Re: CLS addition

2006-03-07 Thread cindy reasoner
Barb, I have a cat named Winston that has had the same
type of urinary issues.  What has your vet done for
Smoky?  I had to change Winston's food to Hills SD and
we haven't had any problems since October. I didn't
know if there was anything else I should be doing.  I
hope Smoky has a good checkup this week.

Cindy

--- Barb Moermond [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

 Thank Tonya,
   I'm doing pretty well, just really really busy so
 I've been lurking for the most part.  Smoky has a
 check-up this week for his urinary issues.  He was
 blocked last month - he was a very unhappy boy:( 
 but that's what the emergency clinic is for and he
 saw the same vet as before and was remembered:) and
 his regular vet is awesome, so we're actually making
 some progress managing his issues with interstitial
 cystitis and also struvite crystals on occasion. 
 Bandit is his usual irrepressible self:)  very
 sweet:)

   hope all is well with you and your crew!
   b
 
 catatonya [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
 Barb,

   My condolences to you, and your mom and stepdad on
 the loss of  little Tigger.  :(

   I haven't noticed you around as much lately.  How
 are you doing yourself?
   t
 
 Barb Moermond [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
   Hi all, it's been a rough week all over it seems. 
 This morning, my mom and stepdad had their kitty
 Tigger put to sleep.  She was nearly 17 and had been
 with them since early-mid kittenhood.  One night
 during a snowstorm, my stepdad had just closed the
 shop and was standing at the truck door when a
 little rub was felt on his ankle and tiny squeaking
 was heard.  This little white and buff kitten with
 very noticeable injuries was at his feet. 
 Naturally, he scooped her up and brought her home. 
 They called her Fart for quite a while - any of you
 who have rescued mal- and/or under-nourished kits
 know this well:)  She was a very pretty kitty, small
 head and delicate facial features, tiny feet,
 long legs:)  sort of built like a race horse.  
 She was an excellent hunter and lap-warmer.  But
 those injuries had long-term effects.  The soft
 tissue of her right wrist had completely worn out
 due to her limping from the old injury on her left
 shoulder/leg.  She was flat footed on that paw.
   She also developed spinal arthritis, as another
 kitty of my mom's had.  With that, it's only a
 matter of time before the nerves just don't work in
 the hind quarters.  Mom had tremendous guilt about
 old Samantha; she'd waited far too long to help her.
  Tigger hadn't progressed nearly as far as Sam had,
 but she was declining rapidly.  She wasn't playing
 on her own anymore, and she'd previously spent hours
 amusing herself with string tied to the back of a
 rocking chair.  She was allowing Bozo to groom her
 for longer and longer sessions which was simply
 unheard of - Bozo was an interloper, no matter how
 many mice he caught for her!  She also didn't know
 whether or not she'd made it to the box - messes in
 the vicinity etc.  But what was far more worrying is
 that when she did make it to the box and stepped in
 a clump, she couldn't feel the debris on her foot -
 which of course dried on like cement - and therefore
 wasn't grooming her feet.  The deafness she'd
 developed and the weakening
  eyesight weren't important, but when they lose
 their grooming and their playing  Tigger had an
 amazing run of years considering the start she had
 and fortunately, my mom will have no serious
 second-guessing about doing it too soon (the vet
 agreed with the decision, which helped) or guilt
 about doing it too late and making Tigger suffer
 unnecessarily (like with Sam).  It's the hardest
 decision we have to make, but the grief is worth it
 - all the moments of joy and love far outweigh the
 pain of losing a friend.. eventually anyway.
 
   So Belinda, if you could please add to the FeLV-
 list, Tigger, loved by Maggie and Dale.  It was this
 morning, March 4.
 
 As always, I'm so glad I know all of you:)  you
 bring joy and understanding and compassion to the
 world.
 
 PS
 Bandit says rppp to everyone
 
 
 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  
 __
 Do You Yahoo!?
 Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam
 protection around 
 http://mail.yahoo.com 
 
 
 
 
 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
   
 -
 Relax. Yahoo! Mail virus scanning helps detect nasty
viruses!


