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Cranberry

By Cranberry
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bosawks
bosawks

Happy 9th birthday and 6th gotcha to Sweet Alli!

JTMacc99
JTMacc99
EighteenTwelve
EighteenTwelve

Speaking of which...everybody, meet Quirk.  Congenitally cross-eyed, had to have her tail amputated when it got run over, and makes little squeaky noises like a dying smoke detector.  I adopted her on

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Scarlett45

Scarlett45

On 10/26/2022 at 12:49 PM, oliviabenson said:

Someone told me emergency vet visit is $600. Wondering if it’s true.

The emergency vet I take my pets to is $150 for the visit, and then depending on what needs to be done and what medicine is needed the price goes up. I have seen them give repeat customers services at no charge (when I was picking up Cavendish a guy came in, his dog had a chicken bone stuck in this throat, they took it out no charge). 

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peacheslatour

peacheslatour

2 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

The emergency vet I take my pets to is $150 for the visit, and then depending on what needs to be done and what medicine is needed the price goes up. I have seen them give repeat customers services at no charge (when I was picking up Cavendish a guy came in, his dog had a chicken bone stuck in this throat, they took it out no charge). 

Sheesh. We took Nathan in today to find out why he's been losing so much weight. Over two hundred bucks for a blood draw. I can't imagine what an emergency vet would charge.

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SuprSuprElevated

SuprSuprElevated

Had to take my Pearl in to emer. vet about a week after losing Onyx this summer.  Sat for 8.5 hours.  For the visit/exam, x-ray, antibiotic injection, probiotic and 5-day antibiotic oral med, I paid $450.  They wanted to do a blood draw for an additional $300, and I declined.

I was all sorts of mad, sad, and had by the end of that day.

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Bastet

Bastet

(edited)
12 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

They said tomorrow. Fingers crossed, he may have a very treatable condition. Hyperthyroidism.

If he's older, that's very common.  And, yes, very treatable -- either daily medication (it can be compounded into a transdermal gel you rub onto the ear if he's not good with pills) or the "nuclear option", which is a permanent treatment via radioiodine therapy.  (You generally start with medication, and then go nuclear if they prove difficult to regulate.  But the nuclear option isn't an option if they also have kidney disease.)

Fingers crossed that's what it is (and that was my first thought upon reference to unexplained significant weight loss).

And if that is what he has, get the methimazole in a multi-month supply from Costco (you don't have to be a member to access the pharmacy) -- dirt cheap compared to veterinary pharmacy prices.  Check Chewy, too; sometimes they're just as cheap or even a little cheaper, it just depends on the drug. 

Edited by Bastet
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Bastet

Bastet

(edited)
4 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I didn't know about the ear medicine option. ❤️

You can even get that in a dispenser pen; with each click, it will spit out the pre-set amount rather than you measuring via syringe.  More expensive than the pills (you have to get it from a compounding pharmacy, so you lose the Costco and Chewy options), so if you have a cat who'll just merrily chomp away on medication in a pill pocket (methimazole is a small pill), do pills, but if they're difficult to give pills to, the transdermal gel is a great option (unless they don't like their ears touched!).  Not every medication can be compounded into that form, but methimazole can.

Edited by Bastet
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luv2lurk

luv2lurk

(edited)
7 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Sheesh. We took Nathan in today to find out why he's been losing so much weight. Over two hundred bucks for a blood draw. I can't imagine what an emergency vet would charge.

So sorry to hear this Peaches, but it is good you are being pro-active. With my last cat when she started loosing weight at 15 years I thought it was hyperthyroidism (the previous cat had that) but turned out to be kidney disease (caught early, and with medication she survived another 5 years) Both are very treatable. Could also be diabetes with which I have zero experience.

As for daily regime of meds, you know your cat. I found that the one with kidney disease was not good with oral injection via syringe so we did a pill every day for 5 years. She was trusting of me and it was a small pill so it was no big deal. Hypothyroidism will also require daily medication (towards the end it was 2 times per day, but since that was 20 years ago I can't reliably comment on current med protocols).

$250 Cdn is what I paid every 6 months for bloodwork to monitor the kidney cat. I discovered it was much cheaper to order her meds online than to purchase them through the vet. And thankfully the vet wrote a prescription without charge so I could do so.

