Toro and the vet

 What? I dun wan to go!

Yesterday I came home to some very distressing news that Toro had blood in his urine and he was going in and out of his litter. It was already 4 o'clock and I was afraid I may not get an appointment for him. True to my fears, his vet Dr L was booked but fortunately Dr Lee was able to see him at 5.30pm. I bundled him straight into the carrier and we went straight to the hospital. This would be the 4th time that he has this problem. I was afraid that he would be hospitalised to flush his system of whatever ails him or he would need to have the catheter in again or worse, he would have to undergo major surgery! I actually called Fern in the taxi as he was wailing and yelling and asked her to tell him that we would try to make him feel better. 

We saw Dr Lee at 4.30 and she said that if his bladder was swollen she would need to put the catheter. Oh dear!! If not, we could go home with antibiotics and something to make his urethra less irirtated. Then she went to see about the xray and blood test. Toro was very calm and sat quietly. Dr Lee told him he was a very good boy and he behaved very well.

By this time, Fern came in to speak with him as she was at the vet with her  dogs. I was grateful for the help and support as well :) Dr Lee finally came in with his xrays and I was glad to know that his bladder is small and so there was no need for the catheter. WHEW! So she said pending the blood test, we would be good to go. His blood test was also a case for joy :)

This is the best test that he has gotten ever since he was diagnosed with renal failure! Dr Lee told us to keep the thrice a week sub q as it was working very well. (sorry Toro).

ALl this fuss!

We were given marbocyl, serrazyme and one microlax enema because he was backed up! Poor thing Totoro! But at least I got to bring him home and after the enema, he was quite relaxed. I need to monitor him for his urine. I hope the pills will help.

One more Marbocyl Day

I do not like the pill...really...

Tomorrow will be the lst day for his marbocyl. he has been very good at taking it. of course he sometimes has to be persuaded but now he finds it easy to just swallow the pill once it is in his mouth. He no more maneuvers the pill out of his mouth and he doesn't try to pretend to have swallowed it as I always ask him to open his mouth so I can check. Then he gets 2 treats which he likes better than 1.

I was quite anxious this morning when I saw 2 mounds of litter but nothing underneath both. I was thinking that Toro had tried to pee and was not able to do it. I sat him down and told him that if that was the case, then he would have to see Dr L before the 13th Oct! I was very glad that at 10.30 pm, when I got all the boys into the room to calm down before sleep, he was in the litter peeing a storm.


I now think it was Megat who had piled up the mounds as he is still having a little constipation today. He was able to poo last night though so I am not very worried...yet.

You can't trick me...

Toro staring down at me...

Just because he is the most dizzy of the 5, it doesn't mean he does not have brief flashes of brilliance. Toro has taken to not wanting to eat dinner with the rest as he knows he has to eat his pill afterwards. Yesterday I gave him his pill after breakfast so he was rather surprised. But this evening he decided to have some dinner but on top of the book case so I would not be able to catch him for his pill :) Although I would like him to be bale to retain this illusion, it is inevitable that I get him down for his antibiotics. He does get a treat after that but I gues for some cats, it would take much more than just salmon treats. Poor Kitty! But he only has just 6 more days left.

I can go!

Toro resting near open corridor window..

And that is true. Toro is now having no problems with peeing and has taken to hiding strategically after dinner. He knows that now, it would be dinner, then pill and then a treat. He is also getting very good at actually pretending to swallow the pill and then getting off our laps only to spit it out later!

I did not get him toothpaste at the vet but got Plaque-Off. I can just put on scoop into his food and it would take care of the plaque. The thing now is to persuade Toro that it is good to eat. It smells like Japanese seaweed. I guess a few flakes at a time should do it until he can tolerate the taste.

The Pill Popper...

A fuzzy pic of the pill at the end of the popper...

The whole contraption...

I got this pill popper from the vet's. I was supposed to use it for Megat's Leukeran but it was not practical so I had to put 1/4 Leukeran in his salmon treats. But I use this pill popper for Toro and his Marbocyl. It is my life saver and will continue to be so for the 20 days that I have to give Toro his antibiotics. :) Thanks to the blogger who told me about it.

Toro is no longer vomitting from the antibiotics and it did stop spontaneously after 2 days :)

Congrats Toro

for not vomitting this morning...
I hope the vomitting phase has passed or like the site says 'spontaneously' stopped *cross fingers*

Oahhh the vomitting san...

san is making me visit Dr TH today fur my vomitting. I am fine san, FINE...F_I_N_E

I made an appointment today at 4.30 pm to see Dr TH as Toro had been vomitting for 2 days - once a clear liquid and this morning some undigested food. Then I came home and read up on the side effects and it seems that vomitting and soft stools are 2 of the side effects that may occur but it is not nec to stop the protocol. Vomitting may stop spontaneously also.

So I cancelled our appointment as I do not want Toro to be so stressed out at the hospital unnecessarily. I think I will see how he does first. Anyway it is now raining very hard here and this would add to our stress as we have to travel some distance to Balestier. If he should continue to vomit, then I would have to bring him on Sunday, HR notwithstanding. It seems that Saturday would be busy at the hospital and its already full. I would be a walk-in. Aiyoh! I do not want to repeat my experience last Tuesday. I was not even a walk-in then!

Somebody..I have a blocked cat here...

Why does the man call me a blocked cat?

I know I am a little slow but please....

I decided to take him to Dr L as he vomitted 3 times in 2 days after the metacam. Dr L saw him and read his stats and said "Hmmm...it could mean many things...why did they diagnose it like this? HUH!!!

He then prodded Toro abdomen. "His kidneys feel a little swollen..." He said that just because the kitty was squatting, it does not always mean bladder infection and he said Toro was a little older than his supposed years. Even young cats can get kidney trouble!

I had to help him and placed my finger on Toro's vein as there was no immediate help available. Toro did not like it and tried to squirm out (but just a little). Another vet came in to help - a Caucasian man (Dr TH) with an accent that I found a little difficult to understand. Dr L told me his name twice but I still can't figure it out. He asked me if Megat and Toro ever fought (No), whether Toro had been tested for FIV/Felv (No) whether Toro had trouble eating and drinking (No) but I founf out that Toro has some plaque(possibly something that I have to deal with later) Then he said the bladder felt a little thick and there is some urine still. he said that we might have to do a urine test but we will see what his hematology test show.

After what seemed a long time, the results show that Toro is fine and there is nothing wrong with him.

His indicators :
BUN 20 (10-30); his CRE 1.7 (0.3-2.1),
his ALB 3.9 (2.2- 4.4); his ALT 15 (20-100)
his GLU 116 (70-150)
his TP 6.8

Dr L then gave us antibiotics instead for 20 days Marbocyl, to be taken after food. I wanted to give Toro his pill after dinner but after he came home from the hospital, he just decided that he was not hungry and preferred to rest. So maybe I would give it to him later after his biscuits because he would be hungry later since he has not eaten anything from 3.00 pm.

I am very glad I listened to my instincts and brought him to the vet. I had changed my mind in the pm and thought maybe he should just rest and I could monitor him but at the last minute I changed my mind as I know I would regret it later.

With Megat, I didn't act on my instincts. Eventhough I knew there might be something wrong, when I felt the hardness against his abdomen, I listened to the vet when she said she could not feel anything hard. Then after 3 months I found out that he had lymphoma!! Once bitten twice shy!