Willow really needs prayers!! Update

[seerfarm]

Continued thoughts and prayes for your sweet girl. She is a fighter and I wish the speediest of recoveries.

[annag307]

keep fighting little girl, keep fighting. Hope everything turns out. Kisses & hugs to your little baby.

[merleliz]

Prayers for Willow and ((((HUGS))))) for you!

[NoniMe]

Go, Willow!!! Fight on, sweet baby girl, fight on.

Best-
Noni

[sundancer maiden]

You guys are the best!
Willow's the same, I'm frustrated. I haven't heard anything about the meds yet, and I want to get her started!!

[sundancer maiden]

Finally got to talk to the vet this afternoon. She has only been able to find the drug that Willow needs in a human dose (100mg) capsule. Willow's dose would be 20mg. Darn capsules!! She is going to call pharmacies that do compounding for animals, but that wil be first thing Mon. am.
To know what you need, but can't put your hands on it... waaay frustrating!!!!
Has anyone ever divided the powder from a capsule into 5 parts??
How about dissolving into the smallest amount of water possible and dividing that into 5 doses? I'm sure a syrenge (sp, sorry it's late!) would work.
I will listen to any ideas!!!

[pasomystic]

You would divide it the way the pharmacist does. Empty the capsule on clean smooth glass surface. Use a razor blade to push it into a straight even line. Since you won't have a graduated [marked with measurements] plate, measure the line, mark 4 separtions, and cut and scrape away each section.

I would think it better to divide the powder rather than a solution--more accurate and won't spoil in between doses.

[annag307]

Yup, thats what I was going to say. If you dilute it in water, I would still seperate it first then mix with water. Make she gets every last drop cause you dont want to waste any of that. Might even be better to just mix it into some feed (no dilution), cause I know she might eat all that. Oh, thats if she can eat that stuff yet. Good luck to you & the little one.

[NoniMe]

I'd separate it like was suggested, with a clean surface and a good blade. Then mix it into some really good wet cat food, and see if she'll eat it. If not, I'd mix with some water and syringe it up...and then force it into her using the syringe and make sure she gets it all.

She'll come 'round...she needs the meds, to be sure, but it's something which can be cured.

Best-
Noni

[sundancer maiden]

Yikes! I hadn't even thought about some solutions going bad! See, I knew asking you guys would help!
Making one line, meauring it and then seperating the doses; that would be the way to go. Mixing it in water is the only way to be sure with Willow. If there was just a wet food I could be sure she'd eat. I've never seen a cat turn it's nose up to wet food like she does!!
I will be calling the vet first thing. If she can get it compounded and in quickly, great. All I know for sure is that I will be getting medicine in what ever form I can get into my hot, little hands the fastest!
I know that everyone here can share my frustration feeling soooo helpless. It is just heartbreaking to watch, and sometimes hear, her struggling to breathe.
I just need to be doing something!!!!

[annag307]

What about Nutri-Malt? Its a high rich protien paste that the vet will give, especially to cats that are in kidney failure. Its easy to mix stuff into it and use a tongue depressor to whip it into the side of there mouth and wait for them to swallow it. Should work & most animals love it

[sundancer maiden]

Yea, yes, alright, it's about time!!!!
A pharmacy is fixing up Willow's meds right now!!!
The vet said it will cost $40.-$50.00 a month, which is less than half of what she was afraid it would be!!
This pharmacy is in north Wichita, probably 30+ miles away. I'm going to call them right now!!!!

[NoniMe]

Excellent. Let us know how it goes!

Best-
Noni

[sundancer maiden]

Willow has now had her first dose of Itraconazole. The pharmasist (that spelling looks wrong) consulted with me to make sure I understood all the directions, the bottle has a special opening at the top for inserting the tip of the syrenge (ok, my spelling stinks!). I've never seen one like it, it's really neat!
This pharmacy does a lot of compounding for animals. I will keep them in mind for future referrence!
It is $50. for the bottle, and there are 2 refills. He said they could mail the next bottle. It was just a hair over 40 miles, makes a lovely 80 mile round trip!!
Willow didn't like it, but didn't fight too much.
At least we have started!!!!!!!!!!!

[seerfarm]

Certainly glad to hear that you have gotten her the meds, and hopefully she will be breathing easier after a few doses. Still sending healing prayers for her.

[sundancer maiden]

Annag307, thanks for bringing up the nutrimalt. Even if I don't need it for the medicine I would like her to get some additional calories. She's so darn thin!!!

[sundancer maiden]

seerfarm, you reminded me.
I have always been one of the people urging others not to wait to see a vet. So many illnesses and injuries can be treated if caught early. It's so easy to wait too long and end up horribly. That's what has been tearing me up, and watching her suffer while having to wait
I will breathe much easier as soon as she does.

[Shepdog]

Aren't compounding pharmacies awesome? Mine here does the same thing (and thank goodness, it's ten minutes from the house) - and they'll do pet medication flavored in tuna, beef, chicken, malt, and cheese. And the little bottles are great and easy to use with the syringe tops.

I admit, I was curious, I licked the tuna one. What do you know, it tasted truly like tuna! Much better than trying to get pink-bubblegum flavored meds down your animal, for sure!

Let me tell you, saved my tail when Dusty was on meds every two hours for two weeks. Glad to hear Willow's on the meds, and I hope she comes around fairly quickly now.

[sundancer maiden]

Shepdog, every 2 hours!! What happened??
Willow's is suppose to be fish, she just tolerates it. Not happy at all. When we get finished her breathing is raspy for a few minutes, the slightest struggle wears her out! I don't think I would have the nerve to taste it, although I've taken medicines that probably taste worse!

I wish it could improve rapidly, but I think it's going to be slow. You should see the xrays of her lungs, they look like those of a chronic smoker!! Her lung tissue is seriously compromised, all over. I'll bet if she were a human she'd be hooked up to one of those oxygen tanks. I kinda wish she was! That tissue is not taking in the oxygen levels that she needs.
The vet is figuring on several months. What I have plus the 2 refills add up to 3 months worth of medicine. It's going to be a long haul!

[Shepdog]

Oh man, he's my special guy. He has chronic herpes. I was fostering a litter for our local rescue group that got pulled from the shelter; mom and five day old kittens came down with a URI that was just nasty, so everyone had to be on meds then, and I ended up having to sub-cue mom... and l lost two of the kittens then.

Got him through that, long story short, he decided that he was apparently not a kitten, bonded with me, and would not go back with his mom. Wanted nothing to do with her, period. Other two were fine, went right back once she had milk again. But then he picked up the tail of the other thing again, it rehit him, and then he ended up having his immune system so low the herpes literally ulcerated his eyeballs white in less than 24 hours.

Back into my vet (we had frequent flier miles now and besides, he was no longer up for adoption at this point) and they put him on idoxuridine and compounded fishy-flavored L-lysine for him (num num) plus another antibotic I don't recall right now, but again, another compounded one. So, every two hours I was up with a different treatment for two weeks straight. Oooch. Not fun, but hey, it worked!

He's great now (he's three) and kept his sight, but man, touch and go for a while.

But those chronic things are frustrating. You wish they'd clear up quick, but the process is so slow. I'm glad she's on the right track and you figured out what it was. That's scary when you don't know what's going on, and worse to think she's so compromised. Several months is a long time, but man, I'm just so glad you found what was going on. She'll bounce back!