The "What's on your mind?" Thread -2016

[Alicia88]

I'm so sorry.  I don't have any advice for you.  I don't know what I would do in your situation.

My mom got a border collie puppy when she was 9 years old.  Tippy lived for 21 years - happy, love-filled years.  For the last several months of his life, he was blind and deaf and could barely crawl.  Mom couldn't bear to put him down.  He was her baby.  She fed him soft food with a can several times a day.  When she finally lost him, she was beyond devastated.  The only time I've ever seen her more upset was when my Grandpa died.  Our pets are family.  They're our kids.

I'll pray for you both.  Artie knows you love him.  That's the important thing.

 

[DreamerRose]

I am so sorry for all you are going through, but thanks for letting us all know what is happening. We've been worried, and you have been in my thoughts all day.

I'm no veterinarian, but I wouldn't give up on Artie yet. If he feels better before  you give him his medicine and worse  after, it seems like the meds are making him feel worse, and I would be inclined to withhold the medication for a while and see what happens. As has been said so many times on this site, you know your cat better than the vets do, and sometimes you have to go along with your instincts, even if you are confused and unsure of yourself. Your friend at the humane society may be right about this.

 

[segelkatt]

 
GOOD GRIEF!  I'm glad that they found it!  Perhaps they needed a few of these:  http://www.boredpanda.com/hero-rats-bomb-demining-africa-apopo/   I've been aware of these guys for some time now, but only in Africa.  Seems like they are being used all over the world now, and the Pentagon is considering them.

@artiesmom   saying prayers for you.  Worried, with no news here.

Living with Hekitty is getting eerie.  Today, she let me have my  first cup of coffee, then went to the tree and yowled, while pawing at the presents.  This is the FIRST TIME she has shown any interest in them at all.  She's not a tree-mauler, confining herself to batting at the plastic icicles that I hang on the bottom branches for just such activity.  She is currently laid out in the middle of the living room floor with all her STUFF around her, hugging the catnip banana that her New Mexico "cousins" sent her.

These rats are used for land mines. The bombs left over from WWII were dropped and just did not go off which makes them that much more dangerous as they are much larger, this particular bomb was over 1 1/2 tons! Can you imagine the devastation that would make vs a land mine which probably would not make a hole larger 10 feet across tops? The bombs destroyed city blocks at one fell swoop. Be grateful that since the Civil War no war has been fought on US soil and bombs did not rain from the sky then. American civilians have no idea what it does to a population.Even small children will carry memories that they are not aware of. Sirens make my skin crawl and fireworks scare me and low-flying planes above my head almost send me into a panic although I was only 3 years old at the end of WWII.

 

[misty8723]

Here is one thing I just learned when you see too many vets and they all have different opinions of what you should do or what you should try - it's not necessarily good for your kitty.  You know how sometimes when you take medicine it makes you feel tired and potty? Maybe same thing is happening to Artie?  I wouldn't give up on him yet, and don't ever let "friends" tell you what is best for your cat or you.

One thing you might try is tube feeding if you are up for that. You can google it for a good explanation, but basically they insert a small tube you feed through and that way you don't have to force feed him with syringe. We did that with Cindy when she wasn't eating and she tolerated it well. It didn't save her life (cancer), but I think it extended it with good quality, where she enjoyed cuddling, laying in her sunbeam, interacting with us and Swanie.  Some cats just need it temporarily until they start eating on their own and hopefully that would be Artie.

I wonder if his sense of smell is off?  You say he sniffs the food and walks away.  If it doesn't smell like food to him, he probably wouldn't eat it.  Just a thought.

 

[artiemom]

update; Artie has been going over to the food dish.. lapping up the juice. He ate about 1/4 of a small can.. that is better than nothing.. I was able to syringe feed him about 30 cc (mg) of food late this afternoon. He was pretty good about it.. amazing.. no fuss at all.. strange..

He is alert. You should have seen him at the ER today.. investigating everything..if you saw him, you would not think he was sick, except for the fact that he is so skinny..

yes, I know what you mean about different opinions.. we have the regular vet and then the specialist, who is supposed to know how to handle IBD and other things.. I can talk much more freely to the regular vet.. the specialist is more stand-offish..

