Sneakers 2-20

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hmjohnston

hmjohnston

Member Since 2011
Sneaky girl is doing pretty good. Transitioning her to Merricks BG and she likes it. Eats less of it so that means it is a nutritiously dense food instead of junk food :lol:

I've noticed her dandruff is disappearing and her coat getting softer so there is a definite correlation going on here that i like. Her numbers are usually lower but then there are higher ones sprinkled in between and I wonder. She's been around 20u (give or take) for months now. Still doesn't like it when I pick her up- i do every night to get her to her kitty bed in my room where she stays all night. Not in bed with me, but at least in the room. And it helps that it is heated on her old bones :razz: .

I am so glad the hear that Autumn is home from her dental :-D . I am starting a fund for Sneakers to have one as well- all my extra sewing goes into the pot. I'm worried about those two teefs she lost and her breath doesn't get any better. And when I look at the dental pictures on-line I get a little depressed :? :roll: . I have no idea how much it will cost so am the busy little beaver getting the money pulled together so I won't keel over in sticker shock at the price :lol:
 
Your vet should be able to give you their basic prices. Mine has a "starting price" for the pre-dental blood work (which you need unless it was taken within a few months), and the cleaning and then costs for extractions. That's the big unknown.

If it will be a while before you can get the dental and her breath is bad, getting anti-biotics can help. I had a senior cat with beginning kidney issues, so she was not a candidate for a dental so she got ABs and they did help with her breath and gum redness.
 
Bring her to Nebraska....Autumn's dental was $75 thats it that is all she wrote...And she could come stay at Spa Dickerson for a few day, I even have a comfy hide-a-bed for you to sleep on and I can promise you won't be cold even with our weather right now...cuz you will have at least 11 living blankets vieing to sleep with you..lol

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
Oh Mel! That would be wonderful! :lol: But I'm afraid Sneakers would not enjoy the trip at all and would be a very bad guest by fighting all the other kitties and hiding from the droolers :oops: .

I've finished a large project so will have $350 earmarked for her by Friday. And I have two more projects that will be another $50 to put to it. AR is so backwards in a lot of things but I'll be calling the vet soon to talk about it. And I did know to get a panel done- but she just had one last month and besides her diabetes everything was normal so if we do it soon I might see if that one would work. I will ask about the AB though, thanks Sheila, cause I didn't think of that at all.

The question is, at nearly 18 and diabetic, should I do it or might it be too much?
 
One thing I will suggest with Sneaker and a dental...ask that they use gas to put her to sleep for it if you go for it, it is much easier to pull her out of it if she starts having problems than it is if they use an injectable...that is why I love my vet, all she uses is gas.

Autumn came home just minutes after hers was done bright eyed, yelling for food, and then was off to explore. While the one and only time I have had a cat put under with an injectable he wsa woosy for nearly the entire day and stil wasn't completely back to normal by the next morning, it took him forever to shake it off.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang.
 
Being very honest, I would be hesitant to put an 18 y.o. through anesthesia if it wasn't critical. Some could say bad teeth ARE critical, but at that age if they are eating ok I don't think so. The main concern about bad teeth, other than pain, is bacteria getting into the blood stream and causing problems for the heart valves and the kidneys. ABs can mitigate that.

It is something to ask the vet about and depends on Sneakers whole health picture. I know there are ways to do a dental without a general anesthesia, like with small puffs of inhaled anesthesia (gas), but that is a technique the person doing the dental should be experienced with.

Also ask about getting a chest xray to make sure there isn't a possibility of congestive heart failure, which shows up as an enlarged heart on xray. It can't really be definitively diagnosed on xray, but that can be a "warning" to look further. When Beau's CHF was diagnosed, his heart was enlarged on xray (confirmed later on ultra sound) and it was the first thing the vet thought from his symproms which was why she did the xray. He's never had, or ever will have, a dental. I will do ABs if that becomes necessary.
 
Sneakers has been under twice with the old vet and both times it took her hours to come out of it- when another animal took a bite out of tail/spine area and left a half dollar sized hole and the other was when she had a toe amputated b/c the claw would not come in right.

