The medication has been really hard on Oreo so far. All he has been doing is sleeping and eating. He doesn't want to play, he's in a terrible mood and he won't even wash himself. Every time I have to give him his pill, I literally want to cry. I hate seeing him like this, it's really breaking my heart. I phoned my vet yesterday and they got back to me last night. They're going to adjust the dose so that it's half of what he is taking now. I am going to pick up the new prescription today. I really hope that lessening the dose will help because as it is now, it's stopping any seizures but it's not helping him at all mentally or psychologically. Oreo has a lot of fluff and usually spends hours a day grooming himself and since he has begun the medication he is a mess. I would love to be able to bathe him but he'll scratch my eyes out if I try. La Presse newspaper came to interview me for a piece on cats in the media yesterday afternoon and Oreo was horrible. Normally Oreo is really good with people. He is curious, inviting and gentle. Yesterday he almost bit the reporter and he growled at me when I tried to pick him up. Pudding helped to lighten the mood a little bit with his cuteness. I feel awful for Oreo. I wish that there was something more I could do for him to help the situation. I've still been putting calming videos on TV for him daily. The TV will stay on for 12 hours straight with videos of fish, birds, water or forests. He seems to enjoy them.
I have been trying to force Oreo to move around a little bit before dinner time by playing with a wand toy. He'll have a few moments where he swats the toy or does a little hop and spin. In those short moments, I can still see Oreo in his eyes. The moments don't last long though. Yesterday he came to nibble on my socks which is something he usually always does. Oreo will often chase me around the condo and try to nibble on my socks or slippers. It was nice to see him do that yesterday, even if it was only for a few seconds. Oreo and Onyx sat butt to butt sprawled out on the kitchen floor last night also. It's something I've not seen him do for a couple of weeks so it was nice to see. Pudding has been forcing Oreo to get up and move around. Onyx has taken to playing with Pudding this week since her better half doesn't seem too interested. She and Pudding will set themselves on my bookshelf with pudding on a lower shelf and Onyx on a higher one. They'll try to catch one another's paws through the openings in the shelf. This morning the two of them were sprawled out on my bed together. It's nice to see them getting along. I think Onyx will definitely appreciate Pudding and his energy while Oreo is in his current condition. I hope that things get better. It's really hard for me to see Oreo like this. I don't know if he will ever be completely himself again after all of this. I really hope that lowering the dose of his medication helps him to smile again and to enjoy the things he used to enjoy.
8 Comments
Sue
10/11/2019 08:53:22 am
Oreo is my most favorite internet cat and my heart has been breaking for you ever since this horrible saga began. I know you mentioned CBD oil at the beginning and I wanted to tell you something that you may not know (if you already do, I apologize). The whole movement to legalize marijuana in the US for medical use was begun by parents of children who had severe and sometimes life threatening seizures. No standard medication worked for these children and their conditions were getting worse until one family discovered CBD oil. It worked like a miracle for their child. Other families of similarly afflicted children found out about CBD oil and their children were helped as well. Kids that were seizing many, many times a day stopped seizing at all! I am not a doctor and I realize that human medicine is very different from animal medicine. I hope that the reduced dose of the medication Oreo is on currently will allow him to get back to his wonderful, funny self. However, if it doesn't, don't give up hope. CBD is worth a try. Please take care of yourself and know that many people are praying for you and your babies. (By the way, I can't even handle how cute Pudding is!!)
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Hi Sue! Thanks for the note! I will ask Oreo's neurologist about CBD oil when we see her for his first appointment on Tuesday. I don't want to give him anything new without the approval of his doctors. I've heard a lot of good things about it so maybe the doctor will suggest trying it and give us an appropriate dosage.
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Megan
10/11/2019 09:02:59 am
My heart is with you and Oreo. I can't imagine how tough this is to view. You are really a great cat-mom. I hope lowering the dose does help. It could just take some extra time for him to adjust. Take care of yourself too. It's gut-wrenching when our fur babies are sick but we still have to do whats good for us too.
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Mel
10/11/2019 09:08:05 am
As a health care professional I can tell you that it's often necessary to adjust the dose and med, and this medication especially requires some tweaking to find the right dose to prevent seizures plus allow the patient to live a normal happy life. Poor Oreo, I feel so badly for him, but obviously the med is causing the behavior change. I hope they find the perfect dose to keep the seizures away and make him feel more himself as well. You and Oreo are in my thoughts and prayers. It's so difficult to watch your loved ones suffer.
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Thanks Mel,
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Johnna
10/11/2019 09:15:02 am
Hi there -
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Deby
10/11/2019 12:38:02 pm
Saying Prayers 🙏🏽 for all 4 of you! Glad to hear that Oreo is having some "normal" moments. Sending love❤, keeping you in my heart and sending mental hugs 🤗
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AuthorTina Modugno is a children’s illustrator from Canada. Tina loves all animals, kids books and cartoons! She currently resides in Quebec with her husband and four cats! Archives
January 2020
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