Vet Verdict for Totoro

Totoro's vet visit was a mixture of good and not so good. The blood test was good apart from the 2.5 indiactor for creatinine. He is well-hydrated and his PCV is 35.5 5. The US was good and bad. His left kidney is stable but his right kidney has more stones although it is less dilated than before (4.6 compared to the previous 5.6). Dr S said that the dilation was the more major thing to look out for and as his kidney is less dilated now, that is a cause for celebration. The really good news is that all his other organs are fine and his bladder is clear of sand and his urethra is also clear. However, 2 of his kidney stones have increased from 5 mm to 6 mm! Dr S was very positive and she said he is ok and if nothing else happens (like blood in his urine) he should be back for a review in 6 months.
Dr Ly was pleased that he is stable and gave him an additional pill - a Urinary Acidifier to try to dissolve his crystals as we do not know for sure if his crystals are struvite or oxalate. He said it would not impact his kidneys in any way but it may allow us some conclusions. We have to come back in 2 months for an US to see if the crystals have dissolved. If not, then at least we know they're not struvite crystals and take it from there. I am willing to try this as the pill is very small and we could go forward from here.

Tests!

Megat: san spent some time worrying about what will happen to my brothers after our fight. This happened a few weeks ago when san found that I had pus at my side. She brought me to the vet and the vet said there were 2 puncture wounds at my side, one healed and the other not. The reason she worried was because I am an FIV + kitty and she knew this when she adopted me 5 years ago when I was 10. She did not think that any one of us would get into a big fight and as I only had 1 canine, I could not possibly inflict a great deal of harm on my brothers. But she of course did not think that one of my brothers would bite me and so the posisbilty of one of them having FIV is very big on the horizon. So she finally decided to test every one of them.
This was what happened. This was the site of the bite. But now I am very well and the bite has healed marvellously too.

Toro had the first test yesterday as he also had to get his blood review done. The vet said that his cretinine level is 2.5 and his BUN is 29. But as we were told the tests would show these indicators as he has renal problems. More to the point his FIV/FeLV test is negative. Since the vet did not have the required vaccination for FIV, I would bring him again this week for his shots. I suspected it could not be Toro as he would rather run than fight although he is known for putting Bujang in a headlock many times:)
Tanaka: san said I would go to the vet's this week wif my bruffer Bujang. san said that it was more likey Bujang was the culprit (that means the one who did it..uhem..) I like my bruffer Megat and we are friends. I told san that I do not need shots but she very seriously told me not to be afraid as all of my bruffers except Megat would need to be tested.

I asked san what if Bujang is difficult? She told me the vet has many assistants and they would help him out. san said we if we are FIV/FeLV negative, we still need the FIV vaccination which needs a booster in a month and then it would be an annual one. san still has to discuss with our vet about the annual vaccination part. san also read about the fact that there might be confusion once we are given our FIV vaccination as we might later test positive. People may think we have the virus and not just vaccinated against getting the virus. If one of us gets lost and we are tested for FIV, dire fings can happen! I do not want this to happen to any offur us. But then we are all micro-chipped except for Bujang and he WILL be microchipped by the end of the week.She says she has to think quite alot about this eventhough she has told the vet that she would vaccinate all offur us.

I went to the Best Friends website and it says
5. The virus can be spread through blood transfusions, badly infected gums, or serious, penetrating bite wounds. (Bite wounds of this kind are extremely rare, except in free-roaming, unneutered tomcats.)

I do not think the wound that Megat had was a 'serious penetrating bite wound,' though but I since I would need to test Bujang, I decided to test all the boys. Ms Akira would not be involved as she was not in the fray and she is separated from the boys (except Bujang) at all times. However, by the end of this week, we would know our test results.

Good News at the vet for Toro

This morning I went to the vet. I knew it cos san did not let me eat eventhough I kissed her in the morning so that she would wake up. I was furry hungry and she locked me up!

Then I saw the 2 carriers in front offur the cage. I know Tanaka and Bujang would not be going as they were too curious and they gotted to eat. It must be me and Megat, although Megat gotted to eat too. No fair!

Here I am shaven. All my nice fur gone! BUT san said Dr P gave her some good news for me so I will tell it all here.

Dr P said that one of my 6 mm crystals is now 4 mm and one of the 5.3 crystals is now 2 mm and she said the other smaller crystals are stable. This means they have not grown smaller nor bigger!! HURRAH! HURRAH! But the bad news is my 8.8 mm crystal is now 8.9!! My kidneys are now no longer swollen and I am not in danger of going into surgery like I was 3 months ago! More HURRAHS for us. We now have to see Dr P in 6 months and not every 3 months like before! Dr P said that this was what she had hoped for and san was to continue doing what she did with my medicines. That is the yukky bit cos I do NOT like medicines!

This is me every evening when I have to eat meds. san says she should tell everyone what she did so maybe it would help another kitty. san says she is not sure now if I have oxalate crystals as she thought these crystals could not be dissolved. Dr P told her 3 months ago that I had oxalate crystals although our test was not conclusive. san did the test 3 times with my help but there were only grains of sand and no one was able to tell us anything clearly.

