The Trouble with Harry
Sep. 15th, 2009 09:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bunchofgrapesTomorrow I leave for Portland, OR. I'm flying out there to see my aunt and just hang out with family for a few days. I was really looking forward to the trip but now, not so much.
Last Thursday I noticed my cat, Harry, was a little off. Nothing really bad just not quite himself. Friday I came home from work to find that one of the cats had gotten sick. A lot. Turns out it was Harry. And it didn't stop. He probably vomited once an hour, every hour all day Saturday and he stopped eating. He's had this before and usually it passes after about a day. I hoped that Sunday he would be over it and for the most part he was. He wasn't sick (he did visit the litter box a lot) but he was soooo lethargic. I figured he was probably dehydrated and planned to take him to the vet the next day. After he got sick yet again, I decided to take him to the emergency vet. They took x-rays, saw something a little "suspect" (could be a blockage) and wanted to keep him so they could give him fluids. Let me just say when you take a pet to an emergency vet, you might as well just toss money out the window on your way there because is it expensive! I knew that going in but the fact that Harry was so dehydrated and wasn't eating plus I was leaving in a couple of days kind of made my decision easy. He was just so miserable and I don't like seeing my furkids miserable.
Let me just say that the emergency vet, The LifeCentre, is really pretty amazing. It's 24 hours and I like that the doctors there are in contact with Harry's regular vet. When I called the regular vet the next morning, they knew everything and that was at 7am. So, I called the ER vet at 6:30am for an update. Harry was doing much better after he got fluids, he hadn't vomited any more but he was having some significant diarrhea and he still wasn't eating. They told me to call again between 11 and noon for another update. I decided to work from home (probably got a total of 2 hours sleep) and called at 11:30. Harry was up and around, head butting anyone who'd pet him and purring like mad. Still not eating or vomiting, but still having the serious liquid poo. We came up with a plan: I'd come by and get him after 6pm, bring him home, see if I could get him to eat. In the meantime, Harry's vet, Dr. W called, and said she'd take a look at his films if I could get them over to her office before 7pm. That was doable because her office was just down the street from the ER. I really wanted her to see the films too because I didn't think what the other Dr saw was a blockage and once Dr W looked at them, she wasn't seeing the "suspect" thing either. That was very reassuring. I took Harry home, got him settled, then raced back out to pick up some Pepcid AC (this was part of his meds). Before I left, Harry was hiding out and not the happiest cat. He wasn't happy that his back end was all wet (he had an accident and they had to wash him) and he had a bandage on his leg from the catheter. By the time I got back home, he was a lot more like his old self. Except he still wouldn't eat. He laid by my feet then got in my lap and slept for a while. I loved having him home but I could tell he was still pretty weak and just not himself. And as much as I tried to coax him, he just wouldn't eat. For cats this is a bad thing because if they go without food for 3 days, it can cause liver damage.
When it was time for bed, he got in his cat bed but I couldn't sleep yet again and when I woke up around 2am, he was by the bed, seeing if he could get up there. He's so funny because I have this queen size bed; he could sleep anywhere. But he always goes to the other side, by the pillow and next to my head. He slept next to me all night. And in the morning, he was rolling onto his back and letting me rub his tummy. He even gave me the head butt when I got up. I was hopeful that he might eat but nope. He sniffed at the fresh food but wouldn't touch it. He did drink some water though, which was a good sign. However, I'd decided that if he didn't eat this morning, I'd take him back to Dr. W and board him while I was gone. She would put him back on fluids, give him his meds and one way or another, get him to eat. Poor little guy has dropped almost a pound over the last three days. That's pretty significant for him.
Dr. W has been my cat's vet for almost 20 years and I followed her when she opened up her own practice. We have an excellent owner/doctor relationship so I know Harry's in good hands but dang, it was hard to leave him this morning. At one point, he was curled up by my suitcase as I was trying to figure out what to wear to work. I got a little emotional thinking about having to leave him, and next thing I know, he's at my feet, reaching up at me with his paws because he knew I was upset. So yeah, that made me wish I had waterproof mascara. I dropped him off this morning and he'll stay with Dr. W until next Wednesday morning. I don't get back from Portland until late Monday night and then I have this all day meeting on Tuesday. Dr. W has promised to call me to let me know how he's doing.
Btw, the stress of all this has caused the itchy patches on my face to break out again. Overnight. At least now I know it's all stress related.
Last Thursday I noticed my cat, Harry, was a little off. Nothing really bad just not quite himself. Friday I came home from work to find that one of the cats had gotten sick. A lot. Turns out it was Harry. And it didn't stop. He probably vomited once an hour, every hour all day Saturday and he stopped eating. He's had this before and usually it passes after about a day. I hoped that Sunday he would be over it and for the most part he was. He wasn't sick (he did visit the litter box a lot) but he was soooo lethargic. I figured he was probably dehydrated and planned to take him to the vet the next day. After he got sick yet again, I decided to take him to the emergency vet. They took x-rays, saw something a little "suspect" (could be a blockage) and wanted to keep him so they could give him fluids. Let me just say when you take a pet to an emergency vet, you might as well just toss money out the window on your way there because is it expensive! I knew that going in but the fact that Harry was so dehydrated and wasn't eating plus I was leaving in a couple of days kind of made my decision easy. He was just so miserable and I don't like seeing my furkids miserable.
