Ellie-Mae off to the whitecoats...

[carole]

Tomorrow Ellie will have her annual check up and flu vaccination, however this is normally routine, and i would not be worried, but i have grave concerns for my furbaby, she is the one with the chronic gingivitis condition,she is on three steroids daily permanently,still she continues to eat well sometimes, and others not so good, i can tell her mouth is still painful and she does not look well at times, it is a very up and down condition, unfortunately she continues to loose weight,not a good sign at all.

I also found a small lump beside one of her nipples, so that is my main worry, so please keep her in your thoughts and prayers would not go a miss , i appreciate any support from my fellow PTers.

I just cannot bear to loose another one of my cats, but i know that Ellie's life span has been shortened by this awful illness, and she is going down hill, still i continue to try to think positive and hope for the best results, i am so nervous though, i doubt i will sleep well tonight.

She is my cute girl in my siggy,i just have to hope that the lump is nothing major, fingers and all paws crossed for a good outcome to this visit.

[Barbara]

I'm sorry to hear about Ellie-Mae's problems- I hope most of it will be ok with your little girl.

[Freedom]

Prayers for Ellie Mae.

[Pinot's Mom]

Prayers from Ellicott City for little Ellie Mae!:love:

[Medusa]

We're praying for you, Ellie-Mae.

[catmandu]

We are sending our prayers for Ellie Mae and we pray that her White Coats can find a way where she can eat in comfort. Our Vet Vistor Angels will be with Ellie Mae 100 % to comfort her on her visit.:love::love::love:

[Anikaca77]

Prays coming your way for Ellie-Mae.

[3Catcondo]

Sending prayers to you from me and my fur clan, all the way from Richmond, VA! Here's to a good visit with the white coats tomorrow Ellie Mae.

:love:

[katladyd]

I'm sending you and Ellie-Mae tons of good thoughts and prayers. Be well Baby Girl!:love:

[Lilith Cherry]

Lots of good thoughts and prayers from Canada too , Ellie-mae!

[cassiesmom]

Prayers for Ellie Mae.

From me too :love:

[carole]

Thanks my friends, my stomach is churning this morning, two hours to go and we shall find out what is what, here's hoping she will be ok, will let you all know when i do.

[Laura's Babies]

I hope it is not to late to send up prayers for her! Prayers are on their way...

[krazyaboutkatz]

I hope that everything goes well. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent her way.

[phesina]

Prayers and good strong energies and healing wishes are being sent to Ellie-Mae. May the visit to the Whitecoats go well!

[Freedom]

Just popped in to check for updates.

[carole]

I wish i had good news to tell you, Ellie's mouth is just awful, i am surprised she can even eat at all, poor wee thing, it is almost as bad as when i had to let my Ash go,despite her treatment,i have always known that i would probably have to let Ellie go because of it,but no not yet.

The lump could be either cancerous or not, but it is not fatty tissue, which is what i had hoped for,i don't know how long it has been there, and i just have to hope that it has been there a while and not growing.

The option to have it removed is not a good one, because of Ellie's condition, going under could be fatal, not necessarily whilst under, but afterwards,last time she had her dental she got the cat flu despite her vaccination and was close to dying,this time she might not get so lucky.
Also being on steroids lowers her immunity to infection,and often stress will bring the cat flu on as Ellie is a a carrier,a catch 22 situation here.

Ellie continues to slowly loose weight, she probably is as thin as when i first rescued her five years ago, she is 3.5kgs and used to be 4.4kgs before this mouth problem invaded her already stressed wee body.

I also decided i did not want to put Ellie through any more, i know that her life span is going to be shortened, and i just have to keep her going as long as i can and keep her as comfortable as i can in the meantime. I did ask what if the lump is cancerous and causes her pain, how will i really know, he said if she stops eating , then you will know .

It is a hard decision to make,but i have made it, Ellie suffers enough with her bad mouth, no more for my girl.

Today she had her flu jab and we got another jab for the pain,it has been a while since she had one of those, so hoping it helps with her comfort, she also had one of her ears cleaned out, was a bit mucky, she hated that more than anything else, poor wee girl also peed just before we took her out of the cage, through stress.

She is not feeling the best right now, but hopefully tomorrow she might pick up or in the next few days.

