[buffie]

Morning Forester how is Dylan this morning.I have been reading all the posts/replies but didn't have anything to add to the advice being given.
It can be a soul destroying condition and trying to find a trigger can sometimes drive you insane.
I have never found the trigger for Meeko's vomiting,if indeed there is one ,sometimes we just have to go with what they do best on,even if that doesn't stop the reactions completely.I still think Meeko's problems are made worse by his decreased gut motility as there has been a slight improvement since he went on a wet only diet .
Sending Dylan some positive vibes,try not to worry too much xx

 

[Forester]

Thanks everyone. I've only just got online today. I didn't intend to leave your posts unanswered.

I'm feeling more positive today. Dylan is eating , not as much as I'd like but he is eating. I hope that I'm not going to jinx matters by putting this in writing but . . . he hasn't been sick today, yet, or not that I've found anyway. We went out this morning so I couldn't observe him for a couple of hours however I've searched everywhere in the room where he stayed and there is no evidence of any mishap.

Thanks for your suggestion of the added water bluecordelia. I've provided him with a saucer of kangaroo flavoured water in addition to his plain water. I do often add a little water to his food but he's not keen if I add too much.

buffie, may I ask whether you restrict the proteins/ ingredients in Meeko's diet at all ?. Is there anything else you've done which has made a difference other than the Famotidine / wet diet. Dylan's symptoms do seem to resemble Meeko's much more closely than any of the other IBD thread fur babies. I am reasonably confident that chicken and possibly other poultry are a trigger for him .I noticed months ago that whenever I gave him Natures Menu chicken and turkey for breakfast he would always vomit it but would be o k with the chicken and beef and the chicken and tuna. When I gave him home cooked plain chicken he was worst of all.

bluecordelia, I wondered this morning whether I have unwittingly made Dylan worse by trying to feed too frequently. I had established that he would always vomit if he goes over about 7 hours between meals but maybe I am trying to feed too often.

I'm much more relaxed about things today.

Best wishes to all IBD thread contributors and your furbies. I'd probably have " lost it " by now without you all.

 

[nicolaa123]

Thanks everyone. I've only just got online today. I didn't intend to leave your posts unanswered.

I'm feeling more positive today. Dylan is eating , not as much as I'd like but he is eating. I hope that I'm not going to jinx matters by putting this in writing but . . . he hasn't been sick today, yet, or not that I've found anyway. We went out this morning so I couldn't observe him for a couple of hours however I've searched everywhere in the room where he stayed and there is no evidence of any mishap.

Thanks for your suggestion of the added water bluecordelia. I've provided him with a saucer of kangaroo flavoured water in addition to his plain water. I do often add a little water to his food but he's not keen if I add too much.

buffie, may I ask whether you restrict the proteins/ ingredients in Meeko's diet at all ?. Is there anything else you've done which has made a difference other than the Famotidine / wet diet. Dylan's symptoms do seem to resemble Meeko's much more closely than any of the other IBD thread fur babies. I am reasonably confident that chicken and possibly other poultry are a trigger for him .I noticed months ago that whenever I gave him Natures Menu chicken and turkey for breakfast he would always vomit it but would be o k with the chicken and beef and the chicken and tuna. When I gave him home cooked plain chicken he was worst of all.

bluecordelia, I wondered this morning whether I have unwittingly made Dylan worse by trying to feed too frequently. I had established that he would always vomit if he goes over about 7 hours between meals but maybe I am trying to feed too often.

I'm much more relaxed about things today.

Best wishes to all IBD thread contributors and your furbies. I'd probably have " lost it " by now without you all.

Good news..(with out jinxing it )

Topping up them vibes xx

 

[buffie]

buffie, may I ask whether you restrict the proteins/ ingredients in Meeko's diet at all ?. Is there anything else you've done which has made a difference other than the Famotidine / wet diet. Dylan's symptoms do seem to resemble Meeko's much more closely than any of the other IBD thread fur babies. I am reasonably confident that chicken and possibly other poultry are a trigger for him .I noticed months ago that whenever I gave him Natures Menu chicken and turkey for breakfast he would always vomit it but would be o k with the chicken and beef and the chicken and tuna. When I gave him home cooked plain chicken he was worst of all.

