Re: Luy not eating
You are the only one who can make this decision for her. You will know when the time is right and if she wants help leaving this world. I have had animals who wanted help and I had one beautiful calico, the Royal Princess Kitty Katt, who wanted to do it her way. She did. It was very painful for me but that is definitely what she wanted. This is so very hard. I know a lot of people are making suggestions and telling you of their experiences. I am doing the same. Please, listen to your heart and to your little friend. You will know what to do. And don't doubt that you have done the right thing. Sit with her, love her, calm yourself and let your hearts talk. But also enjoy the time you have together no matter what her health. All the blessings I can find in the universe to you both. If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man. St. Francis - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, February 04, 2007 4:17 PM Subject: Re: Luy not eating I know that about purring. But she only purrs when we pet her, not otherwise, so I do think that means she likes us petting her. In a message dated 2/4/2007 5:07:05 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I just don't know Michelle were she my cat, I would have euth'd her already, but she's not my cat. I do know purring isn't necessarily a good sign, they purr when they are miserable too. I think maybe it's time, but only you can see her, and read her body language. Phaewryn
Re: Luy not eating
Yesterday at one point Lucy howled and started open mouth breathing and stumbled to the garage door where there is cold air. I assumed (and still think) it was her anemia getting so bad she was not getting enough oxygen. I almost reached for valium to knock her out for euthanasia, but instead gave her a combo dex/depo shot just to see if it would help. She settled down and lay on a pillow by the garage door for hours, and we lay with her petting her, and she purred a lot and eventually ate a little bit. Last night she climbed to th top of the cat tree again at some point, and back down, and is on the couch now. She tried to eat a little baby food, but I don't think she can taste or smell due to congestion that came back with the steroids, so she only ate a little. So I syringed her, thinking once a day is not that much torture. I only pilled her once yesterday. I am just trying to keep her comfortable, and when she is not I won't let her suffer. As I am writing, she got up and went into the kitchen to drink some water. I don't want to give her immuno-regulin, Kerry, because I do think this is FIP and I-R works by jump-starting an immune response, and with FIP it is the immune response that kills them. Plus I would need to take her to the vet for IV shots, as the sub-q shots did not seem to help her at all when I thought this was just a URI weeks ago and gave them to her. There was reason for you not to think Bandy had FIP. He might have had dry FIP, you know. It is not unheard of for a cat to be kept going for a year with dry FIP. But Lucy is like a huge sack of jelly at this point. She can't even absorb sub-q fluids-- they go to her belly or stay in her shoulders. It is like her whole body has turned to jelly. She does not walk well. I have no idea how she got herself to the top of the cat tree last night. A part of me thinks that I should just get her euthanized tomorrow (today is Sunday and I am not driving her to an ER). I hardly ever euthanize, and when I do it is when they are actually dying or in distress. And she purrs when we pet her, and she takes a few licks of food at a time, and she got to the top of a cat tree last night. So I don't want to. she looks awful, though, and I would guess her HCT is incredibly low. Am I being horrible? Michelle In a message dated 2/3/2007 11:15:05 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hi Michelle, I haven't had a chance to catch up on all of this, but I read that someone said stay on dex...I would have to agree with this..I don't think the fevers are from the dex..That would be almost impossible..I think.. Is she drinking on her own at all? I would stay with the clindamycin, dex, feline interferon and epogen.. Have you recently given her immuno-regulin? Bandy received all those things except the feline interferon at the same time and always with good results...They always mentioned he had FIP, but I would just disagree with them..guess cause his tests didn't really reflect it at the specialist..Commits were always made about it at his local vet.. When Bandy wouldn't eat...I would do as I am sure you are..try everything..Kitten food would work sometimes when all else failed..he was on hills kitten food most of the time anyway.. But I would buy can kitten food..and even offer him other not so good smelly things...Just getting him to eat anything would sometimes make him turn the corner to go back on his regular diet.. The egg yolk, white karo and evap milk..sometimes would work, too..I don't know how Lucy's IBD would handle that though..Have you tried cat-sure? Prayers are coming your way, Kerry, Angel Bandy and Inky
