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  #1  
Old October 29th, 2013, 07:59 PM
Adventure_Me Adventure_Me is offline
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Cat with Muscle Spasms

Hello, I am desperate here and really need some help. My 4 year old cat is suddenly getting muscle spasms and it's driving her crazy. She can't relax and she is constanly licking herself all over especially where the muscle is spasming on the right side of her back. It's causing her right hind leg to jerk which I'm still not sure if she may be doing this herself to try and shake out the spasm or if it's a direct result of the spasm. It's been going on for a week now and is getting to the point where it's happening all the time. The only time she gets relief is when she's sleeping which she is doing all the time now. She is eating well, drinking water (I'm assuming) and otherwise does not seem to be in ill health. No diaherra or vomiting. I'm not sure if she's been in contact with something toxic that I'm unaware of but she's an indoor cat. I have not changed anything in the home or in her food. She was at the vet and they did a check-up and blood work but she was under full anesthesia as she is an aggresive cat and does not like to be handled. The vet advised to put her on Prozac as she thinks it's a behaviour issue but I'm weary about putting her on this type of medication. Does anyone have an animal that has taken Prozac? Besides it being addictive, is there any long term damage or side effects? Will my cat be totally out of it all the time? Any suggestions or advise would be great appreciate. I have not had much sleep since this has been going on it's very stressful. She is my baby girl and mommy feels so helpless. All I can do is look in her teary eyes and tell her I love her with all my heart and that I am going to try to help make her feel better soon.
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Old October 29th, 2013, 11:35 PM
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Hi:

I am sorry to hear of the problems you are having with your cat. It sounds very familiar to the problem I've had with one of my cats for several years, and I think I'm getting a handle on it now. It sounds like it might be Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome (FHS) better known as Rippling Skin Disease or Rolling Skin Syndrome.

I am enclosing a couple websites for you to have a look at. One has several videos that could be of interest, and the other is how to identify the Rippling Skin Disease.

When Yogi had the problem I found that a good diet helped, and playing with him helps to take his mind from the problem when it happens. I also put Rescue Remedy in the drinking water every day, and when he was having a spasm I would put a couple drops in between his toes on his front feet or behind his ears whichever was easiest.

Check the websites and see if this is the problem you are having. If it is you won't need Prozac. If this looks like what is happening, let us know and I will go over what I have done in order to bring it under control for us. You can see if it would be of any value to you.


http://voices.yahoo.com/how-identify...48.html?cat=53

http://www.lookfordiagnosis.com/vide...ion+...&lang=1
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Old October 30th, 2013, 07:48 AM
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Fab insight Reg! Hope the OP responds.

I'm not a vet but from what you have written this sounds neurological not behavioural. Prozac sounds like the wrong call (a band aid solution) for a neurological problem or a problem that this vet cannot figure out.

If budget is not an issue I'd recommend seeing a veterinary neurologist.
Some people love their current vets - others don't. If this were my pet I might well consider a second opinion from another vet if I didn't have full confidence in him/her.
Good luck!
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  #4  
Old October 30th, 2013, 10:21 AM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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Originally Posted by Adventure_Me View Post
Hello, I am desperate here and really need some help. My 4 year old cat is suddenly getting muscle spasms and it's driving her crazy. She can't relax and she is constanly licking herself all over especially where the muscle is spasming on the right side of her back. It's causing her right hind leg to jerk which I'm still not sure if she may be doing this herself to try and shake out the spasm or if it's a direct result of the spasm. It's been going on for a week now and is getting to the point where it's happening all the time. The only time she gets relief is when she's sleeping which she is doing all the time now. She is eating well, drinking water (I'm assuming) and otherwise does not seem to be in ill health. No diaherra or vomiting. I'm not sure if she's been in contact with something toxic that I'm unaware of but she's an indoor cat. I have not changed anything in the home or in her food. She was at the vet and they did a check-up and blood work but she was under full anesthesia as she is an aggresive cat and does not like to be handled. The vet advised to put her on Prozac as she thinks it's a behaviour issue but I'm weary about putting her on this type of medication. Does anyone have an animal that has taken Prozac? Besides it being addictive, is there any long term damage or side effects? Will my cat be totally out of it all the time? Any suggestions or advise would be great appreciate. I have not had much sleep since this has been going on it's very stressful. She is my baby girl and mommy feels so helpless. All I can do is look in her teary eyes and tell her I love her with all my heart and that I am going to try to help make her feel better soon.
Can you get a second opinion , I can't understand how a muscle spasms can be a behavior issues. Do you know if your cat fell of anything ? Acupuncture treatments might clam your cat , but you need to find a pet that know how to treat pets. I know Prozac can made people that have depression worst , I would not give it to my pet a vet suggested I give a dog of mine and I refuse to.
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Old November 1st, 2013, 10:05 AM
Adventure_Me Adventure_Me is offline
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Update

Thank god for the people out here who truly care about other people's pets.