Have I read the bold bit correctly , if so then are you sure it was the chicken that caused Dylan to vomit as it was in all 3 flavours but he only reacted to the chicken and turkey,
Not sure why cooked chicken would make him vomit if he wasn't reacting to chicken though , unless processed cat food chicken is, as I suspect ,a bit of a distant relation ,
Have to admit I don't restrict anything unless I feel it causes any problems, although I do try to avoid anything with grains/cereal in.
I have tried all the "bells and whistles" diets and he just doesn't want to know.
Daily routine.........

Before breakfast give famotidine...(only has once a day),wait approx. 20/30 minutes give him breakfast pouch of Sheba

Lunch as above different flavour

Tea again as above

supper as above (water added to each meal)

As long as it is not being left too long I leave any uneaten food down till next meal ,sometimes he goes back to it sometimes not.

I use poultry flavour Sheba fine flakes occasionally Sheba Fusion domes or foil trays.Before anyone jumps in and says OMG why Sheba :scared:, simple answer because he likes it,will usually eat it and seems to be the least likely to cause too many problems .
I find the more I stress him about "food" the more I get stressed and that is no use to either of us.
On the odd occasions that he doesn't want to eat much I sprinkle some of this
on the top .......Purina Veterinary Diet Fortiflora Nutritional Supplement For Cats 30x1g Sachets - Animed Direct
it is a pro biotic

 

[nicolaa123]

who said Sheba??

The wildlife park rescued two Scottish wildcats from a closed zoo. They are beautiful and apparently true wildcats. The female ate in her house, it's the male in the photo. Those eyes!!

 

[buffie]

who said Sheba??

The wildlife park rescued two Scottish wildcats from a closed zoo. They are beautiful and apparently true wildcats. The female ate in her house, it's the male in the photo. Those eyes!!

Beautiful animals and so very rare.There are so many hybrids now that the true species is close to dying out
What do they propose to do with them ,do you know ?

 

[nicolaa123]

Beautiful animals and so very rare.There are so many hybrids now that the true species is close to dying out
What do they propose to do with them ,do you know ?

I think they would like them to breed, then I guess it would be a case of searching for other pure cats to extend the species..I will ask more next time I'm in.

The male was just magnificent..the female wouldn't come out but as her keeper approached with the meat she leap up at the window teeth bared hissing..the male just watched and any movement his eyes were there

 

[buffie]

I think they would like them to breed, then I guess it would be a case of searching for other pure cats to extend the species..I will ask more next time I'm in.

The male was just magnificent..the female wouldn't come out but as her keeper approached with the meat she leap up at the window teeth bared hissing..the male just watched and any movement his eyes were there

I hope they succeed with their breeding program ,are they doing DNA tests to make absolutely sure they are pure,or do they already have documentation to prove it.From my limited knowledge of them I believe it is difficult to tell just from inspection.

 

[bluecordelia]

I have found blue was mooching for extra today so I gave them cooked poussin
..get me...dead posh! I bought it to feed raw but am careful with the heat. Added water n a bit of goose fat and I am leaving them until early tomorrow. Blue has learnt to catch mice but I am sure she is too fussy to eat them. The fields are being cut around so she just has to stand outside and jump at the mo. I do think a good gap between meals helps but i know i have been lucky that bluey isn't as poorly as others but at times we all had to ask ourselves what the future would be. I upto 1 month ago couldn't see her getting a normal life and like everyone else both despaired and kept my fingers crossed.

Forrester positive vibes xxx

 

[nicolaa123]

I hope they succeed with their breeding program ,are they doing DNA tests to make absolutely sure they are pure,or do they already have documentation to prove it.From my limited knowledge of them I believe it is difficult to tell just from inspection.

I will have to ask..but I am sure they said they have been tested..I will find out

 

[Forester]

Wow, Nicola. I love that Sheba. Absolutely stunning.. I too would love to know whether they are 100% pure Scottish Wildcat. It would be so exciting if they bred.

buffie, I'd better explain my perverse logic. I should have done so in my previous post but didn't want to rabbit on. My initial thought was that he had a problem with turkey ( the logical thought ) but later he seemed particularly bad with plain chicken and Ropocat chicken ( as well as Ropocat poultry). I therefore assumed that the proteins in different poultry might be similar and that the Natures menu chicken and turkey would almost always give a reaction because it had 72% of offending ingredients whereas the chicken and beef and chicken and tuna only had 36%. This could also be supported in that when he first went on the sensitivity control he went 23 days without vomiting but the gap in between episodes has gradually reduced whilst he's been on chicken based foods. I did tell you that I am good at making up excuses and also at finding evidence to support my current hypothesis

Those vibes seem to be making a difference. He hasn't vomited since Saturday breakfast time though he's not eating much. The eating is better at night but I'm slightly concerned that during the day he has been asking for food but then when given some just turns away. I can see that he has lost some weight in the last week but , as bluecordelia says, I do need to look at that on a more long term basis.