My heart is heavy right now, i feel very low and depressed just thinking about what is ahead, I love this wee girl with all my heart, she is such a character, I cannot believe i am going to be loosing another cat, if she is with us next xmas, that will indeed be a bonus, and we can only hope for that, as long as she is reasonably comfortable, i know with her mouth she does experience pain no matter what we do for her, which concerns me a great deal.

The only consolation in all of this, is i know Ellie would have died years ago, she at least has had five happy years with me and hopefully with a miracle maybe a few more yet.

Thanks for all the prayers and good wishes, sadly,sometimes even that is just not enough.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so sorry that you received bad news about Ellie.:( It's so hard to watch our furkids being in pain.:( I hope that you'll be able to make her comfortable so she can be with you longer. I'm sure she'll let you know when she's ready to go though. I'll keep her in my thoughts and prayers. Please take care. (((HUGS)))

[carole]

Thank you for your kind words, they sure help me a lot, yes i hope i know when , i found it pretty hard with my Ash, i still think today maybe i let him go on too long,one just never knows for certain.

She is one fiesty lil girl, i can tell you, so she still has that in her, until i see that fade away, i think she is here to stay for a while longer yet, it is just the knowing that i am going to loose her, that eats away at me, and makes me so terribly sad., i am also wondering how poor nikkita will cope when Ellie goes, it is her mother, and although she is one mean mother, always attacking her, Nikki still loves her, she is somewhat wary and frightened of her, but they have been together all their lives,I have no idea how it will affect my other sweet girl.

Anyhow i need to think positive and not dwell on the negative, and hope for a good long run with my girl.

[3Catcondo]

I'm sorry that it's not good news. It's so hard when they are feeling bad and we cannot fix it, and how to know when it's time to let them go. That's the hardest thing to do as a pet owner is to let go, but we will be here for you when that time comes. I will send good thoughts and prayers your way for her to be comfortable and spend much more time with you.

Amy

[Freedom]

Aw, Carol, sending you a HUG! Seems you could use one about now.

Can Ellie Mae get more pain injections, and did the vet indicate how often, how you will know she needs one?

I certainly think you have made a wise choice, the best option for her, to manage the pain. I don't remember hearing she had all these underlying issues. And as you explained, her age is against a surgery too.

Been there, done that, and no, it is never easy.

Enjoy each day with her.

[Catty1]

Wishing less pain and more comfort and feistiness for Ellie Mae. :love: Maybe a regular pain shot is an idea...or perhaps there is a painkiller gel that can be applied to her skin and soak in.

I hope she does perk up in the next few days. She could not be any more loved or cared for as she is by you, Carole. You gave her 5 wonderful years she would not have had.

Prayers for more wonderful years.:love:

[carole]

Thanks guys you are the best, believe me i have explored everything i possibly can for Ellie with regard to her mouth condition, there is no cure and things that might work are just that a huge might, and too much high risk with her.

She is not that old coming up 11 this year, and i would really like to have at least another 3 to 4 years with her.

You never can tell, i don't think it is near her time yet, but one just never knows what is around the corner, if the lump does not get any bigger, then we at least have that on our side,unfortunately it is just one more thing we did not need , she has enough going on with this mouth condition, believe me it is very unpleasant for her.

The injection she just had, i don't think she could have on too much of a regular basis, but i will check that out,it is like anything else, after a while nothing has any effect, she started on half a steroid twice daily, now up to three, max is four, i am keeping that for when things really get bad, otherwise i have nowhere to go if i give her that much every day, i need that one up my sleeve for the worst times.

It is a very cruel illness ,we all know how awful it is ourselves if we ever have a sore mouth, it hurts so much to eat, Ellie is very brave and her courage amazes me, she trys so hard, i am very fortunate that i can spend quality time with all my cats, and it is just as well, without my care, Ellie would not keep going, i have to encourage her so much to eat, often she just walks away, but with words and lots of patting she eats for me, i do think it is a bit of a habit now, she won't eat unless i am with her, but hey if it works so be it.

The pain injections are expensive for us, 37 dollars each time,plus consult fee, my vet is great though and only charges minimal for her consult fee,as she has a chronic condition, it does not sound much to some ,but for us it is, on top of her steroid medication, however i would find a way to give them to her more regularly if it helps and can be done, i will ask my vet what the situation is there.

I am not even sure if it is a pain med, but i think so.

