He has definitely lost quite a bit of weight from 4.5 to 3.8 in a space of one month...
He was none too pleased at being prodded...
I had to tell him its ok with the thermometer...The news is not cheery at his 3rd review. His weight loss is a serious issue and he is as light as air. The vet did a simple test for his PCV which has risen to 41% and his TP is 8 g/dl. This is better than the 9.8 g/dl from before.
I told the doc that he hates his suspension and asked for something else less foul for a kitty. The vet recommended Alutab but this could be an uphill task. The vet also recommended Somatotrophin Injections, a growth hormone that may help him to put on weight. This, it seems is a growth hormone that people give to kids with kidney problems. Since Megat's meds are all human meds, I thought FatBoy deserves the same chance. It is very expensive though but it would last us 2.5 months. I give it like I would give the SubQ so that is not too frightening for me. I am willing to try anything as I thought with 5 home cats and 4 community cats, I should know what is available for them.
I am sending him to R's next week for baby sitting ,to see if daily SubQ and medicines would have a significant effect as I can only give this to him on alternate days. If he gets better, we would bring him back and if the effects are minimal, we would still bring him back. I thought I should do all before I make any final decision.
The vet says though with such a significant drop in weight, he might not live much longer. I know this to be true. I had to be very firm with the auntie and her friends yesterday about the possibility of having to put him to sleep if he gets worse. I think I was more tired of this than dealing with FB. Her friends kept telling me that the auntie is sad when she thinks of him being put to sleep but I had to tell them that better for us to be sad than a cat to be sad and in pain. This of course is my rational mind talking. I know it would be hard for me to make such a decision but I have learned from Callie's case (the community cat that died of Ataxia) that I have to make it for the kitty.
I told the doc that he hates his suspension and asked for something else less foul for a kitty. The vet recommended Alutab but this could be an uphill task. The vet also recommended Somatotrophin Injections, a growth hormone that may help him to put on weight. This, it seems is a growth hormone that people give to kids with kidney problems. Since Megat's meds are all human meds, I thought FatBoy deserves the same chance. It is very expensive though but it would last us 2.5 months. I give it like I would give the SubQ so that is not too frightening for me. I am willing to try anything as I thought with 5 home cats and 4 community cats, I should know what is available for them.
I am sending him to R's next week for baby sitting ,to see if daily SubQ and medicines would have a significant effect as I can only give this to him on alternate days. If he gets better, we would bring him back and if the effects are minimal, we would still bring him back. I thought I should do all before I make any final decision.
The vet says though with such a significant drop in weight, he might not live much longer. I know this to be true. I had to be very firm with the auntie and her friends yesterday about the possibility of having to put him to sleep if he gets worse. I think I was more tired of this than dealing with FB. Her friends kept telling me that the auntie is sad when she thinks of him being put to sleep but I had to tell them that better for us to be sad than a cat to be sad and in pain. This of course is my rational mind talking. I know it would be hard for me to make such a decision but I have learned from Callie's case (the community cat that died of Ataxia) that I have to make it for the kitty.
FatBoy's pcv is great (many kidney cats aren't) which is one big plus pt. Growth hormones cost an arm & a leg! My 18yr old kidney cat (creat 3.5+) is under 4kg for past 2yrs and she is "well" on Sub-Q 3x a week. Daily Sub-Q did not reduce creat level. We hand-feed at least once a day. Cat is rather thin & living normal life. We are hopeful cat stays well like this for another 1-2 yrs more. Don't think of the worse - think positive!!
ReplyDeleteSigh..he doesn't look too good. I empathise with what you are going through now and I am amazed at your courage and resolve. I hope you have the strength to make the right decision if ever the time comes. Our prayers are with Fatboy and you.
ReplyDeletePoor Fatboy, hope he puts on some weight quickly. Purrs!
ReplyDeleteNot sure if this will help but if your catsitter can at least syringe feed him 3 to 4 times a day, it may give him a fighting chance through increasing his weight and hopefully boosting his immunity system on top of all the meds and subQ he has to take.
ReplyDeleteSyringe feeding can be done very easily if the food is totally blended using those fruit blenders. In my case, I put in 2 cans of Sc Diet k/d into the blender and blend it till there is no more solid particle. Then I put it into separate bowls, Saran wrap it and off it goes into the fridge, to be warmed up slightly when I need to syringe feed XX. 2 cans lasts XX around 1.5 days, on top of her dry food. Each syringe session lasts 15 min or so, faster if someone can hold her while the other syringes.
I blend it using a machine as it will then be so much easier to suck up the food via the syringe. Meshing the food using your hands is a waste of effort and time. It gets very frustrating.