Re: Luy not eating
Michelle, Am still thinking of you and Lucy. I know from experience that a cat's HCT can be super low, and they are still alive. Again, you will know. You are doing everything right, and have gotten advice from knowlegable people. When the time comes, you will be at peace knowing you did all you could do. Dede When you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God Mosiah 2:17 Don't get soaked. Take a quick peak at the forecast with the Yahoo! Search weather shortcut. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/shortcuts/#loc_weather
Re: Luy not eating
No - you are not horrible at all. You are thinking of Lucy and how to do what is best and what is right for her. Use your intuition, Michelle - you know her better than anyone. This is such a terrible disease. I've only started reading about it since your ordeal. My heart and my prayers are still with you. elizabeth On 2/4/07, [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Yesterday at one point Lucy howled and started open mouth breathing and stumbled to the garage door where there is cold air. I assumed (and still think) it was her anemia getting so bad she was not getting enough oxygen. I almost reached for valium to knock her out for euthanasia, but instead gave her a combo dex/depo shot just to see if it would help. She settled down and lay on a pillow by the garage door for hours, and we lay with her petting her, and she purred a lot and eventually ate a little bit. Last night she climbed to th top of the cat tree again at some point, and back down, and is on the couch now. She tried to eat a little baby food, but I don't think she can taste or smell due to congestion that came back with the steroids, so she only ate a little. So I syringed her, thinking once a day is not that much torture. I only pilled her once yesterday. I am just trying to keep her comfortable, and when she is not I won't let her suffer. As I am writing, she got up and went into the kitchen to drink some water. I don't want to give her immuno-regulin, Kerry, because I do think this is FIP and I-R works by jump-starting an immune response, and with FIP it is the immune response that kills them. Plus I would need to take her to the vet for IV shots, as the sub-q shots did not seem to help her at all when I thought this was just a URI weeks ago and gave them to her. There was reason for you not to think Bandy had FIP. He might have had dry FIP, you know. It is not unheard of for a cat to be kept going for a year with dry FIP. But Lucy is like a huge sack of jelly at this point. She can't even absorb sub-q fluids-- they go to her belly or stay in her shoulders. It is like her whole body has turned to jelly. She does not walk well. I have no idea how she got herself to the top of the cat tree last night. A part of me thinks that I should just get her euthanized tomorrow (today is Sunday and I am not driving her to an ER). I hardly ever euthanize, and when I do it is when they are actually dying or in distress. And she purrs when we pet her, and she takes a few licks of food at a time, and she got to the top of a cat tree last night. So I don't want to. she looks awful, though, and I would guess her HCT is incredibly low. Am I being horrible? Michelle In a message dated 2/3/2007 11:15:05 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Hi Michelle, I haven't had a chance to catch up on all of this, but I read that someone said stay on dex...I would have to agree with this..I don't think the fevers are from the dex..That would be almost impossible..I think.. Is she drinking on her own at all? I would stay with the clindamycin, dex, feline interferon and epogen.. Have you recently given her immuno-regulin? Bandy received all those things except the feline interferon at the same time and always with good results...They always mentioned he had FIP, but I would just disagree with them..guess cause his tests didn't really reflect it at the specialist..Commits were always made about it at his local vet.. When Bandy wouldn't eat...I would do as I am sure you are..try everything..Kitten food would work sometimes when all else failed..he was on hills kitten food most of the time anyway.. But I would buy can kitten food..and even offer him other not so good smelly things...Just getting him to eat anything would sometimes make him turn the corner to go back on his regular diet.. The egg yolk, white karo and evap milk..sometimes would work, too..I don't know how Lucy's IBD would handle that though..Have you tried cat-sure? Prayers are coming your way, Kerry, Angel Bandy and Inky
Re: Luy not eating
