Originally Posted By Keith JenniBarra's DH here. Our eldest kitty, "Sera," endured a tiny injury on her back a few weeks ago, which became an abscess. The abscess had quickly migrated to her inner thigh and required surgery. The surgery and her after-care went very well, but a second surgery became necessary as a result of a significant sized patch of diseased skin and tissue that had to be removed. She recovered at the veterinary clinic while we vacationed in Hawai'i. She had most of her sutures removed and was healing very nicely. She finished her antibiotic regimen and was doing great. Late last week, however, Sera had been vomiting and having diarrhea and had become somewhat dehydrated over the weekend. We'd done a pretty good job getting some fluids inside of her and she had been showing signs of improvement by late Sunday. We spoke to the vet Monday morning, but we agreed to "watch and wait" for our Wednesday morning suture removal appointment for an exam. She hadn't eaten anything today, so Jennifer took her to the vet this afternoon. They got some fluids under her skin, took her temperature, and took a preliminary blood screen. Her body temperature was low and the numbers are WAY off from what they were a few weeks ago prior to her surgery, so there's definitely something going on inside of her. The vet's recommendation was that we transport Sera to the emergency veterinary hospital for round-the-clock monitoring tonight. She's currently in a heated kennel and doing OK. We'll be transporting her back to our regular vet tomorrow morning (early), and then it looks like she'll be hospitalized for up to 3-4 days. We're really having a tough time with this, because just as she seems to have gotten all healed up on the outside, she ends up with some kind of illness on the inside. While the past several vet visits have been cause for some concern, we're really worried now. We need all the support and well wishes we can get. (Sorry for the long post.)
Originally Posted By EdisYoda Keith, my two cats Bailey and Mai Tai, and I are thinking of your Sara. We hope she gets well soon.
Originally Posted By Kala Maile, Bailey, Casino Cassie and I send get well wishes and kitty hugs and kisses too!
Originally Posted By TALL Disney Guy Sorry to hear about this, Keith...I hope she pulls through okay very quickly.
Originally Posted By Keith Thanks so much guys. By the way, Sera's our eldest, and our second eldest is a male long-haired Tabby Maine Coon wannabe named... Bailey! ...How about that?
Originally Posted By mouse of the south We have 2 cats Crooked Tail and Downey. Downey is our youngest and she has had 4 abscesses in the same spot, her left side right next to her tail. The last time we took her to the vet she got a strong treatment of antibiotics and so far it has been almost a year since last abscess!
Originally Posted By nevadarebel so sorry to hear about your baby's illness. I just went through abcess on my Angels face a couple of weeks ago. They opened it up and put in a drain to get he infection out and he is now laying on my lap purring. Best wishes from Angel and Snowdrop to Sera.
Originally Posted By Keith Oh yes -- we're quite familiar with the infamous abscess drain! <a href="http://www.sharward.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=3" target="_blank">http://www.sharward.com/photos /thumbnails.php?album=3</a>
Originally Posted By Keith We just called the "Kitty ICU" to get the latest. Sera's body temperature last night at about 11:30 PM was normal, so they were able to turn off the heater in her kennel. As of this morning she had eaten and is doing well. The on-duty DVM wasn't able to speak to us, but we'll be picking her up within the hour anyway to take her to our regular vet for follow-up care. As you might expect, I've been doing my homework here... And it seems there may be some cause for optimism. While the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) number is extremely high (over 200), it is not in and of itself a sure sign of chronic renal failure (CRF). It is, in fact, often a result of severe dehydration. She also had slightly elevated BUN before her surgery -- enough to keep an eye on, but not cause for alarm. It is our hope that she's just fighitng a bug and that her BUN levels will return to close to normal, and that results of other tests lead away from a CRF diagnosis. Many thanks to the night owls and/or early risers who have already shared their well wishes. Those who are interested in nitty gritty details about tests and diagnostics of CRF can learn more here on the Feline CRF Information Center: <a href="http://www.felinecrf.com/tests0.htm" target="_blank">http://www.felinecrf.com/tests 0.htm</a>
Originally Posted By mickeymeg We are just comming to the end of a list of many vet appointments that started when our Totoro split his leg open. I posted here as well and with the help of many LP (and LP furbaby) happy thoughts he is healing wonderfully. It goes to show the power of thinking positively. Totoro and Ivy and me all send very happy thoughts to Sera. Get well soon.
Originally Posted By LPFan22 I'm keeping my fingers crossed for more good news. By the way, I have a Maine Coon too! =)
Originally Posted By MomofPrincess Oh, no, so sorry to hear it. We just had some major problems with our cat, too, though he seems to be on the mend. I'm glad to hear Sera's doing better this morning. I hope she continues to heal!
Originally Posted By nevadarebel ok, now I don't feel near as bad as I did a week ago about Angel, your baby is MUCH worse.. Please keep us posted on the update from the vet!
Originally Posted By JazzCat I hope Sera is getting better! Your family really don't need anymore sad animal news. Tigger, O'Malley, Jake and Pippin send their get well wishes! Oh, and me too!
Originally Posted By Keith Again, many thanks for the well wishes and kind thoughts -- and reciprocal expressions to those going through their own fur-baby medical care issues too. We picked up Sera and took her to our regular vet this morning, and met with her today. (We met with Sera too!) So far, so good -- she's doing much better today, and the vet is "cautiously optimistic" that she'll recover. However, she does have signs of liver disease, so we will probably have to undergo a treatment plan that includes a change of diet, very close monitoring of her general health condition, and home-based subcutaneous fluid therapy for the rest of her life. She will be spending the night at the vet clinic tonight (most likely not the emergency vet hospital where she spent last night), and perhaps longer. We'll know more this afternoon.
Originally Posted By Keith Information about Subcutaneous Fluid Therapy: <a href="http://www.felinecrf.com/managb.htm" target="_blank">http://www.felinecrf.com/manag b.htm</a> Perhaps when JenniBarra can collect her thoughts, she too will post in this thread. Even if she doesn't, I can assure you that she's closely tuned to this thread and is appreciating all the support you are giving to us.
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 I'm sending positive and healthy healing thoughts to Sera. She is a lucky girl to be so loved. Take care.