Update....After doing my own research on my cat's symptoms, everything seemed to point at her having some type of skin problem. One of the websites listed the following symptoms for Cat Skin Problems:

- grooming more often than normal, particularly in one area
- changes in behaviour such as acting agitated or anxious
- twitching of the superficial back muscles
- hiding from view
- avoiding attention

These are all the symptoms my cat is having but I'm not sure of the cause as of yet. Some people I have spoken with have said to use Avantage or Frontline for a flea problem which I never thought to believe would be the cause as she was checked by the vet and I also have not noticed any visible signs of fleas. She is an indoor cat however; she goes on the balcony often. All summer I had a big bowl of water on the balcony for her to drink from and changed it every 2 or 3 days. Maybe something got into her water? Also, she loves bugs and will sit on bug patrol waiting for any flies or ladybugs, spiders etc... to come on the balcony and has eaten some of them. Now that the weather is cool and she's not outside as much, the flies have come inside and I've noticed quite a few dead ones inside the apartment. It's very warm and quite dry in our apartment as I have no control over the heat. So I keep a few windows open (they have screens) and have only heat coming out of the vent in the bathroom the others are shut off because it becomes a sauna as I live on a higher floor and the heat rises.

The only one thing that I had brought into my place was a new dark purple duvet cover that my cat slept on through the day/night a few days leading up to the symptoms occurring which I told the vet but she did not think anything of it. I threw out the duvet immediately. After reading about skin conditions for cats I decided that before I give her the Advantage or Prozac I would try a natural way to rid her symptoms. So two days ago I went to the pet store and bought natural foam grooming product and some Omega3 fish oil. When I got home, making sure my hands were clean, I massaged the foam all over my cat's fur including all paws (avoiding head area of course), let it sit for 5 minutes and brushed her. Then put some food in her bowl with a few drops of the fish oil. Honest to god, the symptoms stopped - no twitching or muscle spasms, no weird running around like crazy profusely licking herself everywhere and no weird behaviour or sitting up in the linen closed trying to isolate herself. She was playing, chasing me with a toy we play with together, going out on the balcony. I was so happy and even cried. My cat often gets watery eyes and she sneezes occasionally if this is relevant. I wonder what else I can do for her fur to clean and soothe it and keep it healthy. I am now unable to give her the fish oil because she can't stand it I only put a very small amount the next day and still she can smell it and will leave all her food in her dish. Any ideas on some other type of oil that does not smell that would help with her fur? Or on other products that I can use to clean her fur? The bottle of grooming foam is tiny and will not last long. Is tea tree oil or something with oatmeal and chamomile an option or will this irritate her skin? Thank you all for your suggestions and help you really are amazing people and I can't express in words how grateful I am for caring about my baby girl - she means everything to me and I'm her mommy and need to make her get better.
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Old November 1st, 2013, 02:19 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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How it the air quality in your city , do have any landfills close by or factory ? What is the on the floor of the balcony, it's roofing tiles How it the air quality in your city , do have any landfills close by or factory ? What is the on the floor of the balcony, it's roofing shingles or wood , maybe the balcony been treated with something that making your cat sick.
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Old November 1st, 2013, 02:38 PM
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I am glad that you have been able to do some research that is helping to overcome your problem. I have had the same problem with Yogi for over 3 years, symptoms very similar, and the vet was unable to put her finger on the problem as well. The only thing she could think of was possibly dust mites, and it didn't fit the symptoms, and the action of the cat. We checked for fleas, and couldn't find any. With 5 cats all clean, and free of fleas that ruled that out as well.

My solution to the problem was very much by accident. Some of us were involved in a post back in August regarding coconut oil and its benefits. So I decided to try it on the 5 cats, and was surprised at the results. The cats' fur took on a good healthy appearance, and when being brushed you would get very little shedding hardly worth mentioning. It wasn't until about 2 weeks after I had started or maybe a little longer I realized Yogi wasn't showing signs of his symptoms like he was before, and if he did they weren't as severe, and they were short-lived. I had also picked up Yogi a new toy about the same time to replace his old one called Cat Charmer which he thinks the world of. This ended up causing more interactive playing between all the cats and myself which I think helps to take his mind off the problem.

You might think of using coconut oil, and see if this will help. I started with a very small amount maybe half the size of a pea about 3 to 5 drops in their food to start with, and very slowly increased the amount of drops over time so in about a month to 6 weeks they were up to a 1/2 mL twice a day on their food. The coconut oil I use is one that was recommended in a post on this web site. It is called Nutiva. We use it ourselves. When I started to use it, I warmed it in a little jar in some warm tap water, and then dripped it onto their food.

I ran into a lady in our local vet's office a few days ago, who uses it all the time with her cats and she just puts it in a bowl on the floor and the cats help themselves.

In regards to the Tea Tree Oil, I would stay away from it because it's an Essential Oil, and can have adverse reactions on some cats. It is a Microtoxin to cats which has been known to cause irreversible damage.

I will include a web site to have a look at as well as the post from August regards the coconut oil.

As far as "fish oil" is concerned. I use Salmon Oil by SISU, and the reason for this is because most fish oils have Anchovy in them, and this again is not good for cats over long term. To my knowledge, SISU's product does not have Anchovy in it, just Salmon Oil. It is a softgel, so I usually just prick it with a straight pin and put 4 or 5 drops on the food twice a day - when I use it. It is not something that I give all the time. And I didn't find that it helped with the "rolling skin" syndrome either. And it didn't have as good an effect on the fur and dandruff like the coconut oil does.

Going over Yogi's history the last 2 years, I am wondering if stress has been some kind of an issue aiding in his FHS. It appears as though he perhaps has been under some stresses that I was unaware of, with a multi cat household, and moves. He has also had some issues with power tools being used from time to time. He doesn't like them. It has taken him 2 1/2 years to get over a Router.

http://www.holisticat.com/aromatherapy.html

http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=84413

By the way, I was talking to our vet on Tuesday about this problem, and in all the time she has been a vet - over 15 years - she has only seen it once. Luckily there was another vet working at the clinic at the time, and they recognized it, because she didn't. The problem being, by the time the animal has arrived at the vet's office, the issue has settled down and doesn't appear. It's like us going to the dentist office for a toothache, but by the time you get there, the ache is gone. Ideally, it would be good if the vet could make a house call almost immediately.

