2004-09-30
Floofy Update - not so good
We are still trying to find out what�s wrong with Floofy.That there IS something wrong is quite evident. I wouldn�t have spent a good chunk over $600 (so far!) to keep trying to find out if she weren�t still showing signs that are screaming �SOMETHING IS WRONG�.
A little over 3 months ago her blood test revealed a slightly elevated level of 2 enzymes (or some other chemical I can neither pronounce nor spell) in her liver, which is what led the vet to suspect the possibility of Cushing�s Disease. Which it turned out to not be.
That was good.
However, she then started losing weight. Slowly at first then at an alarming rate. In June she was a little over 33 pounds. In August she was 30. Monday she was barely 28. And she is looking skinny even under all the floof. She *feels* so delicate, instead of solid like she used to.
The thing is, she�s still eating, and drinking like a horse (peeing like a racehorse, too). She�s even more active than before, and agile. That�s undoubtedly because her muscles are still strong and she�s carrying around far less weight. This is causing problems for us because now she can just walk through the slats in the porch railing, so we can�t let her out unsupervised anymore or she�ll chase after anything that moves as if the fence weren�t even there.
The vet called yesterday morning and left a message for me at home (I was at work) to call him right away. I got this message at 8pm when I got home. I called, on the off chance someone was there, and he was there. We talked. He is very concerned. In three months, those elevated levels that weren�t of much concern earlier have shot up alarmingly. I don�t remember the numbers but one that should be around 1-3 was up to like 12; and another that normal is like 25 for, in her is 50 something. He wants to do a cystocentesis procedure to get an uncontaminated specimen for culture. Either her kidneys are shutting down, or there�s something going on in the liver that�s causing problems that might lead to her kidneys shutting down � or something. We�re not sure but it�s serious, and there may not be anything we can really do except treat the symptoms.
Fade back a couple years � one of my old friends had a cat who suddenly started losing weight. She had a friend who was in the medical profession, in the renal field. They took the cat to a specialist, who found tumors. Same symptoms as Floofy. Ok. But then she told me this � because it was terminal, and would be difficult to treat later on, and cost a lot of money, they had the cat put down. It was done oh, so nicely, with the vet coming to the home and all � less stress on the cat and owner don�tcha know. But in her words it was �so hard to have to put down what looked and acted like a perfectly healthy cat � but it had to be done�!!!!
I can see it now. �Well � Grandma they say you have cancer. And since it can�t be cured, and you have maybe a couple weeks, months � maybe a year, but will die anyway, and it will cost a lot of money to keep you comfortable for that time, we�re just going to save everyone a lot of time and money and euthanize you now. I�m sure you�ll understand�
NO NO NO NO NO
This person was someone I thought was a real animal lover but when it came to the wire, it was human convenience that won.
So � another $100 or so will go down the tubes tomorrow. Then $500-800 if they do the ultrasound and biopsy. She is already going to be going on a special diet and medication, so that, along with the prednisone she�s taking for flea allergy that she�s just recently developed (immune system failure? Dunno), the Frontline once a month (at $14 a pop) to keep fleas and ticks off her, and the Heartgard every month (at another $12 or so a pop) to keep both of them from getting heartworm, it�s already expensive. Add that to the $40 a month for the pads for her potty tray (she can�t hold it all day � small kidneys � and she escapes if we try to put her outside. You should SEE the modifications Partner has made to try to keep her in � next step is gonna be maximum security razor wire so we gave up).
But I just can�t not do what I can. Luckily I have a good job, and Partner is understanding.
I so hope I�m being pessimistic. But I don�t feel like I am.
So � please pray, chant, burn sage, or whatever your beliefs call for, for Floofy. She�s a good little dog, and I love her.
Mitakuye Oyasin
Walk in Balance
0 comments so far