The Everything Pet Thread
Posted by biodancer on Jul 04, 2008 · Member since Jul 2007 · 978 posts
I wanted to start this thread to be all about our pets. Ask questions, help answer questions, tell a funny story about something your cat/dog/ferret/bird/rat, etc did, update everyone on your pet's health, tell us about a new pet, vent, grieve, laugh, etc. I know I'll be posting here a lot and I hope you'll join me!
:)>>> :)>>> :)>>> :)>>>
Good news! That's an expensive uti that wasn't really diagnosed. Is your vet young? It took me about a decade to get enough experience to be really good at my job.
I'd say she's in her early 30s. She is the replacement for the old vet that was fired after operating while drunk. The other lady vet is much older, and that's who we used to see, but I guess she turned us over to the newbie.
So happy to hear positive news for Gary and Johan. :)
Good news!!!
ooh, hey... I really hope that's all it was, Erin.
Minus the thousand-dollar hole in Your pocketses, a simple, treatable UTI would be a relief.
/I actually tried typing "pockets" but it always comes out Smeagol-style nowadays....
wow, erin - sounds like good news! I'm so so so pleased for you.
so a brief update on Gary....
I just don't know what to make of her. She seems to be back to her normal self. Over the past few days she's been eating ~2 pouches of food a day (which i about what she had been eating before she went off her food). She is not any more lethargic than before we knew she was ill. I think she was last weekend, but not now.
I've been selfish and wanting more of her love so yesterday and today I lay in bed for longer than I wold normally just because for whatever reason she's always been fairly happy to give me love in bed, but not anywhere else (oo-er that sounds dodgy!) and she's been jumping up to sit on my chest as normal and running away when she gets too comfy. She's still jumping up onto the bedroom windowsill and into our drawers and stuff.
I was a bit concerned last weekend that maybe she had dropped a bit of weight as I thought her spine may have been a bit bonier, but it's definitely not now.
So with her eating more again and being normal-active I don't know what to make of her - is she just having a last lease of life or is she just feeling ok at the moment.
The cat confuses me.
Oh and I think I realised why she had a bald spot under her chin - I think it's where the vet had shaved her to get bloods.
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How's Jonah doing, erin?
:) x30
Let's hope this only gets better for You and Gary!
Yay for our babies acting somewhat normal again!
Jonah seems to be a little bit more active and actually looks a little thinner, but I don't know for sure. He's gotten wise to the pill routine though. He was being so good and taking his pills like a champ, but the last couple of days he's been a real ass about it.
On a sad, gross note, the thyroid pills the doctor had me order are made from bovine tissue?!?! It didn't even occur to me that it would be something like that...ick....
I'm glad pets are feeling better! Erin, is Jonah hypothyroid? If so, there is a synthetic hormone, levothyroxine, available. That's what my vet prescribed.
Poor Gary.
If the bald patch has tiny, stubbly hair, then it was probably shaved. If it's completely clean of hair, it might be alopecia related to the renal failure. I don't know why renal failure kitties get this, but they do. :/
I hope she feels better. Even if you wind up not going with the DHEA (I thought there was an oral tablet for this, but maybe the formulation differs over there), the subcu fluids can help make her feel a ton better, and can be done at home if you're comfortable with it & the vet shows you how. We had lots of people who did this, while others preferred to bring the cat in and have the vet/techs do it.
The down/up change might be because of whatever therapy they gave her (like fluids). Cats can go from totally normal to absolutely depressed because of the dehydration and build up of waste that occurs with renal failure. Once rehydrated after the first incident, they get a lot perkier!
yeah there's stubble on the baldy bit, so it's where the vet shaved her.
They gave her no treatment when we went to the vets last time, that's why she is confusing me!
I didn't get to check exactly what steroid they were thinking of....the vet kept using brand names, and I kept telling her I only understand generic names. Grrrr.
So yeah the cat is doing ok at the moment. Gary seems to be eating still, but slightly less than last week. She still seems happy in herself and is playful at times and tired at times. Pretty normal for her.
Oh and one of the reason I think she may have perked up - with the cold weather setting in, we may have mice back, which she likes!
