1/31/2011
Tomorrow is Pumpkin's follow-up appointment. We are hoping that a.) He's gained more weight b.) that we have kicked any vermin/parasite's buns c.) His red blood cell count is increasing on his own.
The blood counts & blood work are crucial to being able to rehabilitate him. H, J & myself have all talked about the fear that we are trying to rehabilitate a cat that has no chance. The options discussed so far have been a blood transfusion at the time of surgery. We are not opposed to this we are just worried about his long time issues with his blood work. We want him to be able to live a healthy, happy & furry existence after surgery. So, the vet & the surgeon understand our concerns.
The other pressing aspect is the financial burden of this. We might be reaching our limits on what we can afford with regards to his rehabilitation. We absolutely hate it that its coming to that, and that money is an issue. I am working extra hours (2 jobs basically) anyway just because I like to stay busy. I know H is working overtime by default, and J is doing the best he can to contribute. However, if it gets much more expensive than what we are currently expecting we may have to do what we can within our means and let the chips fall where they may. We've discussed euthanasia, but the vet has assured us that we can "cut corners" and Pumpkin could still have a very good quality of life.
We asked the vet to tell us if he thought that Pumpkin was past the point of no return, and if what we are doing is not in his best interests. So far the vet's opinion (and I was upfront with him about the fact that we know he gets paid for all of it, but we want this to be about Pumpkin & not $) is good and he's given us our options straight. I would really like to keep euthanasia off the table as long as possible (naturally) but the worry is that we are keeping him on when the end result will be less than favorable. We don't need necessarily ideal conditions, but we do want him to be able to live the rest of his life comfortably & in happiness. So every vet (there are multiple specialist at this hospital) has said that given Pumpkin's current condition that its leaning towards a favorable outcome, but really it all depends on how he handles surgery & recovery.
So, as you've been doing of course, please continue to lift Pumpkin up to The Lord. We want him to stay with us (yes, partially selfish because we love this little cat so much. We've gotten to know him over the past year) to be happy, healthy & snuggly as long as possible. We don't want to prolong his suffering and I keep praying that we aren't being unreasonable. We have pretty good financial resources. Our emotional and care-taking abilities seem to be endless (I am truly Thanking God for this). We are willing to pull for him as long as he can hold out. If we can just get him over this hump I think we will all be happy.
Please Lord! I give thanks for all the lovely, supportive family and friends (online & off) that have supported us through this. It means so much to us that we have people who are willing to cheer us on. I worry that perhaps we are going crazy and being unreasonable, but we will have to make decisions as to our limits here pretty soon. When we do it might be sad, but I am praying, hoping and loving so hard that everything will be ok.
Doing well & Eating his big meals!
Pumpkin is doing so well with his feedings. He will even attempt to lick some of the syringe or your finger when you offer it. He has been able to hobble to the box more often by himself, but he will still topple over if you don't watch him too closely. We still like to be there if we can to help him.
So far nothing bad happening with the dressing on his front paw. We are trying to encourage him to eat more on his own (from our fingers) but he will only take a bit before he seems to become disinterested. We don't know if that its only because it takes so much effort or if the food we have (high nutrients) doesn't taste that good to him at this point. We have him on another dewormer (we can't figure out which worms he still has if any), antibiotics for the front paw wound & generals for the rest of him.
I love to come home to him meowing and looking so happy to see me. It makes me very happy & thankful that we decided to let him have all the chances we could for recovery as opposed to just putting him down.
So we are coasting on what we have until Tuesday (his followup appointment) where we can see if he is up to where the vet wants him to be for surgery. They want him to gain more weight (a pound or more) & see if we can master his red-blood cell count (it is still too low). If not then he would require a blood transfusion. We would like to avoid that but the hernia in his abdominal wall needs to be addressed sooner than later. We would also like to get at least one leg functional so that he can be more mobile on his own.
Thank you so much for all your thoughts, prayers, & messages. It would be impossible to stay so optimistic without the support & love that we've received for little Pumpkin. That's the update for today!
First Follow-Up Appointment
UPDATE 1/27/11
The good news: Pumpkin has gained a full pound in week! He is bright, energetic, feisty & vocal. The hernia is stable and not causing any trouble, though his bladder did get caught in it. So today we were having it massaged and he leaked a bit on the table. Then he thought, "well, while I'm at it I'm going to pinch one off for the vet" and had a good poo-fest right there for the doctor. LOL.
