Mewdy Blue is challenging me again!

Just a short note to let you all know that Mewdy Blue is fighting liver failure once again. He has been to Iowa State twice today but is home for the night. Believe me, if I sound like I'm doing okay, I'm not. I'm a total wreck!

Mewdy Blue decided against food on Wednesday and has been fighting me ever since when it comes to eating. Early Friday morning he actually ate 1/2 can of his D/D but then while I was out he "expelled" it all over the kitchen floor. (At least he did it on the tile floor rather than the wood floor and since the dog can't get into the kitchen I was able to see that it happened)

This morning he was turning a little yellow again so I figured maybe another night of IV fluids might bring him out of it like it did in January. Well, the doctors didn't think that would be necessary. You see, while he was in the clinic Mewdy Blue ate another 1/2 can of food!!! They decided to send him home with me though I was a little leery of the car ride. Mewdy Blue has always been one to get car sick so putting food in his belly before a ride........well, you can see what I mean.

However, he made it home just fine. All the time in the clinic he was bright and alert entertaining all the staff and even walked out on his own on leash. At home, though, he basically collapsed. He found his hiding place in the hottest part of the house and fell asleep. Every couple of hours I offered him some more food that he only nibbled. Then at 6 pm he "expelled" it all again. This time in the living room, on the wood floor, in front of the dog. But at least I was there to see it even if I couldn't get to it before it disappeared into the white fluff-ball that is Blizzard.

By this time Mewdy Blue was so depressed/lethargic that he was limp when I picked him up. He couldn't even walk across the living room without stopping to rest halfway. So I rushed him back to Iowa State. This time he saw a different clinician. After a thorough exam and a lot of paperwork (all a repeat of just this morning!) we agreed that they would give him an anti-emetic (something to keep him from vomiting) and I'd take him home again.

Now at home, he's gotten his subcutaneous fluids, antacid, something to calm his stomach, something to stimulate his appetite and he's back upstairs in his hot spot. I've offered him food several times but all he would eat for me is a little baby food. And he's extremely weak and depressed again.

I think, and it is all just conjecture on my part, that perhaps he has cholangiohepatitis and receiving his vaccination 1 1/2 weeks ago set off his immune system. He then stopped eating setting of his liver and this whole cycle of problems. Then of course I let him eat too much at once when he did want to eat causing him to vomit. And they did the same thing today in the clinic so he vomited again.

Please pray with me that I am right, at least partially, and that this anti-emetic will settle his stomach enough for him to recover and get back to his normal appetite. At least for tonight I doubt I'll be getting any sleep!

Hopefully my next post will be lighter. I'm working on one about Rabbit Hopping. I promised to write about this way back in May so it's about time I got it on the blogosphere. Stay tuned - I have pictures and video!

Mewdy Blue Update

Just wanted to give you all a short update on Mewdy Blue. Today he still doesn't want to eat his food but he sure is interested in everyone else's food. I poured some chicken broth on his food and he lapped that up avoiding his food as much as possible.

Tomorrow he is going to his regular veterinarian, Dr. Tammy. Please keeps us in your minds as we search for an answer to this trouble. I can't watch my boy shrivel away to nothing. The way he's smacking his lips these last two days I'm leaning more and more toward his teeth and wondering what in the world we can do about them.

Thanks to all of you for your kind thoughts and prayers. We are cherishing our online friends right now.

Mewdy Blue

Please help me!

http://www.giveforward.com/mewdyblueveterinary 

As most of you know three of my cats have already passed this year (Bluebird in October, Rainbow and Twygal in April). This week Mewdy Blue has decided he doesn't like food anymore! You can guess what kind of shape I'm in right now.

Last night I had to take him into the emergency services at Iowa State Unversity for I.V. fluids and lab tests to figure out why he isn't eating. His liver values have been high but we've been treating them and he seemed to be doing pretty well until now.

He is home tonight but still not eating so more tests are in his future to figure out what is going on and how we can deal with it. I have started an account with Give Forward because I am having trouble paying for all of this. Four cats in one year is just too much.

If you are able I would really appreciate any donation to this fund. If you can't please pass on the information to your friends and readers to help me get out the word. Last night we rang up a bill of $461 but they are talking about a possible bill of $2000 if we go ahead and run x-rays, ultrasound and place a feeding tube.

The site is http://www.giveforward.com/mewdyblueveterinary .

Mewdy Blue thanks everyone who can pass on their prayers and warm cuddly feelings. And I thank you too.

Mewdy Blue

Mewdy Blue

Today Mewdy Blue my 14-year old blue shorthair (Bluebird’s brother) took a trip to the veterinarian. He is so funny when it comes to car rides; he always gets carsick. That’s not what’s funny. Today, he started vomiting as soon as I put his harness on!

We used to go for walks all the time and he just loved it. He’s such a ham he loves the attention he gets and he loves showing off but most of all I think he likes the feeling of being outside. That’s the only way I’ll let him out though. It's been a while since we went for a walk so now he just associates his harness with car rides. No fun.

This time he was visiting Dr. Tammy because he hasn’t been eating well and is a little lethargic. When I say he is sleeping all the time I’m aware that, yes, he’s a cat and that’s what cats do. But that’s not like him. Mewdy Blue is fairly active normally.

He really wasn’t lethargic though when we started trying to draw blood. Even before the needle came out he knew something was up and started wiggling and struggling. Luckily we did manage to get enough blood for the chemistries. The most remarkable finding from the labwork showed that he had some high levels of the liver markers and his cholesterol.

A high cholesterol can indicate many things: hypothyroidism, diabetes, kidney disease and hepatic lipidosis. Well, his glucose and his kidney values were normal so we are leaning toward the hepatic lipidosis right now. After all, he hasn’t been eating normally and his ALT (liver) value was a little high. Hepatic lipidosis, also known as fatty liver disease, is seen in cats that don’t eat for several days. The body starts sending fat to the liver to develop fuel but the liver doesn’t process fats very well and the liver cells (hepatocytes) start to store the fat. This then leads to liver failure. Fatty liver disease must be treated as quickly as possible.

Why doesn't the Gentle Doctor have any cats?

So my job now is to get him eating again and give him fluids to help wash out any toxins. I also need to isolate him so I can determine FOR SURE whether he has diarrhea or not. I have seen him having normal feces but that doesn’t mean he always does. Tomorrow he will spend the day in a cage. He will be angry by the time I let him out but at least I’ll know the truth. As for his eating habits, he is normally on canned D/D duck for a food sensitivity. Dr. Tammy, however, suggests that he might be getting tired of the same food all the time so she sent us home with some cans of Royal Canin canned rabbit.

Tonight I was barely able to get the food into his bowl before he was devouring it! So I guess that answers that question. I gave him fluids later and he doesn’t seem upset about that so we’ll be fine tonight. 

When you have a multi-pet household the fun just never ends!