Something else to consider is food quality. It can also play a role in the problem.

Please let us know how things progress.
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Old November 2nd, 2013, 05:32 PM
Adventure_Me Adventure_Me is offline
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Wish I had read the last post about the Tea Tree Oil

Oh boy I am such a bad mommie I went to the pet store again and asked an employee about what I can use to give my cat a good shampoo not the dry one I had already used which stopped her symptoms but one where I can actually give her a good bathing in the bathtub. What did she recommend? Tea Tree Oil & Aloe Vera Totally Natural Pet Shampoo from earthbath (the makers of the product) - BIG MISTAKE OH MY GAWD!! I get home and fill the bathtub 1/4 full of water and squirt some of the product into the bath so it would dilute it a bit. Once she completely dried off (grooming herself for about an hour or so) right away the spasms started and she ran around the apartment like a crazy cat trying to rub herself on the carpet. Right away once again I grabbed the hypoallergenic fragrance free grooming stuff and massaged it everywhere on her and the symptoms disappeared instantly. I was so upset to once again cause so much stress and discomfort to my poor girl. Now I cam 100% certain she is allergic to any type of products with fragrance or certain oils in them. I did not think tea tree oil would cause such an irritation as the label on the front shows "soothing itch relief for hot spots and skin conditions. I should have known better myself and bought the other shampoo for sensitive skin maybe it would have been better but I'm not sure. I called the vet clinic today but the vet who saw my cat last week was away today but they will have her call me at work on Monday. I wanted to ask her if there was an antihistamine for animals with allergies. Now after reading Reg's very helpful and informative post, I may try the coconut oil as there is a great store not far from me that sells all natural and organic products. I even went there yesterday and bought non toxic fragrance free laundry detergent and cleaning products. I'm so scared now to use things that may irritate her skin. I'm quite upset that the vet seemed to think it's a behavioural thing as opposed to doing a little research themselves as I did to find it may be a skin condition since I did tell the vet about the new duvet cover. I guess they can only act on what they see during their physical examination of the animal. But I wish they would have thought to just do a skin test. My cat is doing well today; she is eating, playing, and now having her cat nap. As for the post about environment and landfills/factories, no I do not live near anything of the sort; I'm not far from downtown Toronto - lots of buildings and trees around where I live. Thank you Reg for your wonder post including the links I am going to read them.
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Old November 2nd, 2013, 05:51 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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I when to a natural grocery store and brought my dog a natural flea collar
and put it on my small dog when I got home. Within half a hour I had a headache and my poor was feeling sorry for himself . I read the box to see what kind of oils where in the collar and pennyroyal oil was one of them .
I looked this up and found out it's not safe to uses on pets and that is can give you bad headaches. We really have to be careful with natural ingredients , being natural does not mean it safe for our pets or for people. I was surprised the owner of the store did not check out the company before selling their pet products as she opened to store so people would have a place to buy safe food and pet products.
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Old November 2nd, 2013, 08:30 PM
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I am sorry to hear about your encounter with tea tree oil. Normally your chances of a reaction to it would be more than one chance in 10,000, or maybe it is some other chemicals that are in the product that cause the problem. Who knows? The main thing for now is you've got the symptoms stopped. As BARKINGDOG mentions be careful of natural products. Just because they are natural products and work well for us and our dogs and horses, some can be extremely dangerous for cats. Cats' metabolisms and immune systems are so delicate to chemicals compared to ours. Inadvertently using products that are great for us can raise havoc with the cat system. The rule I have had to learn is if I don't know I don't use it, either research it or find someone in the know and talk to them about the product. This can save being schooled in the school of hard knocks. Remember the pet supply company is out to make money, and it's a case of buyer beware.

What name does your cat go by? It would make it more pleasant to refer to her by name than just (she). LOL. Anyhow considering it appears to be a skin condition, I would be just checking the toxicity of my cleaning supplies, and the method in which they're used to see if this could be adding to the problem. I realize the cat is under extreme stress from the FHS but is there anything else in the apartment that could be stressing her out as well for example, strangers coming in that the cat is not accustomed to, kids roughhousing with her that she's not appreciating, and I realize you are under extreme stress from the situation, and the cat will pick up on that as well to add to her anxiety. They even pick up on family squabbles between different members which doesn't help either. Fragrances in the way of air fresheners and perfumes in bodycare products not to mention the litter box can all add to the problem under certain circumstances. Also stay away from prescription drugs if at all possible especially if they're being administered on a trial basis to see if it will help. Depending on the drug they too will help to stress the animal.

For the time being I think I would stick with the product that you know will work to relieve the symptoms, and try her on coconut oil in the food. Start small - a spot about half the size of a pea or 3 to 5 drops if you want to warm it up and use an eyedropper with feedings night and morning - slowly increase the amount over 3 weeks to a month to where she is getting about half an eyedropper or maybe more. I have found that amount to work well for me. It may be different for you. Take your time with it you don't want to stress her with food change. I read somewhere that it can be applied externally with good results, I haven't done this as yet, but it might be worth looking into. Also find some toys that you can interact with her in a playing session 2 or 3 times a day. It will help to take her mind off the problem.

