Artemis update
Aug. 20th, 2010 12:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tzikehI'm sorry I've kept radio silence on the cat thing; stuff is still tentative, but getting better. I just couldn't post until I was ready to talk about it.
So, Artemis stopped eating, stopped drinking, and basically stopped moving. She never got up on the bed with me (which she does every night), or even on her second-favorite spot on the couch. She never purred (which she does when she's on the bed, or lying on me when I'm on the couch with my feet up.) She stayed in her one spot on the video rocker on my office floor, pretty much 24/7. I even brought food right to her, including the most favorite food EVER. No go. She was listless, and very unhappy if I tried to pet her. Her fur started to mat, as she gave up on grooming herself. (Her fur has *never* matted in 19 years.)
I started to freak big-time, and the vet was closed for the evening. I thought I'd take her in the next day, but
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shrift basically said, "WE ARE GOING TO THE EMERGENCY VET RIGHT NOW EVEN IF I HAVE TO PAY FOR IT."So we went to the 24-hour emergency vet. They did a lot of tests. The fact that she didn't even protest, at all, was a very bad sign. Usually, at the regular vet, you can hear her all the way down the hall from the exam rooms, that have their doors closed, and she sounds like she's being attacked by a lawnmower. It takes her vet and a tech just to hold her down, let alone examine her. The first time I heard it, I thought they were doing something HEINOUS to her. Now, I'm totally used to it, and I have to reassure other people in the waiting room that it's just my cat, and it's normal.
They did a lot of blood tests and so on, and they have an in-house lab, and said that everything looked pretty good, but they asked if I wanted to give her a Vitamin B shot, which stimulates appetite. I was like, WHATEVER JUST DO ANYTHING. So they gave her a B shot. Then they faxed all of the information to my regular vet.
The next day, no change. So I called the regular vet, and she said "We're totally booked, but I saw the fax and can squeeze her in between appointments." And I said "But the vets at the emergency vet said the tests came back normal!" And she said, "Well, they don't know her, and she's dropped a full pound in six weeks."
This is (was) a nine-pound cat. That's a LOT of body weight to lose in six weeks.
So, back to the vet.
She did her usual exam, and told me that everything looked good, but the urine sample wouldn't be back for a few days. She said it was likely that a UTI could cause some of this, and that putting her on antibiotics and administering fluids would probably help, and couldn't hurt at this point. And I was like DOOOO EEEEET. Then we talked about her arthritis meds. She'd been taking prednisone, which works a treat, but can be hard on the liver and kidneys. Cat pain meds are very hard to come by (we don't know why; dog pain meds are a dime a dozen), but there is something called Cosequin that a lot of vets think seems to help. Artie had been taking Cosequin for some time, and we'd eventually weaned her off the pred because it was doing so well. Lu (my vet) said that it was possible that we'd been treating something we didn't know about with the pred, and we should put her back on it.
So they gave her antibiotics, and fluids, and gave me a bottle of pred. I took her home, gave her the pred, and put some food by her. This was around 4:30.
Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing -- 10:45 pm, she slowly got off of her comfy spot and ate a little food for the first time in 48 hours.
Cautious optimism.
The next morning, I woke up to her asleep on my leg. Purring.
She ate, she drank, she peed, she wandered around.
Still cautious optimism, though slightly less cautious and slightly more yay.
She herded me into the bedroom last night, got up on the bed, and purred. I woke up this morning with her on my leg again.
Last night, I was on the computer, and Shrift started laughing in the hallway. I turned around and said, "What?" And she was looking at Artie (in her spot behind me), who was sprawled, asleep, limbs everywhere, and her head hanging over the side of the cushion so far that it was upside down.
I am not ready to call "unqualified success," but the panic is gone, and I just love her *so much*.
I am happy if it makes you happy to engage in prayer or good vibes or good thoughts or whatever for Artie. And I appreciate it if you are happy that things are tentatively better.
So, that's where things are.
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Date: 2010-08-20 05:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 05:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 05:34 pm (UTC)Ack! Fixed! Thanks for that.
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Date: 2010-08-20 05:37 pm (UTC)Do keep us posted and I'll keep sending positive vibes Artie's way.
{{{hugs}}} and scritches as appropriate.
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Date: 2010-08-20 05:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 05:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 05:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 05:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 05:52 pm (UTC)Glad to hear she's doing better. *hugs*
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Date: 2010-08-20 06:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 06:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 06:18 pm (UTC)I've been sending good thoughts for the past few days and will continue to do so. Hugs to you, pets to Artie, and kudos to shrift.
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Date: 2010-08-20 06:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 06:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 06:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 06:44 pm (UTC)This sounds good. Go, your vet!!!
Man, last year, I had a terrible scare with my Daisy, and it just about broke me. Thank God she pulled out of it, and now she's fine. \o/
Hang in there, y'all. ::sends super-health vibes::
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Date: 2010-08-20 06:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 07:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 07:10 pm (UTC)*virtual skritches*
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Date: 2010-08-20 07:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 07:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 07:19 pm (UTC)*flings petitions to the universe that the statistics keep falling her way*
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Date: 2010-08-20 07:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 07:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 07:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 07:41 pm (UTC)And a special YAY for Shrift dragging you both out to the e-vet.
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Date: 2010-08-20 07:45 pm (UTC)(Fausta & Metrobius join me in wishing her well!)
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Date: 2010-08-20 07:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 08:49 pm (UTC)My best friend is a vet and she too is frustrated by the lack of cat pain meds. She assumes its because there is more $$ in dog meds (people seem to be more willing to spend on their dogs that on their cats which I find rediculous.) It might also be the fact that human meds seem to more easily translate to dogs systems than they do to cats. Either way, it's totally annoying.
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Date: 2010-08-20 08:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 09:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 09:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 10:21 pm (UTC)As you may imagine, I more than get what you're going through right now, since I've been in the same place with Mac.
*MOREHUGS*
ETA: Also, I totally get the whole "HI WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT THIS AS TALKING MAKES IT REAL" thing since, see also: Mac. But on the odd chance you want any tips and tricks I've picked up dealing with Mac's illness, which includes the OMG weightloss and what have you, by all means feel free to email me.
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Date: 2010-08-20 11:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-20 11:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-21 12:33 am (UTC)(The Mr's sister is a vet at AETC on Belmont and Pulaski, BTW. I imagine you went to the vet on Clybourne, though, since it's closer.)
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Date: 2010-08-21 01:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-21 04:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-21 04:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-21 04:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-21 05:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-21 06:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-21 11:38 am (UTC)So relieved and happy for you, and sending whatever positivity I can in Artemis' direction.
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Date: 2010-08-21 01:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-23 12:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-08 04:17 pm (UTC)I'm glad that things have smoothed out for Artie, and for you.
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Date: 2010-09-08 04:33 pm (UTC)