They do x-rays at my new vet, so that is something. Getting an MRI or a CAT scan is about $1,100, mainly as I wanted to check her organs for growth but at that price I couldn't afford it and her insulin in the same year. As she drinks a pen a week and a pack a month I figured keeping her insulin going was a better investment all around :roll: .
 
Xrays should not be that much and you would not need the CT or MRI for this purpose. When Beau had his ultrasound it was 2002 and cost $600. I hate to think what it is 10+ years later! Jeddie had xrays last summer both at reg vet and at the specialty place and they were around $45 at both places, I think. These were digital xrays, don't know if that makes a difference.
 
I am wondering if I am over speculating about this. I know her breath smells bad but is it any worse than other cats who don't have dentals? She let me rub her jaw line really hard this morning and didn't act as if it hurt. Just the fact that she lost those two teeth recently is bothering me.

Currently she is laying on the couch (I put a paper ream box down and she gets up there all the time now) and now follows me from room to room- so is pretty active- for her :lol: .

Since I changed her food her dandruff has nearly disappeared- only a little left near her tail. And she eats about 6 oz/day sometimes less, hardly ever more. I had returned 3 books to Amazon and got a $145 rebate and used it totally for cat food (crazy? :lol: :roll: :mrgreen: ) but with 3 5.5oz cases and 2 3oz cases she's got food for quite a while. Who needs shoes, anyway?

Her numbers have been great. Low yellows or high blue PS's and very little fluctuation in numbers (usually up over the day)- very much IHOP- has led me to reduce her dose to 18.5u (from 20u) just to see how she goes- I got a 132 for her +9 this afternoon :mrgreen: . Well, first day of trial so lets see how she does tomorrow.

Spent the afternoon with mom at the garden show and saw a lot of pretty stuff and drooled over the plants. Got some miniature creeping thyme and monkey grass as well as some lemon fig and basil jam- YUMMY!
 
And I got my first check for the sewing project and as they will be tossing them after use so they want me to continue making them :mrgreen: . Summers are their busiest so they want to stockpile them but I don't know how much they consider a stockpile- 50? 100? Nice little side job if I can keep it going until I graduate and get a job. Sneakers always seems to run through her budget allotment quicker than I can bring it in so this will be great. First goal is to build up Sneakers medical fund so I don't have a heart attack every time I need to buy insulin :roll: and for her dental or any other vet visit. After that it will go for debt reduction.

For my taxes I entered all the receipts that I had and then went through my cc statements and marked all the ones I didn't have receipts for and put those in- :oops: :oops: . All those little purchases I do on-line kill the budget big time. So I decided that each month I would do all of my receipts AND online payments for the previous month into my database in order to keep my mind focused this year. My goal is to be cc debt free by May so I can start on the solid stuff- house, car, student loans...

I am astounded at what I spent for Sneakers this last year on insulin, strips, supplies (including food) and vet visits. And I only have one cat- those of you with more than one pet have my sympathies, for one, and praise, for two. Over on the FB page we've been joking on how much of our returns are going for insulin and yet it isn't really a joke. They take so much of our returns yet we can't take them off on our taxes :sad:
 
MommaOfMuse said:
Bring her to Nebraska....Autumn's dental was $75 thats it that is all she wrote...And she could come stay at Spa Dickerson for a few day, I even have a comfy hide-a-bed for you to sleep on and I can promise you won't be cold even with our weather right now...cuz you will have at least 11 living blankets vieing to sleep with you..lol
Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
Click to expand...

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Living blankets - I LOVE that!!! ;-)

Heather, one other thing to remember... If you decide to go through with it, you also need to make sure they insert a breathing tube. With the acro, the enlarged soft tissue in the throat can close up easily when the muscles relax, cutting off the air supply. Maybe one of the more experienced acro parents can advise on the specifics.

I would be hesitant to put her under at her age. I've generally had surgeries/etc done up until about age 12 (Murphy's cancer) or 10 (Kirby's glaucoma) - both dogs. Don't think I've done any anesthesia for any of my guys beyond that. I think the ABs might be the better route - and probably the x-rays.
 
