Krista's Care

[daftcat75]

My boy doesn't struggle when they take his blood from his neck, but Krista might be too cranky at the getgo and that's why they went for a leg, thinking it would be a little safer?

I’ll ask about that. I asked them if they could, not knock her out, but maybe let her have a huff of gas to chill her out. They said they could do that. But they also gave me a prescription for gabapentin on the house.

 

[daftcat75]

The tech called back with the PCV and said, it’s low but don’t read much into it because of how little blood they were working with.

So I asked the question that maybe I should have led with on Saturday:

“If she needs in-patient care, I would know by now, yes?”

Yes.

“So we’re basically just searching the edges now?”

Basically.

“Alright. I’ll let you know if anything gets worse but I’m inclined to leave her alone now and figure out her food.”

Local butcher spared me a 3 hour errand for turkey hearts. They get the same turkeys and sold me a 2 lbs bag of giblets for $6. I can’t even get out of town on $6 of gas! So now it’s cut up some leg meat and giblets. Bag it, label it, freeze it. Load up the stock pot and go to the tap room. Come back and grind her frozen meat and giblets and make her food.

As a former vegan, I don’t even recognize myself. I’ve personally known individual turkeys. Volunteered at an animal sanctuary and got to know some of their individual personalities. Some of them are goofy-looking feathered dogs! But thankfully I’m not much of a visual person. It doesn’t look like a turkey (or a rabbit) to me and I’m not putting it back together in my head. All I know is that it makes my Krista eat more eagerly than anything out of a can, makes her run to her food and sing the song of her people. And for that, I’ll cut up that slimy, smelly, blobs of flesh and bone to keep her healthy and happy.

 

[Furballsmom]

All I know is that it makes my Krista eat more eagerly than anything out of a can, makes her run to her food and sing the song of her people. And for that, I’ll cut up that slimy, smelly, blobs of flesh and bone to keep her healthy and happy.

You ROCK!!

 

[daftcat75]

Cutting up the leg meat for her and she finally emerged from the bookcase wondering what I’m up to. She’s been crouched in the, “I’m not begging but you know. If some food were to come my way...” position near the kitchen. It’s like she’s guarding my exit. So I finished the first leg, whacked up the bones for the stock pot, and went to work on a midday sashimi snack with liver treat topping. I think it’s a hit. It’s gone.

And the Rawz remains untouched.

 

[Furballsmom]

LOL, cats!

 

[daftcat75]

Her coat feels great already from the Rad Cat but her appetite still seems depressed. She got through the first half portion for breakfast but barely touched what I plated for second breakfast. C'mon, Krista! This stuff is too expensive (as in priceless since I can't get anymore) to have it go to waste. I just need her to hold on long enough to approve a homemade recipe before I mirtz her. I don't want a drug-induced munchies bias. Waiting for the leg meat to partially thaw enough to get at the individual chunks again for the grinder. I may have her next food ready in an hour. Or longer. All of this takes a lot longer than I expect because I'm still a beginner figuring out my own system of doing things.

 

[daftcat75]

She eats it. She likes it. But she doesn’t eat very much. Same with Rad Cat today so I’m not offended. She did actually come seek me out and join me on the counter. Poor girl. I wish I knew what was going on with her. But she eats this, even a few bites, where she mostly just looks at Rawz now.

 

[daftcat75]

Might be a dental issue?

I gave her a mirtz because she puked up the homemade. Not all of it, but she didn't eat all that much today to begin with. Mirtz is supposed to help with nausea as well as appetite stimulation. Then I put out some Rawz duck for her. Even when she's turning her nose at the turkey, the duck at least brings her to the plate. She licked a little, wince and fling, and she called it done. That was all I needed to see. I gave her the buprenorphine "wet willy" (transdermal dose in the ear.)

Now she's going to town on both the rabbit and the duck!

I called the vet and asked for the dr to call when he gets a chance. He's pretty far behind today so it may not be until the end of the day. When I was talking with the tech on the phone, I was feeling pretty discouraged. I was telling her that I think I'm out of my element for whatever is going on with her at home, and I'd like to talk with the dr about possible in-patient care to see what's going, on and get her over the hump faster than out-patient visits and wait-and-sees. Likely a dental, an ultrasound, and some fluids to start. Plus that CBC we can't seem to get from her. Her slow eating has gone on too long. She's lost too much weight. And we're still no closer to knowing what's actually bothering her since it is clearly not simply food boredom.

 

[daftcat75]

She left cooked turkey on the plate from before the wet willy. She left that plate in the other room. When I brought it back to the front room with her other plates, she’s come back to finish that off. I hope this all stays down because she hasn’t eaten this much at once in awhile. But I’m happy to see that she came back for the turkey meat. I wonder if the mirtz was even necessary. Maybe she just needed the bupe.