I have to write up the points I want to make to each one of the Vets...

I am still going to call his Vet tomorrow and see if I can go over things with her.. I have decided not to give him the Reglan.. I think it makes him really 'sick'--lethargic, etc.. He hates taking it also.. He had it originally when the IBD was diagnosed, and he hated it then. I was glad to discontinue it. 

Right now his tummy is full, so he is curled up in the folds of his quilt, sleeping.. I did take a short nap this afternoon. I needed it. 

Artie's sense of smell is great.. he can smell the "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" on the roll I had for breakfast this morning. He also tried to eat some of the cookies I had this afternoon. I tried to give him a tiny taste of each, but he refused.. just wanted to stick his nose in all the butter and cookies...

You know, I was my dad's caregiver-- he lived with me.. I never regretted it..and feel honored I had the opportunity to provide for him.. somehow, I feel as if I am kind of doing the same thing with Artie.. My dad will be gone 5 years on Jan 3.. perhaps that is why this is affecting me so strongly....

 

[LTS3]

@Artiemom You know Artie better than the vets. If the medicine is making him feel sick, then it might be best to withhold giving it unless the vet says otherwise. Would a feeding tube help Artie? Soupy food and some medicines can be syringed through the tube.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Continuing *PRAYERS* for sweet Artie.  A lot of posters have offered excellent suggestions, among them syringe and tube feeding; I hope and pray he will rally and gain in strength and weight.   

 

 

[DreamerRose]

I am SO glad Artie is feeling better and eating a little.

 

[segelkatt]

The bomb in Augsburg, Germany has been defused without incident, there is a picture on the internet showing it with some people around it, it looks to be about 7 feet long and 2 1/2 feet in diameter, it was dropped by the British Royal Air Force on a part of the city with nothing but civilian houses. I hope they are really proud of it. If it had gone off it would have killed hundreds of innocent civilians. There was lots of terror bombing going on at that time over Germany and all we ever hear is about the Blitzkrieg of ONE English city, London, but forgetting about all the cities that were subjected to terror bombing for weeks on end. History is written by the victors which does not make it right. Remember Dresden, never forget. War is never the answer. 

 

[Alicia88]

War is horrible, no matter what side you're on.  I'm glad another tragedy was avoided.

Remember, I'm not a vet, so take this with a whole shaker of salt.

There's this condition that can be caused by too many meds competing with other.  Doctors keep giving meds to try to solve the problem, but it just gets worse.  Sometimes, doing nothing will help.  As in, don't give him any meds for a day or two and see what happens when his system clears.  I would ask a vet before trying that, though.

 

[tallyollyopia]

 
Just saw on the Internet that a WWII  bomb was found in my home town in Germany and many thousands of  people had to be evacuated so the huge bomb can be defused. Just what they needed for Christmas. This goes to show that just because a war is over does not mean all the danger is gone. This bomb has lain there for 72 years while the city was rebuilt on and around it. 

 
GOOD GRIEF!  I'm glad that they found it!  Perhaps they needed a few of these:  http://www.boredpanda.com/hero-rats-bomb-demining-africa-apopo/   I've been aware of these guys for some time now, but only in Africa.  Seems like they are being used all over the world now, and the Pentagon is considering them.

@artiesmom   saying prayers for you.  Worried, with no news here.

Living with Hekitty is getting eerie.  Today, she let me have my  first cup of coffee, then went to the tree and yowled, while pawing at the presents.  This is the FIRST TIME she has shown any interest in them at all.  She's not a tree-mauler, confining herself to batting at the plastic icicles that I hang on the bottom branches for just such activity.  She is currently laid out in the middle of the living room floor with all her STUFF around her, hugging the catnip banana that her New Mexico "cousins" sent her.

Speaking as someone who's close relative is deathly afraid of rats, I'm not sure that's a good idea. And speaking of a relatively new cat owner (I think I've been on the site for almost three years), cats are a lot smarter than most people think.

 
Thank you all so much for your concern.. Artie is home and still among the living.. 
 

I did not keep all of you informed about his medical issues, this month..just a few people in PM's.. because it is boring an whining from me..

