First, thank you for this lovely community. I have been silently reading the forum in the last years, also @Dr. Jean Hofve website, where I found super valuable resources while raising my 7 kitties to be healthy and thriving.
Now one of them is needing some help.
1. Bowie, male cat, 14 years young
2. Neutered
3. Ragdoll
4. Approximate weight: 12 lbs
5. BEAM: lately more settled and slow, has appetite, cuddly and playful. Since I am very focused lately in his happiness he seems more lit up than before although last few weeks he has a hard time.
6. Wet food, predominantly home cooked
7. Vaccination history: last vaccinated over 12 years ago
8. Primary problem: advanced CKD,
with recent creatinine around 788 µmol/L, very high BUN/urea, phosphorus around 3 mmol/L, and recently diagnosed severe hypertension (systolic BP was 210). Despite the bloodwork, he has generally remained remarkably alert, affectionate and interested in life and with amazing appetite and no vomiting.
Recently (2 weeks ago he developed significant dental/oral problems: very bad breath, bleeding gums/drooling and obvious discomfort while eating, including strange head/jaw movements as though something were stuck between his teeth. He was prescribed Stomodine and after not improving and decline in eating - then amoxicillin/clavulanate (Cylanic) for 10 days. Since starting the antibiotic his general wellbeing has improved dramatically - he’s playful and cuddly again, and the obvious infection seems much better.
In the biggest dental discomfort he was still eating but at some point it decreased to 20-30% (not sure if it was connected to the vet visit). Eating slightly improved in the first few days after the antibiotics - eating 80% of his meal but now declines again back to 20-30% of the usual amount.
He is hungry and lines up for meals, approaches food and tries to eat, but after a few bites he stops, sometimes making the same painful-looking head movement. His favorite freeze dried chicken powdered as topping is barely making him interested, or he is removing it from the meat to eat it separately with surgical precision.
He will readily lick very palatable soft paste that comes with Porus One mixture though. Even puréeing his normal food only helps inconsistently which makes me suspect that he wants to eat but his mouth hurts rather than having completely lost his appetite from CKD/nausea. But I am not sure anymore.
I also bought slippery elm because I read it helps with nausea but my gut feeling is it is his teeth still hurting so still haven’t tried it.
Currently he gets Nordics naturals fish oil, azodyl, porus one, phosphate binder.
I am also mixing in food Vimergy spirulina, barley, vit c, b12 (not all at once of course). I am soaking some chia in water which I then put in food.
But now none of above goodies make sense as he is not eating much, and yes, I tried excluding above and still didn’t help although before he was readily eating it.
Tried propolis but he hated it.
He was also prescribed telmisartan for the bp but after 2 days his eating started for the first time deteriorating and the vet advised to stop to see if it will improve but it didn’t but the vet advised to solve the dental issue first and then re-start it.
I also asked for subq fluids at home but I was told he seems hydrated for now and to go one step at a time.
Any advice is welcome because right now all this seems unsolvable.
How can I find the cause: if it is nausea or teeth and how to help get his eating back (I think appetite is there).
@Dr. Jeff @Dr. Christina
Now one of them is needing some help.
1. Bowie, male cat, 14 years young
2. Neutered
3. Ragdoll
4. Approximate weight: 12 lbs
5. BEAM: lately more settled and slow, has appetite, cuddly and playful. Since I am very focused lately in his happiness he seems more lit up than before although last few weeks he has a hard time.
6. Wet food, predominantly home cooked
7. Vaccination history: last vaccinated over 12 years ago
8. Primary problem: advanced CKD,
with recent creatinine around 788 µmol/L, very high BUN/urea, phosphorus around 3 mmol/L, and recently diagnosed severe hypertension (systolic BP was 210). Despite the bloodwork, he has generally remained remarkably alert, affectionate and interested in life and with amazing appetite and no vomiting.
Recently (2 weeks ago he developed significant dental/oral problems: very bad breath, bleeding gums/drooling and obvious discomfort while eating, including strange head/jaw movements as though something were stuck between his teeth. He was prescribed Stomodine and after not improving and decline in eating - then amoxicillin/clavulanate (Cylanic) for 10 days. Since starting the antibiotic his general wellbeing has improved dramatically - he’s playful and cuddly again, and the obvious infection seems much better.
In the biggest dental discomfort he was still eating but at some point it decreased to 20-30% (not sure if it was connected to the vet visit). Eating slightly improved in the first few days after the antibiotics - eating 80% of his meal but now declines again back to 20-30% of the usual amount.
He is hungry and lines up for meals, approaches food and tries to eat, but after a few bites he stops, sometimes making the same painful-looking head movement. His favorite freeze dried chicken powdered as topping is barely making him interested, or he is removing it from the meat to eat it separately with surgical precision.
He will readily lick very palatable soft paste that comes with Porus One mixture though. Even puréeing his normal food only helps inconsistently which makes me suspect that he wants to eat but his mouth hurts rather than having completely lost his appetite from CKD/nausea. But I am not sure anymore.
I also bought slippery elm because I read it helps with nausea but my gut feeling is it is his teeth still hurting so still haven’t tried it.
Currently he gets Nordics naturals fish oil, azodyl, porus one, phosphate binder.
I am also mixing in food Vimergy spirulina, barley, vit c, b12 (not all at once of course). I am soaking some chia in water which I then put in food.
But now none of above goodies make sense as he is not eating much, and yes, I tried excluding above and still didn’t help although before he was readily eating it.
Tried propolis but he hated it.
He was also prescribed telmisartan for the bp but after 2 days his eating started for the first time deteriorating and the vet advised to stop to see if it will improve but it didn’t but the vet advised to solve the dental issue first and then re-start it.
I also asked for subq fluids at home but I was told he seems hydrated for now and to go one step at a time.
Any advice is welcome because right now all this seems unsolvable.
How can I find the cause: if it is nausea or teeth and how to help get his eating back (I think appetite is there).
@Dr. Jeff @Dr. Christina
