Tag Archives: vet
Aby-a-Day – August 30: X marks the spot
As I posted back in July, Angel’s teeth are not so great. I’m sure some of this is genetic, since Abys are especially prone to dental disease. Today was the day she went to the vet to get her teeth cleaned and the two with Oral Resorptive Lesions extracted.
I really do love my vet’s devotion to dental care. She gave me a little folder with these photos of Angel’s mouth while she was under anaesthetic, before and after the cleaning and having her teeth pulled.
But that’s not all she gave me…
…I was also given a CD with Angel’s dental X-rays on them. Really interesting. You can see that Angel has no incisors left, but I wonder if she also has some bone loss on the sockets?
I don’t think the tooth with the spot on it is one that was removed. If that spot is what I think it is, it’ll probably be our next project.
This is her upper jaw, showing her skull and one remaining little incisor.
Looks like she has a chipped canine tooth, too. I hope that doesn’t cause her any problems in the future.
She’s only 4 years old, so it’s a little distressing that she’s already needing this much oral intervention. I suspect that even if I could brush her teeth, it wouldn’t make a lot of difference. Some cats are just genetically cursed to have bad teeth. I had two Siamese, three years apart in age, who were not related but who, as long as I owned them, ate the exact same food. One lived to be 15 and the other 16. Harri, the 15 year old, didn’t need to have his teeth cleaned by the vet until his 15th birthday. Patrick, who lived to be 16, started needing dental work when he was 5 or 6, and by the time he was 10, he’d had most of his teeth taken out.
And, to add insult to medically-sanctioned injury, they shaved her arm to put in an IV.
She’s doing well, though, and eating like nothing happened to her at all. And she has some teeth to leave under that pillow for the tooth fairy!
Aby-a-Day – July 14: I love you, Daddy (especially at the vet)!
Angel gets very lovey and affectionate at the vet.
I almost thought she was going to headbutt Tessie, she was so purrful.
She contented herself with bonking my husband’s legs and her carrier instead.
Even at the vet, Angel wasn’t quite brave enough to risk a headbutt with Tessie!
Aby-a-Day – July 13: Wordless Wednesday (Two Cats, One Carrier)
Aby-a-Day – July 12: Striking a pose
For whatever reason, Jacoby seems to be most photogenic when he’s in the vet’s waiting room.
I don’t know why, but waiting for his turn in the lobby just brings out his best.
It’s always been that way, too, from the very first time I took him in.
Of course, he’s grown a bit since then!
Aby-a-Day – July 10: Bravery when it matters
One thing I absolutely love about taking Angel to the vet is how brave she becomes.
She may be nervous around the house even after three years, but get her in the exam room and she just becomes…well, an Aby.
Not even Tessie scares Angel at the vet.
Even more strange, she was more outgoing than Jacoby on this trip. She kept swanning around the room while Jake kept to his carrier…
…or Angel’s carrier, into which he was barely able to cram himself. I don’t know how comfortable that was for him. Of course, he was the only one who got a shot yesterday, so that may have dampened his adventurous spirit.
Aby-a-Day – July 9: Toothy matters at the vet
Today was the annual expedition to the veterinarian. Everyone is basically healthy (Tessie has an overgrooming issue, Kylie has allergies…and Jacoby, well, Jake’s perfectly fine), and even though it sounds like a major job taking four cats to the vet at once, it’s really not that bad.
Angel won the “most medically needy” award today the moment Dr. Natalie opened her mouth. For one thing, she’s lost almost all of her little front teeth. She has only two left, one on the top and one on the bottom.
The bigger problem is she has at least two Feline Oral Resorptive Lesions.
They’re the really red spots on her gums. She’s already got an appointment set for next month to get those teeth extracted. Removing the teeth is really the only treatment; it’s not always connected with gingivitis or tartar build up. Angel has fairly clean teeth, but she has two FORLS, while Kylie had her teeth cleaned last year and we brush them daily, yet she still has gingivitis…but no FORLS.
Cats’ teeth are really frustrating to deal with. You can have two cats of the same breed, in the same house, eating the same food and drinking the same water and their dental health can be wildly different. My two Siamese, Harri and Patrick, are a perfect example: Patrick had most of his teeth removed starting from the time he was 5 or 6, while Harri didn’t need his teeth cleaned until he was 15. Angel’s only 4 and she’s already losing teeth…but, according to Dr. Natalie, this would probably be the case even if she did let us brush them. So I suppose that’s somewhat reassuring.
