You may remember a few years back when I was hugely pregnant and hormonal with Lola, my sweet Moe cat got sick and started throwing up. Long story short he ended up having a surgery that gave him stitches from chin to tail and well, it might have been for no reason. Well, it's déjà vu all over again as he started the symptoms again this week. I was determined not to rush back to the vet for more suffering, so I thought we would wait it out and hope it went away.
Well, a week later Moe wasn't doing so hot. He hadn't been eating all week and any time he tried to drink, 20 seconds later he would yak it up. By Friday I was concerned he was dehydrated and he was definitely not himself. I try to be nonchalant and pretend like it wasn't a big deal, but I felt sorry for the poor thing and Corey and I couldn't let him sit and die from dehydration. We also were concerned, about the $900 vet bill that came about from the surgery before. Finally Corey decided that I should take him to the vet in the morning and gave me a cat healing budget of $200. Well those of you who know me, know that I don't stick to budgets, so that was a rather mute point ;)
I headed to the clinic with my lethargic cat at about 9 am. The vet declared Moe dehydrated and agreed surgery was not needed but decided blood work was needed to check on his kidneys, liver and other organs since he had a fever. I was sent to the waiting room until they had the results.
Now, I usually avoid the vet at all costs. My cats are indoor pets and we just let them be, my visit this time reminded me why...
I positioned myself in a chair with a coffee and the latest issue of a gossip mag, hoping to relax and pass the time quickly. It wasn't 5 minutes when the quiet was interrupted by a lady and a teenage girl who rushed in frantically. The girl was carrying an animal wrapped up in a plaid shirt, the type of which animal I couldn't see as she was covering it. They were clearly freaking out and asking the front desk lady if there was someone who could help them immediately. The animal was unresponsive and the girl kept blowing into its face ( does that help?) the woman explained their ferret was diabetic and hadn't had enough sugar. Could someone please get the ferret a shot? The front desk clerk dropped her clipboard and rushed the ferret back to the doctor. At this point the lady and the teenager are choking back tears and asking why they are not allowed to go with it? The lady comforted the girl and then told her "you know we had this happen with Grandma many times"
Umm. What? I feel a bit out of place at this point considering I wavered on whether or not to even bring my dehydrated anorexic cat to the vet in the first place.
Then I see a lady exit the first exam room, burst into tears and hurl herself out the front door. A few minutes later the vet tech tries to discreetly remove her deceased dog from the room in a towel. Ferret lady and girl burst into tears again and hold each other.( at least I know my decision to leave Lola at home was the right one!) At this point I am thinking there should be a reality show about vet clinics, I mean, wow, the drama! Later I am told to watch Animal Planet because there are in fact several shows based on this concept. If it weren't so danged depressing, It might just be interesting. I think I'll stick to HGTV for now!
Anyway, bloodwork came back looking good and the vet believes that Moe has a lymph node issue that she wanted to control using steroids and antibiotics. She also wanted to make sure he got fluids that he didn't puke up. She decided he should have IV fluids under the skin, and would I be comfortable injecting them myself? As my brain was screaming NO!!!, I was somehow remembering my $200 budget and guessing that weekend care would blow that out of the water, so my head nodded yes. The vet taught me how to inject Moe with 120 ml of fluids, antibiotics and steroids.
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So I went from not being incredibly sure that I wanted to treat him, to injecting him in the neck with the most ginormous needle/syringe I have ever seen, twice a day.
Breathe. I will not be a crazy cat lady who has to give their cat injections everyday for the rest of their life. Ugh.
On the up side, my final bill was $ 171.31 and when I left, the ferret was up and moving around ( apparently sugar water on the gums is the miracle cure if you ever find yourself in that situation)
So Moe seems to be perking up s bit but we are not quite sure what's going on yet. If he hasn't improved by Monday, I'll take him back for more tests, and this time I'll bring the popcorn ;)
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