Toeses Update
August 23, 2007 by mrschili
IT’S NOT CANCER!!
Oh, wait… I suppose I should give you some background before I go crowing from the rooftops, huh? I’m not sure I ever gave you guys the full story…
You remember that the beastie was not-right a week or so ago, right? Well, after his first trip to the vet, we were told that the easy-to-do, preliminary tests came back clean. The vet told me to take him home and watch him, but to bring him back if he didn’t start seeming more like himself.
He didn’t seem like himself so, a day or two later, back to the nice doctors we went. This time, they took him through a few more comprehensive tests - and one that involved sedating him and checking for blockages (he still wasn’t eating consistently, despite the really tempting things we were offering him). It turns out that this investigation revealed a mass deep in the back of his throat. The docs took a sample and had it cultured and biopsied, and sent us home again with some meds to reduce swelling and to counter any infection that he might get as a result of the procedure.
The meds seemed to help - a lot. Toeses is back to being his pretty vigorous self. He goes outside and comes running for dinner time. He yells at the door to be let in to beg for milk in the morning. He’s not hiding from us anymore and has let the girls manhandle him again. I was seeing this as good all the way around.
The doc called yesterday to tell me that the results of the culture/biopsy came back and IT’S NOT CANCER!! The poor baby has a wicked infection, localized in that one spot (which is why the initial blood tests didn’t come up with it and why his temperature is right around normal) that seems to be comprised of several different agents. I’ve got to go to the vet’s office this afternoon to pick up some more medication, and Toeses is going to have to continue to endure my putting a plate of milk in front of him and then dragging him away to stuff pills down his little throat twice a day for another week and a half or so.
But IT’S NOT CANCER!!
That’s wonderful news! I lost my Golden in April 06 to cancer. It was horrible.
Yay!!!!!!! Much relief!
And there was much rejoicing… I am so relieved for you.
What a weird sort of infection. I suppose animals have more of those things because unlike a child, they cannot say, “hey mom, my throat really hurts.”
Happy tidings indeed. Glad to hear the little guy is improving and the outlook is good.
Whew! Glad to hear it. Sorry you have to keep pilling the loveable little bastard.
So pleased to be greeted with good news! Happy dancing for you!
Can you hide the pills inside something yummy. Wonderdog loves peanut butter, so we hide her pills in that.
WOO-HOO!
Snob, no - he’s too crafty for that. I tried hiding them in tuna, but he manages to eat around them.
The vet gave (check that: the vet SOLD) us a little “pill popper.” It’s a plastic plunger-type thing with a little rubber bit at the end. I put the pill in the rubber bit, pull the plunger back and grab the cat. I pry his little jaws open, stick the rubber bit in the back of his mouth and push the plunger. He hates the hell out of it, but it gets the job done (and I don’t have to worry any more about bitten fingers…
Very cool!
Have you tried the pill pockets? I know Kizz didn’t have any luck with them, but Fergie loves them. If you have to keep giving him meds, it might be worth it.
I will say that I had SOME success with them but then the idiot got wise and he’s not a biter so I wasn’t motivated to keep trying them on him. I’d still receommend them as a slightly less traumatic administering aid.
I can try ‘em, but I don’t think it’s a big deal, really. It’s kind of funny; he’s almost got this “okay, here we go again” attitude about it. I pour some milk in the dish in front of him, let him get a few licks in, then drag him back and pry his jaws open. He doesn’t LOVE it, but he doesn’t put up too much of a fight, either - it’s almost as if he’s thinking, “Gee, since Mom started up with this shit, I’ve been feeling better…”