Michelle, I don't think you are horrible for considering euthanizing Lucy. You've thrown everything but the kitchen sink at her and she hasn't responded the way you hoped and now it seems you've come to the agonizing point of resolving yourself to the fact that your intervention won't be able to turn her around. This is only my intuition talking, perhaps I'm wrong, but you still seem desperate to control the situation, helping her cross is the final thing that you could do for her. I fully realize how much you love her, that everything you've done has been with her best interest in mind, I'm confident that Lucy feels that way too. She's been such a trooper through all this, she's still purring when you and Gray pet her, she's still licking at her food, she's still grateful for the time she can spend with you. As long as she's still showing you that she wants to stay, I would back off of all meds except those that might make her more comfortable, (perhaps just Pred and maybe saline nose drops for the congestion), and let her take it from here. I know how you and Gray feel about euthanasia, if that is what you decided to do, make sure it is coming from your heart and not your head. Listen to her, she will tell you when/if she is ready. My heart and thoughts are with you, Nina [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Yesterday at one point Lucy howled and started open mouth breathing and stumbled to the garage door where there is cold air. I assumed (and still think) it was her anemia getting so bad she was not getting enough oxygen. I almost reached for valium to knock her out for euthanasia, but instead gave her a combo dex/depo shot just to see if it would help. She settled down and lay on a pillow by the garage door for hours, and we lay with her petting her, and she purred a lot and eventually ate a little bit. Last night she climbed to th top of the cat tree again at some point, and back down, and is on the couch now. She tried to eat a little baby food, but I don't think she can taste or smell due to congestion that came back with the steroids, so she only ate a little. So I syringed her, thinking once a day is not that much torture. I only pilled her once yesterday. I am just trying to keep her comfortable, and when she is not I won't let her suffer. As I am writing, she got up and went into the kitchen to drink some water. I don't want to give her immuno-regulin, Kerry, because I do think this is FIP and I-R works by jump-starting an immune response, and with FIP it is the immune response that kills them. Plus I would need to take her to the vet for IV shots, as the sub-q shots did not seem to help her at all when I thought this was just a URI weeks ago and gave them to her. There was reason for you not to think Bandy had FIP. He might have had dry FIP, you know. It is not unheard of for a cat to be kept going for a year with dry FIP. But Lucy is like a huge sack of jelly at this point. She can't even absorb sub-q fluids-- they go to her belly or stay in her shoulders. It is like her whole body has turned to jelly. She does not walk well. I have no idea how she got herself to the top of the cat tree last night. A part of me thinks that I should just get her euthanized tomorrow (today is Sunday and I am not driving her to an ER). I hardly ever euthanize, and when I do it is when they are actually dying or in distress. And she purrs when we pet her, and she takes a few licks of food at a time, and she got to the top of a cat tree last night. So I don't want to. she looks awful, though, and I would guess her HCT is incredibly low. Am I being horrible? Michelle
Re: Luy not eating
actually, I think I meant to ask if I am horrible if I don't euthanise her, not if I do. She is clearly suffering to some extent. Every once in a while she seems to need air, meows and breathes with her mouth open, and if we open a door or window to the cold air she settles down. I gave her another dex shot (last one over 24 hours ago), and she started purring a little and walked a little better. Earlier today we realized she had dried diarrhea caked all over her behind, as if she had sat down in it during the night. I washed it off, which took a long time, and she purred very loudly during the whole thing and put her butt up in the air for me to wash and dry it. It was heartbreaking and cute at the same time. I am thinking of asking the vet to come over tomorrow. My heart is against it, but my mind says she is going through something that she does not have to. I decide it, and then after looking miserable for 30 minutes, she looks at me and starts purring, or checks out a food bowl and eats about a spoonful of baby food. And I think no, wait until she is in more distress than this. I have injectable valium in the fridge, given to me almost two years ago. I was thinking that if she goes into distress I can give her that and then call the vet. I looked it up online, though, and it said that IM valium can be painful, and that in a small number of cats it has the opposite than wanted effect, ie makes them hyperexcitable. She had hyperexcitability when she came out of anesthesia from having her bladder stone removed, so I worry about that. I also have telazol that was given to me for Simon-- I gave him half the shot to knock him out when he went into distress and he went to sleep and later died in his sleep. I kept the rest of the shot. The needle is not clean, obviously, but I guess at that point it would not matter. It is also two years old. In fact, he died two years