61 replies to this topic

[nancykind]

many of you know about Zevon and his heart disease and that i've been treating him for years now. well he and Cassady are related. and heart disease is genetic. see where this is going yet? yeah, Cassady's heart has a murmur. she (he, whatever) is 8 now - the average age for this to show up. i've been waiting for it, knew it was likely, but now that it's here i'm just sick about it.

what if i have to do meds 3x a day again!?? that was one of the hardest things i've ever had to carry off and i did it for 2 years with Zevon until he could go down to twice a day. i don't wanna!!!! it's probably the same kind of heart disease. we have an appt with the cardiologist the next time he's up here but i should probably get her in sooner at some other office. he's in saratoga the week after next.... the sooner the better, right?

she also needs some dental work but we can't schedule that until we know what's up with her heart. she has a week's worth of antibiotics to take for now, and has been very good at taking them today.

so that's another reason why i should get her in sooner isn't it. fuuuuuuuuck!!!!!!!!! this is going to be a bite, financially, too. fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!!!!!!!!!!!

[deadheadskier]

healing vibes for Cassady (and mom )

[manzanita stark]

:heart:

[DancingBearly]

[seany]

[cdrhead]

:heart:

[TEO]

(((nancykind & cassady)))

Hoping for the best.

[Jabadoodle]

Sorry your Cassady is sick. Good for Cassady that it's you taking care.

[Karen]

(((Cassady)))

[Rayzeeday]

:heart::heart:

[musicmomma]

[sarah b.]

Big hugs. Lucky Cass to have you for a human.

[nancykind]

yes she is. they're BOTH lucky, the little shits. (my way of dealing with the stress right this minute)

[sums]

i'm so sorry nancy... i know that has to be rough

[TEO]

They are so lucky!

If mine needed pills 3x per day I don't see how it would happen during some portions of the year.

You are a great kitty mom.

[nancykind]

if it wasn't for my boss being completely awesome i wouldn't have been able to do it TEO. and my pet sitter of course, but she'll do whatever i pay her to do and whatever is best for the animal.

my HOPE, is that since Cassady's symptoms aren't nearly as bad as Zevon's were, that it won't be necessary.

i rescheduled Cassady for saratoga on the 18th, and made TWO back to back appts for January, guessing that she'll need a 3 month follow up.

i am reallly not sure if i'd prefer to bring them both in at one time, in which case each of them is going to have to wait about an hour in the carrier while the other is being examined, or if i'd prefer two separate appts maybe 3 hours or more apart in case he runs late.... i don't want to schedule them on different days all the time because it's a half day's vacation each time.

ugh.

[Karen]

Get well soon Cassady!

[nancykind]

this morning she was tearing around, wanted to wrestle with Zevon and was rolling all over the bed waiting to get petted. she has nooo idea she has heart disease.

[TEO]

[scarfire]

i never knew this forum existed until i clicked on todays posts (after hearing word of that button from the Politics forum debacle).

sorry to hear nancy. i hope it all works out.

[nancykind]

thanks Mike, i appreciate that!

[nancykind]

i think maybe her teeth were hurting more than i realized, she's been on the antibiotic since saturday and is suuuper energetic and cuddly this week so i think they're feeling better. she's been amazingly good about the pills (thank goodness 'cause there'll be no end to them starting next week!) but prefers to be in my lap with her head tilted back, rather than on the floor facing me like Zevon.

[TEO]

Yay! Fingers crossed she/he ( ) will need minimal medication to keep heart healthy.

[nancykind]

yeah yeah yeahhhh.

and only twice a day please please please please please!!

[LisaMarie]

Well wishes for Cassady.

If you are having issues giving pills, I suggest Greenies Pill Pockets. They worked great when my MIL'S nutty poodle needed medication all day long for a month.

[Spidergawd]

[In A Silent Way]

[nancykind]

she'll get the hang of it just like Zevon did, but thanks Lisa Marie. i think her teeth are feeling better so she doesn't understand why i'm still giving her pills. and i don't want to give her those extra calories, either.

[vinandtonic]

[nancykind]

i picked up her records yesterday and the note from last weekend's visit says "grade II/VI" so i looked up the grades assigned to murmurs. HUGE difference between 2 and 6 and 6 is as bad a grade as they could assign, so i'm not even sure what that means. yet.

[nancykind]

ugh. soooo nervous.

[In A Silent Way]

Meow

[Karen]

Hang in there meow!

Hoping for the best

[Gwendolyn]

OMG you are such a beautiful person - your kitties thank you and love you! Good Luck today (((kitties)))

[tyedyedee]

hope you get good news nancy

whatever happens your lil orange furbabies are lucky to have you as their mama

[nancykind]

classic cardiomyopathy. specialist graded the murmur as a III out of VI, so it could be worse. worst part - meds 3x a day till further notice

$335 for the evaluation but it does go down from here. checkup first week of december to see how the meds are doing. to start there will be just 1/4 of one pill 3x a day and a baby aspirin every 3 days which i'll split into 1/2 in the a.m and 1/2 p.m. Zevon gets 1/4 diltiazem 2x a day, 1/4 atenolol 1x a day, an enalipril 2x a day AND a baby aspirin every 3 days, for comparison. though he built up to that over the years as the disease changed.

i went to hannaford and bought them a roasted chicken for treats.

