yiddlenet

obviously i’m missing kitty jack. please send happy kitty thoughts his way, he needs them.

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I managed to get 3/4 can of AD in jack yesterday and 1/2 can in today by lunch. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get enough water in him on my own. For a cat his size (18 lbs after the 4 he’s lost), he needs 9 ml of water an hour, and getting the food/water mix in him was a struggle on its own. I tried giving him just water through the syringe but he fought me off. I think that cat could houdini his way out of a straightjacket. He was straining in his litterbox, and since he has a history of UTI back in to the vet he went.

Fatty liver is a difficult situation as is without adding complications. He has a bunch of sediment but isn’t blocked yet. He is staying overnight so they can get some iv fluid in him as well as help out with the pain, hoping that he will be able to urinate on his own. His platelets may also be low, so they want to check that. They were nice enough to say that they’d try to just get enough for a slide to check the platelets while they are placing the iv in an effort to save cost.

On the upside, he hasn’t thrown up in two days and he was tracking people better today. His ears would flicker when we talked to him and he was making eye contact with me and closing his eyes when i would stroke his face.

I sat with him there for about half an hour before I left. He has his blankie and his puppy, and i told them if they cover his cage he may nurse on his blankie, which comforts him. he did do that at the other vet’s. i hope he gets some good rest. i wish i could keep him at home but i don’t have the capabilities to get the fluids and the pain meds in him myself, and it’s probably good for me to get some rest too.

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another positive: may be able to trade design services for vet services…cross your fingers

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d update: d’s feeling pretty good, isn’t even taking any advil. i think he’s more irritated by questions about homework than he is about his arm. we go in thursday to see the surgeon who will fix his arm.

Jack came home with me last night around 5. He seemed happier to be home. He relaxed for a bit on the floor and then threw up some of what the vet had given him. I gave him 5 cc of AD (food from the doctor) about an hour after that as a test to see if he’d let me do it. He didn’t argue too much and he kept that down. He lets me pet him a bit, but will get up and move to a different spot if he is sick of me, and smack his tail around a bit. He’s only gone under the bed twice, he alternates between the floor and the laundry basket and the bathroom, but he did hop up on my bed and lay by my feet for a bit last night. He’s urinating ok but hasn’t pooped yet. His tongue is a bit swollen but the vet said that was from the syringe feeding struggle they had with him most likely. his breathing seems a bit labored but not horrible and they told me to keep an eye on that. he just threw up a little after i tried to get his medicine in him. they want me to tempt him with some food but now i’m going to wait an hour or so to see if he will relax first.

jack is back home. he threw up some of what the vet had given him. i think we’re both exhausted physically and mentally. hopefully being home will destress him a little. i am so glad i took his blankie in, they said he did “nurse” on it like he does here at home when he thinks no one is looking. i am hoping that is a good sign. he’s walking a bit odd but he is using the litter still.

it’s been a heck of a week. i don’t normally write personal stuff in here but i’ve been a bit overwhelmed. the kiddo recently broke his arm again, jack is very sick, bf is sick, and this morning i found out my mom isn’t feeling well either.

kiddo is in pretty good spirits, he went through this last summer so is sort of used to having to pretend to be a lefty for a while. he says it doesn’t hurt a lot, so that is good.

bf will get better soon, because he always does and because i told him he had to. so there!

mommy, i know you read this and i hope you feel better too. thank you for listening when i am worried about d and jack. i love you.

jack is staying at the vet today. they are going to continue anitibiotics, fluid drip, and they are going to try to coax him into eating on his own, or try to hand feed him. tomorrow i will bring him home and if he is not eating yet, i will have to force-feed him. hopefully that will work, if not he may have to have a feeding tube as a last resort. the vet seemed confident that he will be ok if we can get him to eat on his home.

i want to also thank Cleo’s mom for her website about fatty liver disease, http://www.hepatic-lipidosis.com/ and for her email support. you’ve been a blessing, thank you!

I’ve been doing some research and ran across another kitty, Cleo, who successfully beat fatty liver disease. Cleo’s mom has some very good info about how to help Jack through this through force feeding rather than tube feeding. After reading I am feeling more hopeful since Jack was still pretty mobile and eating a little as of a couple of days ago and has not vomited that i know of. i feel more prepared to talk to the vet tomorrow too.

if you are looking for information, here is her website:
http://www.hepatic-lipidosis.com/