Expert: Karen Craft - 4/3/2011

Question
QUESTION: My 10 and a half year old cat was just diagnosed with a cat cold or case of the herpes virus on Wednesday.He saw the vet that day and had blood work done and everything else turned out normal.My vet kept him for the day to check him out and sent him home with an antibiotic called simplicif which he takes just one half tablet once a day.He has taken 3 doses so far but he hasn,t had any improvement.He is on a small dose of reglan too twice a day to avoid an upset stomach and so he has been alright that way.But he is so congested that he won,t eat or drink water on his own.I have been feeding him his normal diet which is WYSONG urretic by giving him a bite at a time which he eats then and so he is getting his normal amount of food.I also put him on the L-LYSINE cat supplement in the gell which I give him twice a day.I have him in a small room with a vaporizor right now to see if that might help to loosen up his stuffy nose but he sounds very congested.But by looking at him he looks very normal although he sounds stuffed and its locked up in his system.Do you have any suggestions what else I might do to get him well?I would be reassured if he would start eatting and drinking on his own but I don,t mind the extra cat care I have to give for him to make sure he doesn,t go hungry or get dehydrated.I have been giving him water with a syring,about one ounce at a tim 4 or 5 times a day.
Thankyou for any suggestions.I will also mention that he has always had his 3 year cat shots and so I am confused why he has gotton sick because I have taken good care of him and he has always been just a house cat.Do you think the L-lysine for cats is a good choice or do you think maybe he should have the one for people in tablet form?
         Marcie

ANSWER: Hi Marcie,

Try using some saline drops or spray in his nose. This clears up a lot of congestion. He may not tolerate you doing that though. You can try feeding him some of my recipe of Kitty Glop. Cats love it. It's great for any convalescing cat. The humidifier is super. This will help.
L-LYSINE is great. Dosage should be 250-500mg per day. And make sure it is propylene glycol-free. Human or cat type is fine. Get him a immune system booster too. Here's a link for one that is good.

http://www.petnaturals.com/vitamins_supplements/immune-support-cats.php

He just needs a little time for everything to work. It is like what they say when we catch a cold, it will clear up in a week with treatment or 7 days without. He will be better. Good luck and take care.

Ciao, Karen

KITTY GLOP

INGREDIENTS:
1 can goat milk or evaporated milk, (not sweetened condensed)
2 tbsp. plain yogurt (not low or non fat) Greek yogurt is good.
2 tbsp. mayonnaise (real not light or No-Fat)
1 tbs. Karo Syrup (light)
1 pkg. Knox unflavored gelatin
1 egg yolk (beaten,)
1 cup Pedialyte (unflavored)
2 jars Stage One Meat Baby food (chicken,turkey, or beef)
1 can cat food, (same flavor as baby food)

INSTRUCTIONS:
Mix milk, yogurt, mayonnaise, baby food, cat food, and syrup together well. Hand blender works well for this. Bring 1 cup pedialyte to boil and mix in Knox gelatin. Set aside. Mix egg yolk with small amount of milk mixture and beat well.

Add gelatin and pedialyte to milk mixture and beat well. Add in egg yolk mixture and beat well. Remember to not use egg substitute and keep egg white to a minimum.

Pour into bowl (with cover) and set in refrigerator. Glop will last for two weeks covered in refrigerator. Try freezing the mixture in ice cube trays and store the cubes in the freezer, thaw as many as needed.
Feed a couple of tablespoons to cat 3-4 times a day. If he wants more let him have it.

Always warm glop to room temperature ,(milk form), or a little warmer, before feeding.  






---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: My cat has recovered from is so called upper respiratory virus which I think might have been misdiagnosed.He was put on Bytril and reglan for 9 days but after this treatment suffered from diarhea and vomititing.He would not eat or drink water and so I took him to another vet for another opinion.He said he probably has stomach ulcers and gastro intestinal problems.He put him on 4 medications twice a day which I use in moderation as I don,t like to over medicate.The drugs are carafe,reglan,metronidazole,and cyprohepdadine as an appetite stimulant.I have not put him on the metronidazole as I,ve read the bad side effects on this drug and I think I had a cat on this drug before before who ended up dying as she had menengitis type disorders and tremers.What do you think of this type of drug and do you think the carafate and reglan are safe?The cat does not seem to need the cyprohepadene that much as he will eat his canned food quite well without it so far so I use that drug in moderation also.Do you know of any natural things that might help him as well and do you think a little yogurt is good for this?He seemes to be doing a little better on the relan and carafate,although I have used the carafate in smaller amounts then prescribed as I don,t want him to become constipated.Although I am concerned that he isn,t drinking water and I tried syringe feeding him small amounts of water at a time which ended up making him vomit his previous meal.I feed him canned food right now and my vet this might have suffitient amount of water in it so I will probably discontinue syringe feeding water as hopefully he will start drinking water on his own.He is on the Royal Canin RS diet right now which my vet says is just temporarary.He will not touch his Wysong Uretic dry food since he has been sick with this condition.Do you know of any other good canned cat foods that are good for sensitive stomachs and also good for the keeping the urrinary tract in good order?The veternary diets are sometimes necessary although I feel aren,t always as nutritious for cats.He is almost 11 years old and so he needs a senior cat food.He has lost almost 3 pounds over this illness and if I can,t ge him to immprove he will have to have an ultrasound.It is a very complex problem.But I have ordered him the immune support for cat which I will try also.He is also on the vetri science l-lysene soft chews which he really likes and thinks is a real treat.But his blood work came back normal so right now other then this stomach disorder he is a healthy cat.Thankyou for any suggestions.
         Marcie

Answer
Hi Marcie,

Here's a great link to a site that is extremely informative about cat nutrition.

http://www.catinfo.org/

I would put him on the Metronidazole. It is perfect antibiotic for the gastro problems. When you put him on it just monitor him. The Carafate is to take care of his ulcers. Don't give both at the same time. Is he still vomiting? If he isn't don't give him the Reglan.
Give him the amounts that are prescribed. Giving less on the antibiotic is useless.
I have a cat now that can't drink,(mouth ulcers). I add extra water to his wet food, about a tablespoon extra. I feed my cat three times a day. This way I know he is getting enough water. I hope this helped you. Good luck and take care.

Ciao, Karen