Feebys Owner,

Thank you so much. I did a search and was reading some interesting information. Maybe others who had a similar experience with their kitty will chime in. Thanks again!

Joy
 

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Ok I will check with my vet about the broth. Thank you so much for the info.

Did your kitty have a stroke? Ok I am going to try to feed her much more than I have been. She is definitely sleeping a whole lot which is great! Good idea to add more meals. I'll try to feed her three times in the evening and twice in the morning. Just hoping she will regain some strength. Poor baby!
Krista did not have a stroke. Knock on wood, but that's one thing she hasn't had in the long list of issues. She's 15 years old. In the last year, she had tooth resorption and many rounds of extractions. Each time she comes home from extractions, she has a new mouth and this last time took us a long time to get her portions back up. In the meantime, she was taking frequent meals. Aside from the teeth, she also has well-managed IBD, a couple of rounds with pancreatitis, a hospitalization earlier this year with liver and gallbladder inflammation/infection, an ear infection that ruptured her eardrum, and arthritis. I have only been giving Krista meat stock for a few days and it seems to be rewinding all of these chronic conditions for her. I wish I had tried this with her last year when everything was hitting the fan (or the carpet as it were.)
 

daftcat75

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I would say that there's just so much upside to the meat stock, maybe a phosphorous binder might make it safer for CKD cat. Another question for your vet as I don't have experience with CKD or phosphorous binders.
 
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joyrachael

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Oh wow she's like Mandy with her many, many ailments! For arthritis, I give Mandy mircolactin powder and it really seems to help. I wish I could give her bone broth but this IBD group I'm in advises against it for CKD kitties.

Btw, Mandy had mammary cancer, hyperthyroidism, asthma, CKD and recurrent UTI's. She is one expensive cat! I love her so she's worth it!

Joy
 

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I'm so sorry to hear about Mandy. I would highly recommend the following supplements to help recovery from her stroke: Ancestral Supplements Brain (freeze dried brain from grass fed New Zealand raised cattle and beef liver. Ancestral Supplements Kidneys and Swanson Vitamins Inosine. Inosine helps heal nerves. The kidney glandular will help support her kidneys and the brain glandular will help support her brain. You can read more about Ancestral supplements on their website: Ancestral Supplements - Grass Fed (Desiccated Liver, Heart, Pancreas...) and reviews on amazon.

Here's a kidney glandular made from New Zealand cattle that doesn't have liver powder as a filler.

Kidney Glandular Supplement for Dogs and Cats

You can purchase Inosine from swanson vitamins:
Swanson Premium Inosine 500 mg 60 Veg Caps - Swanson Health Products

I give inosine to my Loki who has cerebellar hypoplasia and has suffered traumatic brain injury from running into doors and walls chasing Mouse and Leo when they all were kittens. He suffered blindness from the concussions. The inosine has restored some of his vision where he's not completely blind anymore. He doesn't have great vision but he's not running into things as much like he used to do. I got it for him as it is supposed to regenerate retinal ganglion cells. I give him a pretty hefty dose of 1/2-1 capsule and he tolerates it well. So don't be afraid to give Mandy 1/2 capsule of the Inosine.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-08-inosine-treatment-recovery-motor-functions.html
 
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joyrachael

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Hi Libby,

Thanks so much for your reply. Did your vet recommend these supplements? I'm a little scared to try a new supplement because I give her so many meds and supps as it is (niacinamide for phosphorus control, microlactin for arthritis, Amplodipine for high BP, something for an anti coagulant, Benazapril for her kidneys, probiotics and Calcitriol. Maybe I can add the inosine since she does need something right now for her brain to heal.

Thank you!

Joy
 

Libby.

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Hi Libby,

Thanks so much for your reply. Did your vet recommend these supplements? I'm a little scared to try a new supplement because I give her so many meds and supps as it is (niacinamide for phosphorus control, microlactin for arthritis, Amplodipine for high BP, something for an anti coagulant, Benazapril for her kidneys, probiotics and Calcitriol. Maybe I can add the inosine since she does need something right now for her brain to heal.

