Peewee update

"Cheryl" wrote in message ...
In m,
-L. composed with style:
For those following the sick Pee-wuss...

He has been home since Sunday PM.

He sounds better! Purrs that he keeps recovering and that he is on
the mend.


Thanks to everyone who responded! And thanks for the links and
suggestions.

I also thought about AD, and the feline specialty vet said that AD,
while it is good for convalescing kitties, is actually somewhat rich
for kitties with GI problems (same goes for kitten food). She
recommended any kind of pure protein - chicken, turkey, fish - and the
diabetic maintenence diet (d/m) from Purina - which I purchased. He
gobbled it up!! So, I'm currently trying to get food down him about
four times a day - as much as he will eat. I also have measured out
some kitten chow and d/m dry chow, and am monitoring his consumption.
Today he licked gravy off of his Friskies canned and ate about 1/4 can
of the d/m. Overnight he had eaten about 1/6 c. of the d/m chow, so I
think we are still on the right track. He's still doing a lot of lip
licking, which is weird (they checked him for string but apparently
there isn't one). Still no additional poops, but I suspect there may
be one coming soon. I'm still hoping the blockage has passed. The
concerns now are pancreatitis, IBD or generalized lymphoma of the
bowel. She didn't feel any enlarged lymph glands, so if it is
lymphoma, it's not affecting them. I didn't get his fecal results
back yet.

It's interesting - while the other vet recommended x-rays, barium
series and/or ultrasound, the feline specialist recommended surgery to
look around and biopsy on the intestine and bowel. She said why do the
other diagnostics if you are going to end up in surgery anyway? In a
way, I think she's right. Right now, I'm not opting for anything that
drastic since he seems to have resolved the majority of his problem,
and I'm able to treat him symptomatically. She also said that, based
on his thyroid levels, she would have *not* diagnosed hyperthyroidism
(nor would she have recommended the T4(ed) test), which the other vet
did - and was prepared to treat him for. Sigh It's just so hard to
find a vet you trust. It's also hard to decide how far to go
diagnostically and weigh quality of life with suffering - whether the
suffering be from disease, diagnostics or treatments. If he
continues to be sickly, but still doesn't appear to be blocked, the
next line of treatment is systemic steriods, followed by steroid
treatments that work locally in the GI tract. I may get an x-ray to
rule our tumors.

Thanks again for all who responded and your continuous care and
support. And Peewee head-butts and says Meow-meow, and purr-purr,
too!

-L.

in article , -L. at
wrote on 9/17/03 1:29 PM:

"Cheryl" wrote in message
...
In m,
-L. composed with style:
For those following the sick Pee-wuss...

He has been home since Sunday PM.

He sounds better! Purrs that he keeps recovering and that he is on
the mend.


Thanks to everyone who responded! And thanks for the links and
suggestions.

I also thought about AD, and the feline specialty vet said that AD,
while it is good for convalescing kitties, is actually somewhat rich
for kitties with GI problems (same goes for kitten food). She
recommended any kind of pure protein - chicken, turkey, fish - and the
diabetic maintenence diet (d/m) from Purina - which I purchased. He
gobbled it up!! So, I'm currently trying to get food down him about
four times a day - as much as he will eat. I also have measured out
some kitten chow and d/m dry chow, and am monitoring his consumption.
Today he licked gravy off of his Friskies canned and ate about 1/4 can
of the d/m. Overnight he had eaten about 1/6 c. of the d/m chow, so I
think we are still on the right track. He's still doing a lot of lip
licking, which is weird (they checked him for string but apparently
there isn't one). Still no additional poops, but I suspect there may
be one coming soon. I'm still hoping the blockage has passed. The
concerns now are pancreatitis, IBD or generalized lymphoma of the
bowel. She didn't feel any enlarged lymph glands, so if it is
lymphoma, it's not affecting them. I didn't get his fecal results
back yet.

