strange duet
Saturday, December 29th, 2007 04:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
erikaSo, we (my father and I) took the cat that pretty much single handedly made my childhood livable to the vet.
I had to take my dad for two reasons: a) I can't pay for this, unfortunately and b) I didn't want to drive to the ass-end of Iowa City alone in the snow.
Anyway, you may wish to skip this next part if you're in a delicate condition.
He only went with some major prompting from me, as I started crying Christmas morning when I saw his condition and that he had two abscesses that just looked horrific. Granted, I can't think of abscesses that don't look horrific, but <TMI>one of them started oozing green pus when the vet tried to feel his organs.</TMI> I feel horrible that I hadn't taken the cat to the vet myself, but as I go over to my parents' house about monthly, I kind of assumed they'd be doing the monitoring. Dumb of me, I know, considering my childhood. anyway.
The vet tried to be optimistic, but she said with a Maine coon of his age, who only weighed 7 pounds, (he probably weighed about 20 in his prime) she anticipated him having diabetes, kidney disease, AND hyperthyroidism. She said the fact that his back legs were no longer working pointed to diabetes as well, and diabetic neuropathy. She also said that his gums looked pale. As well, since he hadn't been to the vet in a decade, she wanted him tested for FIV and FeLV.
So she goes off to do his bloodwork and I start sobbing, of course.
She comes back, and she says, well, there's a lot of good news. He's not diabetic, he doesn't have FIV or FeLV, the abscesses are fairly superficial and should respond well to cleaning...
But. but. He has a high white blood cell count, and he has almost no red blood cells and she said she honestly would've expected a cat with a hematocrit that low to be laid out, rather than purring. She says the fact that he's still walking around is an indication that this is a chronic condition, not just a one time thing. She says the high white blood cell count could mean one of two things, that he has an underlying infection or that his bone marrow IS trying, insomuch as possible, to regenerate those cells.
She then goes on to say that she's not optimistic about that, because she also discovered "a little" primary kidney dysfunction, and without healthy kidneys, red blood cells apparently can't be regenerated. (I may not be getting all of this right; I was kind of upset at the time.)
The vet says that this would account for the inability to walk that we've noticed, as well as the abscesses getting so bad so quickly—he probably has a potassium deficiency, which can definitely cause weakness, and well, if oxygen isn't getting to wounds or to extremities, they don't heal or work.
She says if he's not making new red blood cells, there's really nothing they can do. There is a possibility, however, that a recent flea infestation (again, this cat is not under my eye, or he never would've gotten this bad) could POSSIBLY have decimated his RBC count. Maybe. So it's possible he IS making new RBCs, but they're just not mature enough to show up yet.
Maybe.
So my dad agrees to do the new test which is where they will look for baby red blood cells (I forget what they're called) and as soon as the vet leaves, I start crying again. He takes me outside and hugs me and then proceeds to tell me that there's no way in hell he's spending a thousand dollars to keep a 21 year old cat alive.
THANKS, DAD. You know, maybe if you took him to the vet, oh, I don't know, MORE THAN ... NEVER... IN THE PAST TWO DECADES, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE THIS PROBLEM NOW.
Again, why am I surprised, I don't know.
Thank god, the vet comes back and says that he is making new red blood cells. Thank god. Thank GOD. They'd like to keep him overnight.My dad declines because he's a penny pinching ________. I start considering donating plasma as a viable work opportunity.
Long story very very short, after scaring the shit out of me and causing me to cry more in two hours than I have in the past 6 months, it turns out he's one tough motherfucker, who will, most likely, be fine. And my parents will have to give him 2 liquids and 1 pill daily, and wash him 3 times a day. SO THERE. HA.
I made a new icon in honor of the occasion.
I had to take my dad for two reasons: a) I can't pay for this, unfortunately and b) I didn't want to drive to the ass-end of Iowa City alone in the snow.
Anyway, you may wish to skip this next part if you're in a delicate condition.
He only went with some major prompting from me, as I started crying Christmas morning when I saw his condition and that he had two abscesses that just looked horrific. Granted, I can't think of abscesses that don't look horrific, but <TMI>one of them started oozing green pus when the vet tried to feel his organs.</TMI> I feel horrible that I hadn't taken the cat to the vet myself, but as I go over to my parents' house about monthly, I kind of assumed they'd be doing the monitoring. Dumb of me, I know, considering my childhood. anyway.
The vet tried to be optimistic, but she said with a Maine coon of his age, who only weighed 7 pounds, (he probably weighed about 20 in his prime) she anticipated him having diabetes, kidney disease, AND hyperthyroidism. She said the fact that his back legs were no longer working pointed to diabetes as well, and diabetic neuropathy. She also said that his gums looked pale. As well, since he hadn't been to the vet in a decade, she wanted him tested for FIV and FeLV.
So she goes off to do his bloodwork and I start sobbing, of course.
She comes back, and she says, well, there's a lot of good news. He's not diabetic, he doesn't have FIV or FeLV, the abscesses are fairly superficial and should respond well to cleaning...
But. but. He has a high white blood cell count, and he has almost no red blood cells and she said she honestly would've expected a cat with a hematocrit that low to be laid out, rather than purring. She says the fact that he's still walking around is an indication that this is a chronic condition, not just a one time thing. She says the high white blood cell count could mean one of two things, that he has an underlying infection or that his bone marrow IS trying, insomuch as possible, to regenerate those cells.
She then goes on to say that she's not optimistic about that, because she also discovered "a little" primary kidney dysfunction, and without healthy kidneys, red blood cells apparently can't be regenerated. (I may not be getting all of this right; I was kind of upset at the time.)
The vet says that this would account for the inability to walk that we've noticed, as well as the abscesses getting so bad so quickly—he probably has a potassium deficiency, which can definitely cause weakness, and well, if oxygen isn't getting to wounds or to extremities, they don't heal or work.
She says if he's not making new red blood cells, there's really nothing they can do. There is a possibility, however, that a recent flea infestation (again, this cat is not under my eye, or he never would've gotten this bad) could POSSIBLY have decimated his RBC count. Maybe. So it's possible he IS making new RBCs, but they're just not mature enough to show up yet.
Maybe.
So my dad agrees to do the new test which is where they will look for baby red blood cells (I forget what they're called) and as soon as the vet leaves, I start crying again. He takes me outside and hugs me and then proceeds to tell me that there's no way in hell he's spending a thousand dollars to keep a 21 year old cat alive.
THANKS, DAD. You know, maybe if you took him to the vet, oh, I don't know, MORE THAN ... NEVER... IN THE PAST TWO DECADES, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE THIS PROBLEM NOW.
Again, why am I surprised, I don't know.
Thank god, the vet comes back and says that he is making new red blood cells. Thank god. Thank GOD. They'd like to keep him overnight.
Long story very very short, after scaring the shit out of me and causing me to cry more in two hours than I have in the past 6 months, it turns out he's one tough motherfucker, who will, most likely, be fine. And my parents will have to give him 2 liquids and 1 pill daily, and wash him 3 times a day. SO THERE. HA.
I made a new icon in honor of the occasion.