Anyway, I haven't rung the vets this morning as I feel happier than I did Friday/ Saturday.

Everyone's support has been greatly appreciated.

 

[buffie]

Wow, Nicola. I love that Sheba. Absolutely stunning.. I too would love to know whether they are 100% pure Scottish Wildcat. It would be so exciting if they bred.

buffie, I'd better explain my perverse logic. I should have done so in my previous post but didn't want to rabbit on. My initial thought was that he had a problem with turkey ( the logical thought ) but later he seemed particularly bad with plain chicken and Ropocat chicken ( as well as Ropocat poultry). I therefore assumed that the proteins in different poultry might be similar and that the Natures menu chicken and turkey would almost always give a reaction because it had 72% of offending ingredients whereas the chicken and beef and chicken and tuna only had 36%. This could also be supported in that when he first went on the sensitivity control he went 23 days without vomiting but the gap in between episodes has gradually reduced whilst he's been on chicken based foods. I did tell you that I am good at making up excuses and also at finding evidence to support my current hypothesis

Those vibes seem to be making a difference. He hasn't vomited since Saturday breakfast time though he's not eating much. The eating is better at night but I'm slightly concerned that during the day he has been asking for food but then when given some just turns away. I can see that he has lost some weight in the last week but , as bluecordelia says, I do need to look at that on a more long term basis.

Anyway, I haven't rung the vets this morning as I feel happier than I did Friday/ Saturday.

Everyone's support has been greatly appreciated.

Paws crossed things continue to go well ,I hope you can find a link with Dylans food and vomiting.
Have you tried bribery when he doesn't want to eat,Meeko has to have crushed Thrive treats on his most days or he will just walk away too
He only eats at best 200gms of food a day sometimes less but does seem to be doing okay on it.

 

[Forester]

Dylan finally forced himself to eat a little kangaroo as nothing else was on offer. He promptly vomited and went to hide behind the sofa. This is the first time he has ever looked sorry for himself.

I've spoken with my vet and , at my request , she will x ray/ ultrasound/ endoscope with pinch biopsies on Wednesday afternoon before she goes off for a few days. She suggested full thickness biopsy but I think that is far too drastic at present. She said that I could try the steroids but that he would have to be off them for 2 weeks before he could have endoscopy so I have opted to bypass them for now.I feel that we need to be stepping up the investigations now

I've been told to put him back on Sensitivity control and he's just eaten half a pouch and settled down to rest in his bed.

 

[buffie]

Dylan finally forced himself to eat a little kangaroo as nothing else was on offer. He promptly vomited and went to hide behind the sofa. This is the first time he has ever looked sorry for himself.

I've spoken with my vet and , at my request , she will x ray/ ultrasound/ endoscope with pinch biopsies on Wednesday afternoon before she goes off for a few days. She suggested full thickness biopsy but I think that is far too drastic at present. She said that I could try the steroids but that he would have to be off them for 2 weeks before he could have endoscopy so I have opted to bypass them for now.I feel that we need to be stepping up the investigations now

I've been told to put him back on Sensitivity control and he's just eaten half a pouch and settled down to rest in his bed.

Sorryb to read that Dylan was sick again just when you had hoped he was doing a bit better.
I know you will worry about this,I did,but none of them are invasive procedures , Meeko was absolutely fine after it,although be warned Dylan will come back sporting a vey bald belly but in this weather I doubt that will worry him.
Maybe at last you will get a better idea just what is going on.
Sending Dylan lots of positive vibes for Wednesday,hope it all goes well .
For what its worth I agree totally about not wanting the full thickness biopsy,far too invasive at this stage.

