It just is not.
Long and boring story about my cats. Nope. Just the results. Yep.
So, anyway, I noticed that C is walking less comfortably and that his arthritis is not being kind to him. L had really bad breath. Strange as it seems, both of those issues are connected to the fact that someone who is not me feeds them those tiny cans of wet cat food all day long. As a bonus, both are gaining weight.
So, off to the vet clinic we go yesterday for a check up and some pre-surgical blood work. C has great teeth and was scheduled for a cleaning today. L has horrible, really crappy teeth and even brushing them with this nice tasting liquid and gauze does not really help much, so she was scheduled for surgery as well, as it looked like she needed a tooth extracted.
They went in today and the surgeries went well...one extraction for C, totally unexpected by all of us...four extractions for L, two of which required jaw surgery as well. Well.
Someone there suspected that more than poor dental hygiene was a factor for L, and expressed some of the blood that was drawn yesterday to one of the state labs, so that we would have results today.
I am still stunned all of these hours later, but both of them seem to have feline stomatitis, an autoimmune disease. I mean, that does not even seem possible, that both of them have it. FS is usually accompanied by FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) and FeLV (feline leukemia virus), neither of which either of them have. I mean, stunned really, hardly expresses what I am feeling.
So, in the next week or so we will be discussing some new methods of keeping their mouths cleaner, but, honestly, I am so not looking forward to that. Having to perform regular, like weekly, dental cleanings on them is not going to improve the quality of our relationships. Simply pilling a cat every day messes up your relationship to a certain extent. I am going to have to hold each of them down and do some serious rubbing around in their mouths. I feel sick about it and we have not actually decided to do anything. Heaven forbid that I should waste worrying on certainty.
So, I was supposed to fetch them at 2 p.m., then 3, then 4:30 and finally brought them home at 6. They were having difficulty recovering from the anesthesia, which is always a possibility with kitties. They are, however, just fine and only a little groggy, three hours later. At least they are home. We have antibiotics for ten days and pain meds, syringes, until Friday. If they are still uncomfortable then, I can get more.
The good news is that all is well for now. The other good news is that I had already saved some money for my next trip and the $1400.00 in costs for all of the services is easy to pay.
I was thinking a bit earlier that getting a very, very part-time job might not be such a bad idea. I was offered several for the holiday season, so it would not be difficult to do and since I am taking a break from all of my family for a while, well, I have the time. Maybe when I am helping clients tomorrow I can take a few minutes to make a call and help myself, although I have to be honest and say that I am not looking forward to working in the belly of the beast again. Translated, that means the mall.
All is well that ends well.
And, you can never tell
If working in a store will
Be the final pill
That pushes you over the edge.
I cannot know until I try.
Eventually, however, wondering why
I thought it would be fine
To take a bit of time
To earn some vet clinic fees cash.
Close enough.
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