It's interesting - while the other vet recommended x-rays, barium
series and/or ultrasound, the feline specialist recommended surgery to
look around and biopsy on the intestine and bowel. She said why do the
other diagnostics if you are going to end up in surgery anyway? In a
way, I think she's right. Right now, I'm not opting for anything that
drastic since he seems to have resolved the majority of his problem,
and I'm able to treat him symptomatically. She also said that, based
on his thyroid levels, she would have *not* diagnosed hyperthyroidism
(nor would she have recommended the T4(ed) test), which the other vet
did - and was prepared to treat him for. Sigh It's just so hard to
find a vet you trust. It's also hard to decide how far to go
diagnostically and weigh quality of life with suffering - whether the
suffering be from disease, diagnostics or treatments. If he
continues to be sickly, but still doesn't appear to be blocked, the
next line of treatment is systemic steriods, followed by steroid
treatments that work locally in the GI tract. I may get an x-ray to
rule our tumors.

Thanks again for all who responded and your continuous care and
support. And Peewee head-butts and says Meow-meow, and purr-purr,
too!

-L.

I don't think it always so much about trusting a vet but each has different
ideas about diagnostic tests. I wanted to say that I spoke to my mom's vet
when it appeared her cat was very ill. The thing about surgery is that the
vet says there is still no tool as sure as the human eye. It can always look
like possibly something else, and then usually they have to biopsy anyway,
so I just wanted to let you know what one vet said about that. I hope that
it was just a bad obstruction that passed. I know my girl got VERY sick once
from some hair she couldn't get rid of. Keep us posted.

Karen

in article , -L. at
wrote on 9/17/03 1:29 PM:

"Cheryl" wrote in message
...
In m,
-L. composed with style:
For those following the sick Pee-wuss...

He has been home since Sunday PM.

He sounds better! Purrs that he keeps recovering and that he is on
the mend.


Thanks to everyone who responded! And thanks for the links and
suggestions.

I also thought about AD, and the feline specialty vet said that AD,
while it is good for convalescing kitties, is actually somewhat rich
for kitties with GI problems (same goes for kitten food). She
recommended any kind of pure protein - chicken, turkey, fish - and the
diabetic maintenence diet (d/m) from Purina - which I purchased. He
gobbled it up!! So, I'm currently trying to get food down him about
four times a day - as much as he will eat. I also have measured out
some kitten chow and d/m dry chow, and am monitoring his consumption.
Today he licked gravy off of his Friskies canned and ate about 1/4 can
of the d/m. Overnight he had eaten about 1/6 c. of the d/m chow, so I
think we are still on the right track. He's still doing a lot of lip
licking, which is weird (they checked him for string but apparently
there isn't one). Still no additional poops, but I suspect there may
be one coming soon. I'm still hoping the blockage has passed. The
concerns now are pancreatitis, IBD or generalized lymphoma of the
bowel. She didn't feel any enlarged lymph glands, so if it is
lymphoma, it's not affecting them. I didn't get his fecal results
back yet.

It's interesting - while the other vet recommended x-rays, barium
series and/or ultrasound, the feline specialist recommended surgery to
look around and biopsy on the intestine and bowel. She said why do the
other diagnostics if you are going to end up in surgery anyway? In a
way, I think she's right. Right now, I'm not opting for anything that
drastic since he seems to have resolved the majority of his problem,
and I'm able to treat him symptomatically. She also said that, based
on his thyroid levels, she would have *not* diagnosed hyperthyroidism
(nor would she have recommended the T4(ed) test), which the other vet
did - and was prepared to treat him for. Sigh It's just so hard to
find a vet you trust. It's also hard to decide how far to go
diagnostically and weigh quality of life with suffering - whether the
suffering be from disease, diagnostics or treatments. If he
continues to be sickly, but still doesn't appear to be blocked, the
next line of treatment is systemic steriods, followed by steroid
treatments that work locally in the GI tract. I may get an x-ray to
rule our tumors.

Thanks again for all who responded and your continuous care and
support. And Peewee head-butts and says Meow-meow, and purr-purr,
too!

-L.

I don't think it always so much about trusting a vet but each has different
ideas about diagnostic tests. I wanted to say that I spoke to my mom's vet
when it appeared her cat was very ill. The thing about surgery is that the
vet says there is still no tool as sure as the human eye. It can always look
like possibly something else, and then usually they have to biopsy anyway,
so I just wanted to let you know what one vet said about that. I hope that
it was just a bad obstruction that passed. I know my girl got VERY sick once
from some hair she couldn't get rid of. Keep us posted.

