Well, it's been something of what I'm told is a rollercoaster. Up. Down. Up. Down. Up again, and 'round and around we go. I know it's been a long time since I wrote, but Daddy's been hogging the computer the whole time (shhhhh, don't tell him I said so).
I got sick again in January. When I went, they told me I'd gained a pound, or a little over, up to 7 pounds. Unfortunately, I was peeing on the carpets, so Mommy and Daddy put newspapers down, which I used until I got feeling better. Turned out I had a urinary tract infection. Dr. Doyle told Daddy that cats like me get those all the time. He gave me a medicine, a pain reliever, which knocked me out but really made me sick. The Clavamox was supposed to knock out the infection, but that also made me sick and I got better, but not all the way. So another round seemed to do the tricl. Of course all this followed round after round of going to the vet's, figuring out what wasn't working, taking tests. Daddy discovered the hard way that eventually, in order to prescribe the right medicine, they gotta do a "kidney panel" on me, in addition to a urinalysis, AND something called a culture.
And then I got better. For a while. And then another month or so later, I got another UTI. It was the same bad bug, too, E. Coli, which somehow had worked it's way up my urinary tract. This time we saw another doctor. She's real sweet and also good with me, Dr. Andersen. So they did all the tests. It was embarassing, 'cause Dr. Andersen said I didn't have enough pee inside me to get a test, so they kept me overnight giving me fluids. Eventually they got what they needed. Everyone seems to rejoice when I pee. I got another round of meds, and this went okay, until I started throwing up all the time. That's when the switched me to another medicine, Zeniquin, which seemed to work just as good and didn't make me hurl on the den carpet.
And then I got way better and many months passed.
Recently, I just haven't been feeling too good. Daddy didn't know it, but Mommy did. She said I started acting strange ... all lovey-dovey (hey, I can be sweet, damnit ... nevermind the claws). And curling up with Daddy way longer than I usually do at night. And for some reason I had to hide in Mommy's closet. And I'd started peeing on the carpet again. Mommy and Daddy were real happy when they bought the "Spot Bot" back in October. I hate it when they have to use it, but I gotta do what I gotta do. Daddy's recently started using vinegar mixed with hot water in it, and it works just fine.
So back we went to see Dr. Andersen. She convinced Daddy about running all the tests again, since it had been over 4 months, and I wasn't doing too good. They said I was back down to 6 pounds. Mommy and Daddy worked a crossword puzzle for the first time, together, while they waited hours and hours on me (there were emergencies going on at the hospital). So now they're hoping it's just a urinary tract infection. If it's not, it's most likely that my kidney disease has progressed and things are going a little haywire on me. Daddy starts crying a lot now, especially after the vet called and said she couldn't find any crystals or signs of an infection from my urinalysis.
They're giving me fluids every other day, but not more than 90 mils, or else I vomit. I gotta eat some more, and I have been. I do feel better after getting the fluids. I still hide, but today I slept on Daddy's legs while he read in the library. He put some newspaper down on his lap for me, 'cause he knows I love the crinkly paper. They won't let me outside so much when it's so hot with my weight issues going on, but at least they have crinkly paper. So, now we're waiting to see the rest of the test results and lab work. And I'll keep curling up to Daddy when I can.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Thursday, November 5, 2009
At home therapy, #1
Soooo, last week was kinda cool. Daddy and Mommy were talking about stuff. I'm pretty sure they were talking about me, 'cause they kept looking at me. They had the bag of liquid stuff the doctor and technicians had been injecting me with at the doctor's office. I really didn't want to go back there in that cardboard box carrier (it smells kinda bad, and Mommy said there's tire tracks on the side ... EEK!).
I think they were arguing about where to set up my stuff so they could try to do the therapy at home. It was their first time doing it by themselves and at home. I know Daddy was feeling like he didn't want to hurt me, but help me ... but he was still afraid, though he didn't act like it ... I know, 'cause I'm his daemon and I know these things. ;) But Mommy had a bright idea. It took Daddy some time to actually listen to her. She said to do the fluid therapy up on my kitty cat condo. But she wanted to fill the hole up so I wouldn't fall through. Daddy said he thought this was a bad idea and would freak my furr out, plugging up the hole. While they were arguing about this and that, I just jumped right up.
"WOW!" said Daddy. "I think we're ready to start." Mommy smiled and held the bag of fluids. Daddy took the needle cap off like the tech showed him to, and used his ring and pinkie finger underneath the needle and tube to steady it. He made a tent of my skin with the other hand and pinched a little hard so I wouldn't feel the prick too bad. And "poof" in the needle went. Daddy didn't hesitate at all like he did at the vet's office. I liked that. Just one prick and that's it. Mommy kept being nervous about how much fluid I should take. I always tend to growl right around 150 mils, so that's what I got. Then I jumped down after receiving lots of kisses, and in no time was up to no good about the house.
