What first world problem did you have today?

[dave_the_nerd]

Bad news. The girl's got bad kidneys. I got some pills and vitamins for her(at $80). Hopefully that'll be enough to keep her going awhile. The vet suggested prescription food. Aside from being pricey, the girl's a picky eater, and "prescription" foods kinda bs anyway. I'll have to look into tweaking her diet a bit :^/

Here's a summary: https://consciouscat.net/2016/02/15/the-right-diet-for-cats-with-kidney-disease/

Basically, the kidney support food is easier to digest and easier on the kidneys. You could probably science up something (chicken, rice, fish oil, etc.) in your kitchen, but the prescription stuff is cheaper. Off the shelf kibble is actually hurting their kidneys worse.

We have a cat who's been diagnosed with kidney failure - four months after switching to the prescription food, her blood protein levels were back within the "normal" range. Vet said her kidneys are still probably going to peter out eventually, but it will take a lot longer because we're not straining them. Cat's lost a little weight from the low-fat diet, but is otherwise fine. A $40 bag of prescription kibble lasts about 6 weeks. Not quite triple the cost per pound of food, but not bank-breaking for us. Also, cheaper than any of the pills we could have put her on.

We did end up trying every possible variety of two different brands of prescription food, though. That sucked.

We have another cat who's going on glucosamine supplements. Cat pain killers are friggin expensive though.

 

[IronWing]

Bad news. The girl's got bad kidneys. I got some pills and vitamins for her(at $80). Hopefully that'll be enough to keep her going awhile. The vet suggested prescription food. Aside from being pricey, the girl's a picky eater, and "prescription" foods kinda bs anyway. I'll have to look into tweaking her diet a bit :^/

That's why we shoot Impy (16yo) up with fluids every two or three days. It helps flush out his kidneys. He's put weight back on since we started doing this a few months ago. Smally (18yo) has a kidney infection so we've been trying to shoot her up as well as it helps push the antibiotic into the kidneys and helps flush the crud out of the kidneys but she's really wiggly. We really need another person to help pin her down.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Doing my taxes yesterday took a whole hour!

1040EZ ftw.

 

[cherrytwist]

my debit card won't work online...

 

[highland145]

my debit card won't work online...

What's the number.


And the code on the back.

 

[lxskllr]

Basically, the kidney support food is easier to digest and easier on the kidneys. You could probably science up something (chicken, rice, fish oil, etc.) in your kitchen, but the prescription stuff is cheaper. Off the shelf kibble is actually hurting their kidneys worse.

I think I'll get at least one bag of food. What *really* bugs me about it is it's normal food, given the same standard of care as dollar store human food, and a couple cents of commodity vitamins added at a 500% markup, and difficult acquisition. It's a scam no matter how you look at it. They're blatantly exploiting people's care for their pets. It's unseemly. I'd be embarrassed telling people I made "prescription food" for a living.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I think I'll get at least one bag of food. What *really* bugs me about it is it's normal food, given the same standard of care as dollar store human food, and a couple cents of commodity vitamins added at a 500% markup, and difficult acquisition. It's a scam no matter how you look at it. They're blatantly exploiting people's care for their pets. It's unseemly. I'd be embarrassed telling people I made "prescription food" for a living.

Well, it's made from more expensive ingredients: the normal kibble has stuff that wouldn't make the cut for "dollar store human food." The kidney support diet usually doesn't.

Meanwhile, we pay $4 for a box of cornflakes containing $0.12 of corn. So it's all a scam. Manufacturing and distribution are expensive.

Is it worth the markup? How much would it cost you to puree some chicken, rice, and fish oil together, then add a multivitamin? That's what we did with a sick dog when I was a kid. (Pancreatitis.) I don't eat that well.

 

[shortylickens]

Bulk dog food is mostly garbage like saw dust and bone meal. It is NOT good for them.

But I've seen plenty of articles saying the fancy ass Scient Diet shit isnt anything special and costs too damn much.

 

[lxskllr]

How much would it cost you to puree some chicken, rice, and fish oil together, then add a multivitamin? That's what we did with a sick dog when I was a kid. (Pancreatitis.) I don't eat that well.

Not sure tbh. I don't often buy meat, but chicken's cheap. Rice, fish oil and vitamins are virtually free.

Here's the ingredient list. Keep in mind, we're not talking Whole Foods here. I'm sure it's the cheapest available commodity goods...

Brown Rice, Corn Gluten Meal, Chicken, Pork Fat, Whole Grain Wheat, Cracked Pearled Barley, Wheat Gluten, Chicken Liver Flavor, Pea Protein, Egg Product, Fish Oil, Lactic Acid, Potassium Citrate, Calcium Sulfate, L-Lysine, L-Arginine, Choline Chloride, Calcium Carbonate, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Niacin Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K)), L-Threonine, Taurine, Iodized Salt, DL-Methionine, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), Potassium Chloride, L-Carnitine, L-Tryptophan, Mixed Tocopherols for freshness, Natural Flavors, Beta-Carotene.

I don't see anything amazing. A lot of big words that boil down to commodity chemicals. I see regulated food that includes what it says on the label. Same as a pack of Little Debbies or pork rinds.

I get what what you're saying, kinda. I could equal their price using some of the finest ingredients, and some labor, but why should a dumbass in his house be able to equal your "prescription" food at a lower cost, with zero bulk buying power? It's exploitive.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I get what what you're saying, kinda. I could equal their price using some of the finest ingredients, and some labor, but why should a dumbass in his house be able to equal your "prescription" food at a lower cost, with zero bulk buying power? It's exploitive.

I suspect it's more expensive than you think. At least if you're not preparing it by the metric tonne.

