Peach, A story of Trigeminal Neuritis

It's been a while since my last update on the cats and their NHV supportive system. Yesterday I added this year's medical course in the family diary, just to keep track of things, and to have all information listed in one spot. This year already is proving to be very challenging, what with Tiger's Hyperthyroidism and Peach's Trigeminal Neuritis. There is treatment for the first; not so much for the latter. And this is where NHV, once again and thank goodness for that, steps in.

No lust for life

When Peach first showed signs of struggling, it was early March. He stopped eating, got very uptight, and lethargic, as if life lost all meaning. As a normally social and entertaining kitten - he had yet to turn 2 years old back then, but we keep referring to him as a kitten - he grew distant, grumpy and he started keeping to himself. He started keeping his mouth slightly open, without any significant reason. He lost weight too. I checked his gums and they showed a thin blood-red line right above his teeth, there also seemed to be a tiny ulcer in his throat. My hopes that maybe he had eaten something bad in the garden, faded quickly.

Within 5 days - with a weekend in between - I contacted the vet. X-rays were taken, blood was drawn, vitals were checked, gums and throat were closely looked at. She did not like the mouth staying open. At all. She feared a heart issue, and since he is so young, she ruled that out first. The blood test came back okay, luckily.

The X-rays she took then, showed no infection of teeth or jaw bone. His 

gums showed mild inflammation but not as bad as for him to stop eating. The ulcer in his throat posed no issue, either. "However, there could be inflammation of the jaw joint, and that does not show on the x-ray." So he was treated for that: Antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory/painkiller, for about a week. The gum issue would heal that way too. (Treatment from March 11 until March 20.) Not too long after we discovered that Peach had some urinary issues as well: There was grit found in his bladder. So he was put on Hill's k/d dry food to help ease that. I could always soak the kibble in water if he was unable to eat it. 

In the meantime I contacted NHV who have been very helpful in the past, with Spook, and stepped in with Patches' flakey skin as well as Tiger's Hyperthyroidism. We agreed to give Peach Tripsy to support his kidneys, and also Mouth Drops for gums and Turmeric to boost his immune system. Though he likes the Tripsy (he licks it straight from the dispenser), he detests the bitterness of the Turmeric and the sharpness of the Mouth Drops, so at that time, I took to giving him only the Tripsy as he started to hide from me at dinner times.

Steroids treatment combined with NHV supplements

After the antibiotics treatment, we had to wait and see how things went. It was easily noticed: Eating remained a big issue. He'd grow tired while eating, he refused anything that he could not lick up. As weeks went by, he'd sometimes skip meals all morning, but take to afternoon meals like a wolverine who's been on a hunger strike. Then, all of a sudden, the dry kibble proved to be easy manageable again - if only as fast snack times.

By the end of April, the vet and I talked about possible medical treatment and decided to put him on a short treatment of steroids. It might help with pain and discomfort. I got back to the people of NHV and we decided to add Turmeric and Yucca. 

The - short term - steroid treatment did not do a lot for his issues, but during that time, Peach seemed to return to his frolicking, cuddly self. He would again ask for scritches and hugs, he would play again with Spottedleaf, he would run in the garden and even snatch a blackbird chick from its nest.

In six weeks (April 28 until June 7) he was safely put off the meds, but we continued giving him the supplements. 

What now?

After I wrote the vet an update on both Tiger and Peach, he got back to me yesterday. We talked about the progress of the Trigeminal Neuritis and a scan to determine how bad the jaw is affected. The vet advised against it, stating it would not be helpful regarding treatment (as there is none for a cat this young, and we had just discovered the steroids are not that effective), and it would need Peach to be anesthetized, which he'd rather not to for something that would not be helpful. Plus he said, knowing my financial situation, it would also be quite expensive for something that would only confirm what we know and not be a guideline towards healing. He will struggle with eating for the rest of his life but at least it is unlikely the illness will progress to affect his entire face. 

So today we celebrate Peach and his tremendous courage, for strutting his way from a stray 5 week old kitten to a loving 2 year old companion who comforts you when you are sad and who treats you to melodious purring when you gently massage his face. 

Progress thanks to NHV - and all cats are happy little campers yet again

It's been almost a month since I restarted the NHV supplements, after an elaborate chat with them on Instagram, for our cats Patches and Tiger, for skin problems, aching joints and anxiety, and I can safely say, there is progress! 


Patches, a.k.a. the Battletank Princess
This chubby calico turns 12 in August and, like her presumed litter brother Tiger, was originally a stray, until we took them in when they were about 8 months. She has a fabulous personality, trying to kill you with one glare, and moments later snuggling with the loudest purr since our Spook passed away. Worth mentioning is also this: she eats only dry kibble, Royal Canin Vet Senior Consult Stage 2, mixed with Royal Canin Ageing 12+ (for extra flavour). She detests wet food, of any kind.