Aby-a-Day – May 3: Today was brought to you by the letter “P”
When I woke up this morning, it seemed like a perfectly ordinary Tuesday.
Then Jacoby went to the bathroom and nothing happened.
(I took these photos to show the vet, not to post, but since I have them…) Poor Jake went from box to box, trying to pee in each one as though a change of venue might be more productive. Every time, only a few drops came out. He must have tried at least 10 times in less than an hour.
Being fairly well-read on the subject of feline healthcare (and having on hand both the most recent edition of the Cat Owner’s Home Veterinary Handbook and the Cornell Book of Cats as well as The Veterinarian’s Guide to Your Cat’s Symptoms because, for some reason, looking things up in books is so much more satisfying than Googling them at times like these), I knew that a cat trying to pee and not being able to – especially a boycat – is an emergency. It could be a blockage of the urethra (which is narrow in male cats), or Cystitis, or crystals or stones in the bladder, but whatever it is, it’s definitely not a “wait-and-see” situation. So, I bundled Jake up in his carrier and we went to see the vet.
We saw Dr. KC (who we saw when he had his escalator accident back in October), and she agreed that there was something going on, probably Cystitis since he was otherwise perky and eating well. She prescribed Clavamox (antibiotic), Tramadol (pain reliever) and Phenoxybenzamine (which reduces urethral spasms and increases urine outflow). However, I wasn’t to give him the Clavamox until I’d gotten his urine sample.
I’m sure you’re wondering (as was I), “how in the heck do you get a urine sample from a cat?” Why, with PlastiLitter, of course! You put the PlastiLitter into a small, empty litterbox and wait til the cat pees in there, then pour out the urine (which the plastic pebbles don’t absorb) and take it back to the vet. Easy peasy! Except, not really.
“Seriously? Seriously!?“
Jake went pee surprisingly quickly, almost as soon as I’d set up the little litterbox, and I got as much of it as I could and ran back to the vet…but it wasn’t enough. I had a doctor appointment of my own during lunch (ironically, involving a urine test), and then I had to get back to work, so I had to leave Jake alone in the bedroom with his little red cat show pan and his PlastiLitter and hope for the best.
You know you’re a cat mom when…all the time you’re at work you can’t wait to get home and see if your kitty has peed. It was the first thing I checked when I walked in the door, before even taking off my shoes or jacket. And…he had not. Not at all. I stirred up the PlastiLitter and showed it to him again, and pretty much begged him to “please go peepee.”
Finally, he went in and gave me a good-sized sample! Hurrah! I think he was as relieved as I was; I know he was thrilled to see the little show box go away and the regular big box returned to the litter cabinet.
So now he’s had his Clavamox, and tomorrow I’ll take his sample back to the vet to see what’s actually going on in there.
Aby-a-Day – March 8: An impromptu trip to the vet
Kylie came down with a case of the sniffles, so just in case I took her to the vet yesterday for a quick look-see. Since it was cold and very windy out, I took her in Jacoby’s stroller so I could use his heating pad.
As an additional warmer and moral supporter, I also brought Jake. I figured Kylie would like the company, especially since she’s never ridden in the stroller before. Also, after his accident I figured a trip to the vet in which nothing bad happened to him would be a Good Thing, and anytime we go out is good therapy practice.
Kylie seemed to enjoy riding in the stroller, and she spent most of her time on the heating pad. One thing she did that Jake really doesn’t do was look out the back window. I thought it was cute that Jake joined her; it was almost like he’d never noticed it before!
Kylie is fine. She had an X-ray taken (I was afraid she might have inhaled some water during her last bath) and she’s on antibiotics and Hill’s a/d canned food, so she’ll be fine in a couple of days.
Aby-a-Day – Day 317 of 365
Good news! We went to the vet again today to have Jacoby’s foot checked…and he’s healed enough to not need to have it bandaged any more. Which is good, because he really wasn’t very good at keeping the bandage on his foot.
He will have a scar, and his one claw will probably need to be trimmed carefully to keep it from growing into the toe next to it…but, three weeks to the day that he got his foot caught in the escalator, he’s pretty much entirely recovered!
Aby-a-Day – Day 309 of 365
You would think, after four trips to the vet in less than two weeks, Jacoby would be completely over the whole doctor’s office thing.
He isn’t.