Anyway...ARtie has been losing weight and his appetite has decreased since the end of October when he had his last specialist visit. His blood work was great. 

I took him for a regular yearly check-up with his regular Vet on Dec 1. He lost a few ounces since Oct 26... so she suggested I call the Specialist.. He was placed on Cerenia, every day in case he was nauseous. He was then 9.9 lbs

Then he became constipated. On Dec 10th he had an enema with the regular Vet and sub- q fluids

His appetite decreased again, most likely because of the enema.. never came back, so back to the Vet we go.. He had an x-ray and was found to still be constipated. Lactulose and sub-q fluids given. Artie cannot take mirtazipine. He gets a bad reaction from it.. His Vet said she could give him a small dose of valium because it could act as an appetite stimulant.. it did..

He never came back from that.. His regular vet contacted the specialist and questioned her. I filled the lactulose script.. we double the cisapride dose; the specialist did not feel it was time for me to learn sub-q's.. the regular vet did, but gave in to the specialist. 

She did see him again for fluids and a bit of valium.. that jump started his appetite again.. 

then it went downhill .. no poops coming out.. appetite improved. She hydrated him again. I made an ultrasound appointment with the specialist, for this past Thursday. 

The IBD is not worsened, but he does have a lot of bowel gas..he had an x-ray, showed constipation.. he regained the weight he lost.. now 10.3 lbs.. So they did another enema on him and gave him Reglan to take .. since Thursday he has dramatically decreased his food intake so that yesterday I had to syringe feed him 3 tablespoons.. 

I called his regular Vet when this became apparent, before syringe feeding him..the office was closed for Christmas Eve..I called the Hospital to see if the specialist might be in.. She was in but leaving shortly.. I could not make it there in time for her to see him.. I decided to syringe feed... he had 5 different foods on the floor to chose from. He would walk over, sniff, and then walk away...

They told me that if he did not eat anything to take him in to the ER today...trying not to do that..

I went to Christmas Eve. Came home at midnight. Artie met me at the door. I thought he was better, but no food eaten while I was gone.. he drank a bit of water but that was it.. 

This morning, nothing eaten, no cuddling, no purring; he looked so sad, the same yesterday... I was so tired and scared.. By the time Mass was over I was in tears.. I was a wreck yesterday, last night and this morning.. I still am.. He was asking for food this morning, sniffed it and walked away.. I was in tears.. 

The ER Vet said that he does not feel constipated.. but refused to give him valium because it is a 'controlled' substance!!! My Butt.. my guy needs it.. and he cannot get it.. hate druggies.. sorry if any of you are recovering, but this is so unnecessary..

I insisted on the valium or something else.  The ER Vet asked a Critical Care Vet for a substitute.. They suggested Cyproheptadine. So he was hydrated today.. yes, he was dehydrated.. got the first does of Cypro.. and I was told to continue to syringe feed him, and follow up with the specialist this week.. I got a late day appointment for Tuesday. 

I plan to call his regular Vet tomorrow, if they are open. 

Came home and Artie made a beeline for the litter box..and peed.. he also wanted to eat.. I got him some new food and he licked up some juice.. I just gave him some medicine and he is back to being in a meatloaf position.. it was the cisapride and the cerenia.. he is not happy, again...

He is very, very skinny.. he lost a pound since Thursday.. He is now 9.4 lbs.. too skinny.. 

The ER Vet let something slip.. she said that he has a ton of disease.. and something slipped out about 4 months.. I was so emotionally drained and exhausted that I did not quiz her on that.. she was really cut and dry..

It was so busy in the ER.. a lot of end of life stuff happening.. coming in to the ER in both ways.. unbelievable..

A volunteer at the humane society, whom I am friends with, had a cat with megacolon. She refused most of the mediations and just death with miralax, sub-q's-- and home enemas.. she is telling me not to use all the meds.. I am so so so confused.. I want the best for Artie, I do not want him to suffer, but I am so confused.. everyone has a different idea, I do not know what to do.. in my heart and in my mind.. 

friends have been telling me to put him down.. that he is too sick, and is costing me too much money.. i do not know what to do.. man.. it is so hard.  to see him want to eat, and then walk away.. it breaks my heart.. 