Look forward to hearing how things are going.
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Old November 2nd, 2013, 09:13 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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Originally Posted by Reg View Post
I am sorry to hear about your encounter with tea tree oil. Normally your chances of a reaction to it would be more than one chance in 10,000, or maybe it is some other chemicals that are in the product that cause the problem. Who knows? The main thing for now is you've got the symptoms stopped. As BARKINGDOG mentions be careful of natural products. Just because they are natural products and work well for us and our dogs and horses, some can be extremely dangerous for cats. Cats' metabolisms and immune systems are so delicate to chemicals compared to ours. Inadvertently using products that are great for us can raise havoc with the cat system. The rule I have had to learn is if I don't know I don't use it, either research it or find someone in the know and talk to them about the product. This can save being schooled in the school of hard knocks. Remember the pet supply company is out to make money, and it's a case of buyer beware.

What name does your cat go by? It would make it more pleasant to refer to her by name than just (she). LOL. Anyhow considering it appears to be a skin condition, I would be just checking the toxicity of my cleaning supplies, and the method in which they're used to see if this could be adding to the problem. I realize the cat is under extreme stress from the FHS but is there anything else in the apartment that could be stressing her out as well for example, strangers coming in that the cat is not accustomed to, kids roughhousing with her that she's not appreciating, and I realize you are under extreme stress from the situation, and the cat will pick up on that as well to add to her anxiety. They even pick up on family squabbles between different members which doesn't help either. Fragrances in the way of air fresheners and perfumes in bodycare products not to mention the litter box can all add to the problem under certain circumstances. Also stay away from prescription drugs if at all possible especially if they're being administered on a trial basis to see if it will help. Depending on the drug they too will help to stress the animal.

For the time being I think I would stick with the product that you know will work to relieve the symptoms, and try her on coconut oil in the food. Start small - a spot about half the size of a pea or 3 to 5 drops if you want to warm it up and use an eyedropper with feedings night and morning - slowly increase the amount over 3 weeks to a month to where she is getting about half an eyedropper or maybe more. I have found that amount to work well for me. It may be different for you. Take your time with it you don't want to stress her with food change. I read somewhere that it can be applied externally with good results, I haven't done this as yet, but it might be worth looking into. Also find some toys that you can interact with her in a playing session 2 or 3 times a day. It will help to take her mind off the problem.

Look forward to hearing how things are going.
Natural oils can be harmful to dogs and people. My dog was getting sick from the collar I put on him. You need to be careful buying toys for pets too, most come from China and they should not be given to your pets.
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Old November 3rd, 2013, 01:46 PM
Adventure_Me Adventure_Me is offline
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Binky's Skin Condition Continued

My cat's name is Binky - sorry I did not disclose her name in my other posts. Once again too late about watching what cleaning products I use as I ended up using them yesterday but was careful to wipe all surfaces really well with a damp cloth. Binky was fine yesterday and this morning but.....an hour ago, when we were on the balcony, I started to notice her licking quite a bit on her backside and then noticed her twitching and then she ran quickly into the apartment. This time I thought I'd use these hypoallergenic cat wipes I recently bought to see if the itching would stop but I'm not sure they worked as she still seemed to be irritated by something but it was not quite as severe. She ran and jumped up to her new spot in the linen closet on her blanket and is now sleeping. This is what she started to do when the symptoms first started just over a week ago. As for any stress in her life, I'm not one for entertaining in my place as it's a small apartment and Binky is very territorial and does not take kindly to people invading her space lol. She overreacts and starts hissing and swatting at people so I've learned to not have people over very often. She's not too bad once she gets to know someone if they don’t try getting her going. She will just sniff them out and not let them out of her view. I am wondering if she may be suffering from seasonal allergies. I leave all the windows open a bit in the apartment due to it being hot in the apartment. There is a lot of tress outside the building and the neighbourhood where I live and I'm sure the pollution is bad as well seeing there is a highway nearby but I live on a high floor. My sister has a dog that suffers from seizures and seasonal allergies and the vet gave her steroids for the allergies which is only uses on occasion as she believes they can cause damage if used on a regular basis for long periods of time. This has helped with her dog Toby's inflammation. He scratches all the time when he gets the allergy especially in the spring and fall. Right now fall is pretty much over and the cold weather is approaching so I don't believe there is any allergen in the air from pollen or anything. In the summertime I did see a ton of pollen floating in the air all the time from the trees but it never bothered Binky.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I can use to clean my apartment? I've tried vinegar and baking soda in the past but it does not really get rid of certain stains. What can be used on a hardwood floor, bathroom, kitchen and glass tables? Binky jumps up on everything which I've tried to stop with no luck.

Is there anything I should be asking the vet when I speak to them tomorrow other than, giving them some more insight into Binky’s skin irritation? Should I ask about getting a prescription for prednisone the steroid or maybe a type of ointment that can be applied to her skin/fur with something in it to relieve the itching? I am starting to think that the grooming foam I’ve used twice now which stopped her symptoms may only be a band-aid solution. Maybe whatever this skin issue is has gotten into her cells and blood and need to be treated with medicine of some sort. I pray this does not do anything to her nervous system. It’s almost like women who die there hair every month from the stuff they buy at the drug store that if full of chemicals which we rub into our scalps. This can’t be good over the long term. My mom died of terminal cancer a few years ago and one of the questions the oncologist asked her was if she used these types of hair dyes and how often. Kind of makes you wonder if there is some connection there.