Karen

in article , -L. at
wrote on 9/17/03 1:29 PM:

"Cheryl" wrote in message
...
In m,
-L. composed with style:
For those following the sick Pee-wuss...

He has been home since Sunday PM.

He sounds better! Purrs that he keeps recovering and that he is on
the mend.


Thanks to everyone who responded! And thanks for the links and
suggestions.

I also thought about AD, and the feline specialty vet said that AD,
while it is good for convalescing kitties, is actually somewhat rich
for kitties with GI problems (same goes for kitten food). She
recommended any kind of pure protein - chicken, turkey, fish - and the
diabetic maintenence diet (d/m) from Purina - which I purchased. He
gobbled it up!! So, I'm currently trying to get food down him about
four times a day - as much as he will eat. I also have measured out
some kitten chow and d/m dry chow, and am monitoring his consumption.
Today he licked gravy off of his Friskies canned and ate about 1/4 can
of the d/m. Overnight he had eaten about 1/6 c. of the d/m chow, so I
think we are still on the right track. He's still doing a lot of lip
licking, which is weird (they checked him for string but apparently
there isn't one). Still no additional poops, but I suspect there may
be one coming soon. I'm still hoping the blockage has passed. The
concerns now are pancreatitis, IBD or generalized lymphoma of the
bowel. She didn't feel any enlarged lymph glands, so if it is
lymphoma, it's not affecting them. I didn't get his fecal results
back yet.

It's interesting - while the other vet recommended x-rays, barium
series and/or ultrasound, the feline specialist recommended surgery to
look around and biopsy on the intestine and bowel. She said why do the
other diagnostics if you are going to end up in surgery anyway? In a
way, I think she's right. Right now, I'm not opting for anything that
drastic since he seems to have resolved the majority of his problem,
and I'm able to treat him symptomatically. She also said that, based
on his thyroid levels, she would have *not* diagnosed hyperthyroidism
(nor would she have recommended the T4(ed) test), which the other vet
did - and was prepared to treat him for. Sigh It's just so hard to
find a vet you trust. It's also hard to decide how far to go
diagnostically and weigh quality of life with suffering - whether the
suffering be from disease, diagnostics or treatments. If he
continues to be sickly, but still doesn't appear to be blocked, the
next line of treatment is systemic steriods, followed by steroid
treatments that work locally in the GI tract. I may get an x-ray to
rule our tumors.

Thanks again for all who responded and your continuous care and
support. And Peewee head-butts and says Meow-meow, and purr-purr,
too!

-L.

I don't think it always so much about trusting a vet but each has different
ideas about diagnostic tests. I wanted to say that I spoke to my mom's vet
when it appeared her cat was very ill. The thing about surgery is that the
vet says there is still no tool as sure as the human eye. It can always look
like possibly something else, and then usually they have to biopsy anyway,
so I just wanted to let you know what one vet said about that. I hope that
it was just a bad obstruction that passed. I know my girl got VERY sick once
from some hair she couldn't get rid of. Keep us posted.

Karen

in article , -L. at
wrote on 9/17/03 1:29 PM:

"Cheryl" wrote in message
...
In m,
-L. composed with style:
For those following the sick Pee-wuss...

He has been home since Sunday PM.

He sounds better! Purrs that he keeps recovering and that he is on
the mend.


Thanks to everyone who responded! And thanks for the links and
suggestions.

I also thought about AD, and the feline specialty vet said that AD,
while it is good for convalescing kitties, is actually somewhat rich
for kitties with GI problems (same goes for kitten food). She
recommended any kind of pure protein - chicken, turkey, fish - and the
diabetic maintenence diet (d/m) from Purina - which I purchased. He
gobbled it up!! So, I'm currently trying to get food down him about
four times a day - as much as he will eat. I also have measured out
some kitten chow and d/m dry chow, and am monitoring his consumption.
Today he licked gravy off of his Friskies canned and ate about 1/4 can
of the d/m. Overnight he had eaten about 1/6 c. of the d/m chow, so I
think we are still on the right track. He's still doing a lot of lip
licking, which is weird (they checked him for string but apparently
there isn't one). Still no additional poops, but I suspect there may
be one coming soon. I'm still hoping the blockage has passed. The
concerns now are pancreatitis, IBD or generalized lymphoma of the
bowel. She didn't feel any enlarged lymph glands, so if it is
lymphoma, it's not affecting them. I didn't get his fecal results
back yet.

