Forevermybabies

I've never known a ridgeback personally, but for some reason, I've always been drawn to them. I'm sorry about your Jaycie.

One day at a time, but every day that he feels good is a good day! Oh, I left the back door open for a while today while the dogs were in and out and I was making a fire outside. The white cat seems to have left, and hasn't come back. Crap. The kids are going to be upset! I'm going to end up putting an ad in the paper to find a cat that I barely just found! Shoulda had him chipped.

Well, I worked today from 7am til about 6pm. We had our arts festival today. I stink and I'm sweaty and tired. BUT I came home and Festus, Sunscreen and Angel all met me at the door. Wagging and grinning. Festie peed on the floor by the back door, but I'm sure that's the prednisone talking. He ate a pound of hamburger, trotted outside into the yard, peed, and trotted back in. (Up and down four steps no problem.) He wasn't panting or anything. He JUST started panting as I was writing this. I think he looks less bloated today, too. Now he looks like he did when this first started. Like he swallowed a cantaloupe instead of a watermelon. He's laying here on the couch next to me just looking at me. The other dogs are crashed out in this room, too. Well, Why is he panting now...hmmm... So anyway, I don't know. He looks better to me. Miracles happen, right??? Heck, I have all you guys praying for him and sending him white light and good thoughts...why NOT? So keep up the good work! LOVE YOU!!!! TJ

Festus and I just got home from the vet. It's about as bad as it can be. Lymphosarcoma. His heart is contracting at 13%. He wouldn't survive surgery if I did want that. She gave him a few weeks. We drained off 300ccs of fluid off his abdomen, trying to make him more comfortable. We'll keep doing the prednisone at it's current dosage. His spleen is humungous and covered with nodules (the largest is 3 cm.) They couldn't visualize his liver to see if it was there, but her guess was that it has probably spread. She tested the fluid in his abdomen and it's clear. Which doesn't mean much other than it's not hemangiosarcoma (too, I guess.) He's exhausted and sleeping now. Huffing and puffing. We don't think he's in pain at this time. He decided that he wasn't going to eat yesterday and this morning, but I bought him some hamburger and he ate two pounds of that for lunch. I'm working from home for a little bit then have to go in and pretend that I'm not dying inside. Right now he's on the couch next to me warming up my lap with his warm breath. Joe, my first greyhound, died of lymphosarcoma at 11.5 years old. Festus is also 11.5. This is so weird. The vet was surprised at the coincidence, too. When Jezebel died, we got Tigger "returned" to us a few weeks later. (He's Toonces' son and my friend had him for several years.) Then we find the white cat just before finding out that Festus is so sick. I think it's lovely that the universe keeps trying to keep my house full, but frankly, I'm just about as stressed out as one person could be. Anyway, Thank you for the well wishes. Keep us in your prayers. This is going to be a tough few weeks. God I love this dog.

I'm so sorry...no matter how long we have them, it's never long enough.

Oh, Snowy...you will be missed. I'm so sorry Hilda...

I'm so sorry...Please accept my condolences. T

She was a gift that will always be remembered. Hugs.

I can't believe it's been five years. Hugs to you.

Well, tomorrow he gets an ultrasound. They're looking for a mass. I took the day off of work. I just couldn't face my day. Had a cry with Festus this morning. My sister brought me lunch. I took the dogs to the dog park, then to the falls (my special sacred place), and then to the store to get some more canned dog food to try to entice him to eat. It was about six hours, and they're all pooped out. Festus held up well. He's tired, but we went slow and rested a lot. I didn't bother leashing him because he's so slow...he drags behind, and besides, he's my shadow. So he walked along behind us and we stopped several times to lie down and rest in the shade. He just stands and waits while I get the other dogs into and out of the car. With this long suffering look on his face. How will I go on without Festus? He's eleven and a half...I know that he's not getting any younger. But how will I go on without him? This is such a bad time in my life. Not just because of him, but several other things...I just feel like my heart is breaking apart. And I don't think I had much left over to spare.

Festus' big tummy is not better. If anything it's bigger. The protein and albumen levels are now normal, so something else is going on. Tomorrow he's getting an ultrasound as there may be an underlying issue. That which must not be named. He's not eating well today. Just not interested and sleeping a lot. The vet said to give him Pepcid to see if that helps. I'm going to get some more canned food and see if that makes a difference. He looks thin other than that big tummy. Oh, and brought the white cat to the vet for FIV/Leuk testing. He's negative.

