Tag Archives: health

diagnosis & treatment

06 Tuesday Sep 2011

Posted by in animals & pets, cats, health & happiness

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When I got home from the hospital on Friday I received a call from Yolanda the vet telling me about Azar’s blood test results. The good news is that so far there isn’t any serious renal dysfunction happening, but the bad news is that it’s now clearly just going to be a matter of time. Well, Sunny lived a good couple of years after he was first diagnosed with kidney problems, so let’s hope Azar has at least that much time left.

The treatment is also the same as it was for Sunny, which is basically a change of diet to a special type of cat food, as well as a daily supplement. With Sunny this supplement was no problem as I just crushed the pill into a bit of wet food and he gobbled it down with relish every morning. With Azar it will have to be, ahem, inserted into his mouth. Fun, fun, fun. Also, Azar will need a daily dose of the liquid laxative to help keep him regular. And, of course, he is given drinks several times a day from his own special glass so that he stays hydrated.

I don’t know if I was in denial about Sunny or if I was just so overwhelmed with being on, and getting over, the chemo, but I didn’t realise how seriously his health had declined until it was too late. And while I know there is no cure for kidney dysfunction in cats, I still think I could have – and should have! – made Sunny’s last few months more comfortable. With Azar no detail is going unnoticed (am even logging stuff in a journal) and he is getting constant attention and being properly spoiled. The good thing is that he is still playful and happy and shiny. And I will do my best to keep him that way for as long as possible.

malaga mascot?

07 Sunday Aug 2011

Posted by in animals & pets, cats, health & happiness, Malaga, summer, travel, trips

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Ever since I found out I’d be going to Málaga (I leave tomorrow morning and come back on Friday) I’ve been a nervous wreck about Azar’s health. For much the past couple of months he’s been up and down, and the past week he’s needed daily doses of a mild oral laxative as well as an enema every 2-3 days. I had decided that it was time to take him in for a check-up and blood test after talking to my vet Yolanda on the phone several times, but then this trip was looming and I doubted Nog’s ability to give Azar an enema. In the end we agreed it would be best if Nog takes Azar in to see Yolanda next Wednesday (half-way through my trip) and get everything done at once, which would not only save on taxi fare but also on STRESS. This seemed like a sensible plan until I was woken up by the sound of Azar throwing up in the wee hours and so I lay there for ages cuddling him and wondering what to do and I thought … why not bring him with me?

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hey, this looks clean…

27 Wednesday Jul 2011

Posted by in animals & pets, cats, health & happiness

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… so let’s cover it in cat hair!

Well, it’s part of the reason I have washable covers on my sofa and comfy chair. But while I wasn’t surprised to find the boys keen to get the freshly washed covers back to “normal”, Azar took things a step further. My poor darling continues to have problems with his bowel movements in spite of keeping him well-hydrated and the occasional use of enemas. Yesterday he suddenly got very distressed trying to go in the box and ended up “leaking” all over the place, including the soft furnishings (what timing!). Another enema and half an hour later he was comfortable again and since then has been eating and drinking normally.

I’m so torn about taking Azar to the vet’s. Last time I did they ran a bunch of tests over three visits, expensive for me and very stressful for both us, only to tell me they couldn’t find anything obviously wrong with him. So do I do that again just in case there is something else that I should be doing for Azar, or do I keep on making him as comfortable and happy as possible? My next plan is to take him off the dry food altogether, at least while it’s so hot, so he gets more moisture in his system. I’ve done the “skin pinch” test and it doesn’t show him to be dehydrated, but his eyes look a bit sunken in the inside corners, which is worrying. But he’s drinking a lot, really much more than a healthy cat would, so I’m guessing his kidneys aren’t functioning very well.

On the one hand, I want to give him the best care possible, but I also have to accept that at 16 1/2 he is likely to start “running down” now and no matter how many times I take him to the vet’s, there ain’t no cure for old age. Right now he’s just had his morning dose of malt and is happily curled up next to me on his comfy footstool (within easy snibble reach) and I hate to disrupt his happy morning. On the other hand, maybe I’m living in denial and he should be getting regular check-ups? What to do…

round two…

14 Thursday Apr 2011

Posted by in health & happiness

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I thought that the Rhinomer was actually doing the job and that whatever icky sinus issues I’ve been having since last Christmas were finally about to end … and then woke up during the night (Tuesday-Wednesday) wanting to rip my face off.

So yesterday Dr Agustín prescribed this stuff to take while continuing with the Rhinomer. These include a three-day blast of antibiotics along with daily doses of cortisone spray and an effervescent tablet for controlling mucus production. Delightful.

I hope this works. I also wish I’d done this back in January as I am feeling mightily fed up with all this…

s’not funny

08 Friday Apr 2011

Posted by in health & happiness

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So, on Christmas morning I woke up with a killer sore throat, which seemed to come and go quite a lot over the next month or so. And then finally it was gone. But what lingered was this rather icky nose and sinus infection, which also got worse and better, then worse again, etc. Finally after almost four months of this I decided it was maybe time to mention it to my doctor?

In this case I decided to just ask my friend/neighbour/student/GP Agustín yesterday while we were having English class at his place. And so now I am squirting this stuff up my nose a couple of times a day and hoping it will work, otherwise the next step will apparently be some sort of steroid spray. Ick.

For those who previously suggested rinsing out my sinuses with salt water, yeah yeah, I know. But I always seemed to either forget or just couldn’t be bothered mixing it up and snorting it (which I’ve done before and really hated). Agustín told me that this Rhinomer stuff is pressurised so it is much more effective than snorting… and wow, he was right about that. This stuff shoots straight up my nasal passages to my eyeballs and then swooshes its way back down and around all the behind-my-face cavities again before finally trickling out through various orifice openings. I’m impressed! I also wish I did this about three months ago.

And I hope you weren’t eating while you read this…