Vibes for Lucy please

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Antonio
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

Post by Antonio »

booktigger wrote:You would wonder Lilith! Antonio, fortunately we'd taken the needles out first. She still loves me, but had to bring a carrier in today, so she does keep hiding under the bed
Poor Lucy, such a nightmare! :(
My Pallina hides even when she just hears the plastic sound of the carrier from another room, even if I'm just moving it a few inches away!
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

Post by booktigger »

The nurse has rang back with Lucy’s kidney results, urea is up, creatnine is down, SDMA (this is the test that picks up at 30% loss, rather than the standard 70%) has gone back to what it was in March, so likely the reason for the vomiting. Have asked for the vet to call me to see if we need to do anything, as I’ve actually increased her renal food. Still waiting on her calcium results.
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

Post by Antonio »

How high is urea? And how was SDMA before this time?
I only found a post in March where you said it was 16.
Hopefully the vet will call you soon with some indication for a treatment or a therapy :(
Poor Lucy... when these poor creatures get old they have too many disorders... :( :( :(
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

Post by booktigger »

Urea has gone from 7.5 to 8.6, so still in normal range. SDMA had gone down to 13 (top end of normal is 14), back to 16. Vet isn't concerned but they forgot to run the extra bit for her calcium so we are going back next Tue! She's not even old, she's 10 this month :cry:
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

Post by Mayday21 »

Hi sending you & Lucy +ve vibes from me & the famous 4 from Oz & lots of fusses too as Lucy makes her way back to,the dreaded vet. Vivian
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

Post by Antonio »

booktigger wrote:Urea has gone from 7.5 to 8.6, so still in normal range. SDMA had gone down to 13 (top end of normal is 14), back to 16. Vet isn't concerned but they forgot to run the extra bit for her calcium so we are going back next Tue! She's not even old, she's 10 this month :cry:
Some vets consider cats senior past 7-8 years...
I'd say that if urea is still in range, creatinine is in range, SDMA is just a bit out of range and the vet isn't concerned, then you shouldn't worry. :)
Hopefully her calcium will be ok as well.
Fingers crossed!
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

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Yes, in theory she is a senior cat, but as my last three have been 18 and 21, 10 is nothing!! The reason why I'm concerned is that it is going up on renal food, and the CT vet said even if we kept her calcium levels under control, she could still get calcification of her kidneys, I'm struggling to find much about that, but guessing it would show as an increase in values.
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

Post by Antonio »

Can't remember if they didn't advice you about sub-Qs, medications like ACE-inhibitors or probiotics, and if not, why they didn't.
Would they be in contrast with her calcium situation?

My Lola would be given a sub-Q every other day, she would take a pill every night and I would give her vitamins B and probiotics every morning after her breakfast. For years!
These were to control her CKD as much as possble, and I can say they worked fine.

But I will understand if your vet wouldn't do that because of clinical situations that wouldn't allow them.
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

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She had sub-q fluids for her calcium but she's not the most co-operative of cats! As it's early stage, we don't need ACE inhibitors yet, plus it would be a struggle to medicate her daily, the two lots at weekend are hard enough. Never heard of probiotics being given for CKD but she is fussy about things being added to her food, which is part of the reason for acupuncture, she twigs Metacam after 3 days and refuses to touch food! I would have a really uncooperative cat with multiple health issues :roll:
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

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Just had a text from the vet, it’s a good job we ran her calcium levels, they are up to 3.09 (think the top end of normal is 2.9), the worrying thing is I expected them to come back normal, she is full of energy, and apart from a fur ball last week, she hasn’t been sick for over 2 weeks, although that could be why she is extra grumpy with the foster cats. The vet now wants to do an ionized calcium test, so need to ring to arrange that. So looks like I was right to be concerned, although yet again, I’m concerned about her kidneys and it’s really her calcium levels, although her calcium could have made the SDMA go up – I did mention my concern about calcified kidneys to the vet last night, and we are going to do SDMA every 3 months with her calcium levels. It just feels never ending at the moment :cry:
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

Post by Lilith »

Aww, all paws and tails here crossed for Lucy - please give her a fuss from me if she'll permit it x
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

