We are back from the vet. The good: Zowie doesn't have a fever, and she has good reflexes, and also has a very good yowl (which the vet found out when she had to get one of the techs to help take Zowie's temperature and stuff).
The not as good: Zowie will get to be on metronidazole for five days (2x day). We have asked for the liquid version because she hates pills, so she won't get to start it until the vet's office can get it in. Hopefully she won't mind the liquid version too much.
The also not as good: Zowie has lost some weight. When I last weighed her (April) she was 3.79kg. Right now according to the vet, she is 3.41kg. I am going to weigh her on my scale to double-check, but that still means she has lost almost .4kg (14oz/0.9lbs). That's quite a lot for a kitty as small as Zowie is.
Does anyone know of any good foods to help kitties gain (healthy) weight? They would have to be grain-free as Pandora would get them too. But we would really love some suggestions. :)
Also thank you so much to everyone for your purrs and prayers!
10 comments:
I am a vet tech, and metronidazole is a good gut antibiotic as well as an anti-inflammatory. It is used even when we don't know what caused the tummy upset. It is used in IBD, for some intestinal parasite, for bacterial overgrowth, etc.
Unfortunately it is extremely bitter and even in a flavored suspension most cats will foam and salivate. If you find you are unable to give it to Zowie, there is a form of it that we use at the cat hospital were I work that is called Metronidazole Benzoate Tiny Tabs 50mg and we get them from a compounding pharmacy called
Wedgewood.
Have your vet check into it, even if your kitty is fine with the suspension, most cats aren't and it would be good info for them to know about--heck, maybe they already do but sometime dog and cat vets think with their dog brains and we know, dogs will eat almost anything, hahameow!
The food choices are many, but not knowing if she has hypersensitivity or IBD or bacterial overgrowth, (did your vets give you their opinion or did they run some tests to rule out causes yet?
A good place to start might be duck and green pea. Royal Canin IVD makes one, as well as Natural Balance, an OTC variety.
When the gut is irritated it can't absorb nutrients like when it was healthy. Probiotics can help. One we use is Fortiflora. It is not a prescription item.
I know this is just a start, but feel free to email or call me if you have questions and I can try and help...
Teri
If it is too hard to get the metronidazole down Zowie's throat, another option would be to put it on her ears, so it would be absorbed through the skin. Luna got some very bitter medicine that way when it just became too hard to get the pills down. A compounding pharmacy should be able to set that up for you.
ppuurrrrss
We are still purring for your sweet babies1
So she's not hyper-t, right? Sorry, I'm behind in the posts. How old is she? I have a cat who was diagnosed last year with hyper-t, though she's only 9. Average age is 13.
I've given FortiFlora before. The cats love it, but it's not for long-term use, forget why. The animal digest, I guess.
Good luck!
I think Teri has the best suggestion. My paws are staying crossed for Zowie.
We are sorry Zowie isn't feeling well. EVO is grain free and Tiki really likes the EVO Wild Cravings treats. They helped her gain back some weight she lost because Kirby kept eating most of her food. It helps that Kirby would rather have Wellness jerky treats (also grain free) and leaves Tiki's treats alone.
So sorry to hear about Zowie! You might try cheese..looks like she has friends with excellent suggestions!
Purrs and prayers that she gets better soon!
We are sending lots of purrs and prayers for Zowie - I know that with Kirzon it is impossible to get him to take anything, so my only suggestion is to try the kitty burrito wrap - that can make them feel more secure (though I admit it didn't work with Kirzon) and make it easier to give them their meds. If she does have problems with the liquid and you do end up going with that tiny pill that Terri mentioned they do make a duck and pea version of pill pockets which is good for allergic and sensitive cats - and from what I have seen it is pretty tasty because my cats (excluding Kirzon) have all tried it and liked it. When Floyd was on liquid meds I would mix it in a bit of baby food sometimes to make it taste "better" - if you get a meat baby food (with no onion in it) that might help a bit (but if it is super bitter it may not work - but it is also a way to get a few extra calories in her if it works).
As far as grain-free foods for gaining weight, I can't tell you which are best for weight gain but we just started on the blue buffalo at our house and they are loving it. They also love Taste of the Wild but that is harder to find (but it is very reasonable in price compared to a lot of the other grain free - not sure why it is less though). We are sending over lots of purrs and prayers for Zowie.
Sounds like you've gotten some good advice. We are purring and praying for Zowie.
Looks like you have received a lot of good advice! Willow and I don't have any advice but we are sending over some soft healing purrs!
Purrrrrrrrrrs, China Cat
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