Anyhow i certainly am not giving up on Ellie, far from it, hey this time next year i might still be writing about her, i sure hope so, time is of the essence though, we don't know how long that will be , so every moment shall be cherished, and she will be given the best care i can give her.

[Medusa]

The only consolation in all of this, is i know Ellie would have died years ago, she at least has had five happy years with me and hopefully with a miracle maybe a few more yet.

Try to keep this in mind daily, Carole. It does help. I wish the prognosis were better. (((HUGS))) :love:

[Anikaca77]

My prays are coming for Ellie-Mae and for you as well.

Melissa

[jennielynn1970]

Many comforting thoughts and prayers going out to you and to Ellie-Mae. Poor little thing. I hope she'll rebound and have a good many years with you yet!

[mrspunkysmom]

I am so sorry to hear about Ellie and her mouth problems. Sam has chronic problems, too, but not that bad. Hopefully never. He gets bottled water without minerals, which has had a tremendous effect. He is sensitive too the additives in the public water supply. He is on steroids but every three months not daily. I hope it stays that way.

I do hope Ellie can improve and feel better.

[Pinot's Mom]

Prayers still coming, Carole, for a good outcome in all this. I know she means so much to you and you'd do anything in the world for her. :love:

[carole]

Thanks everyone for your support and encouraging and kind words,means so much.
Ellie seems happier today, the injection will have reduced her inflammation somewhat, to be honest when i saw how bad her poor mouth was, i almost cried then and there, i knew it was not good, but she is not keen on me looking, and i don't like to too often as i know it hurts her, i just see it when i pill her three times daily.
She ate reasonably well today, so that is good.

Mrspunkysmom, i was told by a lady at the cat shelter that ginger cats are more prone to this, my ellie has ginger in her, but she is a calico as you can see,so i am not certain how much truth there is to that, but maybe there is something in their gene pool, who knows.

Thanks Mary, yes i do try and keep that in mind, my husband keeps reminding me of that, ellie would have died a slow and painful death from starvation through her illness if that horrible woman had still owned her, she did nothing for them, even to the point of only feeding them now and then.

Ellie had a rough life for six years, i am sure it has taken its toll, however i know that the chronic mouth condition can happen to any cat, so it has nothing to do with her initial bad care, but other things certainly could crop up in the meantime due to the neglect she suffered.

Well onwards and upwards as the saying goes, we are keeping positive.

My courtyard is not finished yet, it has the cobblestones to go down, but we have our outdoor set up and the cats just love to join us out there, they also love rollling in the gravel, and having dust baths in it, much to my dismay,they almost need a bath to come inside, lil monkeys, but still it is lovely on a summers days to be out there enjoying it with my cats, especially seeing my Ellie stretched out enjoying the nice weather.

[mrspunkysmom]

Mrspunkysmom, i was told by a lady at the cat shelter that ginger cats are more prone to this, my ellie has ginger in her, but she is a calico as you can see,so i am not certain how much truth there is to that, but maybe there is something in their gene pool, who knows.

Glad she's feeling better. If Ginger is also Orange, then that applies to Sam as well. My Calico female, RB Maggie, had teeth problems, too. The filtered water doesn't prevent the problems, but it does greatly reduce the recurrence.

This vet is trying other preventive measures so he can keep his teeth, but I am not opposed to pulling teeth if it means a better quality of life. A previous vet told me to feed dry food since that helps with tartar, but she didn't know what to say when I told her that Sam is the dry food eater in the house.

I do hope she can improve.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

Prayers on the way from me for you both too. :love:

[dehlers43]

Would removing all of her teeth help at all? Growing up, the family kitty lost all of her teeth (we didn't have a clue about cat dental care) and lived quite happily for at least 4 years until she died at the respectable age of 16 1/2. She even caught a huge gopher and brought it home to us....

[carole]

Taking all Ellie's teeth out is not an option because the success rate is only like 30 per cent, you could put her through all that and she will still have the condition ,there are no guarantees, and it is too high risk for Ellie.,and way to traumatic for her, she would be so stressed, that she would probably get the cat flu again, and she could potentially die from that, anyhow i did look in to everything possible and i have made my decision to keep her comfortable for as long as i possibly can, i will not be putting her through any surgery,or any further pain.

Yes when i say ginger i mean orange, it sounds like Sam's condition is slightly different, ellie has trouble eating all her food, i have to mash up all her cat food, trouble is if it is too moist it sticks to her mouth, and if too hard , she cannot eat it, we have to try and find one just right, at the moment i have found one that is quite good and she likes, she can eat dry biscuits, but she only swallows them whole, and she prefers wet food.