ago tomorrow. How strange is that? All of my positives have died between the dates 12/31 and 2/22-- less than a 2 month span in deep winter. It seems like it must not just be coincidental, but like winter knocks their immune systems, even though they are inside. so I have been thinking we can just stay with her until she goes into distress, tranquilize her then and call the vet. But is it fair and right? Is episodic extreme weakness and open mouthed breathing, if it lasts only a few minutes, acceptable to live through if a half hour later she can eat a little food and purr? What about having crusted diarrhea on her, if she then likes having it cleaned off? She seemed in good health 3 weeks ago. I can not believe how fast her decline has been. I don't know if any of you remember, but in late December I emailed saying that she seemed to be gaining weight but only in her belly, and that I thought it might be fluid and could she have fip. Everyone said no, because she was not sick otherwise. But I think it must have started then, oddly enough, and she just did not show symptoms for another 3-4 weeks. I think now i should have taken her somewhere, that if the fluid had been found then, and maybe her anemia, I could have started her on feline interferon and epogen and maybe they actually would have worked. I started them too late. And then I think that none of the success stories I have read about with feline interferon and fip concern and felv+ cat, and at least we had a few weeks thinking things were ok, and not forcing meds on her. I don't know. So painful. Michelle In a message dated 2/4/2007 3:06:11 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Michelle, I don't think you are horrible for considering euthanizing Lucy. You've thrown everything but the kitchen sink at her and she hasn't responded the way you hoped and now it seems you've come to the agonizing point of resolving yourself to the fact that your intervention won't be able to turn her around. This is only my intuition talking, perhaps I'm wrong, but you still seem desperate to control the situation, helping her cross is the final thing that you could do for her. I fully realize how much you love her, that everything you've done has been with her best interest in mind, I'm confident that Lucy feels that way too. She's been such a trooper through all this, she's still purring when you and Gray pet her, she's still licking at her food, she's still grateful for the time she can spend with you. As long as she's still showing you that she wants to stay, I would back off of all meds except those that might make her more comfortable, (perhaps just Pred and maybe saline nose drops for the congestion), and let her take it from here. I know how you and Gray feel about euthanasia, if that is what you decided to do, make sure it is coming from your heart and not your head. Listen to her, she will tell you when/if she is ready.
Re: Luy not eating
I have backed off the meds. Just steroid shot once a day, and I gave her a metronidazole and her clindamycin once yesterday instead of twice, in case the metronidazole helps her diarrhea or the clindamycin helps the congestion. And nose drops every other day. That's all, though. I dont know what it means for her to show us she wants to stay. she looks pretty awful. Does purring occasionally, or laying the in the sun occasionally, or licking at food, mean that she wants to stay?? Michelle In a message dated 2/4/2007 3:06:11 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: As long as she's still showing you that she wants to stay, I would back off of all meds except those that might make her more comfortable
Re: Luy not eating
I just don't know Michelle were she my cat, I would have euth'd her already, but she's not my cat. I do know purring isn't necessarily a good sign, they purr when they are miserable too. I think maybe it's time, but only you can see her, and read her body language. Phaewryn
Re: Luy not eating
At 12:20 PM 2/4/2007, you wrote: We tend to put our own subjective feelings on theirbehavior, Cats do purr a lot if they are in severe pain, It is just a reaction, the sunlight is craving warmth,,,nature had a good system of allowing an animal to die when the time was right, They did stop eating...we..all of us..tend to push food, I am as guilty as the rest,In a case where there is hope for recovery that is a different matter, but in a case when the agony is only being prolonged I have to wonder. I only say this as I totally understand your despair at having to say good by for now, It is heartbreaking, but ask yourself if you are doing this for Lucy our yourself, Your love for her is so unconditional and she know it, I think the best thing to keep at home is Buprenex,,, it is a great pain reliever and makes them pretty dopy, I also use Acepromazine,,, Yes on occasion Valium causes them to become excited, Is there a vet you trust that can get you some buprenex to have at home, My heart is with you through this very sad time, Kelly I have backed off the meds. Just steroid shot once a day, and I gave her a metronidazole and her clindamycin once yesterday instead of twice, in case the metronidazole helps her diarrhea or the clindamycin helps the congestion. And nose drops every other day. That's all, though. I dont know what it means for her to show us she wants to stay. she looks pretty awful. Does purring occasionally, or laying the in the sun occasionally, or licking at food, mean that she wants to stay?? Michelle In a message dated 2/4/2007 3:06:11 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: As long as she's still showing you that she wants to stay, I would back off of all meds except those that might make her more comfortable No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.411 / Virus Database: 268.17.24/668 - Release Date: 2/4/2007