Let me just say that the emergency vet, The LifeCentre, is really pretty amazing. It's 24 hours and I like that the doctors there are in contact with Harry's regular vet. When I called the regular vet the next morning, they knew everything and that was at 7am. So, I called the ER vet at 6:30am for an update. Harry was doing much better after he got fluids, he hadn't vomited any more but he was having some significant diarrhea and he still wasn't eating. They told me to call again between 11 and noon for another update. I decided to work from home (probably got a total of 2 hours sleep) and called at 11:30. Harry was up and around, head butting anyone who'd pet him and purring like mad. Still not eating or vomiting, but still having the serious liquid poo. We came up with a plan: I'd come by and get him after 6pm, bring him home, see if I could get him to eat. In the meantime, Harry's vet, Dr. W called, and said she'd take a look at his films if I could get them over to her office before 7pm. That was doable because her office was just down the street from the ER. I really wanted her to see the films too because I didn't think what the other Dr saw was a blockage and once Dr W looked at them, she wasn't seeing the "suspect" thing either. That was very reassuring. I took Harry home, got him settled, then raced back out to pick up some Pepcid AC (this was part of his meds). Before I left, Harry was hiding out and not the happiest cat. He wasn't happy that his back end was all wet (he had an accident and they had to wash him) and he had a bandage on his leg from the catheter. By the time I got back home, he was a lot more like his old self. Except he still wouldn't eat. He laid by my feet then got in my lap and slept for a while. I loved having him home but I could tell he was still pretty weak and just not himself. And as much as I tried to coax him, he just wouldn't eat. For cats this is a bad thing because if they go without food for 3 days, it can cause liver damage.
When it was time for bed, he got in his cat bed but I couldn't sleep yet again and when I woke up around 2am, he was by the bed, seeing if he could get up there. He's so funny because I have this queen size bed; he could sleep anywhere. But he always goes to the other side, by the pillow and next to my head. He slept next to me all night. And in the morning, he was rolling onto his back and letting me rub his tummy. He even gave me the head butt when I got up. I was hopeful that he might eat but nope. He sniffed at the fresh food but wouldn't touch it. He did drink some water though, which was a good sign. However, I'd decided that if he didn't eat this morning, I'd take him back to Dr. W and board him while I was gone. She would put him back on fluids, give him his meds and one way or another, get him to eat. Poor little guy has dropped almost a pound over the last three days. That's pretty significant for him.
Dr. W has been my cat's vet for almost 20 years and I followed her when she opened up her own practice. We have an excellent owner/doctor relationship so I know Harry's in good hands but dang, it was hard to leave him this morning. At one point, he was curled up by my suitcase as I was trying to figure out what to wear to work. I got a little emotional thinking about having to leave him, and next thing I know, he's at my feet, reaching up at me with his paws because he knew I was upset. So yeah, that made me wish I had waterproof mascara. I dropped him off this morning and he'll stay with Dr. W until next Wednesday morning. I don't get back from Portland until late Monday night and then I have this all day meeting on Tuesday. Dr. W has promised to call me to let me know how he's doing.
Btw, the stress of all this has caused the itchy patches on my face to break out again. Overnight. At least now I know it's all stress related.
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no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 04:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 02:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 02:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 04:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 02:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 04:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 02:26 am (UTC)At least you know he is in good hands.
Try to relax on the trip [as you know you can call the vet for updates].
*HUGSSSSSSSSS*
no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 05:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 01:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 02:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 04:30 am (UTC)Pancreatitis was one of the things they mentioned as possibly being the issue. Colitis was the other. Whatever it is, it seems to flare up when he's around kittens.
Thanks for the good thoughts!
no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 02:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 04:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 02:46 am (UTC)I'm sending both of you plenty of hugs and keeping y'all in my thoughts.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 04:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 02:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 05:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 04:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 05:16 am (UTC)And I've been so wrapped up in all this, I forgot to say congrats on your new job!
no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 06:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 05:05 pm (UTC)And I can definitely relax. I just posted an update (he's eating again) so now I can sit on the plane and day dream about this stupid fic I really wish I could write.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 11:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 05:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 12:42 pm (UTC)It's been said already, but it needs to be said again. You're a good furrmommy, and you've done the right things. Too many pet owners treat their pets as disposable. I know people that wouldn't have even taken him to the vet in the first place, and this makes me crazy!
Harry knows you're trying to help him, and you'll get a big head but when you get home from your trip. He's in good hands there. (How cool that you have such a good relationship with your vet!)
Aries and Boo are thinking of him. So are the rest of us.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-16 05:11 pm (UTC)I know what you mean about some pet owners. Not that it's any of their business but no way could I tell my parents or one of my sisters how much I spent on Harry because they would say it's not worth it. But he's worth it to me.