That is great news. We will keep praying for a speedy recovery.Wednesday PM - Hospital Update:
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Saoirse is through the operation. She is round from the anaesthetic and the vets are very pleased with how she is doing.
We are over the first hurdle.
Thank you everyone for your prayers and healing thoughts. Please keep 'em coming!
Mogs
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Bubba's got his "eye" on Saoirse to be his little poppet pirate.ARRRRRR. A pair of swashbuckling cats! The rest of us are in trouble!!!!!!!
Good morning Mogs~ If my memory serves me well, Bubba hardly missed a beat with eating. He is such a chow hound that I would know that he was critical if he stopped eating. He was sent home with bup, a huge dose, like .59ml ( he is a big cat) and even with all that narcotic on board, he still ate. What did they give you for pain relief. But, don't be surprised if your little girl is off her feed for a day or so. How is she doing otherwise? I think it is so much worse on us.@Tricia & Cinco & Harvey, @Bobbie And Bubba -
How were your little ones after the ops? Did they have problems eating?
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So glad they aren't not giving Metcam, it has been deemed NOT a good medicine for cats, causing kidney failure. Bupe is a much better choice. Make sure they give her enough for her size.They would normally give a dose of Metacam to cats to help with post-surgery pain but Saoirse is being given bupe.
I think she will do much better when she can be home. Bubba was home 5 hours after the surgery. Kitties always feel better and heal better at home.I feel caught between a rock and a hard place: Saoirse might eat better if I brought her home but then I would not be as well-placed for medical support for her. It's at times like this I really miss being able to drive.
Is it a medicine you can get from a vet's office? If so, most vets will fill it since you have a prescription.On the upside, I managed to get a new laptop so I'm better able to use the intertube now. Been trying to find a pharmacy in the area with a stock of cyproheptadine but no joy. I have some at home so I'm trying to sort out getting them up here.
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Good suggestion, Lisa, and one I had thought of but cypro is not a commonly-used med over here. I'm the first person to ever request it from our own vets and it was new to the opthalmologist as well. Thankfully, I've managed to get hold of my friend who's minding my civvie for me and he has been to the house to pick up the supply of cypro I hold at home and also Saoirse's new blood ketone meter and test strips. My cabbie is picking them up from him and will drop them in to me at the hotel. As many of you know I always recommend that caregivers whose cats have appetite issues should always keep a stock of key management meds at home. This is a prime example of the importance of having squirrel stock.Is it a medicine you can get from a vet's office? If so, most vets will fill it since you have a prescription.
I know the truth of this, Bobbie, especially when you have a kitty with pancreatitis issues. I know all the tricks that might help but it took me months and months to learn how best to help Saoirse to get her grub down. For example if I was able to sit and watch over her at the hospital I might be able to wait for her to have a snooze then try the sleepy eating trick: hospital staff can't devote that amount of time to her plus they have other patients to look after in a relatively limited space (and I fully understand and accept this). So that no avenue would be left unexplored I actually asked the hotel reception staff if they might give me permission to bring her over from the hospital for an hour or so (complete with litter box facilities) to see whether I might be able to kick start her appetite and then return her to the recovery ward but they declined on the grounds that the company has a strict no-animals policy.I think she will do much better when she can be home. Bubba was home 5 hours after the surgery. Kitties always feel better and heal better at home.
Oh Mogs, sweetie, I feel for you. Do you know how much longer they will keep her?I know the truth of this, Bobbie, especially when you have a kitty with pancreatitis issues. I know all the tricks that might help but it took me months and months to learn how best to help Saoirse to get her grub down. For example if I was able to sit and watch over her at the hospital I might be able to wait for her to have a snooze then try the sleepy eating trick: hospital staff can't devote that amount of time to her plus they have other patients to look after in a relatively limited space (and I fully understand and accept this). So that no avenue would be left unexplored I actually asked the hotel reception staff if they might give me permission to bring her over from the hospital for an hour or so (complete with litter box facilities) to see whether I might be able to kick start her appetite and then return her to the recovery ward but they declined on the grounds that the company has a strict no-animals policy.
If I had a guarantee of getting back to the hospital in an emergency I would bring her home but after what happened over the weekend the prospect of putting Saoirse at risk of not being able to get help again frankly terrifies me to the point where just thinking about it makes me feel physically sick. I need to protect my girl.
Mogs
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They can keep Saoirse as long as necessary. (I can pay for the extended stay myself even if the insurance won't cover it.) Part of the reason I want her to stay a little longer is to have nursing support for Saoirse in the hope that I might be able to get a bit of rest in order to better look after Saoirse at home.Do you know how much longer they will keep her?
Mogs, Bubba's ketone occurred some time after the surgery which I understand now a surgery can bring them on. Good thing you got a ketone meter. ( I believe I read that in one of your threads) I did not have one until much later so I was very remiss testing his urine with the strips. Bubba threw moderate ketones while he was in the 200's and he was eating. But looking back now here were some signs that I missed. He started peeing oceans again and the urine looked sticky. Also he was losing weight despite eating.Hospital is being brilliant. They normally don't allow visitors before 5pm but they're going to make a concession and allow me in to help nurse Saoirse this afternoon. The vet is also happy to work with me on drop-dosing of Saoirse's Lantus. They are taking on board my concerns about preventing DKA as well.
If anyone's online with ketone prevention / DKA experience, if there's anything you can suggest which might be helpful to ask the hospital vets to give me to bring home for Saoirse I would very much appreciate hearing from you.
Pancreatitis I can do. I am a bit out of my depth with recovery after a procedure like this one. @Tricia & Cinco & Harvey, @Bobbie And Bubba - is there any advice you can give me on what to expect, please?
Thank you all so very, very much for all your prayers, healing thoughts, caring and support. You are all helping me to keep going. If I can sort things out then I plan to get a bit more rest. I did manage to eat a little bit last night and this morning. I know I need the oxygen mask.
Mogs
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Probably the same as I'm doing, Mary Ann; just putting one foot in front of the other and seeing what needs to be done next.I can't imagine how I would deal with this situation if it were me.