__
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com 



urinary issues Re: CLS addition

2006-03-07 Thread Barb Moermond
Cindy,  I don't know if the Hills SD is comparable to the Royal Canin s/d, but the RC s/d is a temporary diet (3 wks ish) designed to lower the pH of the urine in order to dissolve the struvite crystals. The Royal Canin s/o is designed to normalize the pH of urine;keep it in the neutral middleto preventstruvite (high pH) and/or oxalate (low pH). Smoky's first episode (very bloody urine, no crystals, no bacteria) was in January of last year (2005) and he did very well with his diet about half s/o, half other (CA Natural, Eagle Pack). Then theTuesday beforeThanksgiving, we had to go to the ER, again, no crystals and no bacteria, but enough blood to have the urine sample clot in the tube. Symptoms again on December 8. This time there was struvite and bacteria. The first abx didn't work, so tried 2nd, that did. He was still on the medicine and diet for the dec 8 outbreak when symptoms
 popped up again on Dec 22. no crystals and no bacteria. You can see my eye twitching by this point, can't you. My poor boy was miserable during those outbreaks and even though I was doing everything I could afford to do, I felt helpless. He then was blocked on Feb 14 - another trip to the ER. THAT was scary, he was so not himself. So, diet is no longer half s/o, half other - it's completely s/o and we upped his glucosamine/chondroitin dosage (1 capsule of reg strength human stuff per day) and so far, so good. Hereare acouple of suggestions we got, if only $$ weren't an issue.Do thorough baseline testing and start him on amitryptyline (available as a transdermal gel)to ease stress. Stress can make bodies do very strange things - it tends to raise the urine pH and then you get struvite.Have an ultrasound done to see if
 there are any stones or crystals in the bladder that could be causing the irritation to the lining. If yes, possible surgery.With really bad cases, there is a procedure where the urethra/penis is replaced by a larger diameter tube to help prevent blockage. Part of the problem with multiple blockages is the build-up of scar tissue.Hope that gives you some ideas to take to your vet and discuss:) I really recommend adding the glucosamine/chondroitin - it might help and it can't hurt.  Bcindy reasoner [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:  Barb, I have a cat named Winston that has had the sametype of urinary issues. What has your vet done forSmoky? I had to change Winston's food to Hills SD andwe haven't had any problems since October. I didn'tknow if
 there was anything else I should be doing. Ihope Smoky has a good checkup this week.Cindy--- Barb Moermond <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote: Thank Tonya, I'm doing pretty well, just really really busy so I've been lurking for the most part. Smoky has a check-up this week for his urinary issues. He was blocked last month - he was a very unhappy boy:(  but that's what the emergency clinic is for and he saw the same vet as before and was remembered:) and his regular vet is awesome, so we're actually making some progress managing his issues with interstitial cystitis and also struvite crystals on occasion.  Bandit is his usual irrepressible self:) very sweet:)  hope all is well with you and your crew! b  catatonya <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote: Barb,  My condolences to you, and your mom and stepdad on the
 loss of little Tigger. :(  I haven't noticed you around as much lately. How are you doing yourself? t  Barb Moermond <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote: Hi all, it's been a rough week all over it seems.  This morning, my mom and stepdad had their kitty Tigger put to sleep. She was nearly 17 and had been with them since early-mid kittenhood. One night during a snowstorm, my stepdad had just closed the shop and was standing at the truck door when a little rub was felt on his ankle and tiny squeaking was heard. This little white and buff kitten with very noticeable injuries was at his feet.  Naturally, he scooped her up and brought her home.  They called her Fart for quite a while - any of you who have rescued mal- and/or under-nourished kits know this well:) She was a very pretty kitty, small head and delicate facial features, tiny
 feet, long legs:) sort of built like a race horse.  She was an excellent hunter and lap-warmer. But those injuries had long-term effects. The soft tissue of her right wrist had completely worn out due to her limping from the old injury on her left shoulder/leg. She was flat footed on that paw. She also developed spinal arthritis, as another kitty of my mom's had. With that, it's only a matter of time before the nerves just don't work in the hind quarters. Mom had tremendous guilt about old Samantha; she'd waited far too long to help her. Tigger hadn't progressed nearly as far as Sam had, but she was declining rapidly. She wasn't playing on her own anymore, and she'd previously spent hours amusing herself with string tied to the back of a rocking chair. She was allowing Bozo to groom her for longer and longer sessions which was simply
 unheard of - Bozo 

Re: urinary issues Re: CLS addition

2006-03-07 Thread cindy reasoner
Barb, Thanks for the info.