One thing I forgot to mention is I’ve also noticed a small little bump on the side of Binky’s nose. I noticed it maybe 3 or 4 days ago but thought the fur was just ruffed up a bit from her licking it so much but yesterday I felt it and it was an actual bump. I will mention this to the vet.

I hope this thread can maybe help others who have an animal that may be experiencing something similar. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for giving me a place to write about what is going on with my Binky.
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Old November 3rd, 2013, 03:42 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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I gave my small dog steroid and he when insanely hungry and freaking out. I will not give Marty steroid again until his life depend on it.
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Old November 3rd, 2013, 05:39 PM
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If you're going to the vet tomorrow the treatment will have to be your decision. I am in no way qualified to advise you on the treatment. The only thing I can do is make some suggestions that you might consider. I think one of the main things I would be wanting to know from her is if she has had the opportunity of treating the Feline Rolling Skin Disease. I know from talking to my vet last Tuesday that in 15 years of veterinary work she only ran into it once, and luckily she had a vet from southern Ontario that recognized it, and was able to address the problem. I don't remember what was used but I do know it wasn't prednisone. If all else failed I would be looking at the prednisone but as a first option I think it is a little over-the-top to start off with. It used to be prescribed when all else failed. I think I would be calling around to some different offices in the area telling them what the conditions are and finding out if they've had any experience with FHS, and getting a 2nd opinion.

When it comes to cleaning detergents and so on there really isn't too much you can do other than being aware that they can cause a problem, and try to limit their use where possible. Try to find something that is a little more pet friendly, and stay away from the harsh ones like Pine-Sol and Javex if possible.

I am again enclosing some websites for you to have a look at. They will explain the healing conditions of coconut oil and its applications. My findings to the Rolling Skin Disease and coconut oil was strictly by accident. I was just looking for something to stop the shedding and dandruff among the cats and tried it. It worked well plus the bonus that Yogi is now enjoying no FHS although he will have the odd twinge from time to time. The conditions just subsided from being severe and often to being far and few between and short in length and severity.

I never thought to ask what you're feeding Binky. Quality food will have a lot to do with it and preferably canned. Raw is even better but that's another story plus a stress problem you don't need right now with Binky.

http://www.vetinfo.com/treating-cat-...conut-oil.html

http://www.naturepacific.com/contents/en-us/d168.html

http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2...nd-how-to-use/

http://www.ehow.com/about_6321333_fe...n-disease.html

The 2nd last website has a video you might want to watch, and the last website will give you some ideas on treatment.

Hope this all helps. Be waiting to see how you make out best of luck.
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Old November 3rd, 2013, 09:10 PM
Adventure_Me Adventure_Me is offline
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Food for Binky

Hello,

Binky has been irritated all night and I'm so sad: (I know that the grooming product used before to relieve the symptoms is no longer working.
So I decided to give Binky the flea medication called Advantage that I bought from the vet. I only applied it an hour ago so I will wait and see if there is any improvement. I had a friend in my building come over to see how she is behaving and in order to have her distracted when giving her the flea treatment and for the first time, Binky was really good she did not seem to care someone was over which is very odd.
As far as what I'm feeding her....I have tried every brand of good quality food for her such as Halo, Wellness, Blue Buffalo and even holistic types of food and the only brand she will eat is Almo the Atlantic tuna, tuna & shrimp, chicken thigh, chicken & tuna, chicken & shrimp and salmon. I also feed her a freeze dried raw chicken and lamb from New Zealand that you add a bit of warm water to but she will only eat this once in awhile. She is very very very picky. I have tried "tough love" with her when trying to feed her grain free food but she will leave it in the bowl. Her dry food is called Now and I also have Wellness Core which is grain free but she doesn't like it. She will only eat Now which I hear is good quality dry food which is made in Canada. I also have started giving her Greenies as treats because I fell so terrible at all the stress I've put upon her. My heart aches every time I see her go through her attacks. I have been drinking lots of wine LOL.

I wonder if I should just put her on Prozac once and for all. I don't want to but I can't stand to see her suffer with this any longer. I will wait and see if the flea medication does anything for her I only applied it an hour ago.

Tonight, before giving her the flea medication, she has been once again twitching and running around licking herself all over but not quite as bad as before but still something is bothering her. I will do whatever it takes to make my sweet girl feel better - she means everything to me and I love her so much.

Reg and barking dog - thank you so much for caring, it really means a lot to me. I wish I can give you both a big hug.

I'll keep you updated after I hear what the vet suggests tomorrow.

P.S Oh my gawd, Binky finally jumped up on her scratching post tonight for the first time since this has been going on YIPPPPPPIEEEEEEEEEEEE!!
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Old November 7th, 2013, 09:31 PM
Adventure_Me Adventure_Me is offline
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Update on Binky