The not so good: The vets can't get a handle on what is causing his red blood cell count to remain unchanged. It is still too low to consider surgery. If the hernia became an immediate issue they would have to give him a transfusion at the time of surgery. Another complication arose when they were changing his splint bandages. Apparently a week go his paw was too swollen to tell, but there was an abscess of his joint on his front, right paw. Today when they were changing the dressings it bursts and it goes very deep down to the joint. They sedated him a bit, and cleaned it all out. It is dressed (no splint) and we just have to monitor it for any oozing or swelling through the bandages. So, until that front paw wound heals that paw is out of the running for surgery. We have another followup appt set for Tuesday morning. I am most likely going to not be able to go, because I can't take off work again. However, my house mate has authorization and our carecard info to put any charges on there.
We have to do what we can within reason. We have the option of doing expensive surgery on the hind leg + hernia (the hernia just by itself. The combination is what is costly). Then, splinting the front leg and hoping for the best. I believe that is where we are right now, but all of this is dependent on being free from infection with that front paw wound. So that's the update. I know its long and if you made it this far you get lots of cookies. :)
The good news: Pumpkin has gained a full pound in week! He is bright, energetic, feisty & vocal. The hernia is stable and not causing any trouble, though his bladder did get caught in it. So today we were having it massaged and he leaked a bit on the table. Then he thought, "well, while I'm at it I'm going to pinch one off for the vet" and had a good poo-fest right there for the doctor. LOL.
The not so good: The vets can't get a handle on what is causing his red blood cell count to remain unchanged. It is still too low to consider surgery. If the hernia became an immediate issue they would have to give him a transfusion at the time of surgery. Another complication arose when they were changing his splint bandages. Apparently a week go his paw was too swollen to tell, but there was an abscess of his joint on his front, right paw. Today when they were changing the dressings it bursts and it goes very deep down to the joint. They sedated him a bit, and cleaned it all out. It is dressed (no splint) and we just have to monitor it for any oozing or swelling through the bandages. So, until that front paw wound heals that paw is out of the running for surgery. We have another followup appt set for Tuesday morning. I am most likely going to not be able to go, because I can't take off work again. However, my house mate has authorization and our carecard info to put any charges on there.
We have to do what we can within reason. We have the option of doing expensive surgery on the hind leg + hernia (the hernia just by itself. The combination is what is costly). Then, splinting the front leg and hoping for the best. I believe that is where we are right now, but all of this is dependent on being free from infection with that front paw wound. So that's the update. I know its long and if you made it this far you get lots of cookies. :)
Pumpkin is a Rockstar!
Pumpkin is a rockstar!
This little cat is doing so well. He is doing so much better than he was a week ago. He's gained almost a pound! We are hoping to keep that weight going, he is flea/parasite free, & has managed to get some fancy feast the "regular" way. He is still getting the E-Tube feedings which are becoming a little bit more difficult as his strength is returning. He wants to flop around on the bed while we are giving slowly injecting it-- so it makes us flip out a bit. It is very nerve-racking to be trying to feed him and have him start squirming.
His litter box output has picked back up. The hardest part about the entire thing is keeping his casts dry. Poor thing tries to hobble to the box only to face plant. So we have to provide a "drag trail" (a towel) for him to get traction to make it to the box. So far he's gone twice on his own, but we want to minimize his movement so we usually pick him up and hold him over.
Houston, we have poo! The stool (as gross as this detail is) is firm and clear, so so far his intestines are doing all they should and are not twisted.
He's begging to be cuddled when we get home. So much so that he will attempt to hobble into the hallway when he hears the garage door open. To prevent that we have to actually shut the door to his crate. Poor thing is so excited to see us at every feeding that he starts meowing, purring and attempting to make lots of biscuits (kneading) with his good front paw.
So we are hoping that at his checkup on Thursday that they will say that he has the green light to get his bones fixed.
This little cat is doing so well. He is doing so much better than he was a week ago. He's gained almost a pound! We are hoping to keep that weight going, he is flea/parasite free, & has managed to get some fancy feast the "regular" way. He is still getting the E-Tube feedings which are becoming a little bit more difficult as his strength is returning. He wants to flop around on the bed while we are giving slowly injecting it-- so it makes us flip out a bit. It is very nerve-racking to be trying to feed him and have him start squirming.
His litter box output has picked back up. The hardest part about the entire thing is keeping his casts dry. Poor thing tries to hobble to the box only to face plant. So we have to provide a "drag trail" (a towel) for him to get traction to make it to the box. So far he's gone twice on his own, but we want to minimize his movement so we usually pick him up and hold him over.