HMMMmmm that is weird.
The only steroid I know of that they use in such kitties is DHEA, since it helps them maintain lean body mass and appetite, without the immunosuppression of glucocorticoids. But perhaps there's something else. I don't even know the brand names. I hate brand names. Especially that the brand name of propofol is Propoflo /random rant
I'm glad pets are feeling better! Erin, is Jonah hypothyroid? If so, there is a synthetic hormone, levothyroxine, available. That's what my vet prescribed.
Well, I don't know yet. His thyroid levels are low, so the vet recommended trying a thyroid supplement before starting actual thyroid medication. So we'll see...
Thinking of Gary and Jonah today. Good vibes going their ways.
*wiggles goodvibes fingers toward Gary, Jonah, and their peoples*
So.
My rats have a problem.
Bad News: They both have LICE. ...how, why, I don't know. but they are scratching constantly...
Good News: The lice are species-specific, so they won't affect humans or any other animals.
Bad News: I have to deep-clean like, the whole freaking 250 sq. ft. space We live in, which will be a pain in the arse... I can't bring the boys back in until I'm done, so they have to stay in their tiny travel cage tonight. :(
Good News: These buggers aren't terribly hardy, so they'll probably not come back after I get everything cleaned, pick the nits out of the boys' fur, and get them their second ivermectin injection next week.
Bad News: The treatment has already cost $150something, which was the entirety of 67 cents more than my entire checking account balance. ffffff
....but everyone at the vet's office just loves the boys--they're really cooperative with getting examined and such, and apparently they're just the cutest damn rats they've ever seen. hehe.
Oh my poor, adorable, itchy boys...
One of our dogs, Shirley, has hip dysplasia. It's probably from an early injury; she was hurt when we found her a few years ago. Poor sweet Shirley...she has already been had 2 surgeries...a botched spaying and one to fix it and now she's going to need hip surgery. Poor girl. :(
cw - Happy rats are a reflection of doting rat-lovin ways. Sorry the vet costs so much.
One of our dogs, Shirley, has hip dysplasia. It's probably from an early injury; she was hurt when we found her a few years ago. Poor sweet Shirley...she has already been had 2 surgeries...a botched spaying and one to fix it and now she's going to need hip surgery. Poor girl. :(
When is Shirley going to have the surgery for her hip dysplasia? They have been wanting to do the hip replacement with my dog Moe-Moe. But I'm so undecided on what to do :-\
*wiggles goodvibes fingers toward Gary, Jonah, and their peoples*
So.
My rats have a problem.
Bad News: They both have LICE. ...how, why, I don't know. but they are scratching constantly...
Bad News: The treatment has already cost $150something, which was the entirety of 67 cents more than my entire checking account balance. ffffff
....but everyone at the vet's office just loves the boys--they're really cooperative with getting examined and such, and apparently they're just the cutest damn rats they've ever seen. hehe.
Oh my poor, adorable, itchy boys...
I hate that your adorable boys have lice and that it is costing so much for their treatmenents :'(
After one of my dogs died in January, I finally got up the gumption to adopt another one. We went to the shelter on Saturday and met some dogs. On Sunday, we decided we were going to adopt two of them (the idea being that two youngsters could keep each other occupied and take the heat off of our 11-yr-old dog). My husband went in and picked up one of the dogs yesterday. Things are going pretty well, except this: I found out that both dogs we're adopting have had kennel cough while at the shelter. My current dog isn't vaccinated! I stopped getting that vaccine because one of my other dogs hated it and we never board our dogs. The vet said it would be fine, since my dogs have little contact with others.
I called the vets office and asked them about it and the tech said I should keep the dogs in separate rooms (too late), because it's airborne and highly contagious. The new guy does cough every now and then; so I guess he's probably contagious. I've scheduled an appointment to get her the vaccine tomorrow, and we're going to hold off on picking up the other dog, who is still being treated for the cough. Not sure if it's too late to get the vaccine. I guess kennel cough isn't the worst thing in the world, but she's an old dog and I feel bad.
:-\
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