KFC

Sorry I didn't mean to go someplace where I shouldn't have. It is tough
enough without well meaning people upsetting you more.
"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...
Tell your vet that Kitty does not have "nerves" and that its the most
stupid thing I ever heard a vet say in my life.
She is ill. She has chronic kidney failure, she was fed stupid food by a
neighbour, which may well be the death of her since we cannot resolve her
diarrhoea and get her eating again. One thing she *does* not have is
nerves.
I would find another vet if I were you if that's the best they can do.

Kitty never has "nerves" she has always been a brave cat.
Now, Boyfie has nerves sometimes, but he is a totally different kettle of
fish.




I talked to my vet about KFC just because I think she is so great. He
thinks the poo problem, as you call it, is more nerves than anything
else. If she is confused, like people that can cause her system to
mess up. Poor baby, I also know how hard this is for you.
"Christina Websell" wrote in
message ...
There is not much improvement. She eats a tablespoon of roast
chicken per day, that is all, so gets frailer and frailer. She will
not entertain any other food.
I am not happy that the vet has not addressed her diarrhoea problems
since she was kidnapped, she had perfect poo until then, it's
obvious to me that if her bowels keep contracting she will not want
to eat. I have to clean up and scrub my carpets every day, I do not mind
that she is taken short before she can get to the litter box. I
expect it. She is bright, so bright and cheerful that I really do think
I can
keep her going for a bit longer. I'd like her to have one more
summer, but the summer I wanted for her was outside, basking, and
now I am too afraid to let her out -(
I need to think.

"Christina Websell" wrote in message
...
wrote:
MaryL -out-the-litter wrote:

"Christina Websell" wrote in
message

Also, is KFC getting any fluids
(Ringer's lactate)? If not, I think that would be in order. Your
vet can do it, but you can also learn to administer it at home
(which is much cheaper and would relieve KFC of the stress of making
constant visits to the vet). I apologize for not knowing, but I
haven't read all of your messages.

I think the vet said not to give fluids. For some reason, it's not
easily available in the UK, for pet owners to bring home and
administer themselves. I think I remember Adrian saying it was
illegal. I don't understand why.

It's readily available in the US, and while not dirt cheap, I don't
think it's overly expensive either. And it's saved many a kitty's
life.

We cannot adminster fluids ourselves here. One go at them cost me nearly
$500 at the vets and quite rightly he is advising me against doing it
again to get a few weeks.
To be honest, even if it was legal to do it here I would need a team of 3
or 4 which I haven't.
Kitty is getting palliative care, until it gets too much.
It does not help me to suggest "we can do this in America"
I feel bad enough that I can't do any more.

Tweed


Of course, you feel bad. I would be devastated. I don't understand what
the reasoning is behind having Ringer's readily available here but not in
Britain, and neither of us can do anything about that. However, I didn't
know that you would not have access to it. I was basing my suggestion on
the fact that I had to administer Ringer's myself some years ago. You
really do have my utmost sympathy. I have been through the process of going
back to a vet time and again, knowing that the end was near, and it is an
incredibly painful experience. (Of course, you may have meant to address
this to another author since I was not the one who commended on it being
readily available. Somehow, my message became mingled with someone else's.)

That said, may I ask one final question (with suggestion)? That is, do you
have Pedialite readily available in Britain? If so, do you think you could
get KFC to take a little of that? I realize that you indicated that it is
very difficult to medicate KFC, but Pedialite can be very helpful for
electrolyte imbalance. It is sometimes administered by using a syringe (no
needle, of course) and squirting it into the corner of the cat's mouth.

MaryL

"Christina Websell" wrote in
message ...
There is not much improvement. She eats a tablespoon of roast
chicken per day, that is all, so gets frailer and frailer. She will
not entertain any other food.
I am not happy that the vet has not addressed her diarrhoea problems
since she was kidnapped, she had perfect poo until then, it's
obvious to me that if her bowels keep contracting she will not want
to eat.

I really hoped, and I know you did too, that if she made it to spring
she would have one more summer.

It is never easy, but it is easier when there is something specific
wrong that you can't make better.

With a slow decline and occasional bright moments, it is nearly
impossible to know when to say when. I went through the slow decline
with my first and dearest pet. To where I practically had diapers on
her and she spent almost all her time sleeping as close to me as she
could get. But she still loved her food and relished that till the
end. I know now I should have quit sooner than I did, but then it
felt like giving up and like failing her.

You know in you heart you have not failed KFC no matter what you do.
You have only loved her and appreciated her.

