Pets are good therapy

Anonymous

  Wow, so glad the cat likes it.  I wish George did better with it.  Right now he is resting under the desk.  Tim was going to pick up some of the stuff that your friend probably got today while he is out for lunch....it's got  lot more vitamins and nutrients than the Whiska's and I am going to try shooting some of that into his mouth with the syringe.   He peed in his box this morning....every little thing he does that is normal I take as a good sign.  And we are going to have a full body xray or scan or something done.  Tim said it just wouldn't be right to go ahead and have him put to sleep without even knowing if it is something that can be treated and I certainly agree, but he's got the funds to spare and I don't.  

Ginger, I also hope the woman got to keep her dog.  How are your pets doing? 

Anonymous

i am just full of good news tonight.  I PMed Westiemom, the daughter of the woman with the dog, and her mother DID get to keep the dog and the family is taking care of it while she recovers from her surgery.  Then tonight I was making stir fry, using up vegetables I had and I didn't really have any meat to throw in with it so I had some frozen salmon in individual packets and I cooked one in the microwave....it wasn't done the lst time round so I ran it through again and it sort of exploded and was all over the microwave.   So I scraped some of the pieces off the side of the microwave and thought I will try this on George....HE ATE IT.....with a little difficulty as things still fall out of his mouth, but he ate it and liked it.  So I gave him some more, holding it in front of him in my hand.   He didnt want anything to do with the water I held out for him in a bowl, but he did drink some of the Nourishcat supplemental formula off a little saucer. That is the most he has eatne in days!!  Hope springs eternal!!   Maybe he will come around, but I am still going to consult with the vet when she calls me back. 

vtellen

Just found this post! My kind of people! I have horses, goats, geese, chickens,dogs, cats. I also have a most excellent vet for a partner. Marybe- if you still have questions about your kitty, I would be happy to run it by my DH. He is excellent at diagnosing.  George is beautiful! Hope he is improving.

julie75

Hello, Everyone:

I haven't posted here for some time; thought the thread had "stalled", but I'm glad to see it's still going.

MaryBe:  SO GLAD George is eating!  I will avidly follow what's going on with him. 

vtEllen:  Wonderful to know we can ask you questions about our "kids"! 

We have 7 cats to date; as I type this, they are in reasonably good health.  Some are senior citizens and need meds, but they are hanging in there.

Hope all of you are enjoying your Labor Day weekend.

HUGS

Julie

Anonymous

Thanks everyone for the good wishes for my Georgie Boy.....I cannot sing, never could but to him I sing Hey there Georgie Boy (remeber that movie a long time ago Georgie Girl with Lynn Redgrave?)....dont' know if he likes it, but he never runs away.  I am still just so amazed that I love a cat since it was always dogs for me.  But I think I just love all animals.  I once was raising a baby squirrel that fell out of his nest,,,,called him socks because at lst I kept him in the toes I cut off of socks to keep him warm.  He was so sweet, but he died and I cried for days and days....my friends could not get over it, thought I had lost it.  

Anyway, here is a question for the vet, VtEllen....Why is it George seems to have such a difficult time keeping food in his mouth?....if he gets it to the sides and toward the back he chews it,but sometimes it falls out and he seems to have a hard time getting the food into his mouth....he can lap up things, but he doesn't seem to be able to pick anything up with his lips.....which is why if I hold the food right up there in my hand he is able to get it in.   He stopped eating much before he had the teeth cleaned and the exts, but since he had that done, it got worse instead of better and it was after that this not being able to get the food in his mouth or being able to keep it there started. Thanks in advance.  

Anonymous

 Here was George helping me read a magazine back when he used to hang out on top of the desk instead of under it as he is doing now. 

Anonymous

He ate twice last night and again this morning....seems to love the salmon and then he went over to the dog's water bowl and had a drink.  I am elated!  Not out of the woods, only eats about 2 tbspfull,  but at least a step in the right direction.  We are still going to have the vet take a look. 

Maya2

You go Georgie Boy (yes, I remember the song--mega hit)! I'm elated too!