Houston, we have poo! The stool (as gross as this detail is) is firm and clear, so so far his intestines are doing all they should and are not twisted.
He's begging to be cuddled when we get home. So much so that he will attempt to hobble into the hallway when he hears the garage door open. To prevent that we have to actually shut the door to his crate. Poor thing is so excited to see us at every feeding that he starts meowing, purring and attempting to make lots of biscuits (kneading) with his good front paw.
So we are hoping that at his checkup on Thursday that they will say that he has the green light to get his bones fixed.
Update
UPDATE- Pumpkin is doing extremely well. He will be available to come home tonight! Hooray! Right now they are just finishing getting him all ready to boogie on home. So far the only concerns are using the litter box & drinking. Right now he tends to do a face-plant (its so funny, poor baby) when he tries to maneuver his splints to go potty or drink.
So medically he is doing better. No more anemia, and his blood counts are looking so much better. Now we monitor the hernia (make sure there is no vomiting or poo explosions) between now & Thursday while continuing his E-tube syringe feedings, pain meds, & antibiotics.
Thank you so much for all the cheer-leading, prayers & good vibes.
So medically he is doing better. No more anemia, and his blood counts are looking so much better. Now we monitor the hernia (make sure there is no vomiting or poo explosions) between now & Thursday while continuing his E-tube syringe feedings, pain meds, & antibiotics.
Thank you so much for all the cheer-leading, prayers & good vibes.
To the Vet & back.
Update: So I got the call back. It appears so very bad. Dislocated limbs, fractured pelvis, severe malnutrition. She might be too far gone to save. However, our doctor did recommend a specialist for bones. She said that it might be that we could get them to reset the limbs, and the only resolution for the pelvis is rest. The key thing at this point is to get her nourished. If her body rejects the nourishment or the limbs are too painful/complicated to be reset/fixed then we would have to euthanize. 
So we decided to go ahead with the bone-doctor consult, & the 24-hour care hospitalization. I figure we give her the best possible shot and then if it still too bad at least we know we tried absolutely everything. I am so heartbroken right now.
We are going to go pick Pumpkin up and take her to the 24 hour hospital. I hope all she needs is to put some meat back on her bones, then see about getting her limbs fixed. I feel crazy for doing it, but her life has been so hard. It doesn't seem fair to give up* on her when she crawled back to us for help.
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Update #2: Thank you so very much for all of your warm thoughts & prayers for Pumpkin. We got him (we found out it was a him!) stable, and they are inserting an E-tube to give nourishment directly to his stomach. We have to see if he will tolerate the reintroduction of nutrients. If we can't get him to respond to the nutrition then that will be the end. So its a waiting game until Thursday. We bring him home tomorrow and continue the syringe to E-tube processed food introduction sessions.
We also got to see that he has a hernia the size of a half-dollar in his abdominal wall. Right now this is not an immediate concern but it might be come one if his bowels get stuck in the hole & become twisted. If that happens surgery needs would become immediate. We would have to make the tough decisions pretty quick. As far as his bones are concerned the orthopedic believes that he was hit by a car in the last couple of weeks & deteriorated from there due to it being so painful for him to move. The joints in his front and back paws (on the right side) are fractured and disjointed.
Our options at this point are 2 surgeries. They would want to take care of the front paw & hernia at once. Then give some recovery time & take care of the back leg at a later date. The problem with these two surgeries is that it is 6K total to do it all. We don't know if we would be able to swing that much money. I would feel absolutely awful not doing it for money concerns, but I talked it over with H. It is looking like we can't swing both surgeries. We do have the option of fixing one leg & the hernia, then putting a cast on the other leg to see if the joint heals by itself. The surgeon didn't recommend this because it can cause a lot of pain in that joint in the long run because it doesn't address any cartilage concerns. It is looking like we might have to do this way though. Its either that or put Pumpkin down.
We are leaning towards fixing the hernia & one leg (most likely the back leg) & taking our chances with the front paw cast. This is where we are at right now. It all depends on how he responds to the food introduction. If he doesn't make it past tonight or until thursday with the food issue or the hernia causes issues between now & then... then surgery won't even be in the cards.
Once again, I'm sorry for the really long update. This is where we are at so if you don't mind, those prayers & thoughts are a great comfort to me (and H, & our housemate) who dearly love our little stray Pumpkin. I hope we can work something out that will enable him to remain here with us, but if nothing works out we will have to say goodbye. I am honestly dreading that possibility, but that is reality. Thank you for letting me vent & get this off my chest. I am so emotionally drained right now. I was hoping this year would be free of loss or at least emotionally a little easier, but the best laid plans of Mice & Men- right?