Jo

Christina Websell wrote:
There is not much improvement. She eats a tablespoon of roast
chicken per day, that is all, so gets frailer and frailer. She will
not entertain any other food.
I am not happy that the vet has not addressed her diarrhoea problems
since she was kidnapped, she had perfect poo until then, it's obvious
to me that if her bowels keep contracting she will not want to eat.
I have to clean up and scrub my carpets every day, I do not mind that
she is taken short before she can get to the litter box. I expect it.
She is bright, so bright and cheerful that I really do think I can
keep her going for a bit longer. I'd like her to have one more
summer, but the summer I wanted for her was outside, basking, and now
I am too afraid to let her out -(
I need to think.

Oh, honey, I was hoping everything was going to work out okay when you got
her back. I've got purrs going across the big pond for you and KFC.

kili

Christina Websell wrote:
There is not much improvement. She eats a tablespoon of roast
chicken per day, that is all, so gets frailer and frailer. She will
not entertain any other food. I am not happy that the vet has not
addressed her diarrhoea problems since she was kidnapped, she had
perfect poo until then, it's obvious to me that if her bowels keep
contracting she will not want to eat. I have to clean up and scrub my
carpets every day, I do not mind that she is taken short before she
can get to the litter box. I expect it. She is bright, so bright and
cheerful that I really do think I can keep her going for a bit
longer. I'd like her to have one more summer, but the summer I
wanted for her was outside, basking, and now I am too afraid to let
her out -( I need to think.




The first suggestions that come to mind are some product like Benebac,
or other probiotic products. Perhaps even Yogurt - maybe administered by
diluting it with water or tuna Juice and administering it with a dosing
syringe (no needle)? I would suggest also maybe giving her a small or
smaller dose of Metronidazole also called Flagyl from your vet? When my
male cat Andy
had bad Diarrhea/vomiting problems that is all that eventually solved
it. He also got Cyproheptadine which has appetite stimulation affects. I
think KFC's digestive systems bacterial balance is out of whack and just
needs some prompting to be put back in order. Andy was vomiting
and having diarrhea several times a day until he was giving
Metronidazole and the appetite stimulant and he was only six years old
at the time. My vet suggested that he had ingested some bad food or
something of the like that did not agree with him and he was nowhere
near the age of the grand dame cat named KFC. I hope she pulls through
and that this helps in some way.

Regards,
Richard
And massive cat purrs/headbuts from Andy & Mary

On Jun 26, 6:05 pm, "Christina Websell"
wrote:
There is not much improvement. She eats a tablespoon of roast chicken per
day, that is all, so gets frailer and frailer. She will not entertain any
other food.

She is probably dehydrated and nauseous from the buildup of toxins in
her bloodstream as a result of her diarrhea and concurrent renal
issues. She really needs to get sub-q fluids to help her rehydrate her
and flush her system. I saw in another post that you state this is
illegal in England, but you are mistaken. While you may not be allowed
to administer *IV* fluids to KFC, you certainly can administer sub-q
fluids to her and the sooner you learn to do this the better. The
owner of the http://www.felinecrf.org website, Helen, developed her
website while living in England and has plenty of experience in this
area and a fantastic website. She may even be able to recommend a vet
that is close to you and get KFC better treatment than what your vet
is doing (or not doing) now. I suggest you check out her website and
email her ASAP and hopefully you'll get a response.


I am not happy that the vet has not addressed her diarrhoea problems since
she was kidnapped, she had perfect poo until then, it's obvious to me that
if her bowels keep contracting she will not want to eat.

You need to call the vet and /or bring in a stool sample and have it
analyzed. What is described is not normal and you need to find the
cause. Diarrhea causes dehydration and for a cat with renal issues
that is very bad and may be part of the reason why she is losing
weight along with what is at present untreated CRF. You are KFC's best
advocate and as such it is imperative you make a list of issues and
make sure the vet addresses each and every one off them. You are
writing his paycheck after all! You have every right to expect that he
gives you and KFC his all and offers the best options to make her feel
better. From what you have described so far it sounds kind of like he
is writing her off to old age, when in fact she has some treatable
issues.

I have to clean up and scrub my carpets every day, I do not mind that she is
taken short before she can get to the litter box. I expect it.
She is bright, so bright and cheerful that I really do think I can keep her
going for a bit longer. I'd like her to have one more summer, but the
summer I wanted for her was outside, basking, and now I am too afraid to let
her out -(
I need to think.

On Jun 26, 8:32*pm, "Christina Websell"
wrote:
wrote:
MaryL -out-the-litter wrote:

"Christina Websell" wrote in
message

We cannot adminster fluids ourselves here.