It's interesting - while the other vet recommended x-rays, barium
series and/or ultrasound, the feline specialist recommended surgery to
look around and biopsy on the intestine and bowel. She said why do the
other diagnostics if you are going to end up in surgery anyway? In a
way, I think she's right. Right now, I'm not opting for anything that
drastic since he seems to have resolved the majority of his problem,
and I'm able to treat him symptomatically. She also said that, based
on his thyroid levels, she would have *not* diagnosed hyperthyroidism
(nor would she have recommended the T4(ed) test), which the other vet
did - and was prepared to treat him for. Sigh It's just so hard to
find a vet you trust. It's also hard to decide how far to go
diagnostically and weigh quality of life with suffering - whether the
suffering be from disease, diagnostics or treatments. If he
continues to be sickly, but still doesn't appear to be blocked, the
next line of treatment is systemic steriods, followed by steroid
treatments that work locally in the GI tract. I may get an x-ray to
rule our tumors.

Thanks again for all who responded and your continuous care and
support. And Peewee head-butts and says Meow-meow, and purr-purr,
too!

-L.

Oops. P.S. My mom's cat apparently also seems to have recovered without a
biopsy. they gave him a ton of mineral oil, lots of laxatone and a course of
antibiotics. So far, so good. He has been normal for a couple of months.

Karen

in article , -L. at
wrote on 9/17/03 1:29 PM:

"Cheryl" wrote in message
...
In m,
-L. composed with style:
For those following the sick Pee-wuss...

He has been home since Sunday PM.

He sounds better! Purrs that he keeps recovering and that he is on
the mend.


Thanks to everyone who responded! And thanks for the links and
suggestions.

I also thought about AD, and the feline specialty vet said that AD,
while it is good for convalescing kitties, is actually somewhat rich
for kitties with GI problems (same goes for kitten food). She
recommended any kind of pure protein - chicken, turkey, fish - and the
diabetic maintenence diet (d/m) from Purina - which I purchased. He
gobbled it up!! So, I'm currently trying to get food down him about
four times a day - as much as he will eat. I also have measured out
some kitten chow and d/m dry chow, and am monitoring his consumption.
Today he licked gravy off of his Friskies canned and ate about 1/4 can
of the d/m. Overnight he had eaten about 1/6 c. of the d/m chow, so I
think we are still on the right track. He's still doing a lot of lip
licking, which is weird (they checked him for string but apparently
there isn't one). Still no additional poops, but I suspect there may
be one coming soon. I'm still hoping the blockage has passed. The
concerns now are pancreatitis, IBD or generalized lymphoma of the
bowel. She didn't feel any enlarged lymph glands, so if it is
lymphoma, it's not affecting them. I didn't get his fecal results
back yet.

It's interesting - while the other vet recommended x-rays, barium
series and/or ultrasound, the feline specialist recommended surgery to
look around and biopsy on the intestine and bowel. She said why do the
other diagnostics if you are going to end up in surgery anyway? In a
way, I think she's right. Right now, I'm not opting for anything that
drastic since he seems to have resolved the majority of his problem,
and I'm able to treat him symptomatically. She also said that, based
on his thyroid levels, she would have *not* diagnosed hyperthyroidism
(nor would she have recommended the T4(ed) test), which the other vet
did - and was prepared to treat him for. Sigh It's just so hard to
find a vet you trust. It's also hard to decide how far to go
diagnostically and weigh quality of life with suffering - whether the
suffering be from disease, diagnostics or treatments. If he
continues to be sickly, but still doesn't appear to be blocked, the
next line of treatment is systemic steriods, followed by steroid
treatments that work locally in the GI tract. I may get an x-ray to
rule our tumors.

Thanks again for all who responded and your continuous care and
support. And Peewee head-butts and says Meow-meow, and purr-purr,
too!

-L.

Oops. P.S. My mom's cat apparently also seems to have recovered without a
biopsy. they gave him a ton of mineral oil, lots of laxatone and a course of
antibiotics. So far, so good. He has been normal for a couple of months.