Post by booktigger »

Will do, she's booked in for her test next Tue, as long as they can borrow the machine from their equine branch!
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

Post by Jan »

booktigger wrote:It just feels never ending at the moment :cry:
I feel for you booktigger. I know how that 'never ending' feeling feels - we went through that emotion from Aug to mid Nov with Blackie. Thinking of you and Lucy ....

xx
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

Post by booktigger »

Thanks. At least she is well in herself, unlike last time
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

Post by Mayday21 »

Fusses to Lucy & lots of ear rubs if she’ll allow. Keep us posted. Vivian & the famous 4 from Oz btw we’re fighting FLEAS ... 3rd week of Advantage today (initially used Frontline which did nothing), bombed bedrooms last week & will do again tomorrow not to mention insect spray cans as well. Grrr :x
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

Post by Antonio »

Booktigger, I know it too well when you say that it is a neverending story. I'm into something similar myself...
What is the machine they're waiting for from the ther branch. Is it the one for the ionized calcium?
Does your vet do SDMA test in his lab or will he send it outside, to IDEXX?

Fingers crossed everything is fine. My God, I ask myself how is it possible for us to be good guardians for our angels when the vets cannot help us! :(
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

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Yes, the machine will do the ionized calcium test. SDMA is done externally by IDEXX, my vet went to a seminar on it earlier in the week, while 14+ is classed as early stage, apparently medication isn't required until it is 25, although she thinks that may change as it is used more. I am worried that we aren’t managing to keep her levels under control – must ask the vet next week if she thinks it is the increase in renal wet, as renal isn’t recommended for IHC. I knew the change in her behaviour meant something, but as it’s the opposite of last time (and the opposite of all the textbook symptoms), calcium didn’t come into my head, I had her T4 tested!! Being asymptomatic/opposite this time is a worry, I am going to be in the same position as Buster where we will have to do 3 monthly bloods to monitor things. I think being good guardians is being on top of their health issues, pushing the vets for certain things and doing our best for the.
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

Post by Antonio »

We must be very attentive to all symptoms, even to those that don't show.
In all vet clinics and surgeries over here in Italy there's a new poster from Eukanuba that reads:
"Please, do not confuse your research on the internet with my veterinary college degree"
I say, thanks God we can have access to so much information on the internet, at least we know how to handle uncommon cases! :|
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

Post by Jan »

Blackie has been having the SDMA test now for over 18 months or more.

He had a bout of vomiting over several days 5 or 6 weeks ago and ended up being hospitalised to find out exactly what was causing it. My research on the internet while waiting for results had him dead and buried and me in the depths of despair after the luxating patella episode in Aug/Sept. So the quote from Eukanuba posted by Antonio seems very relevant.
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

Post by booktigger »

My first thought was the test hadn't been available that long but then realised my vet had offered them cheaper when I first got Lucy as they were collecting data, and I've had her 2 years this month! Unfortunately we realised how difficult she is! I do think that quote is accurate but equally sometimes vets go too much off the textbook and forget that animals don't work to that
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

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Blackie hasn't been himself for a couple of days - lack of appetite (very, very unusual for him) and with his nervousness, lack of appetite, lack of interaction (more than usual, that is) I'm beginning to think that his arthritis has got worse - probably due to very cold weather - he's a cat who insists on going out.

Was Lucy initially started on Metacam? The vet suggested it last week when we took Blackie in for his annual vac booster but I hedged off due to his early stage CKD.
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

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When she had the initial hip displasia diagnosis last Oct, metacam and seraquin were prescribed, Lucy won't take metacam hidden in her food though, which I was pleased about, that is when we started acupuncture.
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

