Hi Dee,
It's good to hear that Smokey is improving, that's quite a significant
weight gain. If he was dehydrated before, I wonder how much of it is
fluids. Prayers that he quickly improves completely.
As to the Baytril... It's a broader spectrum abx. I've used it before
with my guys. I got the stuff that MC is talking about that is suppose
to be chewable. Ha! Maybe a dog would eat it, but my cats looked at me
as if I'd lost my mind. Grinding it up and mixing it with food didn't
work either. I've gotten to be pretty good with a piller,
(unfortunately I've had lots of practice), but I found a new trick that
I was able to use to dose 3 cats at the same time, (yeah, when it rains
it pours). Anyway, this works as long as the cat has an appetite. Go
get yourself some Pill Pockets, they sell them at most pet stores. They
have different flavors, so use the one that you think Smokey would like
the best. Take the pill pocket and use just enough to mold it around
the pill, (about half of the regular pill pocket), cover it just enough
so that Smokey can't taste it, or get wise if he bites into it
slightly. If the pills are too large, then cut them in half. Hide the
pill covered in pill pocket in a SMALL pile of something really yummy
and smelly, like tuna. I used chicken chunks because I could make them
the same size as the pill pocket and thought it would work better, turns
out they'll eat them even in baby food. Make sure you roll the pill
pocketed pill in whatever you're feeding so it picks up the flavor. I
held my breath the first few times I tried this. It got to the point
that I'd put the treat down and walk away, coming back only to check
that the pill was eaten. Maybe it's because I made such a fuss about it
being "treat" time. Some people have had success with the whole pill
pocket given like a treat, (that's the way they are intended to be
used), but again, my guys thought I was crazy.
Do remember whenever you pill a cat, either with you finger or a piller,
you should chase it with at least a couple of ccs of water in a feeding
syringe. If you can make sure they lap some tuna water, or eat a treat
afterward, that would do it too. You just want to make sure the pill
goes all the way down their throat. This is esp important with
something that has a corrosive quality like Doxycycline. Good luck,
keep us posted,
Nina
Dee & Evan wrote:
First of all, I just wanted to take a moment to send my condolences to
everyone that have lost their cherished little ones. They leave their
little tiny paw prints in every heart that they touch while here on
this Earth. So sorry to hear of each & every one of your losses.
I just wish I could do more for Smokey. When cats have this disease
they can be so fragile & unpredictable. They could live for only a
few days or years........they can tank in a matter of hours. You
never know what the future holds. Soon I am hoping to update our
website to include pictures of the little guy. If I can get this task
completed I'll add a link later for anyone who wants to visit our
website.
_Update_: We took him back to the vet on Tuesday, 08/15/06 for a
recheck. The vet guesses he is between 2 to 3 years old. He is still
too weak to vacinate for rabies,etc. or get neutured. He weighed only
4 1/2 pounds when we took him into the vet on 08/01/06. As of his
last vet visit on Tuesday 08/15/06 he now weighs 7 1/2 pounds. He has
gained three pounds in the 14+ days we've taken care of him! He no
longer has a fever & his diarrhea has let up (except when he is taking
his antibiotics). I am no longer Sub-Qing him & his 2nd dose of
wormer was given to him this morning, 08/17/06. We were concerned
about his fast breathing. The vet said she was worried about fluid
around the lungs or in his chest. So we had blood work done & x-rays
taken. The blood work had to be sent away because our local vet's
machines can't read his blood properly. The vet said this can happen
due to the feline leukemia. The only reading they got on his blood is
that one of his liver function levels is very high, 245. I'm not sure
which one but I think the high end of normal was 111. The vet
diagnosed him with a slight pnuemonia due to the lungs having a fluffy
cotton look to them, not clear. He is now only on one, new
antibiotic, beef flavored Baytril, due to the slight pnuemonia. The
vet is suppose to get back to me with his blood work results and
starting him on a regiment of Interferone & L-Lysine. He is a little
trooper.
Has anyone else ever used this Baytril & how did you get it into your
little one? I am having a heck of a time getting it into him. I'm
usually a "pro" at giving cats pills but not this time. I tried
mixing it in his food (canned cat food & tuna).....that only worked
once. I tried the old fashioned route of just popping it in his
mouth. He acts like he is choking, screams, & spits it out. My last
resort & the way I am getting it into him right now is: crushing the
pill, putting it in a syringe, adding liquid, & squirting it into his
mouth. This causes him to froth at the mouth horribly, works him up,
& he runs around the room drooling everywhere. He gets so mad at
me.....I don't want him to feel upset every time he sees me now. I
just don't know any other way to get it into him. Any ideas? I
actually have to go into the vet & get more pills because I've wasted
three of them.
Do any of you have any suggestions on an immunity boosting regiment I
can start him on in addition to or instead of the Interferone &
L-Lysine, slowly at first?
This is new territory for me so I really can't tell if he is doing
good for his circumstances or if I should be preparing for the worst.
Please send all your good vibes to Smokey right now. He needs all he
can get. Thanks a bunch!
~Dee
