Results of Recent Holistic Vet Visit

Vitamin Bottles
"C" for Chuck
"A" for Angel
Both get the unmarked

Instructions

"See?  I'm fine!" 

"I don't like going to the vet!"

First off, Angel really wasn't enjoying this vet visit; her fur was flying off in clumps. Every person in the room...doc, two assistants and myself...were covered in fur.  However, she stayed still during the exam, and all in all her systems are doing well.  Our goal for her: increase her energy levels.

Chuck, on the other hand, just kept wriggling and trying to jump off the exam table, so in the end we wrapped him in a towel to keep him still.  The doc was happy with his heart and lung signs; they are remaining stable. Yay!  We are really working on his intestinal woes; our goal is to reduce or stop completely the five different medications he's currently on, or at least the digestive ones.

To make this magic happen, Chuck gets pilled twice a day; The Hubby packages all the pills and vitamins inside a glob of pill paste, which he pops into Chuck's mouth.  Lots of cuddles and lovey-dovey stuff happens before and after.  Angel now gets pilled...er...'vitamined' twice a day too, but she's not used to it and The Hubby is hoping she'll relax into the procedure someday.  I smash up two additional vitamins and mix them into both of their meals; morning and evening.

On top of all that, the vet gave us 'mood drops' to give to Chuck, to help brighten his outlook.  They will make up a bottle for Angel at the next visit.   I am in charge of the mood drops, and I'll admit to forgetting them completely for days!  Shame on me, but I promise to do better.  Plan is to put the drops into his meals, because he won't lick it off of my finger.  The vet says I can just rub it on his gums, but he's already being man-handled twice (or more!) times a day, so less is more in this case.

When we first began the holistic vet visits, I was uncertain if The Hubby was going to be 100% on board with me.  Once we realised that Chuck's heart condition is poor, but that he's not immediately terminal, he agreed with me that we should do all we can do, BUT ONLY AS LONG AS we aren't freaking Chuck out, or seriously compromising our own health and well-being with endless office visits and goofy, impractical processes.  The Hubby actually has taken on the lion's share of duties, and the bond between him and both cats has grown stronger.  They feel his love, even if they don't like him stuffing wads of bacon-flavored (so the package says!) balls down their throats.

Chuck The Nut

Chucky, in a moment of repose

A game piece, aka my woolly sock, found in the downstairs hallway

Chucky woke us up early this morning; he was meowing and running around.  He nipped at The Hubby's arm, and I got up to use the bathroom. Chuck jumped into my pajama bottoms as I sat on the pot!  He's never done that before!

He's been stealing my socks, and leaving them all over the house.  I've now placed four of my big, woolly socks for him to relocate each day; it's quite the game!  The Hubby witnesses the play; all I do is count my missing 'game pieces' when I get home, then retrieve them to reset the playing field.

Perhaps the new herbs and vitamins from Dr. Sheppard are helping out, or the warmish spring weather is making Chuck feel like a kitten again, but he's definitely acting like a nut.  We are delighted!

Two for One!

Both Angel and Chuck were rudely scooped from their noon naps, for a trip to Dr. Sheppard at Sheppard Alternative Animal Care on Saturday.  I managed to pull Angel out of her crate, but she hid in the bookshelves.  In the end, we had to unbuckle Chuck's crate into two halves, for his examination!  This was Angel's third visit; Chuck's first.  Angel is doing well, yet we've got some vitamin and herb work to do with her.  The doc got Chuck's full vet file, including his asymmetric cardiopathy, kidney issues and digestive problems too.  We have five bottles of remedy pills for Chuck now, because in spite of everything, Dr. Sheppard noticed that Chuck's liver needs some real help.  Heavy metals may be good to listen to, but not in a kitty's liver!  The idea is to crush up the vitamin pills, and mix them in to each meal.  Angel and Chuck share three vitamins, so that part is easy. The extra amounts will be sprinkled on their respective bowls.  In Chuck's case, we may simply add the pills to his twice-a-day routine.

