The dreaded coyote attack

Neurological Disorders Resources. Treatment and care for pets having pain or trouble walking or standing due to spinal injuries or neurological disorders like IVDD, FCE and DM.
pioneerMan
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Re: The dreaded coyote attack

Post by pioneerMan »

Thank you for the suggestion CarolC. I'll go to Dollar Tree tomorrow when I head into town and get one of those bottles.

Other than Terramycin, I guess I'll hold off buying any other general antibiotic for now and just continue my efforts dispensing colloidal silver.
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critters
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Re: The dreaded coyote attack

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I've never bottle fed an adult, but I, too, have syringe- or finger-fed on occasion. Why not thin the concoction down a little? Maybe if you could drip enough to let a ball of it hang on the syringe she might lick it off even if she can't suck? I've also squirted a little mouthful into them with a bottle, but they don't have to suck. You have to be careful not to overfill them so that they choke.
pioneerMan
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Re: The dreaded coyote attack

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Just a quick update on Sandy...

Last Wednesday I went into town to get groceries. I stopped by Tractor Supply to get some of the antibiotics recommended earlier on this forum post. I read the insert and was stunned. There in big bold letters was the company admitting their product may make Sandy severely sick or even die. Because probiotics provide healthy bacteria to a person or pet, I was under the assumption that antibiotics were somehow "natural" too, but doing some research today just informed me that they are nothing more than regular drugs with sometimes devastating side effects. I think I'll stick to a drop of Frankincense essential oil in her fish smoothie and a drop or two of colloidal silver in her eyes. No one has ever become seriously sick or died when using natural remedies from the earth.

By the way her eyes are looking much better lately, the redness is gone. One eye does seem to be larger than the other, but I can at least see the blue color again and the eye gunk is gone. I'll try to snap a photo when she has her eyes fully open so you can see.

Feeding is going better too. Even though I just bought 3 more syringes last Wednesday, I ended up ditching them in favor of this small feeding bottle I found on Amazon. I'm currently using the longest of the included adapters. It's made of flexible silicone, and I think Sandy likes this better than the hard plastic tip of the syringes.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0747 ... le_o01_s01

I watch her closely and I continue to be impressed with her improvements. The other evening she was tossing around a toy mouse. She snuggles more now with the other cats than she ever did before the coyote attack. I really think her cat buddies are giving her the moral support to hang in there.

This morning I saw her trying to eat a small chicken bone I had on the feeding trays the other cats use. For the first time ever she was able to grab the small piece with her teeth enough to move it a few inches and drop it again. She has never been able to do this type of maneuver before. I'm happy for her, and glad that I didn't end her life at the vet's office the last time I was there. I almost did.

I'll post a photo of her eyes soon. Thanks everyone!
Last edited by pioneerMan on Mon Sep 27, 2021 9:38 am, edited 3 times in total.
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critters
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Re: The dreaded coyote attack

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Well, yes, Terramycin is Terramycin. Agreed she seems to be feeling better! :wub:
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CarolC
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Re: The dreaded coyote attack

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Replying in blue.
pioneerMan wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 6:34 pm Just a quick update on Sandy...

Last Wednesday I went into town to get groceries. I stopped by Tractor Supply to get some of the antibiotics recommended earlier on this forum post. I read the insert and was stunned. There in big bold letters was the company admitting their product may make Sandy severely sick or even die. Because probiotics provide healthy bacteria to a person or pet, I was under the assumption that antibiotics were somehow "natural" too, but doing some research today just informed me that they are nothing more than regular drugs with sometimes devastating side effects. I think I'll stick to a drop of Frankincense essential oil in her fish smoothie and a drop or two of colloidal silver in her eyes. No one has ever become seriously sick or died when using natural remedies from the earth.
I wish I could see the insert you were reading. Terramycin has been around for 70 years. :? My vet has prescribed it for several pets over the years and it helped. I'll be sure to read the insert next time I have a chance.

Something I've learned here is there can be more than one approach to caring for pets, there is not just one way to do it, and it sounds like your treatment (and overall holistic approach) is working. The important thing is that she seems to be getting better. If her eyes clear up well, I hope you will post it here so others will know.

I'm not entirely sure anything is 100% safe just because it's natural. I have a very bad reaction to aloe vera, which is natural and is supposed to be beneficial and soothing for your skin, but for me it's the opposite. I also have a bad reaction to a common antibiotic that seems to work for the whole world (except me). :roll: The pharmacist called it an idiopathic reaction, meaning it was an unusual reaction that had something to do with my individual system. So you can have problems with both, natural and manmade...

pioneerMan wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 6:34 pmBy the way her eyes are looking much batter lately, the redness is gone. One eye does seem to be larger than the other, but I can at least see the blue color again and the eye gunk is gone. I'll try to snap a photo when she has her eyes fully open so you can see.
I found an old thread with photos of a kitten with a swollen eye. Here is a link. When it says tef, that is third eye flap.