Aby-a-Day – Day 307 of 365
Good news for Jacoby: he will not be needing to get stitches in his foot! Of course, this is also bad news for Jake, as he now has to wear a bandage until next Saturday AND take more Clavamox (although, it’s in pills this time, not the liquid…he may like that better because he’ll get to have Pill Pockets twice a day).
It was cold this morning, so Jake wore his sweater and hat.
This is what his foot looked like this morning after cleaning; this is the first really good look I’ve gotten of it, too. He is the best kitty patient I have ever seen. He just stood there while I distracted him and Dr. Waggener took off his bandage and cleaned the wound. Where most cats would have been yowling or struggling or just pulling their foot out of the vet’s hand, Jake actually stretched out his toes so she could clean between them. We were both impressed with him.
Hopefully, after next weekend, his foot will have healed enough to not need a bandage. I can’t wait to see that!
Aby-a-Day – Day 302 of 365
(Continued from yesterday’s post…)
Jacoby went back to the vet today to have his foot examined again. I was hoping his toe pad would be healed enough to forgo the bandage, but unfortunately, the cut is still open, and bled a little bit when Dr. KC cleaned the area.
I know Jake is getting fed up with his bandage, and his sock. But even with the dressing, he’s still walking too much for the wound to heal up. It’s the pressure he’s putting on it – which in a way is a good sign, because he’s obviously not feeling a lot of pain if he’s able to ignore the injury and walk around on it. He isn’t really even limping.
So his foot was rebandaged today, with more padding on the bottom of the foot, since we can’t exactly make him keep it elevated or give him crutches to walk around on. And we have to go back on Wednesday. If the cut still isn’t closing up, he’ll have to have stitches. He’s stuck with the new improved bigger bandage and Sock 2.1 (it’s grey this time).
(…to be continued)
Aby-a-Day – Day 300 of 365
(Continued from yesterday’s post…)
I made Jacoby a little sock out of a fabric hair band to keep him from worrying his bandages off despite the bitter “no chew” flavouring.
I chose a white one because I was least likely to wear it, and because it looked like a miniature plaster cast. I signed his “cast” with get well messages from the other cats.
He still tried to take it off, though.
He also got a little confused sometimes and thought his sock-enclosed foot was a toy…must have been the pain meds! Although in his defense, it did kind of look like a Hot Cat.
And of course, he wasn’t above playing up his injuries to his very dramatic advantage!
However, the white sock got a little dingy from normal use (especially trips to the litterbox) and it seemed the knot on the end, while it made a good bumper and afforded extra protection to the end of his foot, was annoying him in the “I keep seeing that thing out of the corner of my eye and it’s bugging the crap out of me!” kind of way. He was also pulling at the top of the sock with his teeth and tearing it, so I had to add another bandage at the top. This is how it looked by Monday night.
So, when we came home from getting the bandage re-wrapped at the vet, I set about creating a new and improved sock.
This time, I used a black hair band, and turned it inside out so the knot end was hidden. I also left the other end longer and folded it in so he’d be less likely to bite at the top of the sock.
Behold, Sock 2.0! Jake seems to approve of the modifications – just look at those happy paws.
(To be continued…)
Aby-a-Day – Day 291 of 365
We took Angel to the vet on Saturday because (and I apologise in advance – there is no pretty way to say this) she was having bloody poops. There had been four emergencies that morning, and we ended up waiting nearly an hour to be seen. Angel was very patient and handled the extra weight like a champ, even when there were barking dogs in the lobby.
Turns out, she has Giardia. They tested a fecal sample, and she had 30+ Giardia cysts per sample, which is a lot; apparently Giardia infections are rated by the number of cysts per sample, in a number range from “Fewest” (0-4, I think) on up to “Most” (30+).
I didn’t even think of Giardia, because she wasn’t having diarrhea. So we have Flagyl to give her, and another medicine to give all four of them that I need to pick up tomorrow. From what Dr. Waggener told me and from what I’ve read, cats can carry the microbes in their systems for a while and show no symptoms, so I wonder if she’s had this since last year, when Jake had Giardia. We didn’t treat everyone back then…
Oh, she looks like an Angel…but just try to give her a pill! Despite using salmon Pill Pockets, she fights like a tigress when it’s medication time. It takes both of us to get even the disguised pill into her mouth. She got me this morning with a deep wound to the base of my thumb, probably with one of her trimmed claws. Of course, she is the cat for whom I actually purchased a kitty straight jacket (and she is also the cat who tore the zipper on said straight jacket shortly after I bought it)!