3jaysmom

i guess that makes it official, marybe; you're the "georgie girl" in the song. i enjoyed our conversations this wkend.. sorry, i can't keep a thought in my head right now, though. Glad George continues a little more everyday. i DO think thery hit a nerve cleaning his teeth... will be praying for both of you to feel better soon. love ya.......3jays

katsOK

How is George doing today?  I have been checking on your site each day to hear about him, always sorry to hear about our pets not feeling well.  They can not tell you what is wrong or how they feel so I always feel so helpless to help them.  Was glad he ate the salmon and drank the water so maybe he is on the mend now.  Keep us posted!

karen333

Hi Marybe, just got home from labor day vacation, gone for 7 days and had to check on George. I am thrilled that he is doing better.  My Sophie was thrilled to see me come home, she is with me now as I type one-handed.   Karen

Anonymous

George is eating....not a lot and still seems to have a problem keeping it in his mouth, but when it gets in the position he is trying to get it to, he chews away at it (that is when some will come flying out)  He has been eating Fancy Feast, about a Tbsp at a time, and tonight had some canned food(Tiki cat is the name) that I got at a new pet store here called Pet People.  They gave me a ton of samples to try on both George and the dogs.  They had brands in there I have never seen before.I got samples of  Fromm for all of them since it doesn't have as many grains as additives as most do.   

It is the funniest thing, but now the dogs and cat can be together without fighting.  I came in the door tonight and went George, I'm home Georgie and he came right out from under the desk and Hope was right there by him and then Brattie and Harley came running up from the basement.  So there they were, all four pets sitting there on the kitchen floor while I was rummaging though the bag of food I brought home for them.  George was meowing which I think meant he was  hungry.  I gave the dogs some dry food to try and then opened a can of food for George and he ate it right out of the can....maybe 2 Tbsp.  He's back under the desk now.....I just looked down there to see what he is doing and there was Harley on the same blanket with him!!!   His arch nemesis and rival!!  Maybe something good will come of this......peace and harmony at long last in the animal community!!

Thanks for all your good wishes for George.  The vet is coming on Friday and may give him another steroid shot or something to increase his appetite.  I asked is is Megace? and he said Oh no, he would not give him that, it can cause diabetes.  Jeeze, I wonder if that is only in cats?...They never told me that when I was taking it as a treatment for my BC. 

Anyway, he is definitely improving.  Slowly, but surely. 

How was your vacation, Karen? 

karen333

Dear Marybe, it was so nice to get away for awhile.  My late godmother was from a little town called Conneutville, it is a half hour southeast of Erie, not a single traffic light, two stores and a Post Office.  It is quite near an Amish community so it is not unusual to see carts and horses on Main Street, with hitching posts in front of the stores.  One of the Amish woman bakes pies on order so my cousin ordered an elderberry one for me, it is my all time favorite, discovered it two years ago before my godmother passed away.  It is like going back in time to a simpler time and place, the pain of having her gone is a little less this time, she was my breast cancer mentor, having had a mastectomy in 84, she was 87 when she passed away, she was also a best friend, she and I could laugh about the silliest thing, I was lucky to have her for so long.  So the vacation is a little bittersweet, still getting used to not having her around, but glad to be with my Pennsylvania Dutch family down there, the food is awesome!  thanks for asking Marybe, you must be thrilled George ate so much and peace in the furbabbies clan, what great news.  Karen

Anonymous

   I think I am just kidding myself, thinking George is going to get better....this morning he ate only a tiny bit after much coaxing.  Tonight I was going to feed him and his mouth started moving like he was chewing and he puked, just watery stuff, no food mixed in with it.   I just don't know what to do....get him xrayed, have  an ultrasound....his stomach actually feels bloated, but he is all bones....can feel his little spine.  I weighed him this morning and he only weighs 6 lbs and he used to weigh 10.  I can barely swallow because I have this huge lump in my throat and cry just thinking about him. 

karen333

Oh Marybe, I am so sorry, does the vet think a scan would help?  Sometimes it is so hard to know what to do, it brings to mind situations where I had to face the inevitable, it is just so hard.  hugs Karen

Maya2

Oh Marybe, I'm so sorry George is still having trouble eating. And that is a lot of weight for a cat to lose. It can really sneak up on us because we see them every day. I hope the vet has some answers for you tomorrow. Animals are very sensitive to each other. The dogs likely realise that George is sick and they have made peace with him and are now watching over him. Thinking of you and George and hoping for whatever is best for George.

Gingerbrew

Marybe, I am sending you hugs and love.

The love we have for our fourlegged friends is profound. 

