sometimes the words escape me.
i did not know if i would be able to write about yesterday's vet visit.
first, let me say this and get it out of the way: Midnight did come home. thank God.
it was, however, a very near thing.
i did fine at the vet until it came down to decision time, and i fell apart. totally and completely.
fortunately, i had the presence of mind to ask for data -- in this case, lab work. it turns out that almost everything the vet had expected to be impaired or not working, considering his various illnesses -- it worked fine, bless him.
the only thing unexpected that was his glucose level. a normal glucose/sugar level for a cat is between 70-160. Midnight's was 460. to borrow a pithy phrase from a friend, when i saw that, i lost my shit.
however, the vet explained (in a hurry, thankfully) that cats, like people, have a stress reaction -- and this shows up in cats as a high sugar level. she -- vet -- said she was usually prepared to see it as high as 400, depending on the temperament of the cat.
laughing out loud
in that case, i'm surprised it wasn't twice as high.
anyway, she did several other tests to try to figure out if it was a stress reaction since the number was a little higher than she was comfortable with. the tests, the name of which escape me at the moment, all indicated stress rather than diabetes.
another bullet dodged, and Midnight is home again.
talk about thanksgiving. smile
miss d -- leukemia in cats is not the same as with people. i am honestly at a loss as to how it works, but he shows none of the signs that would be expected in a cat with active disease. the big danger at this point (forgive me if i'm repeating myself?) was to the younger ones, as this is contagious.
their tests were clear, thankfully. they spent a month with him over the last holiday season, and have been here for short visits all through the year. pretty much, if they were going to be ill, it would have shown up already, from what i understand. they are not ill at all, but they will be staying here for a bit, as they'll be getting a series of booster shots over the next six weeks or so to ensure that they stay well.
i could find someone where i live to do it -- but since i like this vet, and she's familiar with the situation, i talked with the parents, and we decided it would be best for them to stay here and get the shots.
my little brood is all good. not well, but good. and that is good enough. you know?
first, let me say this and get it out of the way: Midnight did come home. thank God.
it was, however, a very near thing.
i did fine at the vet until it came down to decision time, and i fell apart. totally and completely.
fortunately, i had the presence of mind to ask for data -- in this case, lab work. it turns out that almost everything the vet had expected to be impaired or not working, considering his various illnesses -- it worked fine, bless him.
the only thing unexpected that was his glucose level. a normal glucose/sugar level for a cat is between 70-160. Midnight's was 460. to borrow a pithy phrase from a friend, when i saw that, i lost my shit.
however, the vet explained (in a hurry, thankfully) that cats, like people, have a stress reaction -- and this shows up in cats as a high sugar level. she -- vet -- said she was usually prepared to see it as high as 400, depending on the temperament of the cat.
laughing out loud
in that case, i'm surprised it wasn't twice as high.
anyway, she did several other tests to try to figure out if it was a stress reaction since the number was a little higher than she was comfortable with. the tests, the name of which escape me at the moment, all indicated stress rather than diabetes.
another bullet dodged, and Midnight is home again.
talk about thanksgiving. smile
miss d -- leukemia in cats is not the same as with people. i am honestly at a loss as to how it works, but he shows none of the signs that would be expected in a cat with active disease. the big danger at this point (forgive me if i'm repeating myself?) was to the younger ones, as this is contagious.
their tests were clear, thankfully. they spent a month with him over the last holiday season, and have been here for short visits all through the year. pretty much, if they were going to be ill, it would have shown up already, from what i understand. they are not ill at all, but they will be staying here for a bit, as they'll be getting a series of booster shots over the next six weeks or so to ensure that they stay well.
i could find someone where i live to do it -- but since i like this vet, and she's familiar with the situation, i talked with the parents, and we decided it would be best for them to stay here and get the shots.
my little brood is all good. not well, but good. and that is good enough. you know?