Also, in the “Abys are everywhere” category, look at who is the feline spokesmodel for Giardia on this article!
Aby-a-Day – Day 206 of 365
Angel is so brave and inquisitive when we’re waiting to see the vet. She’s a very nervous waiter and becomes very busy.
She knows the difference between doors and walls, and she knows that doors are how you get out!
She doesn’t know that yelling at the door doesn’t make it open.
For an Abyssinian, Angel has a rather short neck, tail and legs. This is how tall she is compared to the door. As a comparision, Jake could probably reach the door handle if he stretched up.
This photo was kind of an accident, but I like it. This is what she looks like when she’s returning to all four paws.
Aby-a-Day – Day 195 of 365
One thing I really love about my vet’s office is the fond memories I have of the first time I took Jacoby in for a visit. It was only his fourth day with us, and everything was new and interesting to him. It was also the very first time he met a dog, and he was fearless and curious. Granted, the dog was almost the same size as he was…but somehow I knew it would lead to something big.
They were right around the same age, too.
I have a sneaking suspicion that Jake is now larger than that dog is now. But he never outgrew that initial kittenish bravery when it comes to canines and, almost a year later, he still isn’t bothered by dogs as long as they don’t bark in his face.
I couldn’t let him out of his carrier to really meet the dog, because I had three other cats to wrangle. It’s too bad; it would have been interesting to see him interact with a dog who I know lives with a cat.
That’s her, the calico in the green carrier in the background.
Aby-a-Day – 194 of 365
I don’t think Jacoby understands that going to the vet is supposed to be a more or less negative experience. He just has fun wherever he goes.
“Oh hai, Dad…whatcha doing?”
“Can I help?”
Although, I suppose there’s something to be said for not knowing something is supposed to be bad and having fun wherever you go.
Aby-a-Day – Day 193 of 365
As I’ve already posted, Saturday every cat went to the vet. We have a wonderful vet, Dr. Natalie Waggener at South Boston Animal Hospital, and it’s always great to come in for a visit. I’m endlessly impressed that she remembers everyone’s name, humans and felines alike.
Overall, the news was good, but there was one rather worrisome bit of news. Dr. Waggener looked at Angel’s eye and noticed spots on her cornea. This could be Corneal Sequestrum, which is found in Abyssinians 5% of the time (it’s most common in Persian/Himalayans, which breed repesents 70% of the cases seen).
Needless to say, Angel’s one eye is of utmost concern. Because of the Feline Herpesvirus infection that caused her to lose her left eye, her remaining eye is more susceptible to corneal sequestra, ulcers and keratitis. She has Gentamicin drops right now, and we’re getting a referral to an opthamologist at Angell Hospital. I know cats can manage wonderfully without eyes, but Angel just loves her remaining vision so much. She loves to watch things and, as I often say, she sees things the other cats don’t.
So we are concerned about her, needless to say. We’ll be taking her to Angell as soon as we get the referral from our vet.
Angel also has dental issues; she has Oral Resorptive Lesions starting on at least one tooth. Patrick had this problem, too, so I am familiar with it. She’ll probably have to have the affected teeth removed next year, after we’ve dealt with her eye. Tessie and Kylie also both need dental work; Kylie’s teeth are particularly problematic since she just had them cleaned last year, and we really don’t want to need to take her in every year to get a full anaesthetic dental cleaning. They’ll need their cleanings before Angel needs her dentalwork done.
Jacoby was perfectly fine. His teeth look really good (he actually tolerates me brushing them) and apart from waxy ears and a whiffy butt (he needed his anal sacs expressed), he’s a glowing bundle of health. He’s also going to be a wonderful therapy cat, at least if the vet’s office staffs’ opinion counts for anything. Of course, he’s a major suck-up, so their opinion is best taken with a grain of salt.
I mean, just look at him. It’s not like you can charm your way into a better vet checkup!
Aby-a-Day – Day 192 of 365
Angel is only 3 years old, but she’s probably spent more time in vets’ offices than the other cats combined. She spent a lot of time in her carrier, which is her safe zone. Luckily, she views her carrier as a refuge; she spent almost 6 hours in it when we flew back from California, so she could very easily be frightened of it.
Jake pretty much worked the exam room (and even followed Dr. Waggener into the back when she opened the door), but he always checked in on Angel while making his rounds.
Jake likes all the other cats, but Angel is only really attached to Jacoby. “Hey, where are you going?” she seems to be saying to him as he walks away.
He always came back to sit with her, though.