Update: Friday Festus went in and had his albumin and protein checked. I was a little confused. I guess it was the albumin that they were trying to get up. Anyway, the goal was to get it from 1.6 to 1.8 by Friday, and it was at 2.0. That's good. He's panting a lot though, and looks very skinny except for the big gut, which looks a bit bigger because of the skinniness. CarolewithRunningDogs told me that eggs worked well with her dog to raise her albumin when it was low, so I'm going to try giving him scrambled eggs with his z/d and pills. He's done with the canned food for now, but I'm still soaking his food in warm water just to make sure that it's enticing to eat. I'm going to try giving him a midday meal in addition to his morning and evening meals as well. He has the "regular" dry food always available, but prefers the prescription food. The cat is on antibiotics for conjunctivitis in his eyes. I got paid, so I'm going to have him tested for FIV/Feline Leukemia so he can come meet the other animals. I don't know how they'll feel about it, either. Tigger has finally stopped camping out outside the white cat's door though, so maybe he's getting used to it. I spent four hours painting the art center yesterday morning and seven cleaning my house. It still is a mess, but I got 15 boxes emptied and put away. Eric bought me the new David Sedaris book, so I've been reading that. Thanks again for all the support. No one is even vaguely interested in taking this cat, but I spent some time in there with him today, and he's just so sweet. Maybe he can stay. I just worry about the money and the other animals...sigh. I want to eventually NOT have all these animals. It's just too hard right now. But they keep coming, and I don't feel like I have any choice but to take care of them. Jezebel died, and I thought, okay...down to two cats. Then Tigger came back. (He's the offspring of my younger female, and was seven when she returned him.) Meer is 20 and I'm trying to deal with her chronic bladder infections, and all that comes with THAT, and now this white cat. (The kids call him Snowball.) And with Festus sick...well, it just is a lot. So anyway, thanks again for your support. It helps. T

He's BEAUTIFUL! So glad that he's doing well!

At least he doesn't seem to be in pain. The vet said that the greatest danger is that the fluid will start to collect on his lungs, which would impede his breathing. So I've been watching for a cough or anything like that. So far just a tiny bit when he gets excited. Lucky for us very little excites Festus.

Here's a couple of pics. You can see how big his tummy is, though I think it looks slightly smaller than yesterday...

I'll also check around on pricing on the food. The update is this. The kids and I think he looks better today, but he's panting non-stop this evening. Not sure what that's about. The tests in the morning are just tech visits for a stick, and just $15! YAY! He's eating up his food and meds like a champ. He LOVES it, really. The vet said that many dogs can "eat their way out of this." Meaning that as long as they keep it down and don't get the runs and take their meds, they can recover. In other news, I got out of work around 9 pm last night and then went to the storage unit. I filled up the trailer and the back of the van and then headed to the grocery store. I filled up the cart and was walking out to the parking lot and saw a cat wandering. I was kind of thinking that maybe, just maybe this time I wouldn't stop, but then a 12 pack of pop fell out of my cart and pop cans rolled all over the place, so I had to stop. (Nice touch from the angels, perhaps.) Anyway, so I pick up this cat, and he wraps his front paws around my arm, buries his head in my chest and starts to purr. Well, good grief, it was a full on frontal assault. So I hugged him for a while and tried to talk the other people in the parking lot into taking him. (This is now after midnight, so there weren't many people to ask.) Anyway, I had a can of dog food handy, so I gave him that while I picked up the pop and loaded the groceries into the car. There was NO ROOM in the car for ANYTHING ELSE. I mean it. The car was PACKED full. So I rode home with the can of dog food between my legs and the cat in my lap, on the steering wheel, walking across the dash... He slept with Gabe last night. Snuggled with him all night long. This morning I brought him to the vet and got the HUGE mat removed from his side (4" x 5" x 1") and got him on antibiotics for his open wounds and Revolution for his fleas. Then as I was taking him and paying (over $100...nice), I found a wood tick. Then a deer tick. Then the vet tech came and was scratching him and found another HUGE wood tick. Well, he has to be on the Revolution for three days before they'll give him anything for the ticks. He's got long white hair, so I don't know if we got them all. Anyway, he's the NICEST cat you could ever want to meet, but he can't stay here. I have three cats, three dogs and two teenage boys and a job that is killing me softly with it's music program. I can't take on any more. He still need to be tested for FIV and feline leukemia, so I have to keep him separate from teh other cats. He also needs shots, etc. But I can't afford that right now. I'm trying to find him a good home though, so PLEASE if anyone knows someone... Even the vets and staff said that he was the nicest cat they'd met in a very long time. He let them shave him, take his temp, put stuff on his open wounds, etc., and didn't try to even pull away. He's neutered, too. Someone loved this cat, but that was a long time ago judging from his condition. So many foreclosures in this area, and an elderly population...so much could have happened to him. Anyway, he's safe for now and is having a nice rest. Maybe after my next pay check, if he's still here and I haven't found a home, I'll have him tested for FIV and leukemia and he can meet the other pets. Okay, well, that was a LONG story, wasn't it? I'm off to eat dinner and watch a movie with the boys. Thanks for listening and for all your prayers. Festus is now sleeping (and not panting) on the couch with me. I'm really anxious to hear the test results tomorrow so keep those prayers coming. The vet said that if we could get his protein level up even a LITTLE (she said to 1.8) that we'll at least be heading in the right direction. So that's what we're praying for. Higher protein levels!

