Anyone who has lived with cats can tell you that they can be pretty particular and like things on their terms. Medication usually doesn’t fit those terms. While there are a bunch of strategies for giving liquid medications, this post describes simple strategies for using gelatin capsules to make your life as a cat owner a lot easier.
Continue reading “Gelatin Capsules and Combining Medications”
Pimobendan, Dogs and Cats, and What We Learned about Compounding
Pimobendan (Vetmedin) is a drug that shows a lot of promise for congestive heart failure with pets. When Rudy's cardiologist prescribed it, he told us about another cat, who was in pretty desperate shape and losing his battle to CHF– but he responded beautifully while on pimobendan and was still doing well three years later! He nailed the right cocktail— and pimobendan was the key ingredient. Rudy also did well on pimobendan but, in the course of starting him on the medication, we unexpectedly opened up a whole new world. This short post describes what we discovered.
Continue reading “Pimobendan, Dogs and Cats, and What We Learned about Compounding”
A Better Way to Give Your Cat a Pill
Time for something lighter! If you have a pet with any sustained illness, you’re likely going to have to give them a pill. And with heart disease, this may mean several pills. This post describes a trick I discovered by accident that makes it much better for both you and your pet. Continue reading “A Better Way to Give Your Cat a Pill”
Running and Grieving
For the last ten months, I have been dealing with anticipatory grieving– and using my running to help me cope. I’m not a psychologist and I can only talk about my personal experiences and thoughts on the subject.
Heart Failure and How the Heart and Kidney Work Together
When I first heard my vet tell me, “your cat has congestive heart failure,” I thought Rudy would be on life support and immediately ready to be put down. The image in my mind of “congestive heart failure” was an unconscious person hooked up to oxygen on a hospital bed– they had suffered a major heart attack and family members waited quietly nearby to say goodbye. As it turns out, that’s not at all what “heart failure” means. This post describes what heart failure means and how the kidney plays a vital role in managing your cat’s heart disease. Continue reading “Heart Failure and How the Heart and Kidney Work Together”
Rudy’s Battle with Congestive Heart Failure
“This is a very, very serious situation…” Continue reading “Rudy’s Battle with Congestive Heart Failure”
Who Is Rudy?
Rudy came into our lives 11 years ago with his sister Maggie. From early on, the cards were stacked against him; he had asthma and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy but he still managed to live life to the fullest.
Hello World!
This web page is born following the beautiful life of our cat Rudy as he left this material world yesterday. He bravely fought congestive heart failure for ten long months and together we learned an incredible amount of information about this terrible disease. Rudy lasted many more months than he would have without the endless hours of research and preparation that went into his care. There were also plenty of lessons learned along the way– information I wish I knew just a few weeks earlier. If sharing this information can help any pet owner facing this illness or help just one more cat enjoy a few more happy moments, I believe that Rudy shall not have died in vain. Continue reading “Hello World!”
Rudy's Heart 