Re: Luy not eating
I know that about purring. But she only purrs when we pet her, not otherwise, so I do think that means she likes us petting her. In a message dated 2/4/2007 5:07:05 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: I just don't know Michelle were she my cat, I would have euth'd her already, but she's not my cat. I do know purring isn't necessarily a good sign, they purr when they are miserable too. I think maybe it's time, but only you can see her, and read her body language. Phaewryn
Re: Luy not eating
You can't second guess yourself about if you'd known sooner, etc It is a terrible thing that we have to try to judge the quality of life or amount of pain when we can't just 'ask'. I will say that when I am nauseous I like it to be cool. That might be part of her breathing heavily. And as far as the valium I did have a cat that it had the opposite effect on so I have always been afraid to give it to one of my cats in this situation. I have also seen this in dogs with a different drug that we got from the vet. I would ask the vet for a sedative to keep on hand and see if they'll give you one. I really wanted one with Popeye at the end, but I was afraid to try some xanax thinking it might be like valium and have a bad effect. I know this isn't much help, but I'm sure a lot of people are not online tonight. Hang in there. tonya [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: actually, I think I meant to ask if I am horrible if I don't euthanise her, not if I do. She is clearly suffering to some extent. Every once in a while she seems to need air, meows and breathes with her mouth open, and if we open a door or window to the cold air she settles down. I gave her another dex shot (last one over 24 hours ago), and she started purring a little and walked a little better. Earlier today we realized she had dried diarrhea caked all over her behind, as if she had sat down in it during the night. I washed it off, which took a long time, and she purred very loudly during the whole thing and put her butt up in the air for me to wash and dry it. It was heartbreaking and cute at the same time. I am thinking of asking the vet to come over tomorrow. My heart is against it, but my mind says she is going through something that she does not have to. I decide it, and then after looking miserable for 30 minutes, she looks at me and starts purring, or checks out a food bowl and eats about a spoonful of baby food. And I think no, wait until she is in more distress than this. I have injectable valium in the fridge, given to me almost two years ago. I was thinking that if she goes into distress I can give her that and then call the vet. I looked it up online, though, and it said that IM valium can be painful, and that in a small number of cats it has the opposite than wanted effect, ie makes them hyperexcitable. She had hyperexcitability when she came out of anesthesia from having her bladder stone removed, so I worry about that. I also have telazol that was given to me for Simon-- I gave him half the shot to knock him out when he went into distress and he went to sleep and later died in his sleep. I kept the rest of the shot. The needle is not clean, obviously, but I guess at that point it would not matter. It is also two years old. In fact, he died two years ago tomorrow. How strange is that? All of my positives have died between the dates 12/31 and 2/22-- less than a 2 month span in deep winter. It seems like it must not just be coincidental, but like winter knocks their immune systems, even though they are inside. so I have been thinking we can just stay with her until she goes into distress, tranquilize her then and call the vet. But is it fair and right? Is episodic extreme weakness and open mouthed breathing, if it lasts only a few minutes, acceptable to live through if a half hour later she can eat a little food and purr? What about having crusted diarrhea on her, if she then likes having it cleaned off? She seemed in good health 3 weeks ago. I can not believe how fast her decline has been. I don't know if any of you remember, but in late December I emailed saying that she seemed to be gaining weight but only in her belly, and that I thought it might be fluid and could she have fip. Everyone said no, because she was not sick otherwise. But I think it must have