Animals World: [FH] Re: Snowball has lost weight, do I change his medicines' doses?

Hi,

I'm posting in reply to you before I get to posting my introduction.
It seems that your issues are too pressing, and I want to weigh in as
soon as possible.

First, let me add the caveat that my Gracie was diagnosed only 2 weeks
ago, so in most respects (except for feeding a very ill anorexic cat),
we are complete newbies.

I'll try to be brief (not my usual style!).

First off, a quick search of Zeniquin and anorexia produced the
following, "decreased appetite, vomiting, and decreased activity" as
potential side-effects. (see http://www.allpetsmacomb.com/drugs.html).
It is also a class of antibiotic (fluoroquinolone), that a some people
feel has other toxic effects. I may get back to you on this.

More about meds below.

Feeding:
- The best thing ever for an anorectic cat is (is it ok to mention
brands here?) Fancy Feast. It is God's gift to anorectic cats. It is
amazing, and many vets and techs know it and use it. It saved my
chronic renal failure baby on more occasions than I can count. Which
does not mean that it is good for your cat otherwise, especially a cat
with heart failure. It is, I am certain, quite salty (maybe the same
as other catfoods, but what is it that they put in it that makes it so
irresistible to cats, even sick ones?). In any case, the dictum is,
feeding all but the worst food is better for a cat than no food at
all. A cat, sick or otherwise, needs to eat.

- What about a raw foods diet? Or at least non-catfood? I've been
giving Gracie and her brother George very-very-well-drained tuna and a
little pumpkin the past few days. The idea is that there are no
low-sodium catfoods out there that i can find (not even veterinary
prescription!).

It sure sounds like the meds did not help with Snowball's appetite.

Appetite stimulants:
- Some people think that fish oil is good for appetite (not for me! it
just makes me nauseous). It can also reduce cachexia (loss of muscle
mass), in humans. (I see now that Sue has something to say about that,
her post just came into my mail while I was typing). Some say that
fish oil is good for HCM/heart failure cats. I intend to try it on my
Gracie once she is stabilized.

- Has your vet prescribed periactin (cyproheptadine)? Winstrol (there
is even a Winstrol group on Yahoo! Groups). Megace (megestrol)? The
first two are given to cats, I don't remember about the third one. All
act to stimulate the appetite. Can anyone tell me if the anabolic
features of the Winstrol and megestrol are contraindicated in HCM or
heart failure cats? (Or are they useful?) They certainly can help
build weight.

I'm a big believer in holistic ideas, but all I can think of right now
is the fish oil (which isn't all that holistic).

Depending on the cat and her/his condition, they certainly can get a
lot more medication. Also, why isn't Snowball on a diuretic? Gracie is
on Lasix (furosemide), a diuretic (15 mg/day). She is also on
enalapril (enacard) at a much higher dose than Snowball (2.5 mg/day vs
your 1 mg/day), but she may be much sicker than Snowball was
originally.

Lastly, you have the right a vet who is competent to treat HCM! Some
of what you describe is very poor care. Find someone else if you can!
I don't know where you live, but there are some jewels out there, it
just takes some hunting. A cardiologist (for a one-time in-person
consult), advising you and a general practitioner whom you respect and
trust (and who respects you, see below), can be invaluable (and
expensive, I'm afraid). It can add to Snowball's care and bring you
both peace of mind and heart. If you don't want to post on-list where
you live, may I recommend that you ask someone off-list who either you
know lives near you, or someone who you know has a cardiologist, and
at least they can find you references from theirs.

I want to say that I went through the very great pain of dealing
with vets (many) who chose not to respect my oft- and strongly-stated
desire not to even be *asked* about euthanasia for a sick cat, now
gone. Except for one lovely lady (a great vet!), they did not respect
that desire, sometimes quite aggressively, and only deeply added to my
grief. You have the right to your own privacy and wishes in this
difficult time.

Gregory, Gracie, and George (G3)

__._,_.___

Messages in this topic (4) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic

Your reply will go to the author of this message. If you feel your reply will benefit the entire group, please change the "To:" line to feline-heart@yahoogroups.com