Blogging is like my diary

I remember a few times I got a "My Diary" as a Christmas gift and I'd eagerly await 1 January so I could start to write in it. My blogging is alot like my diary experiences. I'd write in my diary every day for about the first 2 weeks and then it'd be once or twice a week for another 2 weeks and then it'd be about 3 times for the whole year. I have concluded "My Diary" and my blog reflect my life ... too boring to put into words.
I started part of this blog as a way to keep track of Chessie's medical history. She has now been on Denamarin for a year and liquid milk thistle for cats. So far it seems to be working fine. Chessie is still the one in charge in this house and demands much loving and play time. However, whenever she appears sick I panic. She has had one runny eye for about 5 months now and Paul thinks she's looking a little skinny lately. After looking at her this morning I have to agree she's looking thin. Now the panic begins. I worry so much about the FIP and her liver condition. Her appetite seems to be okay but she doesn't seem to be eating as much as she used to (progression from kitten to cat?) and she seems to tire faster when chasing paper balls (again, is it that she's outgrowing being a kitten?). More panic. I think maybe it's time to take her in for a checkup.
Lizzy, on the other hand, is still Lizzy. She doesn't particularly like to be petted nor picked up and of course any loud noise sends her running. I guess she's healthy except for the normal hairball hurl. She has started to jump up into my lap occasionally while I'm reading the morning paper so that's a nice thing. And Lizzy is usually the first one to greet me as I get up in the morning because she knows I'm going to feed her. She is definitely a chow hound although it has to be something she likes.

Chessie's Diary

This a picture of Chessie, our 10 month old kitten, sitting on Paul's lap with her pathetic sickly look. I'm starting her diary today because I want to keep a diary of how my little kitten is doing on new medications. She has been such a sick kitty since around December 7, 2008. First we think she had a urinary tract infection and then got pneumonia. After a few weeks on antibiotics and with only the sneezing being gone we had x-rays and blood work done. Yesterday we received the news that Chessie has been exposed to Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) and has liver damage. Not good news for us or her. Of course with her being exposed to FIP means that her sister, Lizzy has been now too. The veterinarian has recommended two drugs that she has used successfully for dogs with liver damage but never a cat. So we will see how Chessie does on it. The vet says we should see some improvement within about 2 weeks. This morning we gave Chessie her first doses. If this works it will be for the rest of her life, however long that may be if the FIP virus becomes full blown. This will be a lifestyle change for everyone involved. She gets two different kinds of pills (which are always such a joy to give to a cat). The first pill must be given on an empty stomach one hour before feeding (preferably in the A.M.). So that means no breakfast for anybody. Wow! Two hungry cats in the morning who aren't getting fed for another hour. That's fun. And then the other pill an hour after being fed. Neither one of them are happy with us in the morning now.

Our vet has described these medications as being homeopathic. The first one is Denamarin. The description is: contains SAMe which markedly increases liver glutathione levels, a potent antioxidant. SAMe also helps protect liver cells from cell death and may help cell repair and regeneration. Denamarin also has Silybin, is the most active part of an extract from milk thistle. The second medication is Marin for cats. The description is: Marin for Cats is a combination of silybin and vitamin E. It is available as a single strength. Silybin is the most biologically active component of an extract known as silymarin. Silymarin/silypin has been shown to have beneficial effects on liver function. Vitamin E, a membrane-associated antioxidant, helps protect the liver against oxidant injury.

A good website to read about liver disease/failure in dogs and cats is:
http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.com/avhc/Medicine/Liver-disease-and-treatment-in-dogs-and-cats-Proce/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/568333

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is a viral disease of cats caused by certain strains of a virus called the feline coronavirus. Most strains of feline coronavirus are avirulent, which means that they do not cause disease. Cats infected with a feline coronavirus generally do not show any symptoms during the initial viral infection, and an immune response occurs with the development of antiviral antibodies. In a small percent of infected cats (5 to 10 percent), either by a mutation of the virus or by an aberration of the immune response, the infection progresses into clinical FIP. The virus is then referred to as feline infectious peritonitis virus (FIPV). Once a cat develops clinical FIP involving one or many systems of the cat’s body, the disease is progressive and is almost always fatal. Any cat that carries any coronavirus is potentially at risk for developing FIP. However, cats with weak immune systems are most likely to develop the disease, including kittens, cats already infected with feline leukemia virus (FeLV), and geriatric cats. Most cats that develop FIP are under two years of age, but cats of any age may develop the disease. Read more about FIP at: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/fip.html