h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

hi logicus,

Well, in the end I did cancel my last class this evening. Really, didn't feel like I could concentrate well enough to give Andres his money's worth, but he is happy to make up the class another day, so that's fine.

Yes, it's a hard call between small-time vets and big-time high tech vets. The new small time vet I have, last time I brought Sunny in for a problem, did stuff like smell his breath and examine him more by touch rather than by machinery. I think that before with the high tech vets I let them get the better of my feelings of insecurity about whatever problems my cats might have. I wouldn't do so now. Also, they know me now. Perhaps I should have taken Lua there to begin with. Anyhow. I'll certainly take her there for the x-ray.

And probably if the op becomes an option, I should also take her to the high-tech vets, but I know they are going to tell me they have to keep her overnight before the op and maybe keep her there a day or so afterwards. They charge 90€ a night for hospital stay overs. Stuff and nonsense. I'll bring her in first thing in the morning myself and take her home again after she has safely woken up from the anaesthetic.

As I say, I have met the owner of this place now and I will talk to him personally about Lua if it comes down to her having an op, because he will be the one doing it. He is supposed to be the best cat surgeon in town. I have to say I had some serious doubts about my present vet when she couldn't even take a blood sample properly from Lua the other day.

As for FEV and cat flu, my cats never go outside! And okay, the high-tech vets have previously scared me into tests *just in case* I had brought a virus home on the bottom of my shoes. But I mean, really.

So I will get the blood test results tomorrow or Saturday and then take Lua to have an x-ray on Monday.

Meanwhile, I am continuing to feed Lua Hill's seafood paté instead of her usual Hill's dry food for geriatric cats and she is loving this. I don't see that she will ever go back to the dry food now, even though I have a whole new 2 kilo sack of it here. And I can't feed it to the boys as they are on Hill's prescription food to prevent kidney stones. Oh well, I shall end up feeding it to some very lucky street cats.

I feel much less stressed and worried knowing I can get the information I need next Monday. Meanwhile I will continue spoiling Lua terribly!

az

Or do what i do as treat for henry,if cooking chicken,lamb ect drain juices and soak hill in overnight,HE loves it, also use full pill first bit goes straight down.

Chances of transfering infection in by foot about the same as you getting hit by meteor, or winning El Gordo,might also be good idea if
Az is "that" bad at travelling to get "sedative" to give her before trip.As to takeing blood not always easiest of tasks,a lot to do with skin pigmentation, allthough i know a couple of vets who prefer to "take from neck" most seem to use a favour leg as well,one of those
personal idisychrosie i suppose>

Az=Lua or perhaps not!

logicus,

You know, I totally lost it today. I just fell into a whole mess of scary feelings and cancelled my work and posted lots of emotional crap and basically . . . lost it.

Will do much better tomorrow!

The botched blood taking means Lua now has two shaved front legs and looks slightly less elegant than usual. But she usually sits with her front legs tucked under anyhow.

How do you know about El Gordo???

az

smiley :How do you know about El Gordo???: Despite my written work to the contrary i am at times a intellegent observent human being

Naw just its advertised in bookmakers another chanceof getting your money.

I would not say you lost it,i suppose i am lucky as working for the CPL and haveing seen most illness afecting cats and seen how quicke they bounce back ,has made me more optomistic than most,also seen a couple of ops, and in my time must have had in excess of 500 cats straight from the vet so also can relate to two shaved legs.

Once had one that had a thyroidectamy as well as neutering (ear clip) as feral, that one had a "white patch" grow back from shorn spot.


I know you cant help but fear the worst, but try and enjoy her company while you can

Ohmigod, Az, I have been busy and away too long and had no idea you were going through all this with Lua. I've caught up now with the posts and want to send you and support.

Mars -- we think -- has turned out to be fine. We took him to a specialist and they think it's just food allergies or an allergy to the plastic in his dish! (They want us to switch to stainless steel bowls.)

I think we may permanently switch to a vet specializing in cats, because this other place has given him a death sentence twice in his short life!

Anyway, I will be thinking good thoughts for you and Lua on Monday. The advice you have gotten is good, about thinking of her comfort and quality of life first and foremost. We had to go through this (deciding when to stop treatment, when to euthanize) with our 14-and-a-half year old Maine coon, Beckatt, who died in the summer of 2002. His kidneys failed toward the end.

hi Big Red! *waves*

Oh, thank god Mars is okay! I told you since he was eating well and everything that he may not be as ill as the vets said he was. It really makes me wonder about vets, especially with this last stuff with Lua. Half the time I think I'm more of a vet than many of the vets I've met.