Diamond has NO interest in chicken!

if i'm very diligent and the disease reacts well we might be able to go to a 3 month checkup the next time so i went ahead and made them appts in march, one at 1pm and the other at 4pm. Zevon will be slightly overdue by then but he understands and isn't too worried about it.

sad. scared. worried. but - all i can do is the best i can do and that is my plan.

she was very good and just kept hiding her face but apparently it would have been better if her neck wasn't bent - coulda told me that during, but he mentioned it afterwards when she only got a 'good' behavior rating instead of 'excellent' and i asked him why. poor Zevon has never received an excellent rating either but that's because he occasionally tries to make a break for it.

i liked that the office had separate waiting rooms for dogs vs cats and i kind of liked that they take the kitty and shave them down for me, where that's always been just a little bit of a struggle with Zevon, but not enough to make the longer drive every time i don't think. it was a very quiet room which i don't get at my vet's either but he's supposed to be getting a new room there that's a bit more out of the way so that should help for both of them.

thanks for all the support and for the faith in me - it really helps a lot.

Edited by nancykind, 19 October 2011 - 12:21 AM.

[nancykind]

called my pet sitter to let her know, she is quite worried. Cassady has only warmed up to her at all within the last year, even less i think and she doesn't see how Cass is even going to let her get close enough to pill her. but - all she can do is the best she can do and i have plenty of extras if she needs them and i have no long trips planned, just an overnight here and there. i won't be able to afford a big vacation for a while!

the first night away is nov 15th so i have a few weeks to gear up. might have to suck it up and use the pill pockets to start. Dr Verra didn't love her at 11lbs, 9 or 10 would be ideal but he wasn't too worried, either. she's not really fat, per se but she doesn't quite have that very waspish figure that cats really should have, though rarely do.

i JUST got back to being able to leave food out all the time, thanks to Diamond actually, so hopefully i can keep that going. once she's doing better i can play with her more,with less worry, and she'll really burn it off quickly, then. fortunately they are all very playful!!

[TEO]

(((Cassady))) Be a good girl and take your medicine.

[nancykind]

a.m. done. not without some drama. i shut my bedroom door as soon as everyone left and after doing Zevon, went to get Cassady. sure enough she ran upstairs and could only run into Diamond's room where 1/2 the screen gate is still up from the summer. Cassady made a break for it as soon as i got in the open 1/2 of the doorway - - and ran RIGHT smack dab into the screen! which freaked her a bit on its own of course. as well as Diamond, may i say!

did manage to pick her up and bring her downstairs and she took the pills like a champ. then got chicken! but she takes the tiniest bit of chicken and breaks it up, she just does not like big pieces of anything, never has.

so i think the pill pockets are going to be too big though but maybe i can squash the pill into even half of one. my pet sitter is really hoping for pockets though. and i cleeaaaarrrly remember chasing Zevon around and around at the beginning of his treatment, too. it's why i ended up having to shut both bedroom doors for years when i went away and why i still shut my bedroom door when i go away.

we can do this, we can do this....



*sigh* i can't believe i'm going to have to come home every single lunch hour. no more walking.

we can do this. we can do this.....

[TEO]

Yes you can!

[Karen]

You can do it! You can do it!
You are a wonderful and dedicated mama. I am sure you and Cassady will adapt to a pill routine quickly

[CreekFreek]

Sorry to hear!

My 16 y/o has a level 4 murmur. It was a level 2 when she was a baby. Luckily, she's never had any issues.

My orange boy, that looks a lot like your crew, is a NIGHTMARE to give pills to. Of course he's the one that always gets sick or injured! I have to tightly wrap him in a towel and massage his neck for a good minute or more to get him to swallow. He'll hold it in his cheek, waiting to spit it out, as long as it takes They are such little shits

Good luck.

[sums]

i'm sorry you didn't get better news, nancy

[vinandtonic]

sorry your news wasn't so hot...Attius and Finch send their kitty purrs

[nancykind]

once i GET her, she's really very good about the meds. i've been holding her in my lap and tilting her head back and going in the side of the mouth and when i tilt her head she opens her mouth realllllllllllllllllllly wide - like baby bird waiting for momma to feed it kind of wide! she even makes kind of a squeaking sound (i think she's trying to hold her breath while closing her throat. she's getting the hang of it. she isn't easy to catch unless she's napping in a box or a bag, or in the closet which is going to be the sitter's problem. but i'll remind her how she used to have to chase Zevon and lived through it.

[TEO]

[sarah b.]

[pixiebug]

:heart: so sorry to read about the bad mews, Nancy! :heart:

Your kitties sure are lucky to have you as a Mommy though!

[nancykind]

pill pockets are definitely out, she just chews around the pill and leaves it behind, which is what i knew would happen, so we are back to good old fashioned chasing! they have a two cubby hold scratching post/tower thing and sometimes she runs into one of the cubbies. if i didn't remember to bring the pill with me, i'll pick up the whole tower and carry it into the bathroom!

last night i did have the pill with me so when she went into the cubby i just shut the door and well, pretty much dumped her out of it. this morning when i went to do the same thing, she must have been hanging on for dear life because she didn't fall out! so i rolled it a bit in my arms to loosen her grip and then shook it a little again. one back leg falls out and starts poking around in the air trying to find firm ground. then the 2nd back leg falls out so she's got two legs hanging down from this tower thing but from the waist up is still in the cubby! it was very funny and very cartoon-like!

[Karen]

((kitty antics))