 

[Forester]

Sorryb to read that Dylan was sick again just when you had hoped he was doing a bit better.
I know you will worry about this,I did,but none of them are invasive procedures , Meeko was absolutely fine after it,although be warned Dylan will come back sporting a vey bald belly but in this weather I doubt that will worry him.
Maybe at last you will get a better idea just what is going on.
Sending Dylan lots of positive vibes for Wednesday,hope it all goes well .
For what its worth I agree totally about not wanting the full thickness biopsy,far too invasive at this stage.

I think that I feel a little better now that the decision has been made. Poor lad has probably only been eating, and keeping down , about 100g food per day for the last few days.

Its all been made worse in that my OH has been very " anti " my vets as he blames them for the loss of our previous cat. Today he has changed his story somewhat and questions why they haven't yet found out what is wrong. He has been convinced since January that we are going to lose him.

If Dylan has the nerve to complain about a bald belly I will tell him that its a go faster stripe !

Thanks for the vibes .x

 

[buffie]

I think that I feel a little better now that the decision has been made. Poor lad has probably only been eating, and keeping down , about 100g food per day for the last few days.

Its all been made worse in that my OH has been very " anti " my vets as he blames them for the loss of our previous cat. Today he has changed his story somewhat and questions why they haven't yet found out what is wrong. He has been convinced since January that we are going to lose him.

If Dylan has the nerve to complain about a bald belly I will tell him that its a go faster stripe !

Thanks for the vibes .x

All the best bikers have them :smilewinkgrin:

It is only natural to want to blame somebody when answers are not forthcoming but sometimes the only way to go is slowly,striking things off as you go .Its over 2 years since Meeko was first being sick and although we are now at the stage of being 99% sure it is IBD we don't have a definite diagnosis and sadly will never have a cure.
All we can hope to do is manage it the best we can.

 

[nicolaa123]

Dylan finally forced himself to eat a little kangaroo as nothing else was on offer. He promptly vomited and went to hide behind the sofa. This is the first time he has ever looked sorry for himself.

I've spoken with my vet and , at my request , she will x ray/ ultrasound/ endoscope with pinch biopsies on Wednesday afternoon before she goes off for a few days. She suggested full thickness biopsy but I think that is far too drastic at present. She said that I could try the steroids but that he would have to be off them for 2 weeks before he could have endoscopy so I have opted to bypass them for now.I feel that we need to be stepping up the investigations now

I've been told to put him back on Sensitivity control and he's just eaten half a pouch and settled down to rest in his bed.

Riley has been through 2 scans and 2 endeoscopy and was absolutely fine.. I of course was a wreck! With the endescopy are they going in front ways?

Dylan will be ok with the investigations he can join the cool bald belly gang

When you get the results don't forget to ask for a print out also..so you have something to refer back too, trust me when the results come back mind turns to mush. Also have pen and paper ready to make notes..

Positive vibes being sent xx

 

[buffie]

Riley has been through 2 scans and 2 endeoscopy and was absolutely fine.. I of course was a wreck! With the endescopy are they going in front ways?

Dylan will be ok with the investigations he can join the cool bald belly gang

When you get the results don't forget to ask for a print out also..so you have something to refer back too, trust me when the results come back mind turns to mush. Also have pen and paper ready to make notes..

Positive vibes being sent xx

Definitely :yesnod: I could hardly have told you my name after I came home,especially after the scan at the referral vets :crazy:

 

[Forester]

My brain has already gone to mush. I don't know which way she intends to go in with the endoscope. I assumed through his mouth. I probably haven't had as much discussion about this as I should have. It was organised very quickly over the phone. My vet wasn't even on duty today but was good enough to ring me and give me time to discus with OH before making a decision. She wasn't scheduled to be operating on Wednesday either but has changed her schedule to accommodate him.. Dylan has to go to the cattery for a few days very shortly and this was the best way for her to operate and give him time to recover beforehand.

I will ask for a copy of all test results . The suggestion of taking notes is an excellent one. I know that I will be useless at the time. I don't know how Dylan has been feeling but I have been feeling sick for the last few days and I was close to tears on the phone to the vet's receptionist.

I didn't spot the photo's of Meeko's baldy bits before I made the " go faster stripe " comment. That's a bit more than a go faster stripe. At least it will help him to " stay cool":

 

[bluecordelia]

We all will be rooting for you on Wednesday x