Unfortunately I don't have an x-ray machine at home, so will be taking her for the test on Monday. Logicus may be right and she may fool us all yet and live another ten years.

She certainly isn't looking or acting like a sick cat. But who knows. That bleeding lump on her belly is pretty scary.

Anyhow, great news about Mars. I'm so pleased! And great to hear from you again.

kissitos,
az

The news today is that the blood tests came back showing a high level of something-or-other that could mean the presence of metastasis. So tomorrow morning I'll take Lua in for a thorax x-ray. If that comes out showing there aren't any tumours in her lungs then on Monday Lua will have an ultrasound done on her abdomen to also check for tumours there. If there is nothing found then the vet said it would be worth having the operation done.

I wish she had told me before that this was the usual procedure. She made it sound on Wednesday that as long as the blood test came out fine for the anaesthetic then we would operate on Monday - she didn't mention that an x-ray and ultrasound would be done first.

So, we'll see what happens tomorrow.

az

It's a shame the vet didn't go through the run up to the op a little better. But at least you will have more to base your decision on.

Sounds like you much better info to go on now, that must make things easier.

If you do get xray ?might i sugest you get it framed ,or scanned into your foltiki albums, i saw one once,on one of my many visit checking on cats, that had a alternating back light.

Another long weekend ,catch you later.

Thanks for the hugs everyone!

I decided to take Lua to a branch of the high tech vet's not far from here to get the x-ray done this evening, thinking I could then avoid another trip if the x-ray showed no metastatis as I could then get the ultrasound done at the same time.

Well, the x-ray showed no metastasis in the lungs!

But this branch didn't have ultrasound equipment.

So the ultrasound appointment to check for growths in the liver will be on Monday at 6pm.

Second opinions are both informative and confusing. The vet this evening told me that although the tumour was big and ugly looking it was attached to the skin wall and was quite 'loose' and this is apparently a good thing. However, like the previous vet had noticed, she said there was another small lump under another nipple on the same side of Lua's body. She then said that removing the one breast (are they called breasts on a cat?) would probably not be enough and that she would recommend removing all four on that side.

Well, I'm not even going to think about that until the ultrasound is done. One step at a time. Though each test is almost killing me. The suspense, the fear. . . and then the relief. And the cost is also killing me. I've already spent more than 100€ (my electricity bill money for next month) and honestly have no idea how I'm going to come up with another 200€ for an operation if it becomes a possibility.

Well anyhow, Lua and I (and all of you!) now have some vet time off until Monday evening. You've all been great - and amazingly patient and caring.



Lady,

How are you holding up?


az

Az: I think they do call them "breasts." I have heard it referred to in cats before as "breast cancer."

I'm glad you are getting so much good info. Much easier to make a decision that way. I bet (I hope) the "loose" tumor means it may be more discrete and easier to remove.

Re Mars, my husband told me they offered to do more tests, for cat scratch fever, toxoplasmosis, you name it, but he opted to go for the conservative treatment: Wait.

In other news, Mars is now 10.6 pounds (4.8 kilos). He has four more days of kittenhood left.

It would be wiser to remove all four if they where to remove one, its not to uncommen for them to do that, i have seen two cats that have had it done they both where older cats and recovered fairly quickly.

Did you keep the xray or was it viewed on screen? i must have been posting that whilst you where in transit as normal did she

The xray will be sent over to the branch where the ultrasound will be done - later they will let me take it home. Meanwhile I have to pick up the blood test results from the first vet before the ultrasound appointment to have everything together there.

I seem to have suddenly switched vets! Again.

To be honest, if the op does become an option, I would feel more comfortable having the high tech guy do it. Also, I was told this evening they are the only ones in Seville that use a special anaesthetic - now I can't remember the name. But apparently this is much better for animals.

So much to think about - maybe. After 6pm Monday anyhow . . .

az

True, AFTER 6 p.m. Monday. A weekend vet break sounds like a good idea, for both of you!

Not to mention the rest of you!

az

I dont know Az not so long a go i used to some times vist the vets
10 or more times a week regulerly.On ocasions with up to six of those
"little darlings", Lua i take it is getting more used to these trips.

Try and have a stress free weekend, if you can