14 inches of snow on the ground
32 degrees
snow
We have just gotten back home after Punk spent the day at the vet. She had blood work and x-rays. The blood work had a couple values (BUN and glucose) on the high end of normal but the vet says he wasn't concerned given her age and stress factors. There was nothing there to indicate kidney or liver problems involved with her symptoms.
Whew!!
Okay, the x-rays showed her gut full of gas. He says it looks like the peristosis(sp?) is slowed and recommended trying to get her to eat more to stimulate her GI tract. For a fat (okay--obese) cat, she doesn't really eat a lot. He gave her an injection to stimulate her appetite so we will see if that helps. She already seems much more herself, though maybe that was just the stimulation of getting out and seeing the folks at the vet clinic. She certainly doesn't seem in pain and now that I know that she needs to eat, I can encourage that.
Feeling much, much more confident about her tonight.
What a day it was! I got up at 7:30--uncommonly early for one of my days off--just so I could clean the snow off of my vehicle, make coffee, get dressed and get out of here with Punkin before 8:30. I dithered over which vehicle to drive. It was warm (freezing) and snowing but I didn't know what conditions would be like down in town. Did I want the Suburban with its four-wheel-drive but not-so-good studded tires? Or the two-wheel-drive Chevy pickup with the good studs? Was I going to be driving through snow and slush or trying to stop on rain-polished ice?
Decisions, decisions....
I opted for the Chevy. The driveway and road were inches-deep in wet snow. By the time I got to the highway, I was thinking maybe I had made the wrong choice but I was committed and could only hope to get my errands run and get back home before too much more snow had fallen.
What a Monday for the gals at the vet clinic. The first three of us through the door had no appointments. Well, the lady with the young cat had an appointment, but she had it screwed up. Her cat's appointment had been for next Monday, but they told her they could take her cat in today anyway, since she was there. The other lady had a dog that needed blood drawn and like me had just shown up. One of the vets was out sick so the fill-in vet, Dr. Mersch, had just driven in from Soldotna. He is normally a bit hyper and after that drive, he was bouncing off the walls. We chattered back and forth while he examined the Punk and asked questions. I told him that I was worried about possible pancreatitis but he assured me it she had pancreatitis, I would have been into the clinic on Thursday. So at least that was ruled out. I left her at the clinic for x-rays and bloodwork. He said to check back about two pm. I hate leaving any of the cats at the clinic but with Punkin, it is like tearing my heart out. I know that I certainly won't have her with me for as long as I want. Being as she is my favorite, she'll probably die young--or at least younger. Denny and I sometimes morbidly joke that our last two cats will probably be the nasty ones, like Frannie and BeBe.
But I am not ready to say good-bye to Punkin yet. Not my hard-headed, fat, opinionated empress. She has such a strong personality, life with her is just too much fun.
Later, we celebrated Punkin's homecoming by taking a half-hour nap, just me and her, on the bed downstairs. She crawled under the blanket, curled up next to me and purred--happy to be home.
32 degrees
snow
We have just gotten back home after Punk spent the day at the vet. She had blood work and x-rays. The blood work had a couple values (BUN and glucose) on the high end of normal but the vet says he wasn't concerned given her age and stress factors. There was nothing there to indicate kidney or liver problems involved with her symptoms.
Whew!!
Okay, the x-rays showed her gut full of gas. He says it looks like the peristosis(sp?) is slowed and recommended trying to get her to eat more to stimulate her GI tract. For a fat (okay--obese) cat, she doesn't really eat a lot. He gave her an injection to stimulate her appetite so we will see if that helps. She already seems much more herself, though maybe that was just the stimulation of getting out and seeing the folks at the vet clinic. She certainly doesn't seem in pain and now that I know that she needs to eat, I can encourage that.
Feeling much, much more confident about her tonight.
What a day it was! I got up at 7:30--uncommonly early for one of my days off--just so I could clean the snow off of my vehicle, make coffee, get dressed and get out of here with Punkin before 8:30. I dithered over which vehicle to drive. It was warm (freezing) and snowing but I didn't know what conditions would be like down in town. Did I want the Suburban with its four-wheel-drive but not-so-good studded tires? Or the two-wheel-drive Chevy pickup with the good studs? Was I going to be driving through snow and slush or trying to stop on rain-polished ice?
Decisions, decisions....
I opted for the Chevy. The driveway and road were inches-deep in wet snow. By the time I got to the highway, I was thinking maybe I had made the wrong choice but I was committed and could only hope to get my errands run and get back home before too much more snow had fallen.
What a Monday for the gals at the vet clinic. The first three of us through the door had no appointments. Well, the lady with the young cat had an appointment, but she had it screwed up. Her cat's appointment had been for next Monday, but they told her they could take her cat in today anyway, since she was there. The other lady had a dog that needed blood drawn and like me had just shown up. One of the vets was out sick so the fill-in vet, Dr. Mersch, had just driven in from Soldotna. He is normally a bit hyper and after that drive, he was bouncing off the walls. We chattered back and forth while he examined the Punk and asked questions. I told him that I was worried about possible pancreatitis but he assured me it she had pancreatitis, I would have been into the clinic on Thursday. So at least that was ruled out. I left her at the clinic for x-rays and bloodwork. He said to check back about two pm. I hate leaving any of the cats at the clinic but with Punkin, it is like tearing my heart out. I know that I certainly won't have her with me for as long as I want. Being as she is my favorite, she'll probably die young--or at least younger. Denny and I sometimes morbidly joke that our last two cats will probably be the nasty ones, like Frannie and BeBe.
But I am not ready to say good-bye to Punkin yet. Not my hard-headed, fat, opinionated empress. She has such a strong personality, life with her is just too much fun.
Later, we celebrated Punkin's homecoming by taking a half-hour nap, just me and her, on the bed downstairs. She crawled under the blanket, curled up next to me and purred--happy to be home.