I love him so much.. perhaps too much..

I missed Christmas Dinner because I did not get home until after 1pm.. I am exhausted. I am in my pajamas.. I have 3 lbs of cookies to eat.. I was taking them over for Christmas Dinner.. I want to spend the time with Artie, but the time is spent medicating him or soon trying to syringe feed him, or crying.. he does not want to cuddle.. 

It is funny, before I gave him his medicine this afternoon, he was so alert, almost like his old self.. now he is meat loafed, again...

this is when my heart breaks.. I think I may just lie down on the coach with him for a while.. and do nothing.. I will deal with life in a few.....

thank you all for listening to my story and for your support and caring.. it really means a lot to me...

I do not know what is in store, and cannot think clearly now.. do I medicate, or do I not or do I pick & choose medicines????????

 
I am so sorry for all you are going through, but thanks for letting us all know what is happening. We've been worried, and you have been in my thoughts all day.

I'm no veterinarian, but I wouldn't give up on Artie yet. If he feels better before  you give him his medicine and worse  after, it seems like the meds are making him feel worse, and I would be inclined to withhold the medication for a while and see what happens. As has been said so many times on this site, you know your cat better than the vets do, and sometimes you have to go along with your instincts, even if you are confused and unsure of yourself. Your friend at the humane society may be right about this.

 
These rats are used for land mines. The bombs left over from WWII were dropped and just did not go off which makes them that much more dangerous as they are much larger, this particular bomb was over 1 1/2 tons! Can you imagine the devastation that would make vs a land mine which probably would not make a hole larger 10 feet across tops? The bombs destroyed city blocks at one fell swoop. Be grateful that since the Civil War no war has been fought on US soil and bombs did not rain from the sky then. American civilians have no idea what it does to a population.Even small children will carry memories that they are not aware of. Sirens make my skin crawl and fireworks scare me and low-flying planes above my head almost send me into a panic although I was only 3 years old at the end of WWII.

It reminds me of a story I read in Yahoo Odd News once, about a woman who was burning firewood one winter only to have her home explode because one of the logs had belonged to a tree that had grown around a grenade that didn't go off. (Luckily, she was uninjured.)

 
update; Artie has been going over to the food dish.. lapping up the juice. He ate about 1/4 of a small can.. that is better than nothing.. I was able to syringe feed him about 30 cc (mg) of food late this afternoon. He was pretty good about it.. amazing.. no fuss at all.. strange..

He is alert. You should have seen him at the ER today.. investigating everything..if you saw him, you would not think he was sick, except for the fact that he is so skinny..

yes, I know what you mean about different opinions.. we have the regular vet and then the specialist, who is supposed to know how to handle IBD and other things.. I can talk much more freely to the regular vet.. the specialist is more stand-offish..

I have to write up the points I want to make to each one of the Vets...

I am still going to call his Vet tomorrow and see if I can go over things with her.. I have decided not to give him the Reglan.. I think it makes him really 'sick'--lethargic, etc.. He hates taking it also.. He had it originally when the IBD was diagnosed, and he hated it then. I was glad to discontinue it. 

Right now his tummy is full, so he is curled up in the folds of his quilt, sleeping.. I did take a short nap this afternoon. I needed it. 

Artie's sense of smell is great.. he can smell the "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" on the roll I had for breakfast this morning. He also tried to eat some of the cookies I had this afternoon. I tried to give him a tiny taste of each, but he refused.. just wanted to stick his nose in all the butter and cookies...

You know, I was my dad's caregiver-- he lived with me.. I never regretted it..and feel honored I had the opportunity to provide for him.. somehow, I feel as if I am kind of doing the same thing with Artie.. My dad will be gone 5 years on Jan 3.. perhaps that is why this is affecting me so strongly....

You know, if it's been a while since he ate a lot, maybe his stomach shrunk and he can't  eat more. Just a thought...