Cindy

--- Barb Moermond [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:

 Cindy,
   I don't know if the Hills SD is comparable to the
 Royal Canin s/d, but the RC s/d is a temporary diet
 (3 wks ish) designed to lower the pH of the urine in
 order to dissolve the struvite crystals.  The Royal
 Canin s/o is designed to normalize the pH of urine;
 keep it in the neutral middle to prevent struvite
 (high pH) and/or oxalate (low pH).  Smoky's first
 episode (very bloody urine, no crystals, no
 bacteria) was in January of last year (2005) and he
 did very well with his diet about half s/o, half
 other (CA Natural, Eagle Pack).  Then the Tuesday
 before Thanksgiving, we had to go to the ER, again,
 no crystals and no bacteria, but enough blood to
 have the urine sample clot in the tube.  Symptoms
 again on December 8.  This time there was struvite
 and bacteria.  The first abx didn't work, so tried
 2nd, that did.  He was still on the medicine and
 diet for the dec 8 outbreak when symptoms popped up
 again on Dec 22.  no crystals and no bacteria. 
 You can see my eye twitching by this
  point, can't you.  My poor boy was miserable during
 those outbreaks and even though I was doing
 everything I could afford to do, I felt helpless. 
 He then was blocked on Feb 14 - another trip to the
 ER.  THAT was scary, he was so not himself.  So,
 diet is no longer half s/o, half other - it's
 completely s/o and we upped his
 glucosamine/chondroitin dosage (1 capsule of reg
 strength human stuff per day) and so far, so good.  

   Here are a couple of suggestions we got, if only
 $$ weren't an issue.

   Do thorough baseline testing and start him on
 amitryptyline (available as a transdermal gel) to
 ease stress.  Stress can make bodies do very strange
 things - it tends to raise the urine pH and then you
 get struvite.

   Have an ultrasound done to see if there are any
 stones or crystals in the bladder that could be
 causing the irritation to the lining.  If yes,
 possible surgery.

   With really bad cases, there is a procedure where
 the urethra/penis is replaced by a larger diameter
 tube to help prevent blockage.  Part of the problem
 with multiple blockages is the build-up of scar
 tissue.

   Hope that gives you some ideas to take to your vet
 and discuss:)  I really recommend adding the
 glucosamine/chondroitin - it might help and it can't
 hurt.
   B
 
 cindy reasoner [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
   Barb, I have a cat named Winston that has had the
 same
 type of urinary issues. What has your vet done for
 Smoky? I had to change Winston's food to Hills SD
 and
 we haven't had any problems since October. I didn't
 know if there was anything else I should be doing. I
 hope Smoky has a good checkup this week.
 
 Cindy
 
 --- Barb Moermond wrote:
 
  Thank Tonya,
  I'm doing pretty well, just really really busy so
  I've been lurking for the most part. Smoky has a
  check-up this week for his urinary issues. He was
  blocked last month - he was a very unhappy boy:( 
  but that's what the emergency clinic is for and he
  saw the same vet as before and was remembered:)
 and
  his regular vet is awesome, so we're actually
 making
  some progress managing his issues with
 interstitial
  cystitis and also struvite crystals on occasion. 
  Bandit is his usual irrepressible self:) very
  sweet:)
  
  hope all is well with you and your crew!
  b
  
  catatonya wrote:
  Barb,
  
  My condolences to you, and your mom and stepdad on
  the loss of little Tigger. :(
  
  I haven't noticed you around as much lately. How
  are you doing yourself?
  t
  
  Barb Moermond wrote:
  Hi all, it's been a rough week all over it seems. 
  This morning, my mom and stepdad had their kitty
  Tigger put to sleep. She was nearly 17 and had
 been
  with them since early-mid kittenhood. One night
  during a snowstorm, my stepdad had just closed the
  shop and was standing at the truck door when a
  little rub was felt on his ankle and tiny
 squeaking
  was heard. This little white and buff kitten with
  very noticeable injuries was at his feet. 
  Naturally, he scooped her up and brought her home.
 