I responded to you in another post and gave you the http://www.felinecrf.org
site. If you click on the link, scroll down to the bottom and join the
list. From the contact page:
"if you want information about a UK vet who might be able to work with
you and allow you to give your cat sub-Qs if appropriate, please join
the Feline CRF Information List. There are a number of British
listmembers who may be able to give you a personal recommendation. In
your first post, please state where you are located (your nearest
large town or county) and that you are looking for a vet. I read all
the list posts, and if I know of a vet in your area, I will contact
you privately with details"

Hope this helps.*

wrote:

She is probably dehydrated and nauseous from the buildup of toxins in
her bloodstream as a result of her diarrhea and concurrent renal
issues. She really needs to get sub-q fluids to help her rehydrate her
and flush her system. I saw in another post that you state this is
illegal in England, but you are mistaken. While you may not be allowed
to administer *IV* fluids to KFC, you certainly can administer sub-q
fluids to her and the sooner you learn to do this the better.

That makes a lot of sense! I can't understand why sub-q fluids would
be illegal. IV fluids are another story. I wouldn't know how to do that
myself, not having the training. But it doesn't take much training to
give sub-q fluids.

Tweed, if you are confusing the two, and if you asked the vet about IV
fluids, you really should listen to what tripsovercats is saying, and
get some sub-q fluids (what MaryL called "Ringer's"). It is not that
expensive. It certainly should not cost anywhere near $500 in anyone's
currency! I paid about US$20 for a bag of the stuff last time I needed
it. That can last up to a month, depending on how often you give it to
her.

Even if it doesn't extend her life by a long time, she will feel so
much better you won't believe it. Just ask Theresa - she had her doubts
at first, but then she saw how much better Stinky got once she started
giving him the fluids. CRF cats really do need this.

The
owner of the http://www.felinecrf.org website, Helen, developed her
website while living in England and has plenty of experience in this
area and a fantastic website. She may even be able to recommend a vet
that is close to you and get KFC better treatment than what your vet
is doing (or not doing) now. I suggest you check out her website and
email her ASAP and hopefully you'll get a response.

More good advice.

From what you have described so far it sounds kind of like he
is writing her off to old age, when in fact she has some treatable
issues.

It's sad. I mean, she certainly is quite old, but I don't think it's
necessarily the end.

--
Joyce

To email me, remove the triple-X from my user name. ^..^

On Jun 26, 4:05*pm, "Christina Websell"
wrote:
There is not much improvement. *She eats a tablespoon of roast chicken per
day, that is all, so gets frailer and frailer. *She will not entertain any
other food.
I am not happy that the vet has not addressed her diarrhoea problems since
she was kidnapped, she had perfect poo until then, it's obvious to me that
if her bowels keep contracting she will not want to eat.
I have to clean up and scrub my carpets every day, I do not mind that she is
taken short before she can get to the litter box. *I expect it.
She is bright, so bright and cheerful that I really do think I can keep her
going for a bit longer. *I'd like her to have one more summer, but the
summer I wanted for her was outside, basking, and now I am too afraid to let
her out -(
I need to think.

{{{{{Tweed and KFC}}}}}
You are both in my thoughts, for what that's worth.

Melissa

Jofirey wrote:
"Christina Websell" wrote in
message ...
There is not much improvement. She eats a tablespoon of roast
chicken per day, that is all, so gets frailer and frailer. She will
not entertain any other food.
I am not happy that the vet has not addressed her diarrhoea problems
since she was kidnapped, she had perfect poo until then, it's
obvious to me that if her bowels keep contracting she will not want
to eat.

I really hoped, and I know you did too, that if she made it to spring
she would have one more summer.

It is never easy, but it is easier when there is something specific
wrong that you can't make better.

With a slow decline and occasional bright moments, it is nearly
impossible to know when to say when. I went through the slow decline
with my first and dearest pet. To where I practically had diapers on
her and she spent almost all her time sleeping as close to me as she
could get. But she still loved her food and relished that till the
end. I know now I should have quit sooner than I did, but then it
felt like giving up and like failing her.

Thats how Shmogg was too, toward the end. Spent almost all of his time
sleeping (preffrably on me). If he wasn't sleeping he was either drinking or
weeing. He still loved his food, but the Bright moments were getting fewer
and further apart.

Whilst there was Some Life Left in him, we were going away for a month. Even
if we could have taken him with us, it wouldn't have been fair to him.
Leaving him behind would have been unfair, too, both on him dying without
his family around and the folks who would be looking after him.

I & the vet helped him go two weeks before we left on holidays. My heart
broke, I felt guilty that it was me being selfish about Holidays rather than
taking care of him. And yet, in retrospect, I think that he should have gone
a month or two earlier than he did, and I was just 'holding on' hoping for a
miracle.

Knowing exactly when is the right time is difficult when its a slow decline.
Your heart is pulled in two directions at once. But at some point you'll see
that there is no doubt any more and make the decision, tough as it is.

(((((Christina)))))