Karen

in article , -L. at
wrote on 9/17/03 1:29 PM:

"Cheryl" wrote in message
...
In m,
-L. composed with style:
For those following the sick Pee-wuss...

He has been home since Sunday PM.

He sounds better! Purrs that he keeps recovering and that he is on
the mend.


Thanks to everyone who responded! And thanks for the links and
suggestions.

I also thought about AD, and the feline specialty vet said that AD,
while it is good for convalescing kitties, is actually somewhat rich
for kitties with GI problems (same goes for kitten food). She
recommended any kind of pure protein - chicken, turkey, fish - and the
diabetic maintenence diet (d/m) from Purina - which I purchased. He
gobbled it up!! So, I'm currently trying to get food down him about
four times a day - as much as he will eat. I also have measured out
some kitten chow and d/m dry chow, and am monitoring his consumption.
Today he licked gravy off of his Friskies canned and ate about 1/4 can
of the d/m. Overnight he had eaten about 1/6 c. of the d/m chow, so I
think we are still on the right track. He's still doing a lot of lip
licking, which is weird (they checked him for string but apparently
there isn't one). Still no additional poops, but I suspect there may
be one coming soon. I'm still hoping the blockage has passed. The
concerns now are pancreatitis, IBD or generalized lymphoma of the
bowel. She didn't feel any enlarged lymph glands, so if it is
lymphoma, it's not affecting them. I didn't get his fecal results
back yet.

It's interesting - while the other vet recommended x-rays, barium
series and/or ultrasound, the feline specialist recommended surgery to
look around and biopsy on the intestine and bowel. She said why do the
other diagnostics if you are going to end up in surgery anyway? In a
way, I think she's right. Right now, I'm not opting for anything that
drastic since he seems to have resolved the majority of his problem,
and I'm able to treat him symptomatically. She also said that, based
on his thyroid levels, she would have *not* diagnosed hyperthyroidism
(nor would she have recommended the T4(ed) test), which the other vet
did - and was prepared to treat him for. Sigh It's just so hard to
find a vet you trust. It's also hard to decide how far to go
diagnostically and weigh quality of life with suffering - whether the
suffering be from disease, diagnostics or treatments. If he
continues to be sickly, but still doesn't appear to be blocked, the
next line of treatment is systemic steriods, followed by steroid
treatments that work locally in the GI tract. I may get an x-ray to
rule our tumors.

Thanks again for all who responded and your continuous care and
support. And Peewee head-butts and says Meow-meow, and purr-purr,
too!

-L.

Oops. P.S. My mom's cat apparently also seems to have recovered without a
biopsy. they gave him a ton of mineral oil, lots of laxatone and a course of
antibiotics. So far, so good. He has been normal for a couple of months.

Karen

In m,
-L. composed with style:

I also thought about AD, and the feline specialty vet said that AD,
while it is good for convalescing kitties, is actually somewhat rich
for kitties with GI problems (same goes for kitten food). She
recommended any kind of pure protein - chicken, turkey, fish - and
the
diabetic maintenence diet (d/m) from Purina - which I purchased. He
gobbled it up!!

Fantastic! Isn't it a good feeling to finally see them eat. *whew*

[...]
He's still doing a lot of
lip
licking, which is weird (they checked him for string but apparently
there isn't one).

I recognized that behavior when you posted it and it was the same
thing Shadow did from nausea. It was almost like he was sticking his
tongue out at me even when I said the word "eat". Nausea. He also
drooled a lot.

I'm still hoping the blockage has passed. The
concerns now are pancreatitis, IBD or generalized lymphoma of the
bowel. She didn't feel any enlarged lymph glands, so if it is
lymphoma, it's not affecting them. I didn't get his fecal results
back yet.

I am praying for maybe just IBS and it will pass. Sounds good about
the glands.


It's interesting - while the other vet recommended x-rays, barium
series and/or ultrasound, the feline specialist recommended surgery
to
look around and biopsy on the intestine and bowel. She said why do
the
other diagnostics if you are going to end up in surgery anyway?

It's nice to hear of a vet who doesn't insist on every test in the
book. Shadow's new vet is like that and I will trust when she thinks
it is time for an ultrasound or something when he goes downhill.
I think some vets have lost their "instinct" and rely on tests
just because they are available now. (not saying the available tests
are a *bad* thing!!)