Hugs GInger

chillipadi

Marybe, when my furbabies are sick, I give them Lectade and I swear it always brings them back from the brink of death. This is a powder which you need to mix with water. It has electrolytes and nutrients and is used also for rehydration. When my Billy - who is currently lying on my desk trying to sleep on my keyboard - became so ill that he wouldn't eat or drink and became hard and stiff like a stuffed animal (totally dehydrated) and couldn't even move or mew, I panicked. I managed to get some Lectade and fed it to him with a syringe several times a day. It was pure magic. It kept Billy alive as it provided him with the fluids and nutrients he needed. Within a few days, Billy was rehydrated again, and he began to plump up. Soon, he started to eat and drink on his own again.

When my dog Ginger was so close to death last December that the vet didn't know what else to do, my DH and I gave her Lectade and Critical Care canned food by Prescription Diet, which we fed her by hand, by syringe if necessary. She bounced back to our vet's amazement. I always make sure I have a supply of Lectade at home now. 

Anonymous

  I looked up Lectate on line, but it didn't tell me where they sell it around here.  George is now hiding behind the couch....not because of the dogs who no longer seem to bother him, he just wants to be there. .  I remember when my friend Lee's cat was dying, she used to hide and got very skiddish.  I am going to go do the lst two patinets at the office and have them cancel the rest so I can be here when the vet comes....my boss isn't going to like it, but I could not get anyone to work for me and we were only working this morning anyway.  I want to be here so I can talk to the vet. 

Anonymous

  Thank you everyone.  George has now crossed The Rainbow Bridge.  I am sending and email out to all my friends because I just can't talk about it.  There is a lot to be said for vets who made  housecalls.....after we found him in the corner of the closet he used to hide from the dogs from or go to when it stormed, I held him on my lap.   The vet drew fluid off his belly which was distended and it was yellow.  Without tests he said most likely it was FIP....Feline Infectious Peritinitus and he said there is really no cure for it.....so it was a choice of taking him in for more testing or doing it now.  He used to be a very talkative cat, but he hadn't talked for weeks.   I am going to miss him so much....he was always here on the computer desk or under it in later days. Just thinking about him I cry.   He is going to be cremated.   Now I have to get rid of all this cat stuff ASAP because I don't want to look at it.  Sleep tight Georgie Boy. 

chabba

Marybe I'm so sorry.  I wish I could think of something comforting to say. 

karen333

Marybe, I am so very sorry, he will sit on your computer desk for all time now.  I have my Murphy on my dresser and still speak to him, ot touch the little urn.  Just know he is waiting on the Rainbow Bridge and at the appointed time, his nose will sniff and he will run to you.  hugs, Karen

Maya2

Marybe, I'm sorry. He'll be there waiting for you, well and happy.

Bren-2007

Marybe .. I am so sorry about George.  I know you are grieving and it breaks my heart.

I don't post on this thread, but I do read it, as I have three dogs that I love and keep me company.

Sending you so many hugs,

Bren

Gingerbrew

I am sorry for your grief Marybe. You were kind to let him go.  Hugs Ginger

BarbaraA

{{{Marybe}}} Gentle hugs for you. So sorry.

Dilly

So sorry Marybe.  It's just so hard ... I wish there were words of comfort for you...

hbcheryl

Marybe I am so sorry for your loss, there are no words to ease the pain, just take comfort in knowing that he was your boy and he was much loved.

karen333

Dear Marybe, have been thinking about you and am sending gentle hugs your way, Karen

Anonymous

  I have been on vacation for over two weeks and just got back home yesterday....for the amount of time I was gone, I could have done a trip to Europe, but only drove to MO. and back.   MO is an unpublicized mecca of beautiful scenery and lots of things to do...Branson is touristy, but in general it is a lot of wide open spaces and very pretty.  While we were there we went to a place called The Haven of the Ozarks where my Uncle's neighbor volunteers a good deal of her time. It is a no kill shelter and some of the animals have been there their entire lives.  They only accept abandoned pets and pets who have had an owner die or maybe became unable to care for them.  It was a very organized, clean, well-kept place and is run entirely on donations and the people who work there are all volunteers.....no state funding or support.  The four of us who went all made a donation and later bought some things at both a local festival and a little antique shop we went to where they sold things that benefited the shelter....So we did our part.  The dogs were all in pens and had insulated dog houses...there were so many of them, and the amazing thing was the man who showed us around knew them all by name.  Most of them were large dogs as I guess small dogs are more likely to be adopted.   Then there was a building for the cats....all ages and sizes.  I am glad I did not see any with a little black nose or I might have brought one home.  It was a nice place, but I cried when I got back in the car because it broke my heart to think that some of those pets have never lived in a real home and possibly never will