Since a couple of years I noticed she had very flaky skin, not that she was itchy but it looked like a really bad case of dandruff.
She also showed signs of anxiety, which first emerged after my former home got broken into, now 9 years ago, but she managed it alright. There seems to be no real moment to pinpoint the anxiety worsening, but it definitely got bad with our cat Spook passing away last year January. At first my son and I primarily started soothing her and comforting her - it seemed to be part of her grieving process. But by the end of the year it kind of spiraled out of control, with both Peach and Tiger harassing her for no apparent reason, and Patches in a daily state of deep intense distress.
It also became clear she was having trouble with jumping on and off chairs, and walking the stairs. Our vet suggested a painkiller for a couple of days, which indeed helped for quite a bit, but when the effect wore off, she seemed to be in more agony than before.

After contacting NHV I started treatment, Stimmune for her skin (which she had before and clearly helped), Matricalm for her anxiety, and Old Timer for her aching joints. Also, I was advised to brush her with Coco Fur Care.


Tiger
This tabby senior is Patches' brother. He is gentle, loud and easygoing, yet at the same time, when he is not allowed out, he gets upset and frustrated, to the point he harasses Patches.

Last year I had him fully examined, as he started losing weight at an alarming speed (to me), from 7 something kg to 5.5, within 6 months, and also was drinking more than his usual amount of water. He was always hungry but that wouldn't show, as he was losing weight. Blood work showed nothing out of the ordinary though. In the past half year Tiger lost another 300 g, and he started struggling with his joints. When he jumped off the fence or a chair, his hind legs would buckle, and he started avoiding both the stairs and the fence altogether.
His dry food is the same as his sister's, but twice a day he also gets a small portion of Real Nature wet food.

And the I started NHV treatment with him, at the same time I did start with Patches. Tiger got Old Timer and Yucca, for his joints and flexibility, and also Matricalm to help hem be more at ease around Patches. Every NHV precedes a wet food meal.


Peach and Spottedleaf

Our 1.5 year old ginger tabby is a darling puss-in-boots, much like Fire Star of the Warrior Cats (book series by Erin Hunter), an adventurous, smart-ass love-bug. But ... he also is a pain in Patches' butt and he freaks out when he cannot be out in the garden at least twice a day. He plays a lot with our newest furling addition Spottedleaf, now nearly 9 months old, who was thrown over our garden wall late last Summer.

Spottedleaf has found a great mentor in Peach, as he teaches her fighting, hunting, as well as respecting boundaries - things I admire greatly in him, especially since he was not so lucky to find a teacher when he arrived at our home in June 2018. We only had elderly cats at that time, both Patches and Tiger, and Spook.

NHV suggested Matricalm for both of them too.


After a month of NHV
The funny thing with Patches is, for this second time I tried Matricalm with her, a peculiar effect showed already after a day -- she suddenly appeared intensely snugly. She'd crawl up on you, rub her face against your leg or shoulder, and purr real loud. This she definitely would refrain from doing before the Matricalm. After a week or two the Old Timer and Stimmune would show their positive effects: it has been a long while we saw our Battletank Princess play the way she does now, as well as bring her toy mousies both up and own the stairs. She still has flakes, but they are fewer than ever before. The fur spray she hates. Then again, she is not fond of either supplement, resenting the twice a day moment of squirting the liquids directly in her mouth. She does not eat wet food and she snubs all suggestions made by NHV (which I tried giving to her or preparing for her as well as I could). I offer her a tiny splash of milk after each NHV moment, to reward her.

Tiger actively resists being administered the supplements. He will squirm and protest, but in 5 minutes he is done, and he gets his wet food and all is well again with his world. He has improved impressively; he seems to be in no more obvious pain, he moves more easily and he will race up and down the house again, playing and joking around, much like Patches. He runs around the garden, even climbs the fence again, and seems very happy indeed. A week ago I weighed them all, and he had put on 400 g, without me giving him more food. There are less altercations with his sister, as they both appear to be more calm in each other's company.

Peach, obviously still more of a kitten compared to his elderly siblings, is a ball of energy firing around the house. I am not sure if the Matricalm is having an effect on him, but in a way the idea of getting it, calms him down - if only for a while.
With Spottedleaf I stopped treatment after 4 days as she got such heavy diarrhea I was afraid I'd had to take her to the vet, She recovered swiftly.


So, I think I can safely say that our senior cats benefit the most from the supplements they are getting. I am so pleased to see them happy and playful again, with a lust for life, as well as a deep appreciation for the slumbers they take during the day. Fun fact: Peach is the only cat begging for his share of NHV.