Thank you for this suggestion! It sounds like he's going to have to be on this and the special diet for the rest of his life, so I will talk to her about this at his next visit. We're heading to the vet tomorrow morning to have his blood and urine tested.

Well, I'm BACK! Two hours at the vet. They believe that it's inflammatory bowel disease that is preventing the bloodstream from absorbing protein, which is causing this fluid buildup in his abdomen and atrophy in his muscles. Luckily, it's not in his chest at this point. She gave me the run down on what we were going to do predicated on him not having protein in his urine. Then they checked his urine and not only does he have protein, but also blood and bilirubin. SOOOO they think he also has a bladder infection. So then she had to re-think the whole plan. Now we have a new plan. He's got a special diet (which she said that he'll probably need for the rest of his life), and drugs. It's kind of complicated, so I have to write it all down. Luckily, the kids are done with school in a few days so they can help. Helping Festus will be their summer jobs! Blood profile: $69 Non-wellness exam: $52.45 Abdominal xrays views: $104.90 SuperChem/CBC SA020 (that's bloodwork, right???): $45 45 Prednisone tabs (50mg each): $24.75 6 cans Z/D 13 oz: $22.68 6 cans i/d 13 oz: $14.52 18# bag of dry z/d: $42.35 28 Metronizazole 500 mg: $10.10 9 Baytril (136 mg): $44.91 Urinalysis: $36 GRAND TOTAL: $472.02 Festus isn't dying: Priceless He has to go in once or twice a week to have his blood and urine re-checked for a few weeks, and then monitored for the next six months. Don't even want to know what that's going to cost. I'm feeling really wrung out and have to head in to work now for a bit, then Gabe has a soccer game. This has been a really trying weekend, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate your support.

He acts normal. Eats, drinks and bounces around. But looks like he's pregnant. I can't sleep for worrying. I feel sick. well, half an hour and I get the kids up and off to school, then I can start dealing with Festus.

I took Festus to the dr about 6 weeks ago because he just didn't seem right. Nothing major, just kind of looked...well...fat. Or something. And just not right...hard to describe. Anyway, they checked him out, did full bloodwork and all that. Thyroid needed some meds. Okay. Well, the last couple of days, he's become VERY bloated. REALLY bloated. I didn't really get worried until this morning. Anyway, he's going back to the vet tomorrow. I don't know what's going on, and I don't have a lot of money to spend, so what I need are prayers.

It's 4:08 CST. I'm thinking about Trish's funeral and just feeling really sad. Hugs to everyone. I feel so lucky to be a part of this family even though it hurts so much when we lose one of our own. Trish joins some wonderful Greytalkers who've gone before her. I feel strongly that they are still there...still caring what happens down here even as they have other - more important - things to attend to now. God this hurts. Tami

To Adrian, please accept my deepest condolences. This is a tragedy of unreal proportions. I'm having a really hard time wrapping my head around it, and I'm sure you must be in shock. After talking to Patti yesterday, after she spoke with you, I reflected again on the enormous ripples that each member here has. We really ARE a family. In the truest sense of the word. We don't all know each other well, and some of us are closer than others...but Trish's death is like someone has torn a member of our family away. And though I only met Trish twice in person, it feels the same way...how can I feel this close to someone that I only met twice? It's funny to think about how much I know about her life...from what she's told me and what I read on here. She became part of my life, part of my world, part of my family. I hope that you will continue to come to Greytalk and be part of our family. We are here for you. We support you and want you to know that we are always here for you...just like Trish was always here for us. Tami

I saved all her blog posts and was looking at them again yesterday...and the pictures...can't believe it's been a year.