AshleyElla said...
>>>Poor Tiny Dancer! I feel so bad for her.

I KNOW! Me too! This is very hard to sit and watch...especially in a kitten and now she makes me feel soooo criminal every time I have to chase her down to feed her or give her meds. And on top of all of that she wasn't even getting along with her sister (not really sisters....were shelter cage mates and there is a weeks difference in their age)...Booger was acting up....I assume because Tiny smelled sick. That is slowly coming around though....I will be happy when the days comes when I see Tiny chasing Booger down again to beat her up.

And I am VERY glad to be able to tell you Tiny's mouth is looks sooooo much better! The pred is working beautifully. The granuloma is just about down and the surgery site it looking much better. She stops the antibiotic tomorrow and starts weaning the pred tomorrow. She is eating dry food.....but I'm still not sure she is getting enough and she is NOT drinking on her own! I do wish the dissolving stitches would dissolve...then maybe she would drink. She is trusty and willing....just doesn't seem to be able. She is very reluctant to use her tongue...for that reason I had asked the vet to keep her on her pain med.

>>>I did want to add some information on steroids though. Along with weight gain, there is a risk of the cat becoming diabetic. If pills are given instead of injections for maintainance, the chances of a cat becoming diabetic lessen, especially if the pred doesn't have to be given every day. I have an asthmatic cat that has been on steroids roughly every other day for 7 years and she has had no problems. She hasn't even gained much weight. Every so often she also gets a steroid injection.
Cats on steroids tend to eat and drink more, so you can expect that. I read on another board that Tiny Dancer is still a kitten, which I believe is in her favor. She should handle the steroids very well and kittens rarely become diabetic. She may even "grow out" of this problem, or need steroids less and less as she gets older.
You might want to feed her less dry and more canned if she starts putting on too much weight. The carbs in dry food can really put on the pounds and will add to the risk of diabetes as Tiny Dancer gets older.

Thank you for your input! I had hoped someone with a cat on long term steroids would chime in. I am aware of the diabetes issue (I'm a diabetic myself and stay as far away from steroids as I can!). I do hope that if that would happen, it would happen later in life.
It's good to hear your baby did not gain that much...there's hope after all! The first round of pred caused her to gain really fast...now this time doesn't seem as bad...but then again we have no idea how much real weight she lost while having so many eating issues.

I didn't realize canned food was lower in carbs then dry....being a lower kinda carb gal myself I do understand then importance. I did intend to speak to her vet about food on Tuesday when we go. She does love the canned she has been eating ground (Max Cat Gourmet California Chicken Supreme) as does Booger (she begs thru every one of Tiny's meals!) so I had wondered how the vet would feel about them going onto maybe one meal a day of canned and one of dry. I didn't want to change them all the way to canned because of the urinary track issues...although now I have heard from a friend that may not matter?????? (her cat was just put on prescription food and that is after a life on dry)
I am also very interested in the allergy (possible food allergy) issue surrounding FEGC.
So far as her growing out of the problem....yes...I have seen that on alot of sites...I can only hope.

>>>>Take care, and please keep us updated.
>>>>Your babies are all beautiful, BTW!


I will..and thank you very much!!!!!
-----
Deb
owned by Booger and Tiny Dancer and the mom of the late, great Kakel

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