It's been 4 days since I gave Binky the Advantage one treatment flea medication and I had not seen any symptoms. Although, tonight she started licking the same spot where she had previously got the muscle twitching/spasm and she seemed as though something was starting to bother her skin again but she did not go back to having the same severe symptoms as before. I was trying to distract her with toys which seemed to help. She is still not totally herself but she is eating well, drinking water, and playing but she is tired more now and seems to find relief from just laying down and not moving around. I believe that if she gets too worked up from playing, it may trigger some symptoms so I'm being careful. I have also started to rub coconut oil (cold pressed virgin) on her lips so she can lick it off as she does not touch her food when I mix it in. I also ordered some type of topical dry shampoo that is formulated for skin irritations (not sure what it's called right now) that I'm picking up on Saturday to try. I want to try everything to see if she improves before deciding to put her on Prozac (something I'm really struggling with doing). I have done so much research on her conditions lately and everything seems to point to some type of skin condition which I am still 99.9% sure was caused by a chemical reaction to my duvet cover and the fact that I had also used VIM with bleach to clean certain areas in my apartment the same weekend which must have caused this skin irritation. I'm just scared that these chemicals were ingested through her skin and possibly through grooming herself and are causing some type of problem with her nervous system which is why she was twitching so much and having the hind leg jerking along with the twitching. Can't get a straight answer from the vet. She even ruled out that skin rolling syndrome. Don't think she has fleas but I have to try everything and then see what's not working. Every day I wake up in the morning and when I get home from work I pray my cat is not going to get the symptoms because it's so very upsetting and stressful to see. I noticed another post back from August of 2012 with a cat exhibiting the EXACT same symptoms as mine - there must be a way to find out what this is and how to treat it without putting me in the poor house. The more I read up on people being taken to the cleaners by their vet's the angrier I get. I start thinking of how I can do something about this. I too am not happy with my vet as I’m the one how did all the research to advise them about it possibly being a skin irritation AND NOT A BEHAVIOURAL CONDITION but what other choice do I have? When I read up some of the reviews on other vet clinics near where I live it makes me sad and they do not seem to be much better. Not to say the clinic I go to is bad but they seem to just want you to spend your money on anything they can sell you instead of trying to figure out what can be causing this. I find my favorite thing to do now is sleep so I don’t have to think/worry about this anymore.
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Old November 7th, 2013, 09:46 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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do you think your cat it picking up on your being so worried that is causing her to get worried too? I know dogs will pick up on people energy and I bet cats would too. Your cat could had developed a habit of licking herself when she see start to get worried. She could be mirroring you.
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Old November 7th, 2013, 10:08 PM
Adventure_Me Adventure_Me is offline
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Twitching is starting once again:(

No I have been very happy these past few days seeing that she was better but in the past few hours I noticed the symptoms slowly starting again and just in the past 20 minutes something is once again irritating her and she started with the muscle twitching in the same spot. She was purfously licking herself everywhere in a way that looks as though something is bothering her from inside her body. She just started to try to play with a round toy that has corrulated paper inside of it with a ball that moves around that lights up with her paws at it and then all of a sudden she stops and the twitching starts and she licks at the spot, get scared and starts running to sit on a chair to lay down. I'm really thinking it's a nerve problem that she can't seem to control which is making her very uncomfortable. I wonder if I should give her some Benadryl I just don't know how to administer it as they are capsules. It's the only thing I have right now that may give her some relief but I've never used it on her I just bought them yesterday as the vet I can try to use it.
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Old November 7th, 2013, 10:19 PM
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I would not give your any Benadryl if you do not know what wrong with her. Does she mind you pet her , I mean does act like it hurt to be touch anywhere on her body?
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Old November 7th, 2013, 10:28 PM
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No she is not hurting as she is letting me pet her. She is still laying down on a chair. This is the only way she seems to get any relief - when she is not moving. It's so weird how one minute she is playing and all of a sudden she gets the twitching. I don't understand - maybe I'm the one who is wrong and the vet is right about this being a nerurological thing. I just can't understand how a cat that I've had for 4 years just all of a sudden would get something like this. If it was a behavourial problem I doubt it would just pop up out of th blue all of a sudden one day (the symptoms). I asked the vet about using Benadryl the other day in case the Advantage did not work and she said to use it but only give a 1/2 tablet every 12 hours.
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Old November 8th, 2013, 12:32 AM
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I'm sorry to hear you're still having trouble with Binky. I had hoped that the flea treatment might work, it was worth a try. I went over your food list, and looked quite good some of them I use myself. The freeze-dried I haven't used but looks really interesting. It's not readily available in this area. Have you tried the coconut oil? I think if it was me I would be rubbing some into the affected area where Binky is doing a lot of licking. The organic virgin coconut oil is a quality food product, and shows no sign of side effects. I myself use it internally and topically for dry skin problems and it works very well. The thing is too, if it doesn't work at least you can use it around the kitchen for cooking or eating, and it does make a good hand rub.

I have a video from Cornell University on how to give your cat a pill or capsule which might be of help to you. I also have some threads on pets.ca for you to have a look at in regards to the Benadryl administering.

Is the Benadryl you got from your vet a hard tablet? If so take a sharp knife and cut it in half, and apply butter to it. Not too much you'll want the tablet to be able to slip off your fingers very easily and down the cat's throat. Follow the instructions on the video.

http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/pe...l/entire-video

http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=UT...fr=avantsearch

I can really sympathize with you when it comes to dealing with this rolling skin syndrome having gone through it with Yogi. You feel so helpless when you see the poor animal going to the stress of the symptoms and of not knowing how to cope with it, let alone not knowing yourself what to do. I think if I were you, and you are not comfortable with your vet I would be asking around to see if someone could recommend a vet that is willing to listen rather than dictate. Money is too hard to come by just to blow it out willy-nilly without getting decent results for your dollar spent.

If you would like to PM me, I have the name of a vet who is down in the Toronto area who might be of value to you - or at least worth looking into.
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Old November 8th, 2013, 01:32 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Reg View Post
Is the Benadryl you got from your vet a hard tablet? If so take a sharp knife and cut it in half, and apply butter to it. Not too much you'll want the tablet to be able to slip off your fingers very easily and down the cat's throat. Follow the instructions on the video.
As usual, the people at Cornell have done a thorough, professional job with that educational video!