I spent the next few days pouncing on Tabla from around the corners. This fluid therapy thing is pretty good stuff. Makes me feel better. Daddy said the shipment of supplies came in from Valley Vet and was enough for 36 sessions ... and only cost $66, with no shipping. All I know is, I won't have to go back to the vet's every week in that smelly box (peee-ewwww!).
I think they were arguing about where to set up my stuff so they could try to do the therapy at home. It was their first time doing it by themselves and at home. I know Daddy was feeling like he didn't want to hurt me, but help me ... but he was still afraid, though he didn't act like it ... I know, 'cause I'm his daemon and I know these things. ;) But Mommy had a bright idea. It took Daddy some time to actually listen to her. She said to do the fluid therapy up on my kitty cat condo. But she wanted to fill the hole up so I wouldn't fall through. Daddy said he thought this was a bad idea and would freak my furr out, plugging up the hole. While they were arguing about this and that, I just jumped right up.
"WOW!" said Daddy. "I think we're ready to start." Mommy smiled and held the bag of fluids. Daddy took the needle cap off like the tech showed him to, and used his ring and pinkie finger underneath the needle and tube to steady it. He made a tent of my skin with the other hand and pinched a little hard so I wouldn't feel the prick too bad. And "poof" in the needle went. Daddy didn't hesitate at all like he did at the vet's office. I liked that. Just one prick and that's it. Mommy kept being nervous about how much fluid I should take. I always tend to growl right around 150 mils, so that's what I got. Then I jumped down after receiving lots of kisses, and in no time was up to no good about the house.
I spent the next few days pouncing on Tabla from around the corners. This fluid therapy thing is pretty good stuff. Makes me feel better. Daddy said the shipment of supplies came in from Valley Vet and was enough for 36 sessions ... and only cost $66, with no shipping. All I know is, I won't have to go back to the vet's every week in that smelly box (peee-ewwww!).
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The other paw ...
So the other paw dropped last Wednesday, so to speak. Dr. Doyle called Daddy and said that I do have Chronic Renal Failure. It's pretty much a death sentence. Well, you gotta go out sometime. Still, Daddy didn't want to hear that. The vet gave Daddy lots of key points on how to "manage" the disease. While it's something that ultimately is fatal (I mean, isn't life itself fatal?), there are things Daddy can do for me to help.
I keep pee'ing ... a lot. I try to go inside the box as much as I can. Daddy's very calm. He's been crying a lot. Mommy's been giving him lots of hugs and kisses, too. And then I get lots of extra kisses and pets from Daddy. So Mommy had this idea to put down newspapers on the den room floor. It's the only room with carpet, so if I gotta go and I'm between rooms, I hit the den. At least I go around the edges. Don't know why, really, just seems right. I really don't know when I'm "done" anymore, either, so I have to stay and make sure that I'm done peeing. The newspapers are folded in half and layered over each other. I LOVE the crinkly sound. Daddy sometimes cuts off the half that's I've wet and throws it away, and sometimes folds up the whole thing. It's really easy and works great. Sometimes I just hang out on the newspaper 'cause it feels good and sounds good, but Daddy and Mommy look at me like I'm peeing. I'm just messing with their heads. What fun!
I was really feeling pitiful, though, by Wednesday. Daddy had gotten dry and wet Hill's KD food. The wet food is BLECHHH! But I LOOOOOVE the dry kibble. I haven't had dry food in years thanks to Tabla. That old boy cat won't drink water any more and he gets constipated easily. Mommy's spent a lot of money getting poop outta that cat, let me tell you. Now he gets a few drops of mineral oil on his wet food every other day or so. Now, I get to eat my kibble! To keep Tabla from eating it all, Mommy puts my food bowl on a padded kitchen table chair, with another chair beside it so I can take a nap there if I want. Sometimes I do.
Daddy keeps feeding me. He wants me to gain weight. Well, I tried. But Wednesday morning I threw up all the food I ate the night before. In like, 6 or 7 places. Daddy just cleaned the carpet and cried a bit doing it. Then I got lots of pats again. But Daddy gave me more food, and put this magic powder on it, Epakitin. It's okay. I like it on the dry food. The wet food is still yucky, but I'll take a bit every now and then. I think Daddy puts the Epakitin on Tabla's food just in case I eat some of his (his bowl's on the floor). Mommy doesn't like this idea too much. Still I'm eating lots of kibble now so I don't eat too much of Tabla's food anyway. AND, Mommy gives me a scoop in the afternoons, too. She puts the powder on the dry food then, too. I get two scoops of that stuff a day. Dr. Doyle says it'll keep my phosophorous down. Apparently my number was sky-high when the blood tests came back.