 
The bomb in Augsburg, Germany has been defused without incident, there is a picture on the internet showing it with some people around it, it looks to be about 7 feet long and 2 1/2 feet in diameter, it was dropped by the British Royal Air Force on a part of the city with nothing but civilian houses. I hope they are really proud of it. If it had gone off it would have killed hundreds of innocent civilians. There was lots of terror bombing going on at that time over Germany and all we ever hear is about the Blitzkrieg of ONE English city, London, but forgetting about all the cities that were subjected to terror bombing for weeks on end. History is written by the victors which does not make it right. Remember Dresden, never forget. War is never the answer. 

If more people were raised the way I was, with physical violence being only a last  resort, then perhaps the world would be a better place.

By the way @segelkatt  , the suggestion for cutting my food small enough I didn't have to bite worked wonders, and I was able to eat Christmas dinner. (At least, I could up until I forgot about my tooth and bit down on a roll.) 

More whining. I have work tonight. I had to socialize today, with friends and family. I know, given that I work in a customer service job, that saying I have an extremely  limited capacity for social interaction is strange, but it's true. (I manage with my customers by pretending there's an invisible wall between us. Weird, but it works for me. Well, it partly  works for me.) I really, really  don't want to go to work tonight, but I have to. Sometimes I hate being the primary person on third and wish I could just call off--but between everything that happened recently even if I could, I can't afford to. Oh, well. Like I always say, tomorrow is another day.

Whining over. I hope everyone had a great  Christmas! (I loved seeing my assistant manager open her present--the yellow scarf--and it was awesome that she knew it took work! She asked me how long it took to make her scarf and I just smiled at her and said, "That would be telling, and I never tell." One of my coworkers gave me a brand new pen (with my favorite colored ink!!!) to use at work that has my name on it so no one will steal it from me. (Side note--I loaned it to AWM so she could label gifts and haven't seen it since...) RB loved the gift I got him (I got him two bags of gummy candy that only my store sells, and a pair of earbuds), AWM adores  her gift (by the way, does anyone know if the Starbucks refillable coffee mug is used through  January or for  January?), SD was charmed by his gift (although it wasn't really practical--RB and I got him a knife and wallet set, but he needs a trifold instead of a bifold--but at least he'll get a little from the money we tucked in it), and Grandma and her husband liked their gift (a box of their favorite candies topped with two crocheted Christmas stars--in their favorite colors, of course). Don't know if any of my other coworkers liked their presents (the one I took over for last night grabbed her gift and sailed out singing that she was going to have a lot to open this morning--okay, she was actually singing the hippopotamus Christmas song, but I think that's what she meant.) Well, I mentioned that I made scarves for my coworkers except one that got a chocolate bar (hope she likes Godiva), but I changed one of the scarves at the last minute. I had started the scarf, but then I pictured the intended person riding his moped with the scarf flying out behind him and the scarf getting tangled in a tree leading to a horrible accident. Feeling that this was not a good omen for the scarf, I unraveled it and made him some Christmas star ornaments instead.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

 

[Margret]

 
update; Artie has been going over to the food dish.. lapping up the juice. He ate about 1/4 of a small can.. that is better than nothing.. I was able to syringe feed him about 30 cc (mg) of food late this afternoon. He was pretty good about it.. amazing.. no fuss at all.. strange..

He is alert. You should have seen him at the ER today.. investigating everything..if you saw him, you would not think he was sick, except for the fact that he is so skinny..

yes, I know what you mean about different opinions.. we have the regular vet and then the specialist, who is supposed to know how to handle IBD and other things.. I can talk much more freely to the regular vet.. the specialist is more stand-offish..

I have to write up the points I want to make to each one of the Vets...

I am still going to call his Vet tomorrow and see if I can go over things with her.. I have decided not to give him the Reglan.. I think it makes him really 'sick'--lethargic, etc.. He hates taking it also.. He had it originally when the IBD was diagnosed, and he hated it then. I was glad to discontinue it. 

Right now his tummy is full, so he is curled up in the folds of his quilt, sleeping.. I did take a short nap this afternoon. I needed it. 

Artie's sense of smell is great.. he can smell the "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" on the roll I had for breakfast this morning. He also tried to eat some of the cookies I had this afternoon. I tried to give him a tiny taste of each, but he refused.. just wanted to stick his nose in all the butter and cookies...