This is what I have to take everyday although the Sub Q is only 3 times a week. I am on sodium chloride 0.9%. Cousin R always helps san with the Sub Q though. I have the following from the vet at arvc:

1 capsule of Nature's Sunshine Kidney Activator
1 capsule of Azodyl
1/2 tablet Fortekor
1/4 tablet (2 times a day) Alutab
1 capsule Nature's Sunshine Cranberry and Bucchu for my UTI
(when I ate only this, my crystals were stable)

Then san went to the internet and boughted the following from Pet's Alive because she is a little desperate to make me better:

4 drops of Kidney Support twice a day
1 capsule Immunity and Liver Support
3 drops of Runipoo Relief for my digestive system
A few granules of UTI Free in my breakfast and dinner

From the pet store:
1 capsule of BURP Omega 3 (she used to give me 1/2 teaspoon of Omega 3 from Probiotics Salmon Oil but decided on the capsule as was easier to give me)

I take all these 7 days a week with no off days! san gives me some sieved pumpkin and papaya as a reward for each capsule that I take. Also the pumpkin keeps me regular :) So you can see why I do not like the meds much as I have to take a lot. san is now contemplating shilintong to allow my crystals to pass out of me but she will blog about that when she gets it this Friday. She tells me she will try to get it in Chinatown. I have yet to approve of this!!

All that thinking about my meds have made me sleepy. san says she will blog about Megat tomorrow....zzzz....
PS: san says she will put this on my sidebar so it would be easier for others to see and of cos sometimes san needs to refer to the list to make changes if there is any need to although now Dr P said she should just follow this regimen closely for now.

Vet Verdict for Totoro

Dr P said that none of his crystals have become any bigger or smaller. So the prognosis of the crystals being oxalate calcium is true. However his right renal cavity has become bigger 5.4 from 3.9 (before 4.4) and it has partially blocked his urethra but she told me it is not serious enough to warrant surgery and we should only monitor him for now. Since he is drinking a lot more, we did a blood test and true enough his creatinine is 2.3 from 1.9. So she has taken him off his urinary diet and put him on k/d diet. She said as his renal failure stemmed from his stones then the urinary diet is not useful anymore.

I gave him the k/d canned food this evening which he turned his nose at. Megat ate it quite willingly. He ate a little of his dry k/d (which I had to buy at a*** Tampines, right after I got back from hospital at B.

On a good note, the people at the vet were all very pleased to see him and they came to see him at the ultra sound. Dr P said that if all her cats behaved well like Toro, she would be a happy vet :). I was glad they came to see him as Toro likes attention. he was very relaxed at the ultra sound so today everything was very easy for us.

We have to go for our next Ultra Sound in the first week of June as Dr P would be going back to France for the summer and our next blood test is in April.

Ooh the Toroble I Was In

an old pic of Toro

This whole week was a rather hectic one for Toro. First he had a fever on Wednesday night. I knew he was unwell as he sat in the bedroom by himself at 8 pm!! His ears were a little hot and I spent the night worrying if he was goig to be ok. The next morning he was up and eating and I thought we were home free. NOT so fast!

Yesterday Sister N called cousin R to report Toro's strange behaviour. He was running about and stared hard at Sister S in the face. Then he ran about some more in the afternoon. Toro would usually be quite laid back and would spend the day sleeping. So when I came home and heard these strange tales, I decided to take him to the vet. Nothing seemed wrong and we were sent home with some painkillers. The vet said he might have some pain and I was to get a urine sample. She also said he had quite a bit of stools that prevented her from feeling his bladder. But as he has no fever I thought we were home free..again. NOT so fast!!

When we came home from the vet, he ate some food and then spent the whole night under the bed. He was not even sleeping, merely sitting wide-eyed. So at 5 am I called the hospital for an appointment and was told that the only slot was at 6. I told them that my cat seemed blocked and I was farid he could be badly affected by this. NO pee and poo for 14 hrs! The nurse told me to bring him in first thing, which I did. We were the first one that Dr Lee examined. Thak goodness for that.

So finally he had to be hosiptalised for the day, he was on 500 ml sodium chloride, and he had a catheter in his urethra to boot. He was sedated so they could do this. I was told to get him at 9 pm! The vet said she hoped to try to at least clean up his toxins and maybe this would also help with then sedimentation in his bladder. She would also give hm something to help with the poo!

Now Toro is asleep and I have no heart to put him somewhere else eventhough his catheter would leak out some urine. I had put some plastic inside a pillow case and now he is sleeping on it. So even if it leaks, it would not go through to the bed. Tomorrow I would try to find my old shower curtain and place it under my bedlinen. I think it matters little that my linen would have small spots of urine as I can always wash it- repeatedly if need be but at least Toro is now sleeping soundly.

Btw he has a buster collar which made him very clumsy. I had to hand feed him his kibble as he was not able to eat anything with his collar on. Finally I took out his collar so he could eat his night snack and he ate quite hungrily. He was not pleased with me when I put his collar back on again. I really don't know how he was going to eat and drink with the collar. I should have asked the vet techs! Aiyah! Pictures tomorrow :)

Toro's Vet Visit

We were the first one in the hospital. So Toro had a good rest.
Toro: I can see effurything! Don't think I don't know what will happen san!
I remember this place!