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Well, the first thing the vet said to me was ‘what did you do to your cat this morning, she was vile?’. I figured Lucy must have been bad as I was sent to get her out of the cage, normally I’m not allowed to do that – says something when the vet thinks Lucy is worse than her highly strung Bengal!! We have a new vet nurse, who hasn’t met Lucy yet, and clearly my comment that Lucy is difficult wasn’t the right words to use, they wound her up that much to get blood out of her, that the vet ended up having to give her a slight sedation – after she drew blood!! Last week she was good as gold, but she was really grumpy when I put her in the carrier, and obviously I wasn’t there to calm her down (not that that always stops her!!). Ionized calcium was 1.34 and the top end is 1.32, so practically normal, and she is obviously showing no symptoms, so we are wondering if the increase in renal food has skewed her calcium/phosphorus ratio. I’m going to reduce her back to 2 pouches of renal wet, and we are re-testing ionized calcium in a month – unfortunately that means she will be going twice next month too, I didn’t want to put her acupuncture back by a fortnight, we are already having to put it back a week as the vet is on holiday. Vet thinks her increased energy is just her feeling well, and wonders if the aggression towards the fosters is that after nearly 2 years, she is showing her true personality, we have always known she has issues with other cats. She has been quite affectionate since coming home, but as soon as I put my coat and shoes on this morning she raced up the stairs. :cry:
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

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I discussed again with the vet about her suggestion of giving Blackie Metacam for his arthritis and the pros + cons of it. It was agreed that we try it for a month, starting at 4ml and slowly dropping it down to 2ml/day, but if Blackie is sick, to stop it immediately and get in touch with her.

Your Lucy sounds a a lot worse than Blackie when it comes to visits to the vet - though she won't give him any tablet/treatment without the nurse being in attendance. There's a new nurse there now and she is very good with him - its the way she holds him - she crosses her arms so that Blackie''s head is facing one way underneath her armpit and his paws are held the other way so the vet can take blood from a paw. I think he's so confused as to which way is what, he hardly makes a sound.... it had me laughing my head off when I first saw her do it.

We once had an experience with Blackie just like the one you describe with Lucy, but the nurse was a trainee and if he gets the slightest inkling that someone isn't confident, then he fights like a demon. Fortunately, the vet called a halt to the proceedings before Blackie drew blood. We had to take him back the following week so the vet could work with the qualified nurse in attendance. The worst time was when we had to take him to a vet hospital when he had his luxating patella episode - they were clearly hurting him a lot and he was like a wild beast - so much so the nurse went out and brought back a face mask. I was horrified and told them under no circumstances would I permit them to use it - I'd prefer to take him somewhere else.

On the visit last week for his milbemax pill, she lifted him out of his basket facing me - to my amazement he never made a sound :o The nurse didn't need to contort him at all and the vet popped him the pill in his mouth before he knew what was happening. Both the vet and nurse were very surprised - I'd like to think it was because Blackie was facing me .. but maybe not!

Hope Lucy continues to feel well in herself.
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

Post by booktigger »

Fingers crossed the Metacam works, I know her old vet used it with kidney issues because they have a better quality of life. Yes, Lucy isn't a good patient! Vet nurse sounds good, I think mine forgot that her paw is the worst place to take blood from, think her dodgy hips unbalance her if you try and mess with her front paws- after her op she nearly drew blood taking her bandage/pain patch off her front leg but happily let the vet check her wound! :roll:
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

Post by booktigger »

This weekend, Lucy has finally worked out how to jump on the worktops, for the first time since her op last March. Downside is that I've been able to leave things on there, so the first time she had her head in the bag of dreamies, the second time she took the closed bag of dreamies on the floor to chew through, and last night tried to rip through a paper bag containing a pasty for me!
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

Post by Lilith »

:D :D :D :lol:

Attagirl Lucy!

Do hope you got your rightful share of the pasty though :o :lol:
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

Post by bobbys girl »

booktigger wrote:This weekend, Lucy has finally worked out how to jump on the worktops, for the first time since her op last March. Downside is that I've been able to leave things on there, so the first time she had her head in the bag of dreamies, the second time she took the closed bag of dreamies on the floor to chew through, and last night tried to rip through a paper bag containing a pasty for me!
Yay! I always think there can't be much wrong when they are up to no good! :D
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

Post by Antonio »

It seems YOU have to change your habits :lol:
Good news, Lucy ;)
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Re: Vibes for Lucy please

Post by booktigger »

Yes, I certainly do - Buster also cured me of some bad habits too!!
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