Thank you!

Joy
No, the vet didn't recommend the supplements. About the inosine. I forgot that it can cause kidney stones. Mandy has kidney disease, the inosine may not be the best thing for her, or at the very least she should only get a small amount. There isn't much info online about supplemental inosine and kidney disease so you probably shouldn't put her on it. Talk to your vet and start researching it online before putting her on inosine. I'm sorry for posting so quickly and forgetting about inosine and kidney stones.
 

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No, the vet didn't recommend the supplements. About the inosine. I forgot that it can cause kidney stones. Mandy has kidney disease, the inosine may not be the best thing for her, or at the very least she should only get a small amount. There isn't much info online about supplemental inosine and kidney disease so you probably shouldn't put her on it. Talk to your vet and start researching it online before putting her on inosine. I'm sorry for posting so quickly and forgetting about inosine and kidney stones.
I found this link on kidney disease and supplements. Inosine can raise creatinine levels. If the vet can advise you how to ameliorate that, you might be able to supplement the inosine. Depending on how bad her kidneys are, I don't know if I would even chance it, tbh.
Chronic kidney disease and use of dietary supplements
 
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joyrachael

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I found this link on kidney disease and supplements. Inosine can raise creatinine levels. If the vet can advise you how to ameliorate that, you might be able to supplement the inosine. Depending on how bad her kidneys are, I don't know if I would even chance it, tbh.
Chronic kidney disease and use of dietary supplements
Her kidneys are not great. Too bad because it sounds like it could help her otherwise. I hope she will recover from this with all that she's been through. She's had so many issues over the years!!!

Thanks so much again.

Joy
 

Libby.

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I found this link on kidney disease and supplements. Inosine can raise creatinine levels. If the vet can advise you how to ameliorate that, you might be able to supplement the inosine. Depending on how bad her kidneys are, I don't know if I would even chance it, tbh.
Chronic kidney disease and use of dietary supplements
I just read that CoQ10 is helpful for stroke recovery AND lowers creatinine levels!!!!!!!
Top 7 Vitamins for Stroke Recovery – Flint Rehab
Coenzyme Q10 supplementation on metabolic profiles of patients with chronic kidney disease
The Integrative Treatment of Kidney Disease in Our Pets
Coenzyme Q10 Powerfully Protects the Kidneys
Mitochondria: a new therapeutic target in chronic kidney disease
American Society of Nephrology | Kidney Week - Abstract Details
I'd give Megan at least 100mg of coq10 and then have her creatinine levels tested before trying the inosine.
 

Libby.

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Her kidneys are not great. Too bad because it sounds like it could help her otherwise. I hope she will recover from this with all that she's been through. She's had so many issues over the years!!!

Thanks so much again.

Joy
Joy, I just made another post. It appears that coQ10 will lower creatinine levels so you may be able to give her inosine after all if you give her coQ10 too. But you'll have to have her creatinine levels tested to be sure the coQ10 is controlling the creatinine levels when you give her the inosine.
 
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joyrachael

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Joy, I just made another post. It appears that coQ10 will lower creatinine levels so you may be able to give her inosine after all if you give her coQ10 too. But you'll have to have her creatinine levels tested to be sure the coQ10 is controlling the creatinine levels when you give her the inosine.
Wow that's amazing! I'm definitely going to ask my vet about it. Thank you so much for looking into this!!

Joy
 

Mamanyt1953

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Physical therapy is always indicated for cats with stroke. I've seen television specials about this, but I do NOT know the details. I googled it, and am linking you to the response page, which is FULL of articles.

physical therapy for cats with stroke - Google Search

I would certainly talk with your vet about this. AND it is my understanding that most of the techniques can be taught to guardians so that they can do therapy at home.
 
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