Positive thoughts for Scrapper

[lesliek]

Wishes for an easy & good vet visit ! I was also wondering if it could be arthritis, the changing weather seems to aggravate it.

[shadowmice]

Results were good today. He was quite snarly (not a good sign when he is growling as we walk in the door) so they gave him a valium shot to calm him enough to handle him without anyone getting injuried. Not as hard on him as having to "tank" him as she phrased it. He was still very vocal about his displeasure but not enough to actually chew on anyone. And boy, did he have a good feed when we got home; I'm hoping he is sleeping off the rest of the effects while I'm at work.

I asked for an x-ray just to be sure there were no serious issues going on; the vet suspected and the x-rays confirmed that his main issue is constipation. So more laxatone should help that out. Would explain why he would be more cranky some days than others depending on the degree of constipation he was experiencing.

He does have a small touch of arthritis in his knees but nothing too serious. The vet was telling me stats about arthritis; she said 60% (I think it was) of cats his age have it and 100% of cats by 14 years have it. With cats it's not so noticeable as for dogs because cats don't stiffen up the same way - their joints may remain very flexible even when x-rays can show they have really bad arthritis. It impacts cats mostly with the pain.

The in-house blood panel came back normal which she was really pleased about; she figured with the meds he is on he would have had some elevated liver enzymes but so far so good, all normal. So now, we just have to wait for the results for the phenobarb levels to see if his medication needs any adjustment.

Thank you all for the positive vibes.

[Sandi K]

Oh wow this is good news...I mean , not the constipation, but at least its not worse.  I hope the treatment for constipation has Scrapper feeling better soon.  I think its great the labwork came back looking so good too!  Whew! 

Gosh if I had known they give valium shots, I might have asked for one on our last vet visit...for me!   

[merrihart]

I know my 15 yr old has arthritis just from the way he lays down!  I've never spoken to my vet about it, nor has he said anything to me about it.  We've been focused mostly on his mouth, which is the main source of his pain right now.  And I could tell when my angel sooty cat was 10, his hips hurt him, because he stopped jumping and started climbing the furniture. 

I'm glad Scrapper is doing well, and I hope he continues to be good.   

[bug]

That's a good report in my books! Katey is 21 and she does have arthritis. Sometimes you can tell more than other times but she's a trooper and can move pretty fast for an old girl.

[catmom5]

In my experience, miralax works much better and is far easier to give than lactulose or laxatone or any of those. I just mix 1/4 tsp into wet food with a bit of added water. It's tasteless and odorless and doesn't cause cramping, etc. Just something you might want to ask your vet about. Cassie had it before she had her megacolon surgery and CJ gets it now (twice daily because she has trouble pooping for various reasons).

Glad everything else turned out so well.

[Mandycat]

Good news about Scrapper's vet visit!  When Mandy had the major constipation issue a while ago, the Laxatone did help.  I gave it twice a day until she had a good BM.  I usually give Petromalt once or twice a week on a regular basis to prevent constipation because she seems to ingest a lot of hair (medium length hair) even though I comb her regularly.  She very rarely coughs up a hairball, but she does pass it through her stools.  I don't think there is really much difference between the Laxatone and Petromalt, though they have different ingredients.  Mandy prefers the Petromalt and licks it right off my hand, whereas she turned away from the Laxatone and I had to put it into her mouth.  Hope that Scrapper's constipation is relieved quickly and he feels tip-top again!    

[lesliek]

Good news about the vet visit ! Does Scrapper take fish oil ? That can help move things along too & help with any hairballs also.

[catbird]

Very pleased to hear that the visit went pretty well, and that there doesn't seem to be anything more serious than constipation and a bit of arthritis.  Hopefully with a little help, he'll be feeling better soon.

Interesting facts about the arthritis.  Phantom is 14 and shows absolutely no signs of anything.  Isis at 13, however, is showing a little slower travel on stairs once in awhile (runs 90mph instead of 100.)

[JJ]

Nice to hear the vet visit went well. Maybe Sandi has a good idea there - for the pet parent to get a shot too!

[JustMe]

Sorry I'm getting late to this thread, but positive thoughts for Scrapper and you, Shadowmice.  {{hugs}} Thanks for posting  your vet's cat arthritis information.

[August]

Thank goodness for the good news that it is nothing serious.  What a relief.

I hope the next results will bring in more good news.

[mainecoonpeg]

Wonderful vet report for Scrapper, shadowmice!!!!!
The constipation can certainly explain him growling on and off.
My guys get growly if they back up.

Heck my girlfriend hisses and spits when she gets backed up.......I just throw prunes at her.

Interesting information that you shared from your vet about arthritis.  Thank you.

Continuing to keep Scrapper and you in my thoughts and prayers.

[catwoods]

I'm glad Scrapper got a good report and I hope he will be feeling relieved and all better very soon.

[NedF]

I'm really glad you had good news from the vet. Constipation makes everyone cranky, let's face it.  It's also a side effect of the pheno. Thunder was on lactulose every day to keep her from getting backed up.

I hope Scrapper will feel better and have happy pooping soon.