[...]
Sigh It's just so hard
to find a vet you trust. It's also hard to decide how far to go
diagnostically and weigh quality of life with suffering - whether
the
suffering be from disease, diagnostics or treatments.

I know exactly what you mean.

This is all sounding very positive and continued purrs for Peewee to
keep feeling better.

In m,
-L. composed with style:

I also thought about AD, and the feline specialty vet said that AD,
while it is good for convalescing kitties, is actually somewhat rich
for kitties with GI problems (same goes for kitten food). She
recommended any kind of pure protein - chicken, turkey, fish - and
the
diabetic maintenence diet (d/m) from Purina - which I purchased. He
gobbled it up!!

Fantastic! Isn't it a good feeling to finally see them eat. *whew*

[...]
He's still doing a lot of
lip
licking, which is weird (they checked him for string but apparently
there isn't one).

I recognized that behavior when you posted it and it was the same
thing Shadow did from nausea. It was almost like he was sticking his
tongue out at me even when I said the word "eat". Nausea. He also
drooled a lot.

I'm still hoping the blockage has passed. The
concerns now are pancreatitis, IBD or generalized lymphoma of the
bowel. She didn't feel any enlarged lymph glands, so if it is
lymphoma, it's not affecting them. I didn't get his fecal results
back yet.

I am praying for maybe just IBS and it will pass. Sounds good about
the glands.


It's interesting - while the other vet recommended x-rays, barium
series and/or ultrasound, the feline specialist recommended surgery
to
look around and biopsy on the intestine and bowel. She said why do
the
other diagnostics if you are going to end up in surgery anyway?

It's nice to hear of a vet who doesn't insist on every test in the
book. Shadow's new vet is like that and I will trust when she thinks
it is time for an ultrasound or something when he goes downhill.
I think some vets have lost their "instinct" and rely on tests
just because they are available now. (not saying the available tests
are a *bad* thing!!)

[...]
Sigh It's just so hard
to find a vet you trust. It's also hard to decide how far to go
diagnostically and weigh quality of life with suffering - whether
the
suffering be from disease, diagnostics or treatments.

I know exactly what you mean.

This is all sounding very positive and continued purrs for Peewee to
keep feeling better.

In m,
-L. composed with style:

I also thought about AD, and the feline specialty vet said that AD,
while it is good for convalescing kitties, is actually somewhat rich
for kitties with GI problems (same goes for kitten food). She
recommended any kind of pure protein - chicken, turkey, fish - and
the
diabetic maintenence diet (d/m) from Purina - which I purchased. He
gobbled it up!!

Fantastic! Isn't it a good feeling to finally see them eat. *whew*

[...]
He's still doing a lot of
lip
licking, which is weird (they checked him for string but apparently
there isn't one).

I recognized that behavior when you posted it and it was the same
thing Shadow did from nausea. It was almost like he was sticking his
tongue out at me even when I said the word "eat". Nausea. He also
drooled a lot.

I'm still hoping the blockage has passed. The
concerns now are pancreatitis, IBD or generalized lymphoma of the
bowel. She didn't feel any enlarged lymph glands, so if it is
lymphoma, it's not affecting them. I didn't get his fecal results
back yet.

I am praying for maybe just IBS and it will pass. Sounds good about
the glands.


It's interesting - while the other vet recommended x-rays, barium
series and/or ultrasound, the feline specialist recommended surgery
to
look around and biopsy on the intestine and bowel. She said why do
the
other diagnostics if you are going to end up in surgery anyway?

It's nice to hear of a vet who doesn't insist on every test in the
book. Shadow's new vet is like that and I will trust when she thinks
it is time for an ultrasound or something when he goes downhill.
I think some vets have lost their "instinct" and rely on tests
just because they are available now. (not saying the available tests
are a *bad* thing!!)

[...]
Sigh It's just so hard
to find a vet you trust. It's also hard to decide how far to go
diagnostically and weigh quality of life with suffering - whether
the
suffering be from disease, diagnostics or treatments.

I know exactly what you mean.

This is all sounding very positive and continued purrs for Peewee to
keep feeling better.