  They called her Fart for quite a while - any of
 you
  who have rescued mal- and/or under-nourished kits
  know this well:) She was a very pretty kitty,
 small
  head and delicate facial features, tiny feet,
  long legs:) sort of built like a race horse. 
  She was an excellent hunter and lap-warmer. But
  those injuries had long-term effects. The soft
  tissue of her right wrist had completely worn out
  due to her limping from the old injury on her left
  shoulder/leg. She was flat footed on that paw.
  She also developed spinal arthritis, as another
  kitty of my mom's had. With that, it's only a
  matter of time before the nerves just don't work
 in
  the hind quarters. Mom had tremendous guilt about
  old Samantha; she'd waited far too long to help
 her.
  Tigger hadn't progressed nearly as far as Sam had,
  but she 

Re: CLS addition

2006-03-06 Thread Susan Loesch
Barb, please tell your mom and stepdad how sorry I am. Tigger was very lucky to show up on their doorstep!Barb Moermond [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:  Hi all, it's been a rough week all over it seems. This morning, my mom and stepdad had their kitty Tigger put to sleep. She was nearly 17 and had been with them since early-mid kittenhood. One night during a snowstorm, my stepdad had just closed the shop and was standing at the truck door when a little rub was felt on his ankle and tiny squeaking was heard. This little white and buff kitten with very noticeable injuries was at his feet. Naturally, he scooped her up and brought her home. They called her Fart for quite a while - any of you who have rescued mal- and/or under-nourished kits know this well:) She was a very pretty kitty, small head and delicate facial
 features, tiny feet, long legs:) sort of built like a race horse. She was an excellent hunter and lap-warmer. But those injuries had long-term effects. The soft tissue of her right wrist had completely worn out due to her limping from the old injury on her left shoulder/leg. She was flat footed on that paw. She also developed spinal arthritis, as another kitty of my mom's had. With that, it's only a matter of time before the nerves just don't work in the hind quarters. Mom had tremendous guilt about old Samantha; she'd waited far too long to help her. Tigger hadn't progressed nearly as far as Sam had, but she was declining rapidly. She wasn't playing on her own anymore, and she'd previously spent hours amusing herself with string tied to the back of a rocking chair. She was allowing Bozo to groom her for longer and longer sessions which was simply unheard of - Bozo was an interloper, no matter how many mice
 he caught for her! She also didn't know whether or not she'd made it to the box - messes in the vicinity etc. But what was far more worrying is that when she did make it to the box and stepped in a clump, she couldn't feel the debris on her foot - which of course dried on like cement - and therefore wasn't grooming her feet. The deafness she'd developed and the weakening eyesight weren't important, but when they lose their grooming and their playing Tigger had an amazing run of years considering the start she had and fortunately, my mom will have no serious second-guessing about doing it too soon (the vet agreed with the decision, which helped) or guilt about doing it too late and making Tigger suffer unnecessarily (like with Sam). It's the hardest decision we have to make, but the grief is worth it - all the moments of joy and love far outweigh the pain of losing a friend.. eventually anyway. So Belinda, if you could please add to the
 FeLV- list, Tigger, loved by Maggie and Dale. It was this morning, March 4.As always, I'm so glad I know all of you:) you bring joy and understanding and compassion to the world.PSBandit says rppp to everyoneBarb+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  __Do You Yahoo!?Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com 