:arrow: :arrow: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=13324


pioneerMan wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 6:34 pmFeeding is going better. Even though I just bought 3 more syringes last Wednesday, I ended up ditching them in favor of this small feeding bottle I found on Amazon. I'm currently using the longest of the included adapters. It's made of flexible silicone, and I think Sandy likes this better than the hard plastic tip of the syringes.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0747 ... le_o01_s01
Well, cool! I was thinking she might not like something hard when I suggested the ketchup bottle, but I couldn't think of something better. That's neat! I'm attaching the photo so if the link is broken someday and someone needs it, they can see what it was.

bottle.jpg
pioneerMan wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 6:34 pmI watch her closely and I continue to be impressed with her improvements. The other evening she was tossing around a toy mouse. She snuggles more now with the other cats than she ever did before the coyote attack. I really think her cat buddies are giving her the moral support to hang in there. This morning I saw her trying to eat a small chicken bone I had on the feeding trays the other cats use. For the first time ever she was able to grab the small piece with her teeth enough to move it a few inches and drop it again. She has never been able to do this type of maneuver before. I'm happy for her, and glad that I didn't end her life at the vet's office the last time I was there. I almost did.
That's the best news ever! :hurray: :ecstatic: :hurray: So the injury was around maybe the second week of August, and you are beginning to see the ability to use her jaw return near the end of September. Whatever you're doing seems to be doing her a world of good. Thank goodness you gave her the chance. :angel:
pioneerMan wrote: Sun Sep 26, 2021 6:34 pm I'll post a photo of her eyes soon. Thanks everyone!
pioneerMan
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Re: The dreaded coyote attack

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Okay, it took a while, but I think I got three fairly good photos that show Sandy's eyes. One is clearly larger than the other, but at least it doesn't look inflamed like it once did. Comments?

Also, who set the size limit for uploading photos? 300KB is terribly small in modern times. I had to crop the photo several times before it fell under the 300KB limit. Can someone adjust this file size limitation in the forum settings?

sandy1.JPG
sandy2.jpg
sandy3.jpg
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CarolC
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Re: The dreaded coyote attack

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Sorry it's a hassle. 256KiB is the default with phpBB. It can be changed temporarily. What size do you need?

I love the pics but I don't know much about eyes. I want to wait to see what Critters says. She's got a lot of experience with it.

Sandy is as cute as can be. :wub:
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critters
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Re: The dreaded coyote attack

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I can see ulceration in the pics, but they otherwise look good. You may eventually see scarring, which is white. I'd be very careful as long as the ulceration(s) is/are there, because it's possible for an eye to rupture. They don't look gooey, which is a start.
pioneerMan
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Re: The dreaded coyote attack

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critters wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 9:27 am I can see ulceration in the pics, but they otherwise look good.
Can ulceration eventually heal? I assume the answer is yes. And what causes ulceration? Is there a human equivalent of this condition?
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CarolC
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Re: The dreaded coyote attack

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The attachment limit is 2MB till the end of October. If you need it longer, just say the word. Apparently iPhone pics are in the range of 3MB so you may still have to crop or resize, but not as much. Please report any issues.

Critters works a varying schedule, so don't worry, it's normal for her to be away for several days at a time. :)
pioneerMan
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Re: The dreaded coyote attack

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Okay thanks CarolC. I wonder why the default can't be changed so that the forum always excepts larger sized videos, instead of having a time limitation and then reverting back to the smaller size. Anyway, I'll try to get another photo of Sandy posted soon that supports the larger size.

I'm so happy for her right now, as she's really doing great! I think the colloidal silver and essential oils I have been giving her are really helping. Her eyes are looking much better and today her nose didn't have any boogers when I went to giver her breakfast. She downed 3 small bottles of fish smoothie too. She has come such a long way!
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critters
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Re: The dreaded coyote attack

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pioneerMan wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 11:05 am
critters wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 9:27 am I can see ulceration in the pics, but they otherwise look good.
Can ulceration eventually heal? I assume the answer is yes. Yes, usually with a white scar, sometimes light and sometimes thick. With my monsters, it has depended on the degree of ulceration. And what causes ulceration? Injuries, illnesses...Is there a human equivalent of this condition?Sure. People can get them, too.
pioneerMan
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Re: The dreaded coyote attack

