Medical Mancat Monday

First and foremost, I wanted to share my prayers and condolences with Ellen of 15andmeowing following the loss of her beautiful Lucy.

Lucy was so blessed to know love, thanks to Ellen. What a beautiful angel Lucy was, is, and always will be.

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I started typing out a whole long explanation for yet another weekend absence on our part, but let me see if I can make it short-ish, not-so-sweet, and almost to the point.

Evan started straining to both defecate and urinate on Friday night. He also started passing blood in his urine. I was able to get his urinary issues to settle down on Friday night with additional doses of his medications, and then he was seen at the vet on Saturday morning. Thankfully he did not have a urethral obstruction, but we have increased multiple of his urinary medication dosages and frequencies. Evan also was officially diagnosed with megacolon this weekend. He received an enema to help with that in the moment, and he was able to get lots of stool out on Saturday and a bit out on Sunday as a result. He is still, however, straining to urinate and is passing blood and now blood clots as of last night and this morning.

I know that photo looks dramatically sad, but that was Evan simply trying to make himself look invisible at the vet. He had just gotten out a large amount of urine when the vet tech expressed him, which was good, but he seemed pretty sure that if pretended to sleep he would be left alone. Sorry, buddy, but no such luck.

Evan was already scheduled for his usual sanitary shave today, so I dropped him off at the vet's groomer this morning. After this weekend's enema and other events, the grooming was very much needed. When I dropped him off, I also had the receptionist leave a note for the vet, to let her know that he's still straining to urinate, still passing blood, and now also passing blood clots. He also might still be doing some straining to defecate, despite all of the stool passed this weekend, but sometimes Evan's hind limb paralysis seems to make his internal tracts all shades of confused.

What's more, my dad ended up in the ER on Saturday. He was having back and abdominal pain and couldn't keep anything down, not even water. Despite all sorts of tests and imaging, nothing major was found, and the ER doctor believes he's either having a flare related to gallstones, or that he has some sort of intestinal virus that presented in this way. Thankfully, my dad was able to come home that afternoon and with some medications of his own has been slowly feeling better.

While I'll try to keep some sort of schedule, if a miss a post over the next day or two, don't be alarmed. Evan is currently on so many medications at so many intervals as we're trying to settle his urethral issues, not to mention his urethral spasms and urine straining have been happening all hours of the day and night, that my sleep and schedule in general are completely off the rails. I'm trying to stay on top of things, but I just thought I'd mention this, in case I miss a post over the next day or two.

Either way, have a wonderful Monday, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

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Tip of the Day

We've given past tips on the dangers of paint products, but we're going to repeat this for National Pet Poison Awareness Month. Unsurprisingly, paint, varnish, and other similar products can be toxic to our furbabies. Lead paints can of course cause lead poisoning, which can cause a variety of severe symptoms, including those of the gastrointestinal and neurological systems. Lead can also be detrimental to red blood cells, brain function, and other important processes in the body. Oil-based paints can also be dangerous, potentially causing diarrhea as well as having serious effects on the lungs. They may also contain heavy metals and thereby cause symptoms similar to those of lead paint toxicity. Products such as varnish can also have similar negative side effects as paint.

Also keep in mind that paint and paint products can emit dangerous fumes. Especially without proper ventilation, inhalation of the fumes can cause irritation of the lungs or symptoms such as dizziness. To avoid emergencies related to the ingestion or inhalation of paint or other paint products, of course keep these items well out of reach of your furbabies. Try to keep your furbabies safely out of areas that are being painted. Should ingestion or inhalation of paint products occur, do not hesitate to seek veterinary assistance.