I was glad Toro was very curious about everything that was happening.

After his ultra sound of his abdomen and throat, the injection for his urine sample, his blood test and his sub q. He was still very alert and good-humoured.

One of the asistants asked if she could take his picture. Toro obliged of course.

The blood test for 13/11/10

The numbers were not bad but not so good either esp for his calcium and creatinine.

Today's blood test was more encouraging. Hurray!

BUN, creatinine and calcium numbers were ALL much better. :))

His new diet.

The hero at home in shorn glory.

Oohhh...I am do tired~~~ zzzz

His ultra sound showed no dark shdows or tumours which was excellent. BUT Dr P was very concerned as his right kidney was much bigger than his left and there was a crystal or urolith that was partially blocking his urethra. As a result his right pelvic canal was swollen. Dr T had told me that this was a possibity and this condition is dangerous as he would need surgery if the crystal does not dissolve.

His right parathyroid was also a little bigger than his left one. Dr P said it was better to take the ultra sound of the thyroids as even when the iPTH is negligeable, it would be better to see the size and condition of the parathyroids themselves. So she shaved his throat. Poor thing Toro. But he was very good about it and behaved very well. Dr said she was not worried about the parathyroids and the enlarged one was within the norms.

Dr P tried to test his urine to see if she could determine if the crystals were struvite or oxalate calcium but it was not successful as there was only sand in the bladder. But she advised me to give him a new diet for his urinary tract. She said if its struvite, the diet would take care of it. f its oxalate calcium then the diet is of not much help.

We would need to come back in one month as Dr P was concerned about the enlarged pelvic cavity and the swollen kidney. She did say that it would take about 3 months to dissolve the crystals. Her final opinion is that the high calcium indicator was the secondary result of his kidney failure.

On the positive side, Toro really likes the new diet :)

All Clear for Toro

Toro sitting pretty for his usual dose of pills...

His test results ...

I brought Toro to the vet today for his overdue review. He was supposed to go last week but we had an emergency at home and so it got delayed. I had made an appointment for this Saturday but decided to go today as I was nervous when he was not playing last night. He sat on the couch and did not even harass Bujang when it was time for bed. Then he just sat quietly in bed. This was very unusual for a self-declared boss of the amigo house.

I was more than relieved when his test came out positive and all his numbers are within the normal indicators, especially his creatinine and BUN. Hurrah for Totoro and us! However, his red blood cells are low as evidenced also by his pale gums and so he has to do the eprex route again and we will have to go back in 2 weeks. Also Dr L said that we can reduce his subq sessions to twice a week, from every alternate day. It was a matter of looking for the right combination. I'm sure Toro would be pleased.

But for now, I am thankful that he is ok.

To the vet we go...

Toro has been under the weather for the past 3 days. It started with him vomitting on 3 mornings last week. I could hear him in the early hours and then I would find brown patches of half-digested kibble on the mat in the bathroom. He is a good kitty as he always does this in the bathroom or close enough to the bathroom. However, he had since stopped vomitting but now he is a very subdued kitty whose habits had changed quite drastically from the happy rompish blur kitty of before to the now rather subdued one.

He now prefers sitting by himself in the bedroom, preferring to be near his litter than anywhere else. He is not interested in Da Bird (which used to be his toy of choice) much and does not ask me vociferously to go to the toy cupboard to take it out and play with HIM. He now sleeps by himself in the rug near the bathroom instead of on his blanket in bed and does not rush out in the morning to eat the treats first. Rather he would stroll out after the others and would just sniff at the treat before ignoring it and moving on. He does not even come to me in the evenings to request for the brush. He does not run about roaring at the shadows at night in the living room. And more than anything, he does not go to grandma to be cuddled.

But he pees and eats his canned food like always. He has just turned into another hermit (like Ms Akira) and would choose solitude rather than people.

So this evening I am bringing him to the vet so I can rule out anything medical first. I hope things will look up for the little guy!

Toro and the vet

Grandma told Toro that he had to go to the vet as its time for his vaccination...

Dr BL said his bladder was not swollen but that was not to say that nothing 'bad' was happening. I admitted that this was true but he just had a urine test in March and I did not want him to undergo any more prodding and tests. I told Dr BL that he is urinating as usual and is not in any discomfort. He is drinking as usual too.

After his vaccination, Dr BL took a look at his teeth as he had plaque the last time. After some scrutiny, he was diagnosed with one tooth that needed scaling and a little swollen gum where the tooth was. Dr BL did not feel that he needed any major scaling and I thought we would have to try other means as scaling means anesthesia. So we went home with some tooth gel that I have to smoothen over his gums, especially the swollen side and something that I can put in his drinking water. We will try this first.

Toro was a little unwell in the evening but managed some canned food for dinner, a request for some scritching and a small bout of investigation over the carrier that we had used to put FatBoy. I had to disinfect and clean it for Bujang. He is now asleep in the middle of the living-room.

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!