I had to step in and help somebody recently that I dearly love, they had been feeling very very off colour, appearance very lack lustre, regularly feeling sick or being sick, loss of appetite or too much appetite etc. I was delighted to take them along to the nearest appropriate medical person, where their thyroid was very carefully examined, then blood tests done to look at levels of iron, B12 and also thyroid function tests.
The care and attention to get to the bottom of things was team work, the two of us agreed that the problem was a gluten/grain intolerance, even though they had been on a scientifically balanced diet for older pussy cats. The B12 came back a bit low, the thyroid was fine, but a grain intolerance suspected, with sensitive gut.
They would be requiring regular B12 injections. I was very relieved about the thyroid examination, both physical and with blood tests, which was fine. I was also delighted that my suggestion of daily probiotics was felt to be a very good idea.
The result of the new diet, blood tests and daily probiotics is, that my cat is very much better, despite being over the age of 16 - she is now looking ten years younger. She of course does not have feline Antiphospholipid Syndrome. But my point being is that before finding excellent medical care for myself in London and locally, I might have been better taking myself off to the local vets, as they are more likely to look at such issues.
She is now back to her usual robust and youthful self. This from a place of being at death's door only 3 weeks ago.
MaryF
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Casey goes into Vets Thursday for urine and blood tests to see if his Kidneys have gotten any worse if so he may only have 6 months left - GOD i don't what that is going to do to me --he is with me 24/7 even in the hospitals as you that know me understand--Hi hopes and lots of prayers I guess
I went through the same thing with my cat. You can give fluids into the neck area if your pet allows it. Mine fought and it was like torture for her, so she lost maybe 6 months of life because of it. But what is living when your own cat is afraid to come near you. I just put her down after she had not eaten for days and she was drinking so much water she was throwing it back up again. Poor thing went from 19 pounds to 6 pounds by the end of her disease. I hope your baby feel better.
MaryF, I know what you mean. My Persian cat, Louie, has a serious heart condition. He has a great vet in Huntington, WV. He also has a kitty cardiologist at Ohio University Vet School. His cardiologist is better than mine and he gets his echocardiogram reports the SAME DAY. It takes two months to get mine.
It's very reassuring to know your pets are receiving great care. Nancy
Dogs do get Lupus. My Lurcher/Staffie cross was seriously ill a few years ago with autoimmune polyarthritis. She had extensive tests including Lyme disease but nothing detected. Thanks to the wonderful team at Cave vet specialists she pulled through but it cost an eye watering £10,000. She then developed Pancreatitis so on special diet. I use two Natural Food companies Nature's Menu & Natural Instinct their products are high quality & more normal food for animals. My doberman has had cancer twice but has miraculously made it to the age of 11. As for my cat he has just come in from wandering around the potato field behind the house, jumped on my bed with muddy paws so he might not be long for this world xx
Oh Mrs Slocombe your poor Pussycat. . I mean Mary.It seems to be true though that pets get such expert help and more done for them in shorter time.My friend when abroad used to go to the vet.
Wow, your kitty looks good for her age. My little girl made it almost twenty years. Unfortunately she had concurrent kidney disease and hyperthyroidism. She also had bad coughing fits that I treated with monthly steroid injections. I used to give her Thyroid meds on her ears twice a day and she was switched to science diet kidney diet. I drew the line after we tried to administer subcutaneous fluid therapy, because she became very afraid of me after the first procedure. I'm glad your cat is feeling much better. Just be on the lookout for the early signs of kidney disease and thyroid disease. If your baby starts to eat and drink all of the time, that is something to keep an eye on. I hope your furbaby lives a good long life. Some cats can make it to 22 years of age if they're in good health. But for the most part, it's the kidneys that go out. Cats have really good kidney's because they were originally desert dwellers. Their kidney's are really efficient on small amounts of water. You will not know your cat has bad kidney's until they've lost a lot of kidney function. They are also very smart animals and they hide pain/illnesses well, because they don't want other predators to see them sick. Some cats will hide pain/illnesses from their owners because they want their owners to be happy and not worry about them. Great read. You're a wonderful and caring pet mommy.