Selene (the kitten Tortie) has her paws crossed for Nathan and I am sending you positive thoughts and hugs.

Edited by luv2lurk
edited to clarify
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peacheslatour

peacheslatour

1 minute ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Well, so a good news / bad news thing.  So happy that he isn't actually ill.  Welcom to The Golden Years Nathan. 

Poor old man. And Elizabeth wants him to play so much. She's very gentle with him but I think we need to set up a playdate for her with a rough and tumble young cat.

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Bastet

Bastet

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

Whelp, Nathan is in the pink. His kidneys, liver and thyroid are  perfect. He's just old. 😭 His muscles are deteriorating and he's tired.

I call that "old man skinny".  They get a little bony and saggy, but they don't have any medical problems, their bodies are just old and tired.  But they're happy.  And don't need meds - yay!  And to be an old cat but have normal kidney and thyroid values is great, so I'm glad to hear the good lab report. 

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peacheslatour

peacheslatour

30 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I call that "old man skinny".  They get a little bony and saggy, but they don't have any medical problems, their bodies are just old and tired.  But they're happy.  And don't need meds - yay!  And to be an old cat but have normal kidney and thyroid values is great, so I'm glad to hear the good lab report. 

Thank you. That's exactly it. He's not in any pain, he eats just fine and his toilet habits are normal. He's just an old man.

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Bastet

Bastet

One of my nephew kitties had hyperthyroidism, and in his final years my friend kept thinking his senior wellness checks were going to show his T4 levels were no longer properly regulated, or his CKD had progressed into a stage requiring action, because he lost weight and had developed that bony, saggy look.  But, nope -- the thyroid hormones were still kept in check via medication and his kidneys were plugging right along at early stage two, he was just 18, 19, and then 20 years old.

You always want to check.  The visual reminder they're very much a senior can be hard, and maybe part of us wishes there was some minor, easily treatable condition going on and treatment would fill them out again, but, really, it's great when the organs are good and old age is the only reason for the physical change.  

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isalicat

isalicat

My calico girl (Kali!) lived to 23 and was absolutely fine, but her last couple of years were spent mostly sleeping and when she was awake she liked to go outside, lie in a sunny spot and observe the other cats and creatures gamboling around. She got skinny and mostly blind but kept eating and purring and all was well until we saw that she was no longer able to get to a litter box (or through the cat door) and was drinking lots of water and just "peeing in place". At that point I had a vet come to our place (I would not stress her out by doing the box/car trip) and was told that yes, it was probably time, so we had her sent over the Rainbow Bridge in our front yard. It was very quick and peaceful and she is buried in that acre on the flanks of a dormant volcano. She was a very good cat and I miss her a lot. 😿

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Mindthinkr

Mindthinkr

When Squeaky got hyperthyroidism the meds were not simple. She wouldn’t take the pills (pill pockets, hidden in food). I did try the ear gel, but because she is a cling on it started messing up my thyroid. She’s attach herself to me and I could taste it. I ended up getting her the radiation treatment. They way I figured it, it cost me the same to get her that treatment as giving her a years worth of transdermal meds and I’d have no side effects. It cost about 1k and lucky for me the vet specialist who did it was only about 5 miles away. She went in on a Monday am and came home Thursday pm. I did have to get her the World’s Best litter (flushable) as not to contaminate for an additional 7-10 days. I forgot exactly how long, but haven’t switched back to a different litter since then altho I don’t flush it anymore. She has been fine since then. They only drawback was she learned how to scream for food and still does. I don’t know if it’s because she’s about deaf or a habit she picked up. At least it’s no longer 15X per day. She’s almost 19 and I don’t regret doing it. 

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Bastet

Bastet

Baxter would even eat a giant, stinky Baytril in a pill pocket, so the methimazole was no problem, but he started getting hard to regulate with the meds; we kept having to adjust the dose and re-test, and all those blood tests stressed him out.  So I figured let's just knock this out once and for all.  I took him for scintigraphy to look at the thyroid tumors -- they were huge!  So, yeah, the nuclear option it was; no way meds were going to keep up with those anymore.

