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There were a lot of questions and comments regarding how I was treating Gracie and even some suggestions that I was being cruel to her to not load her up with steroids and antibiotics when we discovered she had self-mutiliated.
This is what I've done so far for Gracie:
• Gave her two shots of Depo (Steroids) two months apart. Boy did that work great, but...will give her diabetes and shorten her life span.
• HESKA blood test and complete blood panel. Indicated she was allergic to dust mites and beef. Pulled beef from her diet. Can't do much about dust mites. Blood work initially indicated Bartonella so she was on big time antibiotics for 4 weeks. Otherwise her blood test results were "that of a 2 year old cat". Gracie is 9.
• Treated Gracie with hyposensitization therapy for about 8 months. Did not help.
• Boarded Gracie at Vet for a week to see if being out of dusty home environment and away from other cats would calm her skin down. She had daily soothing baths. Improved slightly, but ultimately did nothing.
• Took her to see Dr. Rhodes, a noted Dermatologist in New Jersey. Put her on anti-organ rejection meds that were supposed to prevent her skin from reacting to whatever was irritating her. Did not work.
• Put her on anti-anxiety meds. Turned into a lifeless zombie. Was very tough to get hold of her every day to medicate her because she has been a high strung cat since the first day I took her into foster care. Had to stop trial. Don't believe it would have helped and she certainly seemed unhappy.
• Changed her diet from grain-free canned to raw. Saw some improvement.
• Began homeopathic treatment. Saw more improvement, but 2 weeks ago either slight tweak to diet or treatment caused her to get worse for awhile. Changed diet back, skin is slightly improving.
I'm sure there was more, but that's all I can think of for now.
Next steps. Homeopath on Tuesday. Gave her soothing balms last night and apple bitter around the unbroken skin to keep her off the area. Early June or sooner, I hope, she will be taken to get acupuncture, which is supposed to act the same way anti-anxiety meds work. She should become calmer.
Her home environment is very quiet. She has her own place in our bedroom where she and Petunia can sleep side by side by a window and relax in the sunshine. They don't get bothered for most of the day. It's not perfect and there are some conflicts with the other cats, but those instances are generally short-lived.
Initially, this problem was the result of over-medicating Gracie. She had an ear infection (antibiotics), a URI , Bartonella (antibiotics), a dental (more antibiotics?) in a short period of time. No wonder her immune system blew up. We didn't find the ear infection until the dental was done and about that time I started doing Bartonella testing on the cats so it was just a coincidence we discovered she was positive for it.
So what I'm trying to say is...I have ALWAYS done whatever I feel will give Gracie the most comfort and the best results and for anyone to think differently of that-well...then it's my fault for not describing it more clearly OR they can come here and meet Gracie and see how well she is cared for and how much she is loved. Gracie may suffer or feel discomfort, but my hope is that it is not constant. I do as much as I can to keep her feeling good without heavy duty meds. This WILL END and I WILL FIND A CURE for her. It's just taking for friggen' EVER!
Comments
I remember when you were
I remember when you were trying many of these treatments. You have always been conscientious to Gracie's needs and acted on her flare-ups immediately. Gracie seems to be a very sensitive creature - mentally and physically - just as some people are hyper-sensitive to their environments for no rhyme or reason. You don't need to defend yourself to me, and anyone who would care to criticize might want to spend some time reading the archives of this blog to understand how well you've cared for Gracie before commenting.
hang in there
I agree with Anna 100% - you do not need to defend yourself to anyone. When we open ourselves up to the world on the internet, there will always be people who don't agree with something we write or do, and there will always be people who judge us. But there will be far more people who will benefit by sharing our experiences with our cats, and my experience has been, and I'd venture to say so has yours, that the people who support us far outweigh the ones that don't.
You haven't mentioned flower essences in this post, if you're not already using it, I'd suggest trying Rescue Remedy. It's a general stress reliever and can be used with all other forms of medicine and healing, it won't interfere. Also, perhaps a Feliway ComfortZone plug in in the bedroom she spends the most time in. Just reaching for things that might help you!
Poor Robin! :(
Oh Robin, I feel badly that you find yourself in a position where you feel you have to explain yourself. After everything you have done and continue to do for cats, I can't believe anyone honestly and truly doesn't believe you are doing what's best and what's right for your animals. You are SO sensitive, sweet and caring. I thought I was the only crazy woman hyper-tuned-in to her cats. Hah! You have a WHOLE BLOG about it... AND you take care of fosters! That's way more than me... LOL =)
I am so glad you are here. "Here" as in, on this planet to take care of the little furbabies who come your way, and here on the internets so I could find you and find comfort & inspiration in your posts!!! It is so validating to find someone else struggling with a sick kitty. I have been to hell and back with one of mine (Bailey) and we are STILL FIGHTING. Little did I know the things I did thinking they were good for her, were hurting her, and now her poor little body is so messed up, I don't know that there even is a homeostasis anymore for her. EVERY MEAL is tailored to "manage" her body. *sigh*
Bailey is also allergic (or at least sensitive to) to dust mites, and chicken, and possibly duck and turkey and salmon oil, AND she has IBD. (I say "possibly" on duck, turkey & salmon oil because something in the combo there sets her IBD off) Her sensitivities came from a life of eating Wysong and Iams, and then living for 9 yrs in a brand-new apartment building (off-gassing chemicals from treated lumber, new carpeting & flooring, paint, varnish, glues, etc.) which was also treated MONTHLY by Orkin. *shudder* (And I wonder why I had asthma there, myself!!)
