![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Duchess is home
They didn't get a urine sample. Her bladder simply does not fill. But she's straining a lot, and she did pass
several chunks of pinkish-white tissue
at the vet's this afternoon. He started her on antibiotics, gave her an anti-inflammatory to calm down the whole likely-infected area, and is sending the tissue to the path lab. I've got ten days' worth of antibiotics to continue. We'll figure out what ELSE needs to be done when the lab report comes back. I wish they'd started on the antibiotics yesterday, but I do admit they wouldn't have the tissue sample now if they had sent me home with pills yesterday.
Duchess is now in the bathroom, where I have taken up all the rugs, and she is, in vet parlance, "soiled". She's also obviously uncomfortable. I can't decide whether I want to bathe her because she'll be happier clean, or let her be because a bath is the last thing she wants to deal with right now.
I hope this is just a bad infection. A bad enough case could cause her to shed damaged bladder lining or urethra lining. The most obvious other possibility, sadly, is "a tumor" (I think my vet didn't want to say the C word).
several chunks of pinkish-white tissue
at the vet's this afternoon. He started her on antibiotics, gave her an anti-inflammatory to calm down the whole likely-infected area, and is sending the tissue to the path lab. I've got ten days' worth of antibiotics to continue. We'll figure out what ELSE needs to be done when the lab report comes back. I wish they'd started on the antibiotics yesterday, but I do admit they wouldn't have the tissue sample now if they had sent me home with pills yesterday.
Duchess is now in the bathroom, where I have taken up all the rugs, and she is, in vet parlance, "soiled". She's also obviously uncomfortable. I can't decide whether I want to bathe her because she'll be happier clean, or let her be because a bath is the last thing she wants to deal with right now.
I hope this is just a bad infection. A bad enough case could cause her to shed damaged bladder lining or urethra lining. The most obvious other possibility, sadly, is "a tumor" (I think my vet didn't want to say the C word).
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
I am so praying for your kitty.
no subject
Thank you. Prayers, vibes, good thoughts and purrs are the best thing for now!
no subject
no subject
no subject
I hope everything is okay, that it's just a bad infection, and that she's feeling better soon.
no subject
I hope YOU'RE feeling better soon, too. Yeesh. :-(
no subject
*hugs* for you and *soft scritches* for her.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
My condolences on the loss of Frankie those years ago. Time dulls the ache, but we never completely stop missing them.
no subject
and lots of kitty love on the way
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
Let me tell you a story. My friend Nancy had a sheltie whose leg joints started deteriorating when she was only 2 years old. By the time she was 5, Cinnamon's wrists and ankles (http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/mammals/dog/label/anatomy/labelanswers.GIF) were completely gone, and the lower half of all four legs were attached to the upper half only by tendons and skin. They hung uselessly, and she got around almost like a seal, on her forearms and knees, with the lower parts of her legs flopping uselessly. She had to have been in tremendous pain, and it was heartbreaking to watch her flopping around, especially struggling to get up and down steps.
But you know what? Cinnamon was a very happy dog. Her tail was always wagging, and she loved to play, and have her belly rubbed ... and she loved to chase squirrels and romp with her "cousins" (Nancy's daughter's two big dogs)! She was always full of verve and joy, despite her handicap. When she was about 11, she lost her ability to walk more than a few feet, so Nancy got a little red wagon for her and pulled her around (they live on several acres) so she could be with them the way she always was. But to everyone's astonishment, after a few months, she started getting around on her own again! None of the humans in her life -- her family, or the vet -- understood why, but Cinnamon never questioned any of it. She just dealt with whatever came her way with aplomb.
Of course she was slowing down with age, and she died when she was 12 or 13, having lived almost all of her life with an enormous handicap. But she didn't know she was supposed to be "disabled," and she didn't appear to mind the pain. She just accepted her life the way it was, because she was a dog, and animals don't contemplate their condition.
So Duchess is not suffering, even if she's in pain. I'm sure she's not thrilled about being locked in the bathroom, but even then, when you're not there she's not worrying about it -- she just accepts it, because that's what animals do. Cinnamon was a tremendous inspiration to everyone who knew her, and I hope her story will inspire and comfort you too, along with the hugs and healthy thoughts I'm sending your way.
no subject
There is a hopeful sign: after I cleaned up last night, the floor is not wet this morning. (There's litter sand all over it, but no urine.) If she's continent I can let her out of the bathroom. She'll need a real bath first, though.
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
And, hey, don't forget that not all tumors are 'the C word' -- my leeeetle 3cm spinal neck tumor was 'benign'. So they're not equivalent, and I'm extremely happy and lucky in that regard.
no subject
A good point, though in this case he meant the C word. My nerve tumors were benign too! :-)
no subject
no subject
no subject
I see from the comments that you've already been able to clean her up with a damp cloth. They also make "Kitty Wipes" specifically for cats. We've used them on Buddy many times.
no subject
I sure do hope you're right about the infection. The waiting is going to be hard.
Oh, cool! Kitty Wipes! I never would have thought of it.
no subject
Might she find warm water with Epsom salts soothing, once she got over freaking out over being wet? Maybe in a container that would let her sit with her hindquarters in the warm water and her forepaws outside? Temperature and breeze control would be key, I'm sure, as would making sure that a warm fluffy towel was available immediately after getting out of the water.
Do soft strokes on her belly seem to hurt, or do they seem to feel better? Can she eat? Might catnip pleasantly distract her from the pain?
I hate thinking there's nothing I can do, so I keep trying to think of something, even about things I know next to nothing about -- like cats. I can only imagine how it must be for you. Hang in there. *pets* and *comforts* for both of you.
no subject
She eats and drinks just fine. I'll toss in a catnip mouse and see what she does! Cool idea! That will tell me how perky she's feeling.
Thanks.
no subject
Here's hoping the antibiotics take care of it.
no subject