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Hellfudge update
May. 14th, 2008 11:46 amOK... I brought her back to the vet this morning because they didn't get a good urine sample yesterday. They tried while I was there but still didn't get more than a drop, not enough to culture, so I had to leave her there again.
Her labs were back already. Elevated BUN, creatinine, and phosphorus, so yes, she has some kidney failure, but her labs aren't so bad as they might have been so the vet still suspects there is something else going on. She has a very high white count/neutrophils so she definitely has an infection; they'll be giving her antibiotics after they get urine today. And even after the fluids they gave her yesterday, by this morning it was as if she'd never been hydrated; it was all gone. I think she's dripping urine little by little all over the house (ew, I know... have to figure out what to do about that tonight.) Vet says she just can't hold onto the water she drinks. She's eating and drinking fine, and doesn't seem to feel too awful.
So we'll be giving her subcutaneous hydration every day when she gets home. That means we have to hold her down and stick a needle under her skin and then squeeze water in there. Yikes. This cat has a "strong sense of personal space" as a vet told me once. Fortunately they clipped her claws yesterday. And I have to give her antibiotic pills, too, which might be even harder. Noah, who worked at a vet's office for several years, can probably help me with the hydration.
So if the infection clears up but she doesn't get better, we can hospitalize her, get her an ultrasound and maybe some x-rays, try to figure out what else is wrong, or we can "treat conservatively" as they say. She turned 18 in March, so she's about 90 in human years. I am leaning against aggressive diagnostics and treatment at this point. We'll see.
Her labs were back already. Elevated BUN, creatinine, and phosphorus, so yes, she has some kidney failure, but her labs aren't so bad as they might have been so the vet still suspects there is something else going on. She has a very high white count/neutrophils so she definitely has an infection; they'll be giving her antibiotics after they get urine today. And even after the fluids they gave her yesterday, by this morning it was as if she'd never been hydrated; it was all gone. I think she's dripping urine little by little all over the house (ew, I know... have to figure out what to do about that tonight.) Vet says she just can't hold onto the water she drinks. She's eating and drinking fine, and doesn't seem to feel too awful.
So we'll be giving her subcutaneous hydration every day when she gets home. That means we have to hold her down and stick a needle under her skin and then squeeze water in there. Yikes. This cat has a "strong sense of personal space" as a vet told me once. Fortunately they clipped her claws yesterday. And I have to give her antibiotic pills, too, which might be even harder. Noah, who worked at a vet's office for several years, can probably help me with the hydration.
So if the infection clears up but she doesn't get better, we can hospitalize her, get her an ultrasound and maybe some x-rays, try to figure out what else is wrong, or we can "treat conservatively" as they say. She turned 18 in March, so she's about 90 in human years. I am leaning against aggressive diagnostics and treatment at this point. We'll see.