But we don't put that together... why would a young cat be sick in a BRAND NEW home, where there are NO BUGS ;) and being fed what is considered THE BEST food?? I was just like every other cat owner out there :( and we just kept throwing steroids at it (depo) because that's what worked.
FINALLY last fall I had an epiphany and started to re-approach it from a holistic perspective. That's when I learned about IBD & allergies being a function of the immune system. I can't tell you how many holistic cat health books I have read and how much research I have done. Email lists, websites, forums, books, you name it.
I was able to get her intestines under control using supplements. I read about raw feeding but it took 7 months before my mind was open enough to try it and do it. Knowing Bailey was probably allergic to chicken, we started with quail & pheasant, but I switched to duck because it was cheaper. Well like any good little overactive & confused immune system kitty, after about 2 months on exclusively duck (because it's all she would eat), she became sensitive/allergic to it. *sigh* Luckily she's always liked beef =) so now she eats beef, goat, a tiny bit of pork, and last night a tiny bit of mouse snuck in! =) (We are trying mutton soon!)
Here lately her skin was breaking out again in those little eosinophilic itchy lesions, and she had occasional diarrhea, so I discontinued giving her salmon oil completely. Ta-da, symptoms stopped. *sigh* I was giving her the salmon oil to try to control her inflammation. So much for that! :\
The only thing I've been able to give her & keep her on faithfully is Life's Transfer Factor Feline. Actually everybody gets the Feline Formula, and Bailey switches between that & the Stress Formula when she has stuff going on (skin/IBD flaring up, or if she's under stress). It has worked WONDERS for her. She has been on it for 9 months now. She has not had an infection from a bite wound since being on it (and she has had over a dozen of those now, poor thing... another cat in the house DOES NOT like her). The one time I stopped giving it to her, she was bitten and within 48 hrs the wound was a SMELLY green slimy mess!! :( I knew right away I had screwed up, ugh!! :-( I started her on the Transfer Factor Stress Formula immediately, and within 24 hours the smell & green slime were GONE, and within 48 hours the wound had scabbed over and was no longer weeping. AMAZING stuff. :) :) :) It keeps her diarrhea at bay, too.
People criticize that the 4Life product isn't good because it is a "multi," it has lots of supplements in it that I "can't control." I don't agree with this for 2 reasons.
(1) Yes, I feed raw, but our nation's food chain is feeding on grains and grasses that come from soils that have been raped and depleted by generations of ignorant & production-based agriculture. We cannot possibly replace all the nutrients we take out with each crop cycle. This is a case where we have sucked up and wrecked what Mother Nature built over hundreds of years. This trickles down our food supply, and results, IMO, in foods (animals, plants and fruits that we eat) that are undernourished in many ways. We aren't getting everything nutritionally that we should be. So while feeding raw ensures many nutrients are not destroyed by the cooking process, it still is low on key nutrients from the start. (Again, this is my opinion!)
(2) Bailey's intestinal tract is surely compromised in nutrient uptake because of her IBD. No inflamed tissue "works right" and I can't expect that her inflamed intestines are any different. Her body is also in a mode of perpetual stress because her body is attacking itself ALL THE TIME. Her body is always in a heightened state of "at work" through inflammation & allergic response. That means her nutritional needs are higher than that of a healthy cat.
So yes, there are supplemental nutrients in the 4Life product. Perhaps they are not perfect ratios or quantities per serving. As every animal is different, no product will ever be perfect; the only alternative is to have 25 supplements in my kitchen and somehow miraculously measure out 4 micrograms of this, and .08 milligrams of that...... LOL....... that's like 2/3 of a fleck of dust or some nonsense. NOT REALISTIC. ;) The imperfect-but-really-good solution that 4Life offers WORKS, and it works very well for my cats, especially my little Bailey. =)
Dr. Andrew Jones has just come out with a new cat supplement. I am leery of it (because I am leery of everything, not because I have a problem w/ Dr. Andrew) and am sending him an email with a couple of questions. If I like his answers, I'm going to order it for my tribe and try it out. It also has cow colostrum in it, plus pre- and pro-biotics, which are great for the immune system. However I am concerned it has fewer transfer factors than the 4Life Transfer Factor products, and that concerns me. Bailey needs more, not less. I like that the 4Life Feline & Stress products have transfer factors from cow colostrum and egg yolks. It is a broader scope of immune system training & regulation, which she needs!
