Da da da da, da da da da... PETS!!!

[gravedigger]

We have one barn cat who we thought got taken by a coyote because we haven't seen her in two months. She magically reappeared today! She was hungry as hell but overall looked pretty healthy. I'd love to know what she was doing while she was on her adventure. Whatever it was, she was VERY happy to be back.

[JLynnCarr]

So, last week I took Stitch to the vet and when she palpated his stomach, she felt a couple of lumps. She asked me if I wanted to do a sonogram on him. I told her I had to consult with Tim before I did anything.

Well, I asked Tim and he said to go for it. So, I called the vet and scheduled an appointment for this past Monday. He had the sonogram (and had to have his belly shaved for it) and the results came back no cancer. The vet then advised blood work, the appointment for which was made for Tuesday afternoon.

I got the results of the blood work back this morning and it seems Stitch is diabetic. I have to take him to get insulin and learn how to administer it to him. However, our vet is on vacation until Monday and this can't wait until then. So, I had the vet's office expedite making an appointment with a vet hospital in Robbinsville, so he could get started asap. I'm taking him tomorrow morning. We'll see how it goes.

[Matt]

oh wow. Good luck, Jen!

[Timothy225]

Thanks for the well-wishes, Matt! We're hoping he'll pull out of this and stick around for a couple more years - he and his brother Patch are both 15 years old, so they're little old men now.

Yeah, poor lil' guy has gotten noticeably thinner over the past few months, almost bony, and he inhales his water twice a day. He's the most chill cat ever and my heart goes out to him 'cause I know he's not feeling good.

[JLynnCarr]

Thanks, guys!

He's cuddled next to me on the couch right now.

By the way, the vet said that the lumps she felt were most likely poop in his bowel tract. It's just because he's so skinny that she felt them.

[JLynnCarr]

Well, it's official...Stitch is a diabetic and on insulin. Have to give him 2 shots a day 12 hours apart. This means I have to adjust both cats' feeding schedule and how they're fed. I also get to teach Tim how to fill a syringe and administer the insulin.

Craziest thing about this is that the insulin is the same as the human one and purchased in a regular pharmacy, rather than the vet's office. I also had to purchase syringes and a sharps disposal container. At least I know where to go to exchange the sharps container.

[JLynnCarr]

Unfortunately today we had to put Stitch down. Poor baby wasn't acting like himself. He was hardly eating, was losing motor control and sleeping way too much and extremely deeply. He was suffering and it was the merciful choice.

[Matt]

No!!! So very sorry for you and Tim.

[JLynnCarr]

Thanks, Matt. He was suffering and it wasn't fair to him to let it go on. It was our first time actually making the decision to let him go. We know it was the right one, although there is a kitty-shaped hole in each of our hearts right now.

[Timothy225]

Stitch had a very good run - 16-17 years. The last few months were a bit of a gift, as we almost lost him the same day my dad died when Stitch went into diabetic shock. Since then, try as we might, anything the vet and/or pet hospital gave us to keep him well didn't last long. Poor little guy was skin and bones and in addition to his other health issues, he was sleeping 23 hours a day. His breathing was labored when Jen and my mom got him to the vet, so it was only a matter of time.

Gonna miss him hard - he loved us both (he was IN love with Jen, though), and we loved him lots. Now we're keeping an eye on his brother, Patch. Poor guy's gonna start pining for him when he realizes Stitch is gone.

[BillyG]

Ugh, I am so sorry yall.

[Abraham Smashington]

Sorry for your loss.

[JLynnCarr]

Thanks, guys.

[BillyG]

Had to bounce from work early yesterday, and the day fucking sucked.



Left for work, and Sarah called me to tell me Spartacus has vomited on the couch. Of course, because I JUST shampooed the furniture Sunday. Then she called to tell me he had vomited 4 more times. So she was taking him to the vet. She calls me from the vet, and tells me they did an x-ray and he has an enlarged heart which is a form of congenital heart failure.



So now I am fucking freaking out. And I am leaving work to come to the vet.



They took a bunch of blood and a urine sample. Gave us two medicines to give him. His heart has likely been enlarged his whole life, and lots of things we noticed or considered weird ticks of his were signs of it. So I feel like a fucking idiot. But they were such small things they'd never betray as some kind of actual health issue.



They called me once the blood work was done, and luckily there's no other issues with any organs which is exactly what they wanted to hear. This is best case scenario. So the thing now is to give him the medicine, to help thin the blood and stop the fluid from getting into his lungs causing the vomiting.



We go back in two weeks, and see how he is responding to the medicine. Vet isn't too worried and told me that they have dogs everyday that live years and years and years with congenital heart failure with medication. But the thing that I keep going to, and does make the vet want to take care with this, is they said it is "not early stages" so I am a wreck until our follow up in two weeks.

[Abraham Smashington]

Hope everything works out man.