But ultimately, as with all prepared products, you are paying for the privilege of not having to do it yourself. (See: my previous comment about the $0.12 of corn in a box of corn flakes.) So... *shrug*

 

[Chaotic42]

I'm worried that my cat Layla may be sick. She's yowling a lot and wandering around like she's nervous or in pain. Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to take her to the vet until Thursday unless there's an emergency. I'm not sure when to pull that trigger. The yowling is pathetic though.

 

[IronWing]

I'm worried that my cat Layla may be sick. She's yowling a lot and wandering around like she's nervous or in pain. Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to take her to the vet until Thursday unless there's an emergency. I'm not sure when to pull that trigger. The yowling is pathetic though.

Is she fixed? If so, could be thyroid.

 

[Chaotic42]

Is she fixed? If so, could be thyroid.

She is. She seems to have settled down tonight. We'll see how it goes.

 

[lxskllr]

Kitty's not doing well. She isn't really eating. I got a carton of egg whites, and made her some scrambled eggs. I thought she'd like that, but it was a failure. I just tried smoked tuna, and she ate that. I guess I'll get some tuna from the store. I also have some samples of wet food. I'll see if she likes those... I don't think she'll be around much longer :^(

 

[snoopy7548]

Went snowboarding today and I think I crushed my left thigh muscle falling onto some huge chunks of ice off to the side of the park. Probably gonna have to sit next week out.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Sucks about your cat. Hopefully things get better. If it's her time to go then hopefully it's quick and painless and does not drag too long.

For today's first world problem for me: I was doing electrical at my parents' house, just changing a couple light fixtures. I assumed there would be no power at the lights because I figured based on the wiring that it was fed from the switch, so as long as switch is off, then there should be no power. Right? Turns out I was wrong. First light in the string went ok. I was standing on carpet and never got a shock. Though I kinda got lucky that when I slid the plate through the wires it never shorted out to ground.

Second light, my hands were a little sweaty from having worked on the first. As I was unscrewing the plate while holding the light, my hand brushed against the hot and got a nice zinger. I was confused as to why there was even power there, then I realized it's probably because the switch is breaking the neutral instead of the hot. Probably not code to do it that way. I was more careful for the rest of the install. Come to think of it, it may actually be me that installed the switch, maybe I'm the one that got the neutral/hot mixed up. I would have been like 14 at the time assuming it was in year 2000, maybe I was trying to kill myself in the future.

 

[richaron]

...

So... fixing the circuit breaker is the moral of the story? Pls.

 

[Red Squirrel]

So... fixing the circuit breaker is the moral of the story? Pls.

Their panel is a pain to get to, so I was lazy. I always do electrical live when I go there. lol. One time I had something short out right in my face while I was on a chair. My mom freaked out, it was pretty funny, but it also caused the breaker to trip. Trying to reset a tripped breaker with a hockey stick is kinda tricky though.

I would refuse to do anything that's 240v though. 120v is not too bad.

 

[highland145]

So... fixing the circuit breaker is the moral of the story? Pls.

No. He was a moran at 14. His parents were morans for letting him touch anything other than himself.

Got it?

 

[lxskllr]

Kitty's not doing well. She isn't really eating. I got a carton of egg whites, and made her some scrambled eggs. I thought she'd like that, but it was a failure. I just tried smoked tuna, and she ate that. I guess I'll get some tuna from the store. I also have some samples of wet food. I'll see if she likes those... I don't think she'll be around much longer :^(

Things are looking up a little. She really likes the Purely Fancy Feast tonga tuna meal, and she's eating that. I think that has a fair amount of phosphorus, but it's a start. Starving has zero P, but that's not helpful. I also bought some chunk light tuna in water. I'm gonna try the eggs again, but break them up in little pieces, and soak them awhile in tuna water. Sounds disgusting, but she didn't like the eggs neatly folded per my preference :^D

Now, I just need to figure out how to some calcium carbonate in her...

 

[IronWing]

heavy cream or full fat yogurt

 

[Chaotic42]

Things are looking up a little. She really likes the Purely Fancy Feast tonga tuna meal, and she's eating that. I think that has a fair amount of phosphorus, but it's a start. Starving has zero P, but that's not helpful. I also bought some chunk light tuna in water. I'm gonna try the eggs again, but break them up in little pieces, and soak them awhile in tuna water. Sounds disgusting, but she didn't like the eggs neatly folded per my preference :^D

Now, I just need to figure out how to some calcium carbonate in her...

I'm glad she's eating. My ex-girlfriend had a 19 year old cat who would only eat unseasoned turkey-based baby food and the blood from livers. The baby food might be worth looking into, just making sure it doesn't have onions or anything else bad in it.

 

[lxskllr]

I'm glad she's eating. My ex-girlfriend had a 19 year old cat who would only eat unseasoned turkey-based baby food and the blood from livers. The baby food might be worth looking into, just making sure it doesn't have onions or anything else bad in it.

That's not a bad idea. I'm scrambling, and winging it atm, but I'm hoping to get more educated as things settle down. She hates our "personal" time together. I snatch her up, shove a butter coated pill down her throat, squirt some vitamins in her mouth, and then put blobs of nutrient goop on her nose that she licks off. Kinda stressful for both of us :^D She gets over it quick though. I just need to vary the routine enough so she doesn't catch on before I catch her :^D

 

[Chaotic42]

Is she fixed? If so, could be thyroid.

The vet thinks they might not have removed all of her ovarian tissue and that it's making enough hormones to put her in heat. She got a blood test today and we'll know more next week. Layla is *super* displeased about being in the crate, the car, the vet, and getting poked. I'm in the dog house with the cat.

 

[Vericonx]

Having a hard time deciding on which restaurant to go for dinner