Lu, I think we posted at the same time! I hadn't thought of the breathing tube- since she wheezes and snores so much that is a big deal to make sure of if I go through with it. Thanks.
 
Heather, what are you sewing that are "disposable"? I can't figure it out!

Lu-Anne, good point about the breathing tube. None of the rest of us would even have thought about that.

It does seem like ABs and seeing how things go is a good idea. I know that my cats' breath changes from time to time. Sometimes there is no smell and other times it smells bad - same cat, and nothing done/not done to change it. I know the two lost teeth are a concern, has the vet checked her mouth to see if they broke off or if they fell out? You would want to make sure that if they broke there is no exposed root.

Anyway, a lot of good info and "talking points" to go over with the vet before making a decision.
 
That breathing issue is definitely a concern for Acros. I never thought much about it or realized it before, but when I do everyone's manis & pedis, Grayson always HATES to be held sitting up (so I can do his back feet). I used to think it was just his size that made it uncomfortable.... then on our trip last fall, my friend Jeff held him for a picture... sitting up. He had been really good with Jeff the whole rest of the trip, but as soon as he held him like a child on his lap, he was ready to be outa there! Probably just the position his throat is in when upright. G is DEFINITELY a horizontal boy!!!
 
Yes- Sneakers doesn't like to be in a sitting position at all- hasn't for months.

As for the disposables... it is for a children's heart surgeon. It is something they use in the surgery to help keep them in such a small area- made of 3 layers of fabric to wick away any blood. They are not allowed to have their own laundry anymore and the hospital one lost most of the ones they had so they needed me to make some more. And they have permission to throw them away now instead of having the laundry people do it and buy more as needed. Sorry such a permanent piece is tossed but I get paid to make more. Kind of like a loose/win situation for me.
 
That sounds like a very interesting piece of sewing. I'm trying to imagine what it looks like and how it works. That kind of stuff fascinates me. Did you know I am a medical illustrator? How do you keep cat fur off them while you sew? I used to sew for people and had to make sure my work area was free of cats and their fur, which is hard because they always want to be "right there" helping. I did a few wedding dresses and bridesmaids dresses where I spread a clean sheet over the table and kept everything on top of it for the duration. And I have knit for people and kept the yarn and project inside a pillow case on my lap while I worked.

I know what you mean about the win/lose. You hate to see your work get tossed, but it does guarantee more work. I think almost everything used in surgeries, and hospitals, except sheets, towels and blankets are disposable these days.
 
Here is a picture of it.

A large 15 x 16 inch piece, a smaller 14 x 14 square stitched on to that one. A 14 inch circle (2 pieces) loose, sewn on four lines from the middle, with a 3 inch hole in the middle for them to work with. Now that I am used to it I can do 4 in less than 2 hours and they provide the fabric. This gives me a chance to use up all those old bobbins and threads from other projects :lol: .

Sneakers used to be in all my projects- sitting on one corner, playing with the thread, no it doesn't hold much interest for her- she is happy to sit next to me on the couch. Plus, before they do the first surgery it has to be sterilized anyway.

When I started altering I learned the hard stuff first- wedding dresses and formal gowns (David's Bridal). I wanted something less stressful and a happier work environment so went to work in an alterations shop and learned all the easier things- pants, shirts, patches... I've worked there 11 years this August and she still gives me all the invisible zippers and most of the formals. It is only on Saturdays and gives me gas money and food money for the month while my weekday job does the bills and healthcare :roll: . It makes for a LONG week and very little vacation time so I am now in school to get a higher paid job so I don't have to work on Saturdays again :-D .
 

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Thanks for posting the photo - makes it much easier to understand how it might be used. Is the fabric the standard surgical towel weave? I thought they could sterile that stuff again after laundering?

I actually like formal wear over pants/blouses, I think. Blouses seem "finicky" to me with the set in sleeves and buttonholes and buttons. Formal dresses, somehow, seem either easier or, more satisfying. I haven't sewn for others for decades.

When is school done for you?
 