You know, I was my dad's caregiver-- he lived with me.. I never regretted it..and feel honored I had the opportunity to provide for him.. somehow, I feel as if I am kind of doing the same thing with Artie.. My dad will be gone 5 years on Jan 3.. perhaps that is why this is affecting me so strongly....

I'm very glad that Artie is feeling better.  I think I'm also glad that they wouldn't give him the Valium; that particular method of stimulating the appetite only works so many times before the cat develops a resistance to the effect.  Since Artie's already had it twice, it might not have worked this time, and it appears that the appetite stimulant they did give him worked.

Yes, having been caregiver for your dad, and that so recently, may be affecting your reaction to Artie's illness.  I suspect that it's making you a bit more pessimistic about Artie.  Other than that, these things are always hard, and it's impossible to tell how much of it is the product of previous experience.  We are all the products of all the things that have happened to us.  It's one of the things that make us unique.  Even "identical" twins are different, among other things because their experiences are different.  All I know for sure is that it always hurts to see a loved one in pain.

Margret

 

[Margret]

 
The bomb in Augsburg, Germany has been defused without incident, there is a picture on the internet showing it with some people around it, it looks to be about 7 feet long and 2 1/2 feet in diameter, it was dropped by the British Royal Air Force on a part of the city with nothing but civilian houses. I hope they are really proud of it. If it had gone off it would have killed hundreds of innocent civilians. There was lots of terror bombing going on at that time over Germany and all we ever hear is about the Blitzkrieg of ONE English city, London, but forgetting about all the cities that were subjected to terror bombing for weeks on end. History is written by the victors which does not make it right. Remember Dresden, never forget. War is never the answer. 

I'm glad that the bomb was defused safely.  However, while you're decrying the actions of the allies during WWII, please remember that they did not begin that war, nor did they herd people into concentration camps based on their religion or ethnicity or sexual orientation and then proceed to starve them to death, or gas them, or use them for medical experimentation.  Remember what was truly at stake in WWII.

Yes, atrocities happened on both sides.  War always works that way, and the innocent are always victimized during war.  But there's a reason this particular war is also called "the holocaust," and that reason was named Adolf Hitler.  And if you think that "War is never the answer," please back your opinion up by telling us what the correct answer would have been.  Or does your statement that "history is written by the victors" mean that you're a holocaust denier?  (Please note: I am not accusing you of that, just asking.)

And, BTW, while you're busy emphasizing that the blitzkrieg happened to one English city, exactly how many cities do you think England had?  There was plenty of bombing that happened to the small villages and towns in Britain; it just wasn't called "the blitzkrieg."

Do we really want to fight World War II all over again on this thread?

Margret

 

[Alicia88]

Well, Christmas is over.  I hate to say it, but I'm glad.  I have a hard time with Christmas.

Aislyn got some great presents and she made my mom's day.  I've mentioned before that my family doesn't have a lot of money, but they love giving presents and my mom was afraid Aislyn wouldn't like her gifts.  She got her a stuffed koala and a doctor set.  She opened the koala first and said, "A koala!!!"  I'm quite impressed that she knew what a koala was.  And, she hasn't let it out of her sight yet.

15723885_1220080641402398_1317277473_n.jpg

• Alicia88
• Dec 25, 2016

Naptime.  With the koala.  

Murphy is such a fierce hunter!  I cleaned the litter boxes and was headed to the dumpster and Murphy wanted to go out.  He likes to run up and down the hallway while I'm disposing of the old litter.  Well, there was a bat.  Murphy knocked it out of the air then looked down at it with a confused expression.  He was like, "What am I supposed to do with this thing?"  And John grabbed it in his coat and let it outside to fly off into the night.

It was funny, but I'm glad Murphy has had all his shots, including his rabies shot..  He didn't get bitten or anything, but I feel better knowing that's he's protected.