started then, oddly enough, and she just did not show symptoms for another 3-4 weeks. I think now i should have taken her somewhere, that if the fluid had been found then, and maybe her anemia, I could have started her on feline interferon and epogen and maybe they actually would have worked. I started them too late. And then I think that none of the success stories I have read about with feline interferon and fip concern and felv+ cat, and at least we had a few weeks thinking things were ok, and not forcing meds on her. I don't know. So painful. Michelle In a message dated 2/4/2007 3:06:11 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Michelle, I don't think you are horrible for considering euthanizing Lucy. You've thrown everything but the kitchen sink at her and she hasn't responded the way you hoped and now it seems you've come to the agonizing point of resolving yourself to the fact that your intervention won't be able to turn her around. This is only my intuition talking, perhaps I'm wrong, but you still seem desperate to control the
Re: Luy not eating
Michelle, both Lucy and you continue to be in my prayers. Renee In a message dated 2/3/2007 7:07:52 AM Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Well, as of last night she will not eat at all. She was hardly eating since I gave her the dex shot the night before, I think because it unmasked her URI and her nose got congested. I have a vicks vaporizer on for that, used nose drops, gave lysine, etc. but it is not clearing up this time. But she was eating a little. I then gave her denosyl for the third night in a row. And I think it made her nauseous, because she has not eaten a thing since and and she looked bad for about an hour afterwards. I looked it up and it can cause vomiting, apparently-- don't know how I missed that the first time. The second night I think it may have made her temporarily nauseous as well, but I thought it was the feline interferon. The result is that she is not eating at all now. I did syringe her a little (about 20 cc' baby food) last night. But she hated it. I don't know what to do. She probably has wet fip. I had told myself I woul d not torture her by force feeding her when she is terminal anyway. But I don't know now. What if she really is not eating just because her nose is stuffed up from the dex? Monday will be week 2 of epogen and feline interferon-- what if they started working? It is all doubtful. I do not want her last days to be full only of needles, pills, and forced feedings. I also don't want her to die early because of a stuffed up nose, if that is what is going on. what to do? Please pray for her. thanks, Michelle
Re: Luy not eating
She ate a tiny bit (like maybe 10 licks). So finally I syringe fed her 2/3 of a jar of baby food, with gray petting her as I did. She did not seem to hate it that much, and perhaps less than having food shoved in front of her face every 30 minutes, and afterwards she washed her face and then purred while I pet her. Maybe I will do this a few times a day for a few days and see, unless she starts to hate it more. confused and depressed, but cuddling with my girl, Michelle
Re: Luy not eating
GLOW continuing for you and Lucy. Barb+Smoky the House Puma+El Bandito Malito My cat the clown: paying no mind to whom he should impress. Merely living his life, doing what pleases him, and making me smile. - Anonymous - Original Message From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Saturday, February 3, 2007 8:00:54 AM Subject: Re: Luy not eating She ate a tiny bit (like maybe 10 licks). So finally I syringe fed her 2/3 of a jar of baby food, with gray petting her as I did. She did not seem to hate it that much, and perhaps less than having food shoved in front of her face every 30 minutes, and afterwards she washed her face and then purred while I pet her. Maybe I will do this a few times a day for a few days and see, unless she starts to hate it more. confused and depressed, but cuddling with my girl, Michelle Bored stiff? Loosen up... Download and play hundreds of games for free on Yahoo! Games. http://games.yahoo.com/games/front
Re: Luy not eating
Praying for you and for Lucy. Love to you both. elizabeth On 2/3/07, [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Well, as of last night she will not eat at all. She was hardly eating since I gave her the dex shot the night before, I think because it unmasked her URI and her nose got congested. I have a vicks vaporizer on for that, used nose drops, gave lysine, etc. but it is not clearing up this time. But she was eating a little. I then gave her denosyl for the third night in a row. And I think it made her nauseous, because she has not eaten a thing since and and she looked bad for about an hour afterwards. I looked it up and it can cause vomiting, apparently-- don't know how I missed that the first time. The second night I think it may have made her temporarily nauseous as well, but I thought it was the feline interferon. The result is that she is not eating at all now. I did syringe her a little (about 20 cc' baby food) last night. But she hated it. I don't know what to do. She probably has wet fip. I had told myself I would not torture her by force feeding her when she is terminal anyway. But I don't know now. What if she really is not eating just because her nose is stuffed up from the dex? Monday will be week 2 of epogen and feline interferon-- what if they started working? It is all doubtful. I do not want her last days to be full only of needles, pills, and forced feedings. I also don't want her to die early because of a stuffed up nose, if that is what is going on. what to do? Please pray for her. thanks, Michelle