You're a good pet mommy Mary to have also a cat that lived almost 20 years. It's a shame they don't live as long as we do. Even with my new cat, I still miss my other one dearly.
My JaneDog, who is half German Shepherd and half beagle, is now 16 going on 17. She has cancer. That we know. Started out as renal failure which was treated with the water injection to her back, and the special science diet dog food. She loathed the dog food and refused to eat it. A good friend who is now a vet in far away Nevada suggested that I try cooking for my dog: high fat (therefore cheap) ground beef mixed with mashed red skin potatoes and a dollop of squash. And Jane dog loves her new diet. She becomes very excited when she sees me get out the big black frying pan as she knows I'm about to cook up another batch of her burgers. And the most remarkable change? I was told a good year ago that she might make it another month or two before she was in pain. It's been a year. She has good and bad days, but she still enjoys walks. Though they are not her previous 10 miles in woods off leash adventures-- but now a mile or two in local parks. And naps. And eating. And snuggling and getting petted. And visiting neighborhood friends. In other words she still enjoys doing all those things that dogs enjoy. Will she be with me another month? Another year? Another week? We're taking it one day at a time.
And given my recent success with a functional medicine diet I conclude that dogs gut biome can be as easily compromised by a doggy Western diet as us humans' biome. I do not wish to disparage the sincerity of dog food manufacturers. But as is becoming more accepted today, not enough science has been done to explain the relationship between the gut biome and it's host's health. True for humans, dogs. And cats.
Jane dogs current diet is a mixture of her cooked burgers and some carefully selected refrigerated and canned dog food. I have decided that she knows what's best for her, and if she spurns a certain brand or formulation it's because she knows this is not good for her.
And should we all be proud or embarrassed of our deep emotional ties with our pets?
My Tibetan Terrier had both lupus and hypothyroid dignosed at about 3 years old. She was tested regularly, had wonderful treatment and care until she succumbed to cancer of the mouth at ten and a half.
With all the best care and will in the world, she was not going to recover from that, so it was a very sad day.
I would love her vet to be my doctor, so compassionate and kind, and the appointments weren't rushed and available the same day! Sometimes I can't even get a telephone appointment in an emergency with my doctor!
My old cat, 'Mrs Pussy Tigers' passed on now, last year, nineteen and a half, would only drink rain water, preferably with a green scum on it. The current one, 'Mrs Wiggy Panthers', has to have filtered water, served in a wine glass on the table! Or outside for the birdbaths around the garden.
Pets are the best! Just please be careful if pets drink from standing water that other animals have been near/ in as this can make them very sick if the previous animal urinated in it. The name of the disease is leptospirosis, but there is a vaccination for it. Please be careful as you don't want harm to come to your most loved buddy😻🐾
I am reading your post and all the others...It's amazing how our pets become a part of us. So glad to see your cat is doing better. I have a different story..My love is a parrot named CoCo.(who weighs all of 131 grams which is 4 ounces).He will be 22 years old in July and has been with me since he was 3 months old. Three years ago he had a bad leg and foot injury..which they thought was coming from a kidney tumor pressing on a nerve. Two veteranarians later after a series of full body xrays, cortisone shots etc. he recovered after 6 weeks but at one point a vet talked about putting him to sleep.At the same time i myself was going through a bad foot problem..i joked with the vet and asked if he could give me the same shots that helped CoCo. CoCo fully recovered but i worry because his life span is much longer than mine and i dont know if anyone will take care of him like i do. His breed of parrot can live about 45 years, so assuming he stays healthy he hasn't even reached 'middle age' yet.
This is the third time I've read this, it along with the picture has cheered me up each time. Iam lucky to have a cat aged 10 and a spaniel very young and energetic. Their love is so unconditional.
Hi Sue, I think you meant CoCo's story and picture. Thanks. I never had any pets growing up, and this was a whole new experience for me...and you're right.....a pet's love is unconditional...some of my friends cant understand the love for a bird,but he has a personality, calls me by name when i am out of the room when he wants me, and is very loving.
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