I was doing pretty good. Then Daddy takes me on Thursday back to the vet. He was embarassed 'cause he only has a cardboard "Pet Wagon" to carry me in. But he put a blankey inside. And since it's a top-loader I go right in, so much easier than the side-loader pet carriers. Sometimes I try to see if I can dig out from underneath the blankey. We went back to Dr. Doyle's office. A tech came and got us and Daddy took me out of the box. She handed Daddy a water balloon, and showed Daddy how to make a tent out of my shoulder skin. It was weird but I didn't mind. Then she released the "tent" onto a sharp metal thing that led to a tube that led to the balloon. She said the vet said I was to get 100 mils, whatever that is. But Shannon, the tech, said I was REALLY dehydrated. I've been drinking water from the tap as much as I could ... and the water bowls, but I don't like them too much. Daddy started cleaning them better. They got skanky quick. Now he keeps them clean. I think he's going to get something special, too. He lets me drink from the water faucets. I jump on the counter every time he goes near the bathrooms, so he starts the water at a slow drip. It's fun. But I pee so much I'm always thirsty! They injected this water solution under my skin. It was okay. I sat there like a good little girl.
After I passed 100, Shannon wanted to see how much I would take. My back started bulging like a balloon. When it felt too tight I started growling. "Okay, I think that's it!" Daddy said. "Wow, she took 175 mils," Shannon said. As soon as we got home I was feeling pretty good and glad to be home. I jumped right onto the chair and chowed down. Then I peed. Then I played a bit. Then I passed out. I've been pretty happy ever since. That water "therapy" as Daddy calls it is pretty awesome. I think I'm gonna get that at least once a week. Daddy said he asked Dr. Doyle for a prescription so he can order the supplies from Costco pharmacy online and save a bunch of money. So he and Mommy will have to learn how to give me the water therapy at home. I think I'll like not having to be dropped into that little Pet Wagon every week, too!
Okay, gotta go pee and pass out.
I keep pee'ing ... a lot. I try to go inside the box as much as I can. Daddy's very calm. He's been crying a lot. Mommy's been giving him lots of hugs and kisses, too. And then I get lots of extra kisses and pets from Daddy. So Mommy had this idea to put down newspapers on the den room floor. It's the only room with carpet, so if I gotta go and I'm between rooms, I hit the den. At least I go around the edges. Don't know why, really, just seems right. I really don't know when I'm "done" anymore, either, so I have to stay and make sure that I'm done peeing. The newspapers are folded in half and layered over each other. I LOVE the crinkly sound. Daddy sometimes cuts off the half that's I've wet and throws it away, and sometimes folds up the whole thing. It's really easy and works great. Sometimes I just hang out on the newspaper 'cause it feels good and sounds good, but Daddy and Mommy look at me like I'm peeing. I'm just messing with their heads. What fun!
I was really feeling pitiful, though, by Wednesday. Daddy had gotten dry and wet Hill's KD food. The wet food is BLECHHH! But I LOOOOOVE the dry kibble. I haven't had dry food in years thanks to Tabla. That old boy cat won't drink water any more and he gets constipated easily. Mommy's spent a lot of money getting poop outta that cat, let me tell you. Now he gets a few drops of mineral oil on his wet food every other day or so. Now, I get to eat my kibble! To keep Tabla from eating it all, Mommy puts my food bowl on a padded kitchen table chair, with another chair beside it so I can take a nap there if I want. Sometimes I do.
Daddy keeps feeding me. He wants me to gain weight. Well, I tried. But Wednesday morning I threw up all the food I ate the night before. In like, 6 or 7 places. Daddy just cleaned the carpet and cried a bit doing it. Then I got lots of pats again. But Daddy gave me more food, and put this magic powder on it, Epakitin. It's okay. I like it on the dry food. The wet food is still yucky, but I'll take a bit every now and then. I think Daddy puts the Epakitin on Tabla's food just in case I eat some of his (his bowl's on the floor). Mommy doesn't like this idea too much. Still I'm eating lots of kibble now so I don't eat too much of Tabla's food anyway. AND, Mommy gives me a scoop in the afternoons, too. She puts the powder on the dry food then, too. I get two scoops of that stuff a day. Dr. Doyle says it'll keep my phosophorous down. Apparently my number was sky-high when the blood tests came back.