I am happy just to get her to eat to be frank, so whatever she can manage she will have.

[katladyd]

Know that I am sending up good thoughts are prayers for you both. Feel better precious Ellie-Mae!:love:

[dehlers43]

Taking all Ellie's teeth out is not an option because the success rate is only like 30 per cent, .
Well, you have been so diligent in treating Ellie-Mae that I figured you had already explored this option but I thought I would mention it just in case.....sending you both positive, healing thoughts.....:love:

[carole]

Yes and thank you for your advice, believe me any option is worth mentioning, you just never know, i had even looked into alternative treatment, i would like to explore this more, but the expense is probably more than i could afford, i had read to put on an aloe vera gel which is safe for cats and can help with pain relief, do you think i could get one in our health food shops, not on your life, had the drinks etc, but no gel, however that was a while back, so maybe i will try again.

Again all comments are appreciated, as is all the kind words of support and caring that i know i can always rely on here from my PT friends, and fellow animal lovers.

Ellie is quite a bit brighter today, so i think the injection has helped, it only really helps for two weeks though, not much longer, but still it could be just what she needs right now, and hopefully her steroids will help her the rest of the time until she crashes again.

Ellie sends you big soft miaows of appreciation for your concern.:D

[phesina]

Sending all our love and prayers and comforting wishes to Ellie-Mae and you both, Carole. I am so sorry.

[mrspunkysmom]

Glad she is feeling better. Sam actually has stomatitis, but it sounds like it hurts like gingivitis. While he prefers dry food, he eats a lot of wet food these days. He is stubborn about people touching him, so the smell test and a vet visit determine if he has flared. If he is snacking on dry food I know that he is feeling good.

Hope she continues to improve.

[carole]

Ellie has stomatitis/gingivitis, sounds like a very similar thing, i guess it depends on how good your cats immune system is as well, their age, gene pool , all kinds of things, she has had a rough life, before i rescued her, so it all could have a bearing, i do know that is can be genetic, so i have been worried about her daughter Nikki, so far so good, her gums are nice and healthy pink.

Unfortunately Ellie is not at all well today, i could hardly get her to eat anything, so sad, as you can tell she is hungry, the steroids stimulate her appetite, but everything must not smell so good and it hurts to eat, just been to get her some new food to try, so here's hoping, she just looked so unhappy today, i was crying my eyes out, patting her trying to get her to eat, believe it or not when i started crying , she started to eat, as if she knew it would stop me crying and make me better, i swear that kitty knows, she is the only kitty who when i am ill comes and lies with me, which is not something she does that often normally.

So wish me success with the new food, and pray hard that Ellie will just be going through another rough time and pick up again, this so reminds me of what i went through with my Ash, he had renal failure but it was complications , his mouth that took him from me in the end.

I just want to see that contented happy look on her wee darling face of her's, just have to hope for the best outcome in a very bleak one at that.

[Catty1]

Carole - do you have an aloe vera plant, or know someone who does?

It's easy to cut off a bit of - and squirt the insides of - the 'branches' or whatever they are and get a bit of the gel that's inside. It would certainly be organic.

Continuing prayers for Ellie Mae.:love:

[carole]

No Candace i don't know of anyone with one, but i will look in to it, at the moment there is no way i could even attempt to do anything to her mouth, it would be beyond being cruel, she just is not a happy girl today, and i am gravely concerned,it looks all too familar,what i went through with Ash, having said that, he often did a turn around when i least expected it, and Ellie has been bad before, perhaps just not this bad, i am hoping maybe it is that she is just a little more unwell due to her flu vaccination, i do know her mouth is awful though, she did eat a little of the new food, but not much, she is enjoying basking in the sun, so i think she must be feeling cold, it is a hot summers day here down under.

Thanks for the continuing support for me, prayers for Ellie, we sure need em, my girl will do a turn around i am sure of it.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Carole, I'm so sorry that she won't eat today.:( Has your vet ever mentioned about possibly putting in a feeding tube for her? I've never had it done to any of my cats so I don't know what's involved but then she could still get all of the nutrients she needs without having to use her poor sore mouth. Just a thought. She remains in my thoughts and prayers. Please take care. (((HUGS)))

[carole]

No he hasn't and i would not go for that, she is eating still, just not a lot, i just got her to eat some biscuits, my main priority here is to keep her comfortable, i won't be putting Ellie through anything that i consider traumatic for her , i appreciate your thoughts though, just not an option i wish to pursue, but thanks anyhow.