Unfortunately, Baxter got every rare condition/complication there is, so -- even though he was treated by one of the country's leading feline thyroid specialists and given a targeted dose based on the tumor size -- he was among the small percentage who became hypothyroid after treatment, so still wound up on lifetime medication, just now a synthetic version of the hormone he was no longer producing at all (rather than something to keep him from producing too much of that hormone).  Good thing he was easy to medicate!!

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Scarlett45

Scarlett45

22 hours ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Well, so a good news / bad news thing.  So happy that he isn't actually ill.  Welcom to The Golden Years Nathan. 

Me too!

22 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Whelp, Nathan is in the pink. His kidneys, liver and thyroid are  perfect. He's just old. 😭 His muscles are deteriorating and he's tired.

Awww. I’m glad Nathan is ok just old. It’s hard seeing them that way. 

21 hours ago, Bastet said:

I call that "old man skinny".  They get a little bony and saggy, but they don't have any medical problems, their bodies are just old and tired.  But they're happy.  And don't need meds - yay!  And to be an old cat but have normal kidney and thyroid values is great, so I'm glad to hear the good lab report. 

Both Mr Norris and Blake got like that in their senior years. So long as Nathan isn’t suffering, maybe some more calorie dense yummy food is in order. 
 

Lady Reese sends her love. 

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theredhead77

theredhead77

On 10/25/2022 at 10:35 PM, oliviabenson said:

How much does an emergency vet charge? 

That's not something we can answer for you. If you are still in need of services I encourage you to utilize Google to locate an emergency vet near you. "Emergency vet near me" is a good query to use. Many list their starting prices online but you can always call to ask. Similar queries will help you get information for whatever you seek near you. Prices on nearly all products vary by region, a message board with people all over the globe are going to have wildly different pricing experiences.

12 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

Guess who knocked the cat food tins off the bin and made a big sound, trying to get into the dry food?? Cavendish and Lady Reese that’s who!!! They are so sneaky. 

I was going to guess David S. Pumpkins! Sneaky kitties. Mine keeps trying to pull open the treat cabinet. He's been getting it open but not enough to paw his way in. Yet.

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Mondrianyone

Mondrianyone

13 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

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Happy Birthday to us 🎉 We made it. Today we are 19 years old and dressed up for Halloween 🎃 

2 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

They were a good sport about dressing up this year. MANY treats were to be had. 
 

Happy Halloween everyone!

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Happy birthday for sure to the two beautiful B's! And many more!

Getting cats into costumes is an impressive achievement. And is Cosmo a waffle or a woofle? He's definitely becoming a hambone!

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annzeepark914

annzeepark914

(edited)

We have a big black & white, maybe Maine Coon cat that we adopted when she was 7. She's now a rowdy, hefty 12. Anyway, I noticed several years ago, that she smells like cocoa around her big mane. Has anyone else experienced this with a cat. Last year, I called our vet's office & asked if they knew anything about this. They said no (so now I'm embarrassed to go out there 😎).

Edited by annzeepark914
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Bastet

Bastet

22 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

Anyway, I noticed several years ago, that she smells like cocoa around her big mane. Has anyone else experienced this with a cat.

That's a new one for me!  But that it's at her mane makes me laugh, because lion's mane mushrooms can smell like cocoa.  (She's not rolling around in those, is she?)

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annzeepark914

annzeepark914

29 minutes ago, Bastet said:

That's a new one for me!  But that it's at her mane makes me laugh, because lion's mane mushrooms can smell like cocoa.  (She's not rolling around in those, is she?)

Lion's mane mushrooms...never heard of them, but this is interesting. No, she's never rolled around in them (well, for the past 5 years she hasn't 😸).

peacheslatour

peacheslatour

On 11/2/2022 at 7:20 PM, annzeepark914 said:

We have a big black & white, maybe Maine Coon cat that we adopted when she was 7. She's now a rowdy, hefty 12. Anyway, I noticed several years ago, that she smells like cocoa around her big mane. Has anyone else experienced this with a cat. Last year, I called our vet's office & asked if they knew anything about this. They said no (so now I'm embarrassed to go out there 😎).

I get that. We had a big fluffy tuxy boy who, I swear to god, his whole life, smelled like baby powder.

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