Panic! at the Vet
Early this morning, Jack and I went to the vet. He was supposed to get a steroid shot (he has a chronic inflammatory condition) and, if the vet had time, his annual checkup. She had time.
One good thing that came out of the checkup was that I got an explanation for why Jack likes to extend his right foot to one side, in "cat yoga" positions like this one:
Apparently his kneecap is loose. If you have ever had a small dog, you probably know all about that. It's endemic among poodles, I'm told. And sticking his leg out is apparently his way of trying to manage it.
There's surgery you can get for this, but we don't have any reason to think Jack is actually suffering as things stand. He's at higher risk for arthritis, so he's going on chondroitin (sp?) chews.
BUT. The big thing that happened, wasn't that. Things took a dramatic turn for the worse while he was getting his annual rabies shot.
Somehow - I didn't see how it happened - a squeeze bottle of alcohol was knocked over, and dribbled or squirted right into Jack's eye.
OUCH. The vet rushed off to get saline solution, and they flushed his eye. This -- water in his face -- was about as welcome as you'd expect. Jack struggled (the vet assistant was already holding him down) and wailed.
Next came an ointment. Finally, there were eye drops: 3 times a day, or as often as we could get them in.
But I am not a good cat wrangler, and Jack was already highly agitated. So the vet is keeping him at the animal hospital for the weekend. If nothing else, they've got multiple people on site, and sometimes numbers help when you are dealing with an upset cat.
I'm calm now (this was all about eleven hours ago) but it was upsetting to witness. I can only imagine what it was like to go through. My poor kitty.
I can tell he's not here. I miss him.
One good thing that came out of the checkup was that I got an explanation for why Jack likes to extend his right foot to one side, in "cat yoga" positions like this one:
Apparently his kneecap is loose. If you have ever had a small dog, you probably know all about that. It's endemic among poodles, I'm told. And sticking his leg out is apparently his way of trying to manage it.
There's surgery you can get for this, but we don't have any reason to think Jack is actually suffering as things stand. He's at higher risk for arthritis, so he's going on chondroitin (sp?) chews.
BUT. The big thing that happened, wasn't that. Things took a dramatic turn for the worse while he was getting his annual rabies shot.
Somehow - I didn't see how it happened - a squeeze bottle of alcohol was knocked over, and dribbled or squirted right into Jack's eye.
OUCH. The vet rushed off to get saline solution, and they flushed his eye. This -- water in his face -- was about as welcome as you'd expect. Jack struggled (the vet assistant was already holding him down) and wailed.
Next came an ointment. Finally, there were eye drops: 3 times a day, or as often as we could get them in.
But I am not a good cat wrangler, and Jack was already highly agitated. So the vet is keeping him at the animal hospital for the weekend. If nothing else, they've got multiple people on site, and sometimes numbers help when you are dealing with an upset cat.
I'm calm now (this was all about eleven hours ago) but it was upsetting to witness. I can only imagine what it was like to go through. My poor kitty.
I can tell he's not here. I miss him.