I don't make clothes- gave that up YEARS ago (I will occasionally do a piece for me). And we only alter- not re-tailor clothes so no resets of sleeves and the like. If it has a seam we can take it in, let it out, put in darts, hem up/down. What is annoying is people buy a piece for a 'great' deal- $10 or less and they want us to do the hem and waist b/c it doesn't fit- then gripe about how the alterations cost more than the pants :roll:

I do pillows and curtains at home for extra money- it's been helping to pay for Sneakers supplies ever since she was dx, I did a few of these for the doc over 4 years ago and he thought it was too costly then. now it doesn't seem to be anymore. I've looked up something like them in a medical supply catalogue and it is a good deal each. Then again, everything in a medical supply catalogue is always costly as it is, well, medical. then they double it for those with third party payers and triple it for self payers.

BJ- And I don't think her teeth are painful as she lets me rub the sides of her mouth- hard. But she's a little tender where she lost the teeth. I wouldn't know how good she would be with the toothbrush, though- I might need to get my garden gloves on for gauntlets :-D
 
I'm with you on making clothes...I will do them for myself (well just about have to since I'm a size 1) but normally hate to make them. I do however, make some really cute pet beds one of which is an old fashion fainting couch that I have sold to interior decorators. I make it to match either their clients curtains or couches etc. I haven't done any in several years but need to get back to it, since it use to pay for all the critter supplies. I also have an awesome program on my computer that again haven't used in years, but I can take any photo run it through the program and it makes a counted cross stitch pattern complete with a list of all the DMC floss colors needed to complete it.

When I was still in Denver I would go to horse, cat and dog shows and get orders for them and then make them into either pillows or tote bags. But they are pricey because of the long hours they take to make, but are beautiful when they are done. Really need to get back to doing some of that stuff again to off set feeding 14 cats canned food...lol

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
The counted cross-stitch program is one I have wanted to get for a long time but didn't think they were around anymore.
I would have liked to do my niece and nephew as a present for my sister sometime.
And Sneakers could be immortalized in thread!
Let me know how much you would charge to convert the pictures. If I had that I could work on them as I had time.

It would take years though, I'm currently working on my long-term cc project of a horse running on the beach. Since I only work on it during retreats and conferences it really only comes to around 5 or 6 days a year. I've been working on it for about 11 years now :lol: . That sucker is getting FRAMED when I finish and it will be the ONLY art work on my wall :lol: . If I didn't have to do the power point for our church I could slide in an hour a week in doing it during church- but that might be distracting :-D :oops: :roll: . I'm the type of person who's mind wanders if the hands aren't busy.
 
Heather the program is freeware I'll see if I can find you the link I used to download it. I hear you on it taking years to finish one..lol I have a very small one that I have been working on for a good 6 months now but I only really get a chance to work on it in the evenings for a couple of hours here and there, and then that is if I can find what my cats have done with various parts of it.. :lol: Bert is a pica cat, so I'm always sticking it somewhere to get it out of his reach and then have to remember where that out of his reach was...lol

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
I wonder if there is a program like that for needlepoint?

Actually, I did two of my cats in fabric (applique) for the top of a jumper. I keep meaning to remove the skirt and frame the top part. And then I want to do the other cats as well.
 
Since it makes a grid chart I would think you could just transfer it to needlepoint, I actually like needlepoint better than counted cross stitch but needlepoint seems to be a dying art. I know I have used the same chart off the program to make a matching latch hook rug. Of course when doing that I had to just match colors as best as possible but I think you could use it for anything that you work off a chart for. I want to try using it for loom bead work.

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
Well apparently they no longer have the limited free version available but here is the link to the same company that made the one I used years ago, and I think I will be reordering this one later because it looks like it has a lot more bells and whistles to it. Really need to get back into doing that kind of thing again to get a little more income flowing in the household especially over the winter months when Jon's hours are dicey at best.
http://www.pcstitch.com/PCS10/PCStitch10.aspx

Mel, Maxwell, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
Thanks! That isn't that bad of a price. Will bookmark to order when my income tax checks get here- in June :roll: :lol:
 
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