Kitten with mystery illness - definitely anemic...

[LoganPenelope]

Oh good advice, thanks!
Almost time for his evening meal. Poor guy, he's so weak. He's been through a lot. Hopefully he will regain strength as time goes on

[Traci]

He's under a lot of stress....just give this time, be careful and gentle with him, let him rest and hopefully tomorrow, he'll be feeling better. The good thing about the pharyngostomy tube is that it doesn't involve oral contact (which cats hate)...so all you have to contend with in that regard are his oral meds.

Hang in there, he's obviously a fighter, and we have to give him lots of credit for having pulled through most of this crisis!

[LoganPenelope]

Thanks!!
Just needed to hear it from a professional, you know

[LoganPenelope]

Hi Traci,

I've got a question - we could really use some advice on giving Logan his Cyclosporine capsule. It's turning into a very stressful event for him. We've looked online and seen vet school videos on how to do it, and even coated it with butter for easier swallow, but it's a very tough go. He keeps managing to spit it out.

The vet said she definitely prefers this because it's time release.

Any ideas?

(He's never liked the pill pockets either....)

[Traci]

UGH, I feel for you for that one!

First, is it in capsule form?

If so, call and ask your vet if you can dissolve the contents of the capsule (toss the gel capsule part, just keep contents inside), in an oral syringe with a bit of water to dissolve it, then ask if you can administer it into Logan's mouth. (place syringe between upper and lower teeth, closest to his lower lip, squeeze contents in quickly, hold his chin upwards, while keeping his mouth closed and rub his neck gently until he swallows.

I prefer you call your vet because some of these capsule forms can aggrivate the esophagus if the contents are not kept contained in the gel capsule. I don't know the brand she prescribed or the preferred administration on the instruction leaflet.

Ideally, ask your vet if she can compound the cyclosporine into a liquid tomorrrow for you to pick up, this way, administration through an oral syringe can ensure he receives his intended dose. Most medications are bitter so don't be surprised if he froths or drools, the important thing is he gets the majority of the dose.

Tell her you are concerned about the common problem of capsules getting lodged in cats' esophagus, causing irritation, you prefer a liquid form.

[LoganPenelope]

Yes it's in capsule form. But thanks for the input, I'll call her tomorrow and see what she says!

[Traci]

Does she have an emergency service, as in the clinic's emergency number? They won't mind if you call it for advice on the medication. If the cyclosporine is in the medication schedule for tonite, it should probably be given, although it isn't going to be any harm to wait until morning when you can reach her personally. You just don't want to skip doses when it can be avoided.

If Logan is fighting it, you risk it getting lodged in his esophagus. If you can't get ahold of their emergency services, hold off on it until morning. Then ask her if the can compound it to liquid form.

[LoganPenelope]

Yes we called earlier when we tried to give it at his afternoon feeding. They recommended similar stuff we had already seen on the web, just wasn't too helpful for us. I imagine if you do it every day as a pro, it's pretty easy perhaps.

We did get him to take it tonight on the 3rd try. But it was no doubt stressful for him. Since the feeding itself is so easy, it's a shame to stress him out like this.

We;ll definitely call in the morning to discuss.
Thanks!

[Traci]

I hope she will compound it for you, depending on the brand, she can also get it in liquid form.

I absolutely hate gelcaps for cats. I don't recommend them, if the cat won't swallow it and fights it, there is always the risk for lodging in the esophagus, and this delays the administration of the medication, plus irritates the lining of the esophagus.

I aways advise owners if they are not comfortable pilling their cats, the always have the option to get their vets to give them the liquid forms or compound them into liquid forms. Administrations are so much easier and quicker for the cat, simply squirt in the right place in the mouth and done!

Granted, some medications can't be compounded, but cyclosporine can.

[LoganPenelope]

So the Cyclosporine can apparently not be compounded. They called their pharmacy and they said this version can't be. But, we did find a local place which as it in stock. So we're going to return our gels for a credit back, and then just pick up the liquid at a local pharmacy today.

Luckily, all the other pills, she said can be crushed and put in mixed with tube with food during feeding. Makes me feel so much better - now he will be 100% stress free.

About the only thing we noticed this morning was gnashing of the teeth after feeding. At first we thought it was like a dry vomit reaction, or hairball reaction, but we noticed his teeth. Upon inquiring, apparently he did this once with them when he first got the tube in. They said to continue to observe and perhaps it is a sign of slight nausea as today we went up on food from 10ml to 20 ml per feeding, 3x per day.

Otherwise, he's weak, but he is making regular appearances in the rooms we work in. He'll lay like a regular cat in the room, then after a while get up and go back to his carrier to sleep there, then come back out and so on. When he walks, he's unstable sometimes - like a drunk person would walk.

He takes the food very well, and continues to use the bathroom, although more like diarrhea than anything. The vet said this is to be expected because of his diet.

He does drink water, and we have a wireless motion sensor webcam which records everything he does in the food/water/kitty litter room of the house. So we can review everything at night, the next morning. Yes, we're high tech haha (yes, we are viewing it on our iphones lol).