 

[daftcat75]

I gave her another bupe wet willy in the ear. She dislikes those. But not as bad as pilling her. So I gave her a dose at 10 before we went to sleep. Well before I tried to sleep. It seemed like she kept making a circuit of nibble, climb on top of me, climb off and nap for a short period. And then repeat. The one time I didn’t roll on my back for her, she came around and sat on the body pillow so she can still get in my face even when she can’t ride my belly.

When I finally got out of bed for her first breakfast at 6am, she joined me on the counter to watch the washing of her dishes and supervise food prep.

She still likes the food I made her. That’s good! I’m slowly working that portion up in size. For starters, she still doesn’t eat very much at once. But she nibbled and then into a tree she went. She’s been sleeping in the office tree lately.

So I gave her another wet willy. Came back a minute later to put some shredded turkey on top of her raw portion. And the bupe must have acted quickly. She came down out of the tree and finished the portion. I’ve set out some Rawz rabbit in both the office and front room and I’ll let her sleep off that raw portion.

I will make a rabbit batch for her later today. I may even make a batch with cooked rabbit meat as I left a lot more meat on the carcass this time. I only went for the easiest and meatiest pieces. I’ll go back for the rest after I’ve Instant Pot the meaty bones.

I’ll book her dental when the office opens. I think I want to switch doctors. She’s seen three different doctors in this office. The first, the one we liked best, has moved on to another office that’s too far for us. The second, she only saw briefly during her in-patient stay on the first dr’s off days. The third, her current, was basically a patient transfer when the first moved on. But even though he seems to have a better bedside manner than the second, I feel like he’s spread too thin and maybe not as experienced as the others. I’ve been trying all year to raise the alarm about her mouth. But the dental he performed earlier this summer came up with nothing. So maybe it’s time for an in-house second opinion. Because clearly, if she needs the bupe to eat, something is going on.

 

[daftcat75]

I’m happy to report that Krista is eating my homemade since I invested in the right bits and learned which cuts she’s good with. This is my second batch. It’s half rabbit leg and loin (it was a small rabbit) and half turkey leg meat (mostly thigh, her favorite!). There’s also rabbit liver and rabbit kidney in there. But curiously, this was a heartless rabbit! So in went a turkey heart. I don’t think she’ll complain.

Iron Chef Krista has voted.

So I’m now making the only food she’ll eat. No pressure!

 

[daftcat75]

There we go! She finished a half oz of the turkey plus turkey/rabbit (first and second batches mixed together) just now. So in total, I think she has had three ounces of food today? Still not enough but more than earlier this week.

She’s a mixed bag. She engages and interacts. She follows me around. And she’s a belly riding beast at night. She plays even if only for a minute. But she’s not eating enough. She’s losing weight. She’s getting weaker. But she can also still make her jumps. So I think she’s just stiffer and sorer. Probably dehydrated. Maybe slightly anemic.

We have another vet appointment tomorrow morning. I’m preparing myself for possibly checking her in-patient to correct any imbalances that I can’t do at home. I don’t think she’s crashing. But I do think she needs some intervention that I can’t provide her. Fluids at the very least. Maybe b vitamins. They will almost certainly have to sedate her at least a happy puff’s worth to get that CBC Panel and also urine.

But I do feel encouraged that I’ve found a Rad Cat replacement for her.

 

[daftcat75]

This cat!

I give her the midnight bupe dose and she reluctantly submits to it. Then back to the kitchen I go to take off the finger cot and wash my hands. I come back and Krista is sitting alert and expectantly:

“You’re right. I gave you the wet willy and now you want your treat.”

I found freeze dried lamb tripe treats. They are stinky enough that Krista likes them. But they are also soft enough for my mostly toothless cat to get through.

 

[MissClouseau]

Likely a dental, an ultrasound, and some fluids to start.

Didn't she get a dental very recently and there was nothing wrong? Do I remember wrong?

 

[daftcat75]

Didn't she get a dental very recently and there was nothing wrong? Do I remember wrong?

That’s right. But the difference between tasting her food, wincing, and walking away and actually eating her food was pain medicine. Buprenorphine.

I’m thinking they’ll need to sedate her, at least partially, to get the CBC and urine. As long as she’s getting sedated, have a look in her mouth, at her tongue and gums, under her tongue, down her throat. And then take the xrays. I don’t want to have to bupe her to eat for the rest of her days or years.

 

[Furballsmom]

Gee whiz, all the best to you two!!

 

[daftcat75]

I dropped her off this morning for two or three days of IV fluids, the CBC panel, look in her mouth, urinalysis, oil change, rotate the tires,... The point is she’s getting services I can’t provide at home so she should be able to come home happier and healthier.

 

[Furballsmom]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

 

[tarasgirl06]

*Just adding my heartfelt *PRAYERS* and best wishes for Krista's health and wellbeing*

 

[CL56]