I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to send good thoughts and post. From the bottom of my heart it helps me deal with this. Thank you.
So we decided to go ahead with the bone-doctor consult, & the 24-hour care hospitalization. I figure we give her the best possible shot and then if it still too bad at least we know we tried absolutely everything. I am so heartbroken right now.
We are going to go pick Pumpkin up and take her to the 24 hour hospital. I hope all she needs is to put some meat back on her bones, then see about getting her limbs fixed. I feel crazy for doing it, but her life has been so hard. It doesn't seem fair to give up* on her when she crawled back to us for help.
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Update #2: Thank you so very much for all of your warm thoughts & prayers for Pumpkin. We got him (we found out it was a him!) stable, and they are inserting an E-tube to give nourishment directly to his stomach. We have to see if he will tolerate the reintroduction of nutrients. If we can't get him to respond to the nutrition then that will be the end. So its a waiting game until Thursday. We bring him home tomorrow and continue the syringe to E-tube processed food introduction sessions.
We also got to see that he has a hernia the size of a half-dollar in his abdominal wall. Right now this is not an immediate concern but it might be come one if his bowels get stuck in the hole & become twisted. If that happens surgery needs would become immediate. We would have to make the tough decisions pretty quick. As far as his bones are concerned the orthopedic believes that he was hit by a car in the last couple of weeks & deteriorated from there due to it being so painful for him to move. The joints in his front and back paws (on the right side) are fractured and disjointed.
Our options at this point are 2 surgeries. They would want to take care of the front paw & hernia at once. Then give some recovery time & take care of the back leg at a later date. The problem with these two surgeries is that it is 6K total to do it all. We don't know if we would be able to swing that much money. I would feel absolutely awful not doing it for money concerns, but I talked it over with H. It is looking like we can't swing both surgeries. We do have the option of fixing one leg & the hernia, then putting a cast on the other leg to see if the joint heals by itself. The surgeon didn't recommend this because it can cause a lot of pain in that joint in the long run because it doesn't address any cartilage concerns. It is looking like we might have to do this way though. Its either that or put Pumpkin down.
We are leaning towards fixing the hernia & one leg (most likely the back leg) & taking our chances with the front paw cast. This is where we are at right now. It all depends on how he responds to the food introduction. If he doesn't make it past tonight or until thursday with the food issue or the hernia causes issues between now & then... then surgery won't even be in the cards.
Once again, I'm sorry for the really long update. This is where we are at so if you don't mind, those prayers & thoughts are a great comfort to me (and H, & our housemate) who dearly love our little stray Pumpkin. I hope we can work something out that will enable him to remain here with us, but if nothing works out we will have to say goodbye. I am honestly dreading that possibility, but that is reality. Thank you for letting me vent & get this off my chest. I am so emotionally drained right now. I was hoping this year would be free of loss or at least emotionally a little easier, but the best laid plans of Mice & Men- right?
I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to send good thoughts and post. From the bottom of my heart it helps me deal with this. Thank you.
Our fur-baby Pumpkin.
The outdoor cat that adopted us about a year ago disappeared on Christmas Day. One of the neighborhood dogs (who is never leashed. I would like to shoot the owners) attacked her on our front porch. After something like that it is not unusual for her to disappear for a week. Well, she was gone almost month & we feared the worst. Last night she reappeared meowing pitifully. She was skin & bones, limping and looking awful. She actually begged to be picked up and when I did I felt that her right-hand side (both limbs) were crunchy. So we managed to get her into the cat carrier & she spent last night in the house out of the cold & safe.
Please say a prayer for Pumpkin. Initial prognosis is not good. Both front & back right limbs have evidence of fracture. Rattling in her chest (heart failure?) & extraordinary malnourishment. 6 lbs, poor baby. We are having her hospitalized for a couple of days (or more depending). She is getting treatment right now & the vet will call us with more detailed information in a couple of hours. Let's hope for the very best.
Please say a prayer for Pumpkin. Initial prognosis is not good. Both front & back right limbs have evidence of fracture. Rattling in her chest (heart failure?) & extraordinary malnourishment. 6 lbs, poor baby. We are having her hospitalized for a couple of days (or more depending). She is getting treatment right now & the vet will call us with more detailed information in a couple of hours. Let's hope for the very best.
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