[Catty1]

A small idea...if you could maybe get a small container of aloe drink or liquid, and a small spray bottle from a dollar store or some such, perhaps you could spray her gums or mouth without having to touch it.

Just a thought, Carole - I know you are getting ideas from all sides here, and it can be overwhelming. :love::love:

[Laura's Babies]

Prayers for her are on their way again. May whatever time she has left with you be quality time for her and for you! Give her soft kisses for me...

[carole]

She has tried so hard to eat today, bless her,whatever encouragement i can give her i will, she has not eaten that much, but enough to get her by. She is a very brave wee girl,one who has survived much and will continue to strive to survive i think.

Candace that is not such a bad idea you know, probably at the moment it would only hurt her too much, but when things subside a little maybe, it is a devil of a situation , as now is when she needs any intervention possible, but by the same token her mouth is too sore to be doing anything ,i really am a little scared to do anything, i mean what if it really hurts her, i have no way of knowing for sure whether alternative medicine will work or make it worse.

Well we got through today, and i can only hope for more improvement tomorrow, i gave her an extra steroid today, that is why i keep that extra dose just incase we have episodes like we have now, not sure it will do much, but one can only hope and pray it will.

I am not comfortable seeing her so miserable, she is not my girl, i brought her inside before the evening, she loves to sit on the outdoor verandah in the cat shelter, usually she struggles like mad and i end up with some nice scratches, she did not even put up much of a fight, and i plonked her on the cat bed and she stayed there, not my Ellie's usual behaviour, however she did get down shortly afterwards and headed towards the kitchen, looking for some food.

She also sits and stares at you constantly until you get up and make some food,but not tonight, so all her common behaviours are just not there, not a good sign.

However she is still alert enough, and that is a good sign,.

She is all snuggled now in the cat bed asleep now,hoping she gets some nice cat sleep,and wakes up feeling better.

Today she should have been given her flea treatment, i have put it off for one day, as she has had so much chemicals through her poor little system, i just cannot give her another on top of everything else, it is a new one too, so hopefully she will tolerate it ok,changing from advantage to revolution, as we noticed nikki seems to have a reaction to advantage, so vet suggested this, so thought we might as well put them all on it, works out better for us and we get rewards with this one,and it does more, so fingers and paws crossed.

[phesina]

More prayers for dear little Ellie-Mae.

[pomtzu]

Carole - my outdoor resident stray has a mouth issue and has difficulty eating also. He loves his dry food, but he wouldn't/couldn't chew it and was swallowing it whole and then barfing it up, so he was getting no nourishment at all. He would eat a little wet food, but not enough to keep him going.

So I started soaking his dry food in hot water till the water was all absorbed, and then mashing the little pieces of soggy kibble into a mushy mixture with a fork. I mash it to the consistency of pudding, and then add even more warm water to get it to the consistency of a very soft pudding, and he laps that up and begs for more. I just keep a bowl full of his "pudding" in the fridge so there is always some ready, then all I have to do is take some out and warm it up in the microwave. I also add a little wet food to the mixture for variety since I don't want him getting bored with just the one flavor.

You might want to give this a try - you never know - she might take to it. Prayers that Ellie-Mae gets to feeling better real soon.

[Medusa]

More prayers for Ellie-Mae and you, Carole. Give Pomtzu's method a whirl. Betcha she'll lap it up. Fingers and paws crossed. :love:

[carole]

What a great idea, i never thought of doing that, i will certainly give that a try, yes i do wonder if she barfs it up, have not seen much around the section, so hopefully she is getting some nutrition, especially from the wet food, but yes that indeed could be a good solution ,many thanks for that.

Good news she has improved a little today, i got her to eat over half a can of fancy feast this morning, it is a new product with lots of gravy in it, i still mashed it, and also she is behaving more like her old self today, she was sitting waiting for me outside the bathroom, which is what she often does, and she just looks happier, maybe the flu jab was not helping how she was feeling.

So fingers and all paws crossed she continues to keep improving, thanks for everything everyone.,means such an awful lot to me.:)