However, Chucky hasn't taken to his new stuff well, with another accident late last night.  Today's blog post at The Whiskeratti conveys just how hard it is to know if we are doing to right things for our kitties.  We certainly don't want to make our feline's lives more difficult, and yet there is a need to keep a certain quality of life for the household.  Quite the balancing act, and The Hubby, unfortunately, bears the brunt of much of this because he's home more than I am.  Both Angel and Chuck tend to run to him when they are nervous or worried (or, having digestive issues).  And what can I do from 45 minutes away?

Why empty one bowl first?

Yesterday's breakfast, Angel's bowl is up top

Angel and Chuck finish off one food bowl before the second bowl.  The first-empty bowl is Angel's, and it's the one that I mix in her special holistic vitamins.  Chuck starts on his bowl, then walks off as Angel keeps eating from hers.  After awhile, the two cats alternate eating...one at a time...until that first bowl is clean.

Slowly, the second bowl is consumed afterward.

Why do they do that?

Are the vitamins such a tasty add-on, that it makes Angel's bowl more enticing?  Let's experiment!

This morning, I added vitamins to both bowls...and voila!  Chuck ate at his bowl, and Angel at hers. By the time I left for work, both bowls had a few mouthfuls left, but they were mostly equally eaten.

I really thought that I was being so SNEAKY when I mixed in the vitamin powder, but obviously I was about as subtle as a freight train.  I have already gotten the okay from Dr. Sheppard for Chuck to ingest Angel's vitamins; I am sure I'll get a fist-full of Chuck's own vitamins when we go in early April.

Today's breaky...sounds like "nom nom nom!"

Angel's 2nd Holistic Vet Visit

Angel, in her favorite napping spot

On Saturday, Angel and I visited Sheppard Alternative Animal Care, and she is doing very well! With some slight adjustments to her daily vitamins, the doc said she's in good shape.  I made a follow-up appointment for Angel and Chuck's first visit for early April.  I believe the holistic approach may really help Chuck's intestinal issues.  Hopefully, we can do away with his IBD medicines, by using vitamins and a diet change.  Dr. Sheppard will know the way!

It was such a beautiful day on Saturday, and I walked the yard a bit, with Patty O'Malley trailing my every step.

Snow Drops!

"Pet me, pet me, PET ME!"

We are under a Winter Storm Warning for this afternoon and evening...some inches of snow are coming.  But...up in more spring-like temps on the weekend!  YAY for that!

Thanks all for your words of encouragement about my last post.  The whole incident really shook me up!

Holistic Vet Visit

Her Pills

Cute Angel!

On January 28, Angel and I visited Sheppard Alternative Animal Care in Utica, Michigan.  Such a calm and peaceful office!  Angel, however, was not calm; she cried most of the way there, and the drool!  I had no idea what to expect, but was delighted by the professionalism and obvious care every staff person radiated.  In a nutshell, the doctor and assistant, by touching Angel's body with their hands and small, sealed glass vials of different liquids, determined her system's strengths and weaknesses. Their website here says, "We use a non-invasive system of analyzing your pet's body through Nutrition Response Testing℠."

Angel, they determined, has a few food sensitivities, one of them being moose!  All in all, Angel's health is good, scoring 10 of 10 or 9 of 10 on most things.  The doctor suggested that I crush up two selected vitamins for her, to aid her digestion especially.  See the photo above of her pills.  He said to start slowly, just a sprinkle on her food for awhile.  She did not hesitate at all with the sprinkles, so I quickly began to give her full doses within days.  Where we've lucked out, is that there is no need to change her canned food.

I see no difference, honestly.  Yet.  I will continue to give her the vitamins, and go back for her return visit on February 27.  Her dental appointment is this Wednesday.  Chuck goes for his heart echo-cardiogram on February 19, at which time I will discuss the holistic approach with the heart veterinarian.

February is Veterinary month in our house!