Please Keep Starr In Your Thoughts & Prayers:Update: Biopsy Results!!!

**K & L** · 03-20-2007, 06:53 PM

Thanks for the update Tracey. So do you have a final diagnoses? I'm glad he's doing so well.

**krazyaboutkatz** · 03-21-2007, 01:26 AM

Thanks again everyone.

I should know the results some time tomorrow. It's going to be a long day.

Bunny, the pepcid chicken treats are called famotidine chews and he's also on metronidazole chicken chews. He still hates both of them so I have to force them in his mouth and make him swallow them.

He loves the flavor of malt so maybe if they were malt flavored he'd like them much better. I even tried coating them with a little bit of the malt flavored hairball medicine but it only helped a little bit. I don't know what I'll do if he ends up having to be on medicine for the rest of his life. Please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks.

**catnapper** · 03-21-2007, 08:31 AM

Just catching up on this now, I'm glad he's home and starting to feel like his old self again. Sorry to hear how difficult he is to pilll.... no suggestions since my Allen is the same way. Its going to be a long day til you hear the results, so we're all here holding your hand.

**Barbara** · 03-21-2007, 10:33 AM

I'm so glad to hear Starr is back home and eating - and I'm sorry to hear he doesn't like his medicine treats

. I also have two guys here who cannot be tricked by any medicine, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed it is not forever.

**ChrisH** · 03-21-2007, 06:27 PM

Poor Star.

Prayers and good thoughts on the way.

**catmandu** · 03-21-2007, 08:02 PM

Moose Angels coming over with some Hawaiin treats and hope that he can coaze his little friend to eat.
Baby Shrimps should do the trick and that Moose PURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR is theraputic.
All the prayers in the World for your Super Starr to be better very soon.

**krazyaboutkatz** · 03-21-2007, 11:12 PM

Hi, I just got home a little while ago and I had to feed the cats first before I could get on the computer. Dr. Boltz called me around 4:30pm today and said that both Starr's small and large intestine show that he has food allergies and also colitis.

Luckily this is all it is and I'll be starting him on the right doseage of pred this time and I'll also continue to feed him the Hills Z/d dry food as long as he'll eat it. If he doesn't want it then I can feed him the Natural Balance Green Pea & Venison and if he won't eat this then I'll try Storm's prescription food. Since Starr's so thin, I have to make sure that he eats something and she said that when he's on the pred he should be able to eat almost any kind of food but that the Hills Z/D would be best for him in the long run.

The vet's office that I was using told me to give him 1/4 of a tablet (5mg) 2 times a day for 7 days, then 1/4 of a tablet 1 time a day for the next 7 days and then 1/4 of a tablet every other day until they're gone. Dr. Boltz told me that this is one reason that I didn't see any change in Starr's diarrhea. Her instructions are as follows: give one 5mg tablet 2 times a day for 7 days then 1 tablet 1 time a day for 3 weeks and then give them as directed. I need to call her after the first week to let her know how he's doing and then we'll take it from there. She said that if he remains on the Hills Z/D diet that he'll probably be able to be weaned down to taking only 1-2 5mg tablets a week to keep his illness under control.

I know that I probably could have just tried this new diet and pred doseage before trying the biopsy surgery but Starr's health was declining so much that both the doctor and I agreed that we really needed to know what was causing his problem so that she would know how to treat him. I was also tired of playing the guessing game. Now hopefully this will all work and Starr will become a very healthy and happy littlle boy again.

I had also asked Dr. Boltz about allergy testing and she said that it's not very accurate and that sometimes it even says that an animal is allergic when they aren't and that they are allergic when they really aren't. Since Starr had been on pred he would've also had to wait 6 weeks before he could be tested. I'll also be giving Starr 3 vitamin B12 injections myself and he'll be getting them 1 time a month starting on the week of March 25th. The first one has really helped him a lot.

Now I just need to fatten Starr up and the pred should cause him to be hungrier than normal so I'm going to try to feed him more small meals a day than I have been. Thanks again everyone for all of the prayers and concerns for Starr. He's now finally on the road to recovery.

**kimlovescats** · 03-21-2007, 11:16 PM

I'm so glad to hear that it was nothing serious with Starr. I know it is frustrating to not know exactly what it is he is allergic to. At least you know now that you can work with his food and meds and get him feeling better. He is such a handsome little guy, I'll be glad to hear that he is feeling better and filling out again soon!