Re: CLS addition

2006-03-06 Thread Barb Moermond
Thank Tonya,  I'm doing pretty well, just really really busy so I've been lurking for the most part. Smoky has a check-up this week for his urinary issues. He was blocked last month - he was a very unhappy boy:( but that's what the emergency clinic is for and he saw the same vet as before and was remembered:) and his regular vet is awesome, so we're actually making some progress managing his issues with interstitial cystitis and also struvite crystals on occasion. Bandit is his usual irrepressible self:) very sweet:)hope all is well with you and your crew!  bcatatonya [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:Barb,My condolences to you, and your mom and stepdad on the loss of little Tigger. :(I
 haven't noticed you around as much lately. How are you doing yourself?  tBarb Moermond [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:  Hi all, it's been a rough week all over it seems. This morning, my mom and stepdad had their kitty Tigger put to sleep. She was nearly 17 and had been with them since early-mid kittenhood. One night during a snowstorm, my stepdad had just closed the shop and was standing at the truck door when a little rub was felt on his ankle and tiny squeaking was heard. This little white and buff kitten with very noticeable injuries was at his feet. Naturally, he scooped her up and brought her home. They called her Fart for quite a while - any of you who have rescued mal- and/or under-nourished kits know this well:) She was a very pretty kitty, small head and delicate facial features, tiny
 feet, long legs:) sort of built like a race horse. She was an excellent hunter and lap-warmer. But those injuries had long-term effects. The soft tissue of her right wrist had completely worn out due to her limping from the old injury on her left shoulder/leg. She was flat footed on that paw. She also developed spinal arthritis, as another kitty of my mom's had. With that, it's only a matter of time before the nerves just don't work in the hind quarters. Mom had tremendous guilt about old Samantha; she'd waited far too long to help her. Tigger hadn't progressed nearly as far as Sam had, but she was declining rapidly. She wasn't playing on her own anymore, and she'd previously spent hours amusing herself with string tied to the back of a rocking chair. She was allowing Bozo to groom her for longer and longer sessions which was simply unheard of - Bozo was an interloper, no matter how many mice he caught for
 her! She also didn't know whether or not she'd made it to the box - messes in the vicinity etc. But what was far more worrying is that when she did make it to the box and stepped in a clump, she couldn't feel the debris on her foot - which of course dried on like cement - and therefore wasn't grooming her feet. The deafness she'd developed and the weakening eyesight weren't important, but when they lose their grooming and their playing Tigger had an amazing run of years considering the start she had and fortunately, my mom will have no serious second-guessing about doing it too soon (the vet agreed with the decision, which helped) or guilt about doing it too late and making Tigger suffer unnecessarily (like with Sam). It's the hardest decision we have to make, but the grief is worth it - all the moments of joy and love far outweigh the pain of losing a friend.. eventually anyway. So Belinda, if you could please add to the FeLV- list,
 Tigger, loved by Maggie and Dale. It was this morning, March 4.As always, I'm so glad I know all of you:) you bring joy and understanding and compassion to the world.PSBandit says rppp to everyoneBarb+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   __Do You Yahoo!?Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com 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
		Relax. Yahoo! Mail 
virus scanning helps detect nasty viruses!

Re: CLS addition

2006-03-05 Thread catatonya
Barb,My condolences to you, and your mom and stepdad on the loss of little Tigger. :(I haven't noticed you around as much lately. How are you doing yourself?  tBarb Moermond [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:  Hi all, it's been a rough week all over it seems. This morning, my mom and stepdad had their kitty Tigger put to sleep. She was nearly 17 and had been with them since early-mid kittenhood. One night during a snowstorm, my stepdad had just closed the shop and was standing at the truck door when a little rub was felt on his ankle and tiny squeaking was heard. This little white and buff kitten with very noticeable injuries was at his feet. Naturally, he scooped her up and brought her home. They called her Fart for quite a
 while - any of you who have rescued mal- and/or under-nourished kits know this well:) She was a very pretty kitty, small head and delicate facial features, tiny feet, long legs:) sort of built like a race horse. She was an excellent hunter and lap-warmer. But those injuries had long-term effects. The soft tissue of her right wrist had completely worn out due to her limping from the old injury on her left shoulder/leg. She was flat footed on that paw. She also developed spinal arthritis, as another kitty of my mom's had. With that, it's only a matter of time before the nerves just don't work in the hind quarters. Mom had tremendous guilt about old Samantha; she'd waited far too long to help her. Tigger hadn't progressed nearly as far as Sam had, but she was declining rapidly. She wasn't playing on her own anymore, and she'd previously spent hours amusing herself with string tied to the back of a rocking
 chair. She was allowing Bozo to groom her for longer and longer sessions which was simply unheard of - Bozo was an interloper, no matter how many mice he caught for her! She also didn't know whether or not she'd made it to the box - messes in the vicinity etc. But what was far more worrying is that when she did make it to the box and stepped in a clump, she couldn't feel the debris on her foot - which of course dried on like cement - and therefore wasn't grooming her feet. The deafness she'd developed and the weakening eyesight weren't important, but when they lose their grooming and their playing Tigger had an amazing run of years considering the start she had and fortunately, my mom will have no serious second-guessing about doing it too soon (the vet agreed with the decision, which helped) or guilt about doing it too late and making Tigger suffer unnecessarily (like with Sam). It's the hardest decision we have to make, but the grief is
 worth it - all the moments of joy and love far outweigh the pain of losing a friend.. eventually anyway. So Belinda, if you could please add to the FeLV- list, Tigger, loved by Maggie and Dale. It was this morning, March 4.As always, I'm so glad I know all of you:) you bring joy and understanding and compassion to the world.PSBandit says rppp to everyoneBarb+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  __Do You Yahoo!?Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com