 

[Margret]

Like several other people on TCS, I've been having trouble with animated GIFs, so I've been doing some research.  It seems that, while most web browsers can view them just fine, some versions of Windows have trouble with them.  The photo viewer program in Windows XP and earlier Windows versions knew about them and had no trouble with them.  (Maybe Windows Vista, as well.)  But when Microsoft wrote Windows 7, they forgot to include animated GIFs, so they tend to show up just as still GIFs, as if you've saved a single image.  This has been fixed in Windows 10 (according to my research; I haven't tried it personally), and maybe in Windows 8; I'm not sure about that one.  But in Windows 7 it remains a problem, unless you install a free program named FastStone Image Viewer, available here: http://www.faststonesoft.net/DN/FSViewerSetup60.zip.  I have downloaded and installed this program.  Then I went into Control Panel, selected Default Programs, went down the list of extensions until I found .gif, and changed the default program for opening them to FastStone Image Viewer.  Now, animated GIFs, even ones that I had downloaded before, show up in full animation when I double click on them.

This program is also supposed to include an editor for animated GIFs; I haven't played with that yet so I can't tell you how good it is.  I can tell you that before I installed the program I ran a virus checker on it and found nothing wrong with it, and after installing it I ran both a virus checker and a spyware checker and still found no problems, anywhere on my computer, so it appears to be safe.

In general, your best bet when downloading free programs from the internet is to get them from the developer's website rather than some other website; the developer has a stake in making sure that their programs are virus and spyware free.  Further rules of thumb include:

• If given a choice, always choose the advanced installation option.  Then turn down all of the additional programs, search bars, and other "bonuses" that are offered to you.
• Always scan the download before installing it; most virus checkers can handle .zip files so this will give you a good idea whether it really is safe.  If your virus scanner finds something, don't just rely on the virus scanner to take care of the problem.  Instead, jettison the program where your virus checker found the virus.  Go with a different program.  There are frequently several available to do the same job.
• If you decide it's safe to install, do another scan immediately after installation.
• Never rely on someone else to tell you it's safe.  I wouldn't have recommended this program if I hadn't been convinced that it's safe, but I've been known to make the occasional mistake.  So do your own scanning, no matter what someone else says.
• Always read the EULA (End User License Agreement).  Don't just assume it's okay and click on the "Accept" button.  I've seen EULAs from big companies that include words to the effect of "As long as you have our program installed on your computer, you agree that it's okay for us to rifle through your files and make copies of anything we find interesting."  This is not the kind of EULA you wish to accept.

Good night all.

Margret

 

[Winchester]

 
update; Artie has been going over to the food dish.. lapping up the juice. He ate about 1/4 of a small can.. that is better than nothing.. I was able to syringe feed him about 30 cc (mg) of food late this afternoon. He was pretty good about it.. amazing.. no fuss at all.. strange..

He is alert. You should have seen him at the ER today.. investigating everything..if you saw him, you would not think he was sick, except for the fact that he is so skinny..

yes, I know what you mean about different opinions.. we have the regular vet and then the specialist, who is supposed to know how to handle IBD and other things.. I can talk much more freely to the regular vet.. the specialist is more stand-offish..

I have to write up the points I want to make to each one of the Vets...

I am still going to call his Vet tomorrow and see if I can go over things with her.. I have decided not to give him the Reglan.. I think it makes him really 'sick'--lethargic, etc.. He hates taking it also.. He had it originally when the IBD was diagnosed, and he hated it then. I was glad to discontinue it. 

Right now his tummy is full, so he is curled up in the folds of his quilt, sleeping.. I did take a short nap this afternoon. I needed it. 

Artie's sense of smell is great.. he can smell the "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" on the roll I had for breakfast this morning. He also tried to eat some of the cookies I had this afternoon. I tried to give him a tiny taste of each, but he refused.. just wanted to stick his nose in all the butter and cookies...

You know, I was my dad's caregiver-- he lived with me.. I never regretted it..and feel honored I had the opportunity to provide for him.. somehow, I feel as if I am kind of doing the same thing with Artie.. My dad will be gone 5 years on Jan 3.. perhaps that is why this is affecting me so strongly....

Good luck with him. I'm keeping him (and you) in my thoughts.

 

[artiemom]

Artie Update:

I syringe fed him twice yesterday.. about 40 mg one time and 60mg the next time.. I was shocked that he so easy to feed. He did not fight much at all. He also ate 1/4 can on his own during the day. 

Artie was waking me up twice during the night/early morning, with the tap-tap-tap on the shoulders...I ignored him. 