I was doing pretty good. Then Daddy takes me on Thursday back to the vet. He was embarassed 'cause he only has a cardboard "Pet Wagon" to carry me in. But he put a blankey inside. And since it's a top-loader I go right in, so much easier than the side-loader pet carriers. Sometimes I try to see if I can dig out from underneath the blankey. We went back to Dr. Doyle's office. A tech came and got us and Daddy took me out of the box. She handed Daddy a water balloon, and showed Daddy how to make a tent out of my shoulder skin. It was weird but I didn't mind. Then she released the "tent" onto a sharp metal thing that led to a tube that led to the balloon. She said the vet said I was to get 100 mils, whatever that is. But Shannon, the tech, said I was REALLY dehydrated. I've been drinking water from the tap as much as I could ... and the water bowls, but I don't like them too much. Daddy started cleaning them better. They got skanky quick. Now he keeps them clean. I think he's going to get something special, too. He lets me drink from the water faucets. I jump on the counter every time he goes near the bathrooms, so he starts the water at a slow drip. It's fun. But I pee so much I'm always thirsty! They injected this water solution under my skin. It was okay. I sat there like a good little girl.
After I passed 100, Shannon wanted to see how much I would take. My back started bulging like a balloon. When it felt too tight I started growling. "Okay, I think that's it!" Daddy said. "Wow, she took 175 mils," Shannon said. As soon as we got home I was feeling pretty good and glad to be home. I jumped right onto the chair and chowed down. Then I peed. Then I played a bit. Then I passed out. I've been pretty happy ever since. That water "therapy" as Daddy calls it is pretty awesome. I think I'm gonna get that at least once a week. Daddy said he asked Dr. Doyle for a prescription so he can order the supplies from Costco pharmacy online and save a bunch of money. So he and Mommy will have to learn how to give me the water therapy at home. I think I'll like not having to be dropped into that little Pet Wagon every week, too!
Okay, gotta go pee and pass out.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Hiss 'n Tell by Miss Maizie Cat
Hello. My name is Maizie. I'm the daemon kitty for Tom Davidson. This is my blog. Daddy makes cartoons. I help him, and follow him everywhere he goes, when he's home. That's me in the picture, "meatloafing" as Daddy calls it. In the background is my boyfriend, Tabla Brown-Davidson, daemon for Yvonne Brown-Davidson. Together, we're a family. I hiss a lot, especially at Tabla. But Daddy sometimes calls me Miss Hissy Fit for a reason. I get over it pretty quick, though.
Where do I start? I'm 14 and a half, born April 10, 1995. And then I get to these last two weeks ... boy was it TOUGH! I wasn't feeling too good all last weekend. And on Monday I started pee'ing all over the den carpet in little spots. I still went to the litter boxes. We have two in my house, which I share with Tabla. He's almost 19, and still runs around like a little kitten (when he's not too busy headbutting his Mommy or any random inanimate object). I kept going to the litter boxes. And I peed. And I still had to pee. I couldn't control it. My Daddy just watched me, and kept trying to clean the carpets, taking out the Hoover Steam Vac. After the 8th time, I think I was about done.
And then the next morning I vomited up everything everywhere in the den. So my Daddy had to clean the carpets again. He was almost late for work. My Mommy, Yvonne, knew something was wrong. Daddy was in denial. So she called while Daddy rushed around getting ready for work, and made an appointment. I saw my vet, Dr. James Doyle at Monroe Animal Hospital in Charlotte on Tuesday.
Dr. Doyle is gropey, let me tell you. He wouldn't stop grabbing my sides. And then he took me to the back, but I still held out one stiff paw to keep him mostly away. Daddy and the technician put me on the scales and I only weighed 6 pounds 6 ounces. In April at my annual checkup I weighed 8 pounds exactly. Daddy looked really sad. I just wanted to put my head against Daddy's belly, so I did. Until Dr. Doyle came in and took me to the back. He had to stick me TWO TIMES! The first time my blood clotted too fast, so he had to stick again. Man, I'm not liking Dr. Doyle too much, even though he has a way with kitties and talks nice.
FINALLY we went back to see Daddy, who had this bad look on his face. Dr. Doyle started trying to find my kidneys. He found my left one fine, but the right one? Couldn't find it. And he tried. And tried. And finally he stood me up on my hind legs and groped my sides some more and at last found my right kidney. It was really small. He said it had shrunk something awful and was lumpy. "Kidney disease?" my Daddy asked. "We'll know for sure when the blood results come back, but yeah, I'm sure of it," Dr. Doyle said.
Whew, I'm tired, so I'll go now. I'm gonna go curl up with my Daddy.
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