Split: Split: For Hope and Steve

Keymaster

Hi Hope. I just lost TWO posts to you. One REALLY long one and one, not so long due to frustration. I am now typing in Word and will copy/paste – THIS should work!!! It’s not the website – my ‘shift’ key keeps sticking and my computer goes wacky. Da.

Congratulations on an awesome team effort and Steve’s latest PCV results!!! I know you are thrilled!!! 37 is wonderful!! :) :)

But please, please – on the weaning – go LOW on the reductions and SLOW, SLOW, SLOW on the time between the reductions. Sadie responded great to the meds once she started going up and we too started to wean her at a PCV of 37. She would have done great, I’m sure of it, but we went way too fast and she collapsed and we were back at square one. It added about a year to this illness – we’re at 1 ½ years now, it’s been a long road. So, just remember, LOW and SLOW.

And about the water and food withholding – I am not at all sure about this. To deny an AIHA/IMHA animal on prednisone/cyclosporine/plus of water is just plain wrong to me. Maybe deny one meal (good luck with that!), but water, I’m shaking my head, no. Anyone back me up on this? Or not (promise, no hurt feelings, promise).

Okay, on the milk thistle and SAM-e: I use human grade and use LIQUID (due to higher absorption). For Sadie’s weight (39 pounds, hefty little gal) I use 18 drops of the HerbPharm milk thistle and 11 drops of the Lumina Health CellFood SAM-e. I calculated this dosage from the Denamarin she took prior.

Milk Thistle: I use HerbPharm liquid milk thistle and typically buy it from Amazon, anywhere from $9 – $12 a bottle. It lasts about a month. If you have a Whole Foods, they carry it. Also, many health food stores are beginning to carry it or just ask them to order it. It’s pricier there though, as is the HerbPharm website.

http://www.herb-pharm.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=134

SAM-e: I use Lumina Health CellFood SAM-e and typically buy it from Amazon too. It’s expensive, anywhere from $24 to $37 a bottle. It lasts about a month.

http://www.luminahealth.com/products/SAM-e.htm

And the lip smacking, yes – Sadie is the champ!! I think, as Sheena says, it’s definitely the tummy. Sadie does it intermittently and I resort to giving her slippery elm, just pull open the capsule and add a little (powder, human grade) to Greek yogurt and add a tad bit of water. It soothes her tummy. When she gets her Atopica (one every five day, 10mg), it really messes with her and she had taken it yesterday. So yesterday, I gave her a Cerenia tab and it helped much. She has gotten Cerenia only maybe 10 times over the duration of her AIHA illness, but it’s a great drug to have on hand. Just remember, give these supplements away from the “needed and necessary” medication, by two hours or so.