Friday, June 9, 2006

My Baby is Sick!

My baby is sick! (Sniff, Sniff) Dusty (official name is "Dakota") has rarely been sick so I totally know when he "isn't right". He wasn't eating & drinking from I'd say Tues evening I noticed. He was sick from "both ends" on Wed. Not horribly but then he was sitting in the middle of doorways & just odd places. I got him to drink some water & then he just crouched by the bowl & sat there. He was lethargic and not his perky self. He is 16 yrs old & he still jumps from the coach in this huge arch across half the room. He must not have any arthritis! He runs so fast you just see a flash of grey! We play hide & seek & he finds me & then runs! Ha!

Well, I was up just about all night Wed. I think I dosed for about an hour in the chair watching tv. At about 4am I called the University nearby  who has a teaching Vet hospital and Dusty has been to once for some bone marrow draws (he came up negative!) I had remembered he had been drinking out of the fish bowls. I of course made him get down, but I thought perhaps it was the Stress Coat I put in the water. When I looked it up on their website their own documentation said it was considered toxic by OSHA but then later said it wasn't. ARRGGHH! So the University looked it up & said it wasn't toxic but it could cause GI tract irritation etc. They said to definitely get him into my vet in the morning. My vet couldn't see him until later & I had class, so I took him to a local one that I know others use and I had his past labs from the University & my vet faxed over.

Now Dusty does not like going to the vet for about the past 5 or so years because my vet had given him a yearly vacinnation & hit a nerve which made him wail like I've never heard an animal do. He went after my vet, of course out of animal instinct reaction and I pushed him away & when he turned he ended up biting me. Well, if you know about cat bites vs dog bites they are horrific & cause major infection. I was on strong antibiotics for like 2 weeks. Had no knuckles etc. Every since then he of course is a very smart kitty & makes sure everyone knows that if you plan to even think about causing him pain you will have something to reckon with. Well, yestday he let us do anything & just lowly growled a bit. That proves he was not his usually self and sick.

They kept my baby overnight which made me sooooo sad! Nothing against Country but it is so quiet here & just not right! I just got off the phone with the vet & first the girl who answered the phone was not there yesterday & when she came in she got so scared seeing him. She has a 20 yr old just like him & his name is Dusty as well! HA! Hers is 20 yrs old (mine 16!) & has been in renal failure for the past 5 yrs & is just getting real bad now. She gives him fluid everyday. Lets hope my baby can last another 5 yrs or so! I'm all for stem cell research etc for pets! :-) Lets find that elixir of life so our pets can live as long as adults potential hugh! Oh well some turtles etc do! HA! Mine can live 120 yrs. I told my nieces I'm leaving Sam & Ella to them in my will! HA!

She told me that they have him on fluids & antibiotics "just in case" and he is already a bit better because he has quite a "firey attitude". HA! He must be feeling better because he couldn't mustard that yesterday. No one say anything about how our personalities match! HA! We are just very passionate spirits! :-) Don't mess with us or else, but that passion is also wonderful on the other side of the coin! ;-) 

Lets see what else. One enzyme came up twice as high as Aug 2005 which indicates Pancreatitis. She says the vet thinks it is just that he got into something & it will pass. So it may be the Stress Coat. They are treating him for GI tract irritation...ha...both of us having problems! HA! They are waiting for more test results though, so hopefully they will be in tomorrow but that means he has to stay another night! I'm so sad but if it is best then that is all that matters. They close at 11am tomorrow so that means I can get him early! :-) I had asked if I could visit him but they said it would stress him more because he would think he was going home. I didn't think about that so I agreed it would not be good. It will just be odd not having my baby in bed with me tonight. :-( And not laying on my legs to get petting while I watch the ball game. It is so cool seeing those characteristics listed on his for his breed on the website. He  is just like this...though he really does like kids. He hates hats though! HA!

Well another day of praying and trying to keep myself busy to distract myself. Ugh my tummy is hurting. Geez! I'll update ya tomorrow!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I know how hard it is when animals get older.  They aren't the same as they were when they were young but we still love them just as much if not more.  Just give it all the love you can muster.  Have a good weekend.

Phil

Anonymous said...

I hope you'll get a chance to update soon and let us know your baby is back home and feeling better. Being the pet lover I am just reading this I will worry too : )
Hope he's home with you!
~ Jenny

Anonymous said...

dearest Deborah,
sigh
I hope and pray that your Dusty will be well very soon sweetie. I am very sorry to hear allof this. Hang in there, love 'ya,natalie

Anonymous said...

I hope he's okay!  I can't stand to see kitties sick!