There's one point that deserves emphasis, though....NEVER give a cat a pill/capsule without a "chaser"....preferably a liquid chaser.

Would YOU try to 'dry-pill' yourself? Hardly!

This is science - it's proven fact.....
Quote:
A Very Interesting Study

The following is a summary of a very interesting article that appeared in a veterinary journal entitled Evaluation of the Passage of Tablets and Capsules Through the Esophagus of the Cat. It is from a paper presented at the 2001 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Forum. (They do note at the end of the paper that the principles outlined also make good sense for dogs.) This paper was submitted to one of the lesser-read journals so a lot of veterinarians may not have seen it. This is extremely unfortunate for all cats and dogs.

Purpose of the study:
The goal of the study was to determine the length of time that it took for pills or capsules to enter the stomach after 1) dry pilling and 2) pilling and then giving a 6 cc water chaser immediately following the administration of the pill or capsule - referred to as a "wet swallow".


Study design:
30 cats were used. Fluoroscopy was used to evaluate the pill/capsule passage at 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 300 seconds.

Study results:
For the dry swallows:
No pills were in the stomach at 30 and 60 seconds. Only 6% of the pills were in the stomach at 90 seconds. Only 13% of the pills were in the stomach at 120 seconds. And at 5 minutes only 36% of the pills were in the stomach.

For the wet swallows: (i.e., the pill was followed by 6 cc of water)
At 30 seconds, 90% of the pills were in the stomach. All pills were in the stomach by 120 seconds
.

The statistics were even worse for capsules when dry swallowed. By 5 minutes, only 16% of the capsules had made it to the stomach. 100% of capsules followed by water chasers, were in the stomach by 60 seconds
- faster than for pills probably due to the smoother surface of a capsule versus a pill.

Commentary:
"This is an interesting study that has considerable practical impact. Although veterinarians have a huge arsenal of medications and treatments available to us, we still have a very poor understanding of some of the most basic aspects of everyday practice. We routinely prescribe oral medications in the form of tablets or capsules to cats.

It has been our assumption that when it was possible for the owner to actually give the pills or capsule to the cat, it would make it into the stomach reasonably rapidly. It turns out that this is inaccurate. After 5 minutes 84% of capsules and 64% of tablets are still sitting in the esophagus. Similar results were published in another study by JP Graham (American Journal of Veterinary Research 2000).

Practical outcome:
The main concern with this information is that if tablets and capsules sit in the esophagus for a prolonged period of time, this can cause damage to the tissues in this area. This damage can lead to esophagitis, which can lead to nausea, vomiting and megaesophagus. At times, the esophagus can also respond by developing an ulcer or stricture. The latter is a very serious complication requiring aggressive therapy, preferably with balloon dilatation.


In addition, we probably have all had that uncomfortable feeling when a tablet we have taken has gotten stuck on the way down. This could be the cause of vomiting in some cats that are medicated. It is quite frustrating to win the battle to get the pill or capsule down a cat and then have it vomited up several minutes later.

Both this abstract as well as the study published by Graham et al. clearly point to the need to administer either water or food after a cat has been pilled with a tablet or a capsule. This will hasten the movement into the stomach and cut down on the chances of the tablet or capsule remaining in the esophagus for a prolonged period of time. Although comparable studies have not been done in dogs, this advice is sound in dogs, as well."

http://www.catinfo.org/?link=pillingcats
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Old November 9th, 2013, 01:22 PM
Adventure_Me Adventure_Me is offline
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Possible Reaction to toxins

I'm 99.9% certain that Binky's symptoms are indeed a direct result of toxins. After reading up on toxicity is pets, one of the toxins listed is cleaning products in addition to mercury in canned foods. I feed Binky canned premium fish all the time (amongst a few others like chicken and the freeze dried Lamb & Chicken which you add with a bit of water. What it boils down to is this, the weekend I bought the new duvet (bed) cover and did not wash it first but just placed in the bed I also had used cleaning products with bleach in them (including other products to clean windows/glass tables etc..) this was all on the same day. Three days later is when I first noticed these weird symptoms with the twitching, excessive licking and running around looking possessed. Mind you, she could have been experiencing some of the symptoms even earlier but I just never noticed because I am at work all day and don’t get home until the early evening and then get into my routine of making dinner being busy etc... When Binky had her blood work done that week, the vet said she had a slight elevation of the liver enzymes which could be a result of the anesthesia (full sedation) that they need to give her because she was hard to handle at the vet clinic (does not like being handled). Plus she had not eaten anything from 7:30pm the following evening up until the blood work was done the next day around 1:30pm. Now, after reading up on the toxins and how it affects animals, very interesting that one of the organs it affects is the LIVER and this is where I’m concerned. I wonder if I should be trying to use a detoxification type method to rid of the toxins in her liver. I read that Milk Thistle is excellent to clean the liver of toxins. Has anyone used this on their pets? I did get pick up the Prozac from the vet clinic but don't want to use it yet as I'm still thinking I may be able to treat her condition if I can detoxify her liver somehow. Any thoughts?
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Old November 14th, 2013, 08:45 PM
Adventure_Me Adventure_Me is offline
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Just thought I would give everyone an update in case anyone else has an animal that is suffering from a similar condition.

