Vocal Voices

Just wondering how Mia, Mowgli and Millie (and you both) are doing?

Here really is hoping that 2013 is an uneventful year on the pet front for all of us.... I spent a small fortune at my vet the past three weeks; Ava with an eye infection on Christmas Eve, Molly there twice with cystitis and then ongoing issues with a new pain med that she reacted badly to and became a cat zombie and then Abbie and Jamie who when off for their annual boosters (who admittedly are a joy as the last time they were at the vet was a year before that).

I could quite do with just six visits this coming year; one for each cats' boosters

Sorry to hear about Ava and Molly, hope they are both on the mend.

Mia had her bloods repeated and Simon is pleased with them. Her urea should be about 12 and is 17 but given last time it was 34 and dangerously high, that is a good result. Her creatine has crept up slightly, but he isn't overly concerned. He is happy for her to go 6 weeks before testing again. She still doesn't eat much all the time, but when she does she eats well.

Mowgli seems fine, full of beans. He takes his last steroid tomorrow. He was on 2 a day to start with and it has reduced to half a day. He should be fine, but I am a bit nervous. Especially as they go to the cattery for 3 days on Thurs.

Thank you for asking, I did mean to update you but have been so caught up with Deb and Millie I forgot about my two

Sorry to hear about Ava and Molly, Meri.

Millie is very up and down. I don't feel any further forward than we were 3 weeks ago when she had the camera down and they found the ulcers. We had a run of 5 days when she kept everything down, 5 days when she kept being sick, a few more days when she kept everything down but on 1st January she started being sick again and we haven't had a day since when she hasn't been sick at least twice.

She isn't eating a huge amount and I don't feel that she has put any weight on - we can never get her to stay on the scales at the vets long enough. I am going to weigh her with me tonight.

I am spending around 6 hours a day giving medicine, waiting and feeding and it is really getting me down. I have to be up by 5.45am to give the first dose of medicine to get it all in before work.

She isn't herself now - she loves going for walks but is very subdued the rest of the time.

She had more blood tests done on Saturday but they have all come back negative so I assume that it is just the ulcers causing the problems but I don't see how we can get over it. When she is sick it aggrevates the ulcers which means the next time she eats, she is sick and the cycle continues.

I am going to ring the vets again today to speak to the vet I saw on Saturday as he was very concerned about her and arranged the blood tests (he was off yesterday). The other vets keep telling me to persevere but how long for? She (and we) really can't go on like this.

And the frustrating thing is - the bandages have come off now and the leg is doing really well.

It is very tense in our house at the moment. I have lost almost a stone over the past four weeks and just don't really sleep anymore.

Deb I (sorry to bang on here) but I really think you need to ask about PEG feeding her. If all that is causing all this is ulcers in her throat, then there has to be a way to bypass them. She needs a break and you certainly do. PEG feeding would be a way of stopping all this stress. Mowgli used to sleep through his tube feeding. I know PEG feeding is a bigger decision than tube feeding but I honestly think it might help

The vets have said that they will consider it but because the tube would have to go straight into her stomach they have said that it isn't as simple as from the throat and are reluctant to do it yet

She is putting on weight, albeit very slowly.

But a minor break through tonight (another post) - fingers crossed in continues.

I know I just read it and fingers crossed it continues. Like I said previously Mia was far, far better when I went away and Tim plonked food down and left her to it