Professional Groomer

jmvito

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Hi Gang. It's been a while since I posted. I just got back from taking Dottie (17yo female) to the groomer and vet. She did very well! Lots of yowling, but she didn't scratch or bite anyone. Dottie is a long-hair (well, not any more) and due to her age, has stopped grooming. I had her get a lion cut today. She looks cute, except around the head. Her head seems much to large for her body now. But I think she feels better, and she's certainly much nicer to pet because those nasty hairballs are gone now. I felt like a nervous mother waiting for her to come out of the groomer's room. I could hear her yowling. I think they handled her roughly considering her advanced age, but she seems no worse for the wear. They did break open the superficial capillary bump by her ear and she was bleeding. I warned them that it was there, and I'm sure the pulling of her scruf is what broke it open.

After the groomer, we walked next door to the vet and got a good checkup. She's in good shape for an old-timer. The vet suspects she has a heart murmur though difficult to really assess considering her heart was beating rapidly given she was nervous. We did a full blood work-up to rule out diabetes and hyperthyroidism. She doesn't outwardly display symptoms, but again, given her advanced age better safe than sorry. She has taken to limping in the hind quarters, probably arthritis, but vet said could also be symptom of the diabetes. I should have the lab results by noon today. We got her ears cleaned out good too. They tested the contents of the ears, and determined it was just waxy build-up and dirt ... again probably due to advanced age. Having good clean ears should improve her hearing. We did discuss the recent development of "dark time yowling." The vet said that if hyperthroidsim and diabetes are ruled out, then we should just consider the unusual yowling in the dark as night time senility.

So, all-in-all, good news for the home team.
 
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jmvito

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The vet just called. Diabetes and hyperthyroidism are ruled out. Her glucose level was 151 (high is 145.) She said not high enough to consider diabetes, likely elevated due to stress. Her BUN (kidney) was 43.6, slightly elevated but not enough to be truly concerned. ALT (liver) was 195, again slightly elevated but not be be concerned. She indicated the elevated results could be a sign of very early liver or kidney malfunction and we should test again in 3-6 months, but right now consider stress as the major factor. She suggested a low-protein diet such as Science diet KD. Since the diabetes and hyperthyroidism are ruled out, we are going to treat her limping as arthritis. She suggested that we try a steroid injection, or non-steroidal treatment. I hesitate to go the steroid route as that can wreck havoc with glucose. So we will first try a diet supplement called Cosequin, and see how Dottie fares with that. If no improvement or she worsens, we'll step up to the non-steriod treatment, if she doesn't tolerate that well, we will go for the steroid.

Once again, I am pleased with the results, and the vet was too.
 
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jmvito

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Originally Posted by valanhb

Good to see you around again too!!!!!
Thank you, Heidi. It's always nice to pop in and get caught up with every one.

I have to tell you, Dottie looks so different with the lion cut. Though I am worried she'll get chilled. I am not sure I would do the cut again ... if I do, I won't have her shaved so closely. It should be much easier for us both to keep her groomed, especially around the hiney. Her hair is so long (3 inches) in some places. It does give me a good chance to see the condition of her skin which is oily and flakey. I did not realize how much her little belly sags, and how wrinkled she is. She's always been covered with so much hair ... and now almost none.
 

sweets

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Congrats on the vet report. On the rare occasions I took Shalimar (RB) to the groomer, I went into the room with her. (She was difficult to handle for strangers anyway. Even the Vet needed me to hold her so they could remove an IV.) That way if she did yowl, I knew what was happening to her.

Sandy
 

purrfectcatlove

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What great news to read , I am so happy for you and for Dottie .
Dottie has a wonderful age and it looks to me she is doing great

And you are a great mom to her
 

hopehacker

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I was wondering why my 19 year old Siamese was getting little hairballs, under his short hair. I guess it's due to him not grooming himself anymore due to age. I know I've had to brush him out quite often lately. I thought it was because I had to have his teeth removed a couple of years ago. I guess it's just age.

Congrats, on the great bill of health on your baby.
 

wellingtoncats

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Glad Lottie has got a clean bill of health. When we get our cats shaved we never take them to the groomers, I would never trust the groomers with one of my pets but we take them to the vets and they give them a local and then shave them, but it might be a risk for older pets. Good to see you here!
 

stingy

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Please find diffrent groomer.
Stay with Dottie next time. Good groomer is good to cat.
I hope Dottie happy for long time.
 
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jmvito

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Originally Posted by Stingy

Please find diffrent groomer.
Stay with Dottie next time. Good groomer is good to cat.
I hope Dottie happy for long time.
I did stay with Dottie for the first 10 minutes. Then a second gal came in to hold her while the other shaved. I stood back and watched. They didn't hurt her, but she was handled rougher than she is used to being handled. They did a good job and she was never in danger, it was more a traumatic experience for me, I think, than for her. She handled it quite well. She didn't move about or try to jump and run, but she did yowl a lot.
 
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