2014/04/04

Another Day, Another Drama

Da Goddess @ 23:05

The cats did NOT get their teeth cleaned as scheduled. Instead, they were in for a day of testing and for…well, let’s just say the day didn’t go as it was supposed to.

I got a call. Fletch had elevated liver enzymes. Instead of being in range (that tops out at 100), he was at 250. Celia was at 750. Fletch was prepped for his dental procedure as his levels weren’t so high that they were felt to be dangerous. Then another call came in. “Is Fletch normally aggressive?” No. In fact, the only aggression he’s ever shown was once while I was holding him to keep him from Celia’s food. He got over it quickly. He’s the most laid back cat ever. He’s sweet and funny and silly and loving. Apparently the pre-sedation meds they gave him made him aggressive so the procedure was scrapped until next week and they’ll try something different on him.

With Celia’s liver enzymes so high, they didn’t even want to risk putting her under. Instead, they ran other tests to see what was possibly causing the spike. Nothing conclusive yet. Except there’s a prescription for special food for the two of them. It runs $60-80 per 4 pound bag.

The only things they’ve been taking are the meds that were prescribed by the vet. They had the ear meds. That’s done. Then a few days ago, they started on their antibiotics. And there’s L-Lysine for Fletch since he has a slightly herpetic lesion near his eye. Now there’s a new med: Adenosine. To help liver function. Directions indicate we can give each cat one half a pill twice a day. Considering how well the liquid dosing went, it seemed like a better, less stressful idea to crush it and put it in their food. It’s a pain to break down. It smells horrendous. But I’m willing to do it and see if that helps.

After all the phone calls and the return of the cats (who were NOT thrilled with the way their day went), I started thinking.

I don’t know that I want to spend that much money on food if we set out to give them a week of just regular food and no meds and no stress; maybe that will help lower their levels. I need to call the vet in the morning and ask if we can go that route.

Fletch has since gotten over his hatred of everyone and everything and is back to being playful and loving. Yay!

Celia has been hiding. When she’s not hiding, she wanders around mewling in the most pathetic manner. She barely ate. Fletch wanted to help her, but that shouldn’t happen as she needs her food and her meds. After hours of moving the food around and trying to prevent him from getting at it, Celia poked her head out from under the rocker, behind some boxes, and began to eat. She did a fair job, but there was a lot left. No matter what we did, Fletch still got to it. It looks like we’ll have to feed them in separate rooms, doors closed. It’s going to be an absolute bitch to do and we’re just gonna have to suck it up and do it.

Sigh. So much trouble for two little cats. Well, one little cat (who has lost weight since her last visit) and one BIG cat (who’s gained weight since his last visit). I love them dearly. So does King Arthur. It’s just hard to find out they have a plethora of health issues that are preventing them from having a long, healthy life. We’ll do it, though. That’s what we signed up for. We’re just going to have to work with the vet to try a few things before we go crazy money-wise on special food and extra procedures and the like.

That grinding sound, the one that seems rather faint, yet still ever-present? That’s us. Our teeth will be down to nubs soon, I’m sure.

7 Comments

  1. I’m sure the vet and staff are professional and knowledgeable. That said, nobody knows everything.

    What do you feed them now and what do they want you to buy and is it made by Hill’s Science Diet?

    Comment by pam — 2014/04/06 @ 05:38

  2. We feed them Iams. Yeah, they want them on Hill’s l/d. Which, it turns out, is less than $25 per 4lb bag. Still way more expensive than what they’re getting, but not nearly as costly as what KA thought

    Comment by Da Goddess — 2014/04/06 @ 10:40

  3. Now how did I know that? OH YEAH! Because Hill’s spends hundreds of thousands of dollars a year funding university research and nutrition courses at the veterinary colleges. Once in practice, vets who sell Science Diet and other premium foods directly from their offices pocket profits of as much as 40%.

    Ingredients of L/D:

    “Water, Rice, Egg Product, Chicken Fat, Soybean Meal, Soybean Oil, Corn Starch, Chicken Liver Flavor, Corn Gluten Meal, Powered Cellulose, Fish Oil, Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Dried Beet Pulp, Calcium Carbonate, L-Lysine, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (source of vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of vitamin K)),L-Arginine, Iodized Salt, Choline Chloride, Taurine, minerals (Zinc Oxide, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), L-Carnitine, L-Tryptophan, Beta-Carotene.”

    Rice and water are the main ingredients.

    They’re adding stuff.

    “High quality and highly digestible protein in moderate quantities to help reduce liver workload and helps maintain liver function
    Added L-Carnitine to help maintain normal fat metabolism in the liver
    Added antioxidant nutrients like vitamin E and C to control cell oxidation and promote a healthy immune system
    Reduced in sodium to help maintain normal blood pressure”

    And taking out needed proteins. Only 17% protein?? And who the hell loads cat food down with sodium anyway?

    None of my business, but I wouldn’t feed them that stuff. I’d (of course) go with a natural diet, but if you like Iams, there’s nothing wrong with it.

    Could they have been exposed to something before you got them that contributed to their high liver levels?

    Comment by pam — 2014/04/06 @ 15:18

  4. ALSO, Corn gluten meal is a big no no. Just saying.

    Comment by pam — 2014/04/06 @ 15:19

  5. In some cases, lower protein levels are good for the liver. I didn’t see the adenosine that they need though.

    They’ve not been exposed to anything harmful. All this damage could have happened well before we got them.

    So, we’ll go with the Hills l/d and see what happens.

    Comment by Da Goddess — 2014/04/06 @ 22:48

  6. No, I didn’t mean that they were exposed to something while you had them… not at all. Just wondering what may have happened well before they came into your care…

    Good luck!

    Comment by pam — 2014/04/07 @ 02:15

  7. Yeah, no telling what happened to them previously. I’m just glad they’re with us now.

    Comment by Da Goddess — 2014/04/07 @ 07:04

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