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It's now been two months since Sandy and Fefe were attacked by the coyote. I've tried my best to take good care of her, including feeding her by bottle twice per day. The condition of her eyes vary by the day. Sometimes they look good, other days they require a gently cleaning with a clean washcloth. Some days her nose is clear, other days she has boogers and snot that needs to be removed. How is it that an otherwise healthy cat can't overcome a respiratory infection that she has basically had for her whole life? Some humans remain sick long term because they eat junk food or do other things to neglect their health. But with Sandy, she's been given good nutrition since the time she was a small kitten. It's all so confusing and sad to me. I want her to be healthy and happy. Lately she's had a bit of a cough. I normally only see this while feeding her. She otherwise doesn't seem to cough during the day.

If my cats were indoor cats it wouldn't be as hard. But since they all live outside, feeding Sandy out in the cold weather is tougher than the warm summer nights of the last two months. It's 39 degrees outside right now as I write this. Sometimes I wonder if Sandy even wants to keep living since she can't eat on her own. Yes she walks better, but she'll likely never hunt for mice again. If the coyote returns some night in the future, she will likely not be able to respond fast enough to protect herself. It's been a good experience holding her close and feeding her these last two months, but it takes time and I certainly can't do this for the rest of her life. So I've started to intensify my search for a rescue who would take her. I just joined this group on Facebook, "Animal Rescue Networking Group of Utah"

https://www.facebook.com/groups/251444798559193

Does anyone here want to adopt Sandy? One other thing that her caregiving has caused is me spending less time with the other six cats. There is only so much time during a business work day.

Thank you.
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CarolC
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Re: The dreaded coyote attack

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Hi pioneerMan,

I can't really offer to take her. I have a male cat who attacks other cats. I really can't bring another cat into the house knowing how he is. He's going around with a scratch on his nose right now because he keeps attacking my other cat, and I guess she swatted back at him a couple of days ago, which I'm sure he deserved. I have an outdoor enclosure for him for when the weather permits, and he's crated at night to keep them separate, and I don't like to let them be in the house together if I'm not home to break up fights which he starts. Because of him I have not been able to consider getting any more cats for years. I am aware in the back of my mind that other cats are going without a chance because I have this one cat, but he's my cat and I have to do the best I can with him. In all my years I've never had any other cat that is just a big bully. Yes, he's been fixed forever, it's just something about his personality.

I don't blame you for not wanting to sit outside if it's already 39 at 5 PM. Soon it will be colder still. I would feed her indoors at the kitchen table or maybe in the garage/shed if you have a space heater, but I'm sure you've already thought of that. I'm a little bit in the same situation with weather. I adopted a quadriplegic dog who is recovering and he has bladder control. He can control his pee but he can't stand up, so I take him out to the yard first thing in the morning and several times during the day. There have been mornings where I carry him out in the rain. I could put on a windbreaker but I don't want to bother, so I just get wet. He doesn't get wet because I bend over him holding him in a standing position, so my back gets soaked and I am his human umbrella. :rain: That's OK, though. Last year we had unexpected freezing weather, snow and ice here, and the power was out for days and I really froze. I determined I would acclimatize myself to cold better this year in case it happens again, and I'm going to do it.

I thought the same thing about the coyote. I was afraid he might come back. Perhaps he already has but they are aware now. I feel like white cats are more at risk living outdoors. But I guess when you get snow, then they have an advantage during the winter months. I'm in south Texas where it seldom snows (except last year), and a lot of feral cats are tabby, tabby and white, black, or black and white (tuxedo pattern). Normally those colors would be good camouflage for this climate year round.

I don't know about the coughing. Maybe she's inhaling a little bit when she eats? They say to squirt food in the side of the mouth and not toward the back of the throat, but I'm sure that when you were dealing with a mouth issue and trying to get food in, you have to do it however you can.

I think she would adjust to living indoors, if you wanted to try it. You would have a soft, warm friend sleeping on the bed with you this winter, purring in the morning. Being inside might help her fight off this upper respiratory thing, instead of being outdoors in the fall temperature changes. I don't know, it's an idea. If you don't want to do that, then I dearly hope you can find a placement for her.
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critters
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Re: The dreaded coyote attack

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My 2 big boys are now about 13, and they've had the family snots pretty much since they came home. They've been extremely snotty for about 2 weeks now, so maybe the increase is something seasonal. If you're in Utah, maybe Best Friends could help? I'm wondering if her refusal to eat by herself could be learned behavior at this point?
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