Re: Luy not eating
Michelle, Am thinking of you. I am dealing with similar issues with my Spud. It is Never easy. Will keep you in my prayers. Dede --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Well, as of last night she will not eat at all. She was hardly eating When you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God Mosiah 2:17 Need Mail bonding? Go to the Yahoo! Mail QA for great tips from Yahoo! Answers users. http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=listsid=396546091
Re: Luy not eating
She ate a tiny bit (like maybe 10 licks). So finally I syringe fed her 2/3 of a jar of baby food, with gray petting her as I did. She did not seem to ha te it that much, and perhaps less than having food shoved in front of her face every 30 minutes, and afterwards she washed her face and then purred while I pet her. Maybe I will do this a few times a day for a few days and see, unless she starts to hate it more. Knowing where to draw the line in giving supportive care is always difficult. I lost my Samantha to intestinal lymphoma last summer. The previous winter, she had a severe URI, and we knew she had the lymphoma. She quit eating. I decided there was no way she was going to die of a stuffed up nose, no matter how much she hated being force-fed. I cried while syringe feeding her many times. She didn't eat on her own for two weeks, but finally started eating. She got to really enjoy the springtime, and I took huge pleasure in seeing her sunbathing on our back patio. She would roll and rub and show her happiness to still be alive. It was definitely worth it. As summer progressed, she took a turn for the worse and it became evident it was her time. I will never regret force feeding her those weeks; it gave her that last wonderful spring. That doesn't mean force-feeding Lucy is right or will always be right, just that if it is only the congestion preventing her from eating, it may be the right thing even if she doesn't like it. Peace to you and Lucy. Lynette
RE: Luy not eating
I think it's a good idea - with some of my cats that I have is not something I can't afford not to - if I need to keep them alive (and they are not in pain or anything.. they just cannot eat from their conditions), I need to assist feed them.. I am trying to do this as a matter of fact - as It was difficult with Dharma and Naomi as they hated when I dd it...but at the same time,, Dharma wouldn't have started eating on her own, if I did not assist feed her the meantime..as she would have gotten weaker.. _ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, February 03, 2007 7:01 AM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: Luy not eating She ate a tiny bit (like maybe 10 licks). So finally I syringe fed her 2/3 of a jar of baby food, with gray petting her as I did. She did not seem to hate it that much, and perhaps less than having food shoved in front of her face every 30 minutes, and afterwards she washed her face and then purred while I pet her. Maybe I will do this a few times a day for a few days and see, unless she starts to hate it more. confused and depressed, but cuddling with my girl, Michelle
Re: Luy not eating
Hi Michelle, I haven't had a chance to catch up on all of this, but I read that someone said stay on dex...I would have to agree with this..I don't think the fevers are from the dex..That would be almost impossible..I think.. Is she drinking on her own at all? I would stay with the clindamycin, dex, feline interferon and epogen.. Have you recently given her immuno-regulin? Bandy received all those things except the feline interferon at the same time and always with good results...They always mentioned he had FIP, but I would just disagree with them..guess cause his tests didn't really reflect it at the specialist..Commits were always made about it at his local vet.. When Bandy wouldn't eat...I would do as I am sure you are..try everything..Kitten food would work sometimes when all else failed..he was on hills kitten food most of the time anyway.. But I would buy can kitten food..and even offer him other not so good smelly things...Just getting him to eat anything would sometimes make him turn the corner to go back on his regular diet.. The egg yolk, white karo and evap milk..sometimes would work, too..I don't know how Lucy's IBD would handle that though..Have you tried cat-sure? Prayers are coming your way, Kerry, Angel Bandy and Inky - Don't pick lemons. See all the new 2007 cars at Yahoo! Autos.