When I woke up, I discovered that he had done a small pudding poop in the litter box, and had eaten the 1/2 can of lamb that I had out for him.. he was hungry! That new med  must be working!! and he is not getting the pacing side effects that he has from the mirtazipine.. 

I am also wondering if he still needs to take the cerenia.. I am not going to stop him cold turkey, but I also do not want to give him something he may not need, and lose the drug's effectiveness when it is needed..He never vomited, but he could have an acid tummy or even an ulcer..

Thanks @Margret  for making me think about this aspect of medicines...

I opened up a can of food for breakfast, and he ate 1/2 can this morning.. I am so happy to see that...

I stopped giving him the Reglan. I really think this drug was making him more lethargic, no matter what they say... They insist he keep taking it for the anti-nausea and motility aspects, but I think it was too much for him.. 

I will be contacting his regular shortly.. I have to get my thoughts together.. I am so exhausted.. I feel so wiped out.. emotional and physically.. no aches or pains, but just so drained..my mind and thoughts are befuddled...

Artie is on top of his quilt right now, sunning himself.. I think I will get up soon and see if he wants to be brushed..

It will be an easy day today.. I took some chicken out from the freezer. I need solid food.. so that is all I plan on doing today.. cooking the chicken thighs and baking a butternut squash that I have.. 

 

[AbbysMom]

 
I did not keep all of you informed about his medical issues, this month..just a few people in PM's.. because it is boring an whining from me..

Please start a thread for Artie. You give so much support to so many on this site that you and Artie deserve a thread of your own to get support back and not have the posts buried in this thread where they could easily get missed. :nod: There are plenty of people that post on the Health forums that never even look on this thread.

Keeping both you and Artie in my thoughts. :cross:

 

[angels mommy]

Please start a thread for Artie. You give so much support to so many on this site that you and Artie deserve a thread of your own to get support back and not have the posts buried in this thread where they could easily get missed.

There are plenty of people that post on the Health forums that never even look on this thread.

Keeping both you and Artie in my thoughts.

Yes, I completely agree. I just found this thread a couple of days ago myself.  

Cindy,

Still praying for you & Artie!!  

 

[angels mommy]

 
Artie Update:

I syringe fed him twice yesterday.. about 40 mg one time and 60mg the next time.. I was shocked that he so easy to feed. He did not fight much at all. He also ate 1/4 can on his own during the day. 

Artie was waking me up twice during the night/early morning, with the tap-tap-tap on the shoulders...I ignored him. 

When I woke up, I discovered that he had done a small pudding poop in the litter box, and had eaten the 1/2 can of lamb that I had out for him.. he was hungry! That new med  must be working!! and he is not getting the pacing side effects that he has from the mirtazipine.. 

I am also wondering if he still needs to take the cerenia.. I am not going to stop him cold turkey, but I also do not want to give him something he may not need, and lose the drug's effectiveness when it is needed..He never vomited, but he could have an acid tummy or even an ulcer..

Thanks @Margret  for making me think about this aspect of medicines...

I opened up a can of food for breakfast, and he ate 1/2 can this morning.. I am so happy to see that...

I stopped giving him the Reglan. I really think this drug was making him more lethargic, no matter what they say... They insist he keep taking it for the anti-nausea and motility aspects, but I think it was too much for him.. 

I will be contacting his regular shortly.. I have to get my thoughts together.. I am so exhausted.. I feel so wiped out.. emotional and physically.. no aches or pains, but just so drained..my mind and thoughts are befuddled...

Artie is on top of his quilt right now, sunning himself.. I think I will get up soon and see if he wants to be brushed..

It will be an easy day today.. I took some chicken out from the freezer. I need solid food.. so that is all I plan on doing today.. cooking the chicken thighs and baking a butternut squash that I have.. 

Cindy, this sounds like great news! It's so good that he is eating, & a half a can at that! 

"Good boy Artie!!"  This makes me happy to hear. I will pray that it continues.

 If he likes to be brushed, that sounds good. It should feel good, & soothing to him. 

Showing effort to wake you is good too.  Give that sweet boy tons of kisses for me!!!  You know I'm partial to the orange/ginger boys! 

Yes, remember to try & take care of yourself too. 

Kelly