Scary Vet Visit!
When I took Lola (with Tilly) to the vet two months ago, we talked about her chronic gastrointestinal problems. I've always had to be careful what food I give her as most food gives her diarrhea. She wants only dry food and her sister likes canned food, which would seem to work well since Tilly is on a prescription diet. However, Lola will steal Tilly's food (aurgh) even though Tilly will not do the reverse. I am sure Tilly's food upsets Lola's tummy.
The vet wasn't sure why that would be, since Tilly's food has increased fiber. She said they normally treat cats with diarrhea by giving them more fiber. She suspected the type of dry food as being the problem. She prescribed an R/D (restricted diet) food for Lola which is very high in fiber. The vet said it might take a while for her intestines to re-balance since it has been a problem for so long.
Well, she no longer has the diarrhea like before, but she's had a problem with...well, uh...mucousy stuff. I called the vet and she said, bring her in. I considered bringing Tilly like before, just so Lola doesn't hiss at Tilly when she gets home. (I can see her thinking, "I smell like the vet. You're EVIL! HISS!" That would be "so Lola.") But I brought Lola alone in case they needed to do tests.
It turns out that Lola has lost a pound since January. That is 1/10th of her body weight! The vet was concerned. She said Lola's symptoms seemed to suggest either inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or lymphoma (cancer!). She started talking about biopsies and chemotherapy. I thought I was going to pass out or cry, but I did neither. My little baby having cancer?!? I think it's worse that I've been through it myself. Oh, gee.
She said that at a recent veterinary conference, she attended a session about feline diarrhea. It sounds like someone did a study where they had biopsy samples sent to multiple labs. What they found is that the results were all over the map. It appears that small-cell lymphoma is difficult to differentiate from IBD. This means that getting an accurate diagnosis could be a problem.
So now I'm thinking about Lola, who is so terrified of veterinary clinics, having a horribly invasive surgical biopsy and then me not knowing in the end what is really wrong with her. The vet said that they can treat for IBD and see if she doesn't respond, but then they are losing time if it is lymphoma. They can also just start her on chemo. I was holding myself up with the stainless steel table, trying to look casual.
We eventually decided to start with a full blood panel to rule out any other factors, as well as a stool analysis to rule out parasites. I went to the waiting room while they took her in back to take blood.
I waited, and waited, and waited. I asked what was happening. The receptionist said they were having trouble getting the blood. The vet, who had been with clients, saw me still waiting after 30 minutes and went to check on Lola. They had problems with her veins flattening. I gave them the okay to shave her fur (poor Lola!). They still had problems, but finally they got the blood. The vet said she worried Lola might be hypotensive, so I okayed a blood pressure check. Her blood pressure was normal, making the issue with her veins a mystery.
Finally, after 45 minutes of waiting, I got Lola back. I took her to the car and settled the carrier in the seat next to me. She looked at me with a mysterious expression. Lola was uncharactistically quiet for the entire drive home. She did not say one word. I let her out of the carrier and she walked up to Tilly to hiss at her. See? But Tilly hissed back, no doubt thinking, "Turnabout is fair play, sister!"
I'm going to try to calm down, though I can feel the anxiety spiraling in me. I can handle me having cancer, but not my baby. I mean, I will handle it because that's what you do, but it hurts so much to have a little one be seriously ill. Let's hope Lola is okay.
Similar yarns
Technorati Tags: Cats Control Me- ‹ previous
- 286 of 409
- next ›
Post new comment