These are strictly products I have used and am happy with the results. I don't know if the whole transfer factor arena might be something that could help your baby, but it is 100% natural and safe. It is not considered a "toxin." It simply retrains kitty's immune system about what are/are not pathogens, and how to deal with them correctly. Our cats have immune systems that are misidentifying threats, and then are incorrectly going apeshit against them. A little tutelage is a good thing, in this case... :)
Robin, I am pulling for you! Hang in there!! You are not alone in this journey and I am so glad that I came across your site........ you truly warm my heart and make me smile. It is so good to know I am not the only crazy cat lady!! hahahahahahaha =) Keep up the GREAT WORK!!!
:) Karin
Hi Robin. What is the
Hi Robin. What is the expression about walking a mile in someone elses shoes? My cat Smokey had a similar problem and we tried some of the same treatments (allergy shots, interferon) with limited success. Something would seem to help for awhile and then would stop helping. There seemed to be a "trigger" for flareups and then they would calm down again. It did get better as he got older but there was never anything that "cured" the problem.
To those who say use steroids again PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ignore them for they have no idea what they are talking about. Steroids are indeed what my vet called the "silver bullet" in this situations. That said, My Smokey was given steriods and went into congestive heart failure. Fortunately the veterinary cardiologist at the vet school saved his life and he lived another 6 years.
Please know that we all care about you and Gracie. People who have not dealt with special needs cats before really have no idea what it's like and frankly are not qualified to express opinions about things they have not experienced directly.
Listen to your heart and it will tell you the right thing to do. (((Hugs))) to you and Gracie.
wow
How could anyone think that YOU, of all people, would mistreat a cat?? :-/
Don't worry about what anyone thinks...it's clear that you love ALL of your furbabies and would do anything to make them happy. It's not your fault Gracie's sick...
I hope this new treatment helps her!
keep us posted
Am sending good vibes your way - you are my hero for hanging in there. Can't wait to hear what the homeopath says!
keep us posted
Am sending good vibes your way - you are my hero for hanging in there. Can't wait to hear what the homeopath says!
Good luck to you and Gracie,
Good luck to you and Gracie, Robin. In terms of your qualifications to be a cat parent, if I were a cat I'd want you for my human mom.
I have a suggestion for you. Witch Hazel. My dog just presented with a lot of irritation on the inside of the hind legs, I noticed him licking, biting, scratching. Took a look and found angry red with some open lessions. So I tried washing it gently with cool water, wondered if Caladryl would help but coudn't find any in my stash. I did find an old bottle of witch hazel. I remembered that as being pretty gentle when I used it. So I poured it on, spread it around with a couple cotton balls. And stopped him every time I caught he going for the area. Second day he was pink, but not bright red and the lesions were gone, but still going for the area. I repeated the washing and witchhazel. Next morning he wasn't even pink, looked like healthy skin and was leaving the area alone. I'm thinking witchhazel is one of those things that is really inexpensive, may not help, but won't hurt.
Mine had alcohol in it, but I think you can find alcohol free (Dickenson's comes to mind as a brand that at least used to be alc free). It can be dilluted with water if you feel it's too strong out of the bottle.
Good luck!
Oh Robin! No, you do not
Oh Robin! No, you do not need to defend yourself to anyone. Everyone who keeps up with you knows how much you love your cats, all cats and all animals. We all know you do the very best for yours as well as those you save.
My old cat (19 yrs) I had before the one now I took for acupuncture. She did great at the vet's office when she got it, but as soon as I brought her home and let her out from her carrier she would run under the bed and never came out for at least 3 days. I finally stopped it because I thought the treatments were just too stressful for her. But I do hope they will work for Gracie. Just because they didn't work for my cat doesn't mean they will not work for Gracie.
All your followers know that you are taking good care of Gracie and will continue to do so and that you are doing your very best to find the solution that works for her.
Hope you had a very pleasant day in NY.
can you "cone" her while you
can you "cone" her while you wait for the accupuncture, at least, so she'll stop licking?
Poor sweetness.
Kisses all around!
No cones
I'm not going to put an "e" collar on her yet. She'll just flip out and hurt herself. She's got bitter apple on her belly and she's seeing the Vet on Tues. Will re-evaluate then. Spent about 4 hours with just her in the foster room last night. We just hung out together and relaxed. Will start doing more "gracie" time every day to see if that helps her to calm down more. Her leg looked a bit better last night. -)
I must confess, Malka has
I must confess, Malka has fewer tantrums when I can spend more "solo" time with her, too.
;)
maybe the older girls just know that little boys take up mama's time, and get stressed....
xo
you said she will flip out on
you said she will flip out on an ecollar, but have thought of one of the soft almost donut shaped cones that have been popping up.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380188217555
I even know of someone who made it with some foam and two kitchen towels..
Have you heard of NAET?
www.naet.com/
Interesting!
Thank you for the info. Dr. H. says no to an e-collar. We want to keep Gracie calm. She will just get (more) depressed if I do that to her, but will certainly go the collar route if we run out of options.
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