Where has all the poundage gone? Long time pass-sss-ing.....

Well,  I stopped giving Milks the cyproheptadine two weeks ago.  Tapered it for the previous week.  And, while he is still mildly interested in food, he is losing weight again.  I need to talk to Dr. G and see if he feels that there would be some problem with using the cypro on a fairly regular basis.

I have been noticing some odd behaviors lately, too.  Some things remind me of hyperesthesia - he is slightly resistent to being stroked down his back recently, and kind of shrinks from touching,  and he has started doing some really strange stuff with his tail....  It's almost like he doesn't realize that his tail is attached to him any more or something.  Very odd.  

Still bizarre missing weights....

Came back here a couple minutes ago, and once again, there is no weight data since December 2, 2011.  I KNOW I added several when I made the last post.  And I just added a weight for today, and one for last month, and when I went back to look, they were gone!  The Haunted Blog  List......  I redid them, and they're still there, as of 6:34 PM, 5/2/12.    We'll see....  It'd be different if it didn't MATTER, especially since he is actually gaining weight.  Some of the missing weights were among the lowest ever - barely over 8 and a half pounds.

I am still giving him cyproheptadine - 1/4 tablet twice a day, shortly before he is fed.  I don't see any negative side effects from the medication, which is wonderful.  Occasionally, I skip a dose, and he seems somewhat less interested in eating, so I guess it's still working properly. 

Weight records?

I just went to add another weight (today's) to Milk's record on the side here, and discovered that all of the 2012 weights have disappeared.  I can't figure it out.  And I know, because I've been concerned about his weight for months, that I was recording them.  Very strange.  Even worse, two weeks ago, he had been eating so little on his own that I started giving him 1/4 tablet of cyproheptadine, and, although my perception was that he was still eating very little, the last time he was weighed at the vets, he was up to 9 pounds, 4 ounces!  (Although, I never think that the vet's scale is accurate.....)  Anyway, four or five days ago, I stopped the cypro, and once again, he's not eating much, particularly in the morning.  My only hope is,  the cats all free-feed, so maybe he's up nibbling at leftovers all night long.  I don't know....


Somehow - of course, I suspect Busy - Milk's got a quarter size wound on his lower back.  It appeared out of the blue a month ago, and unfortunately, it's in a location where he can actually reach it and lick and lick at it.  Unlike the gnawing that Busy used to do on Milkshake's neck, which at least had the chance to heal.  These sores are larger, and always red from being abraded by his tongue.  I have been putting vaseline on it, in the hopes of helping it to heal without using something that might hurt Milk if he licks it.  Ha, "if".  I tried putting a little sweater on him, but he was totally incapacitated for an entire day by the "weight" of the sweater - that dumb thing cats do when you try to put clothes on them:  "Oh, this is so heavy , I can't move."  It did heal up and disappear once for about two days, but it's back again.

I believe Milkshake is still missing Scruffy.  He hasn't resumed his usual habits - where he sleeps, who he snuggles up again, the eating problems.  It hurts my heart to think he's sad and doesn't understand.  


We had bloodwork done in the vet's office for the regular stuff, and sent samples to Auburn for phenobarb and keppra testing.  Although I haven't seen the actual results from the vet yet, he called and said that everything was absolutely normal.  The phenobarb level was down slightly to 26.8, which is very good, as the range is 15 - 45 for the mid-therapeutic range for dogs and cats, and the keppra/levetiracetam level was, well, it is what it is, and has been. It was 23.4.  The therapeutic range (established for humans) is 5.5 - 21.   The report said:  "The concentration of levetiracetam mid-interval is in the high therapeutic range most commonly associated with seizure control in humans.  The relevance of these concentrations to canine or feline epileptics has yet to be confirmed."  They talk about peak and trough levels, but, especially since Keppra (the brand name - it's shorter!) is actually intended to be given TID, I don't see the relevance of those levels because Milk's only getting it twice a day.  


 I'm not changing a thing with his anti-convulsants.  

Milk's buddy is gone....

Scruffy left us on Monday, March 5, 2012.  Milk is plainly aware that he's gone, and seems kind of restless.  He has been spending a lot of time in the new heated cat bed I bought a couple of weeks ago, and on the kitty pi in the living room where he and Puffy would spend hours all curled up together.  We're all mourning.