I started Binky on Prozac three days ago as her symptoms were non-stop all day and evening. She would hide in the linen closet and only come down to eat and go to the bathroom then the twitching would start and she would make a bee-line for the linen closet. This has been so heart-breaking and it's taken such a toll on myself as well. Binky no longer sleeps with me on my bed and when she even attempt to come out to try and play, her symptoms just start up and she hides

The Prozac is another issue as it's so hard to give her the dose every day as it's a liquid that I put into a syringe, pry her mouth open and try really fast to shoot it in but a few seconds later she is foaming and it's hanging off her mouth and all I can do is cry and tell her how much I love her and how mommie is so sorry. Wish I knew what else to do. I am having the owner of the vet clinic call me tomorrow to talk about what other steps I can take in finding out why she is having so much twitching as it's gotten worse and if maybe this is some skin condition/allergy from chemicals that got into her system through her skin membrane and causing some kind of nerve damage. Maybe this is some kind of allergy who knows. All I know is that this is absolutely not a behavioural condition. I just don't believe that at all. How frustrating the last few weeks have been. I'm going out of my mind and it's consuming my life right now it's all I think about. Hopefully I will get some more clarity tomorrow. I shall keep updating in hopes this helps someone else out here. Take care everyone.
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  #25  
Old November 14th, 2013, 09:11 PM
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Adventure Me if you are willing to drive to Hamilton which is not too terribly far I recommend you make an appointment to see Elizabeth Obrien at The Cat Clinic. She is my vet and she is amazing! she is a feline specialist and there are only a few of them around. She is kind, she knows her stuff and she will be up front and honest with you. You can google her website to read more.
Can you find out if the medication can be given in a pill form? if so maybe you would have an easier time pilling her? just a thought and good luck.

Cindy
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Old November 15th, 2013, 09:48 AM
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Admittedly I haven't read the whole thread as I don't have time right now. But from what I have read this is what I would do if I was having the problems you are:

First: stop with the baths and treatments. If they are leaving a film on your cat, your cat is licking it up and/or it will leach into the blood stream.

Second: Just because a food is of high quality, doesn't mean your cat will not have an allergy to it. It could be an allergy to chicken protein, in which case, any food that has chicken in it will affect your cat. Try a food that has one protein in it and then do an elimination diet. Give the food a couple of days for the allergens to leave the body. Nature's Variety Instinct canned has some great flavours that have limited protein in them. Check the ingredients list on the can.

HOWEVER: the best food is a raw diet. Maybe hard to get your cat to change but it is possible for all cats to start on one. It will give your cat a species appropriate diet that will digest as the cats digestive tract is meant to and give your cats the essential nutrients as nature intended to.

Best website for information:

http://www.catinfo.org/

Third: stop all food with fish in it. There is a correlation of a high fish diet and hyperthyroidism in cats and possibility of high mercury.

Forth: not sure if you are using any cleaner on your carpet or not, but that too can be a factor.

Good luck and I'll try to get a chance to read the thread in detail later.
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Old November 16th, 2013, 07:30 PM
Adventure_Me Adventure_Me is offline
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Thank you all for the wonderful advice, it's much appreciated.

Binky is now on day 4 of the Prozac and she is doing extremely well. She has not had any symptoms that I'm aware of. I am going to change her medication from the liquid to a transdermal medication that comes in a gel that I rub on the inside (not canal) of Binky's ear. I have tried all kind of food and she will just leave it in the dish and eat her dry food instead. I even bought a hypoallergetic type but she won't eat it. I know Tuna is not good and I should never have gotten her used to it. I'm trying to incorporate other kinds of food but she will not budge. The dried up food just sits in her dish. I am going to really try to do the "tough love" but it's hard when I'm putting her through so much with the Prozac. She needs to eat but I will try mixing some Nature's Variety into her regular food to start with. Believe me I have bought almost every single type of food out there and she still only likes Almo Tuna, Chicken Thigh, Tuna & Chicken or Tuna & Shrimp. I do give her the freeze dried Chick & Lamb as well but she will only eat it twice a week. She is a very fussy girl but it's my fault. I should have only given her Tuna as more of a treat food. The raw food diet is not an option at this point and I have tried giving her raw beef and chicken patties from the Global Pet Foods and even other raw foods but she will not even try them. One sniff and she keeps walking
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Old December 3rd, 2013, 09:29 PM
Adventure_Me Adventure_Me is offline
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Update on Binky

Hi everyone,

Just thought I would update Binky's progress. So it's been day 22 on Prozac and day 12 on Prednisone and she is still having constant muscle twitching and excessive licking symptoms. It appreared to decrease slightly after the first week and a half on the Prozac but it was short lived. The last five days have been really tough as her symptoms are pretty much non stop. The only relief she gets is when she lays down stretched out and does not move. This is a living nightmare. I am now going to try a different prescription called Gabapentin which is a drug for both analgesic and anti-seizure properties. It's most used for Epilepsy. If this and the Prozac does not work then I don't know what I'll do. Will this ever get better or better yet, will Binky's FHS ever go away? Or will I be dealing with this for years to come? I don't know how I can possibly handle this for that long. It breaks my heart every day I see her like this. All I look forward to doing is going to sleep at night so I don't have to think about it anymore. Gawd knows how much I love my girl but mommy is so very very tired
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Old December 3rd, 2013, 10:05 PM
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Very sorry to hear your news about Binky. I had hoped that "no news was good news".
Don't know what to advise.
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