The doctor called very late tonight- Jack had a long day of tests and procedures after I saw him this morning, when the poor dude did not look so good. He has a naso tube in his nose and an IV in his hind leg. Many parts of his body have been shaved, and his now bare belly is clearly very yellow from jaundice. He seemed very weak, but aware we were there, and in fact, when I petted him some small tears trickled down his cheek. This was heart-wrenching, as I recall Momma G doing the same thing after her stroke. The doctors assured me that he was stable and as comfortable as possible, and that he had a big day ahead of him.
Today, they inserted a feeding peg into his tummy so they can strengthen him with nom noms. The doctor called tonight and said that he seems to be gaining some strength, and that he is holding his head up more and seems more responsive. They were able to do the liver aspiration, which confirmed the fatty liver disease we expected. The medication seems to be lowering his bilirubin levels, which is good, and urinalysis confirmed a UT unfection, which is being treated with antibiotics. His potassium level is rising, which is probably why he is becoming stronger, and the insulin is getting his blood sugar back in line.
My little warrior let himself get REALLY sick before he went down, which leads me to urge all cat parents: don't ignore seemingly small symptons- get your baby to the vet and let them assess the situation. Their little bodies can go down fast when something serious goes wrong!
It was good to hear the doctor say "He's still not out of the woods, but, gosh, he seems better than this morning!'
I won't get to seem him tomorrow since there is no visitation at the clinic, but I should get a call from the doctor with an update on his condition.
Thanks again to everybody for your kinds words and thoughts- they mean more to me than you can imagine!
...just heard from Jackson's doctor that he is resting comfortably after a rigorous afternoon of poking and prodding! He apparently became a bit of his old self and was a little feisty when the naso tube was inserted, but now he is resting comfortably and being fed, hydrated, and medicated. He's being given vitamin K to improve his blood clotting so that tomorrow the doctor can take a needle biopsy of his liver to give us more of an idea of exactly what we are dealing with. Meanwhile, he's being fed the appropriate nutrients to treat his probable fatty liver condition, and he's being given insulin to manage his diabetes. Hopefully, all of this will help reduce his bilirubin levels, which are elevated, and his gall bladder can return to normal function.
He's not out of the woods yet, but Shelby and I were encouraged by the doctors words and wisdom. Oh, and there's no sepsis... a VERY good thing! Please continue to keep him in your thoughts! I'll get to go see him tomorrow!
....may he find strength and spirit to rise again!
Jackson Manuel Brown Latry Burch is a very, very sick kitty. The doctors in the ICU at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists have his condition listed a "serious". Currently, he is receiving IV fluids to combat dehydration, and will get a feeding tube this afternoon to provide nourishment while he convalesces.
His case is complicated by his diabetes and a heart murmur. He apparently has feline hepatic lipidosis, which is an accumulation of fats in the liver. In his case, it was probably caused by the relatively rapid weight loss he experienced when his diabetes was treated and his diet changed.
There are several other things that can cause some of the issues her is suffering, so the doctors are working on ruling those out as they continue to stabilize his condition and get water and food into him. If he can be successfully rehydrated without complications, and the doctors can overcome his anorexia by force feeding him, he could pull through and live several more years.
The next 24 hours will be crucial for our little man. If the doctors decide that he can be treated, and he seems to respond well to initial treatments, then he will be treated and we will get him through this. He's always been such a strong kitty, and even through this hid his misery until the end! If what he has is not treatable, or if he doesn't seem to respond to the early courses of treatment, then Queen Ginger will be facing other difficult decisions.
Of course, Princess Shelby is a wreck! After being hauled along to 2 veterinary clinics in one day, plus getting some poking and prodding of her own, all she wants to do is snuggle up in a sunbeam with her brother, and she can't seem to find him! She seems to be acutely aware that something scary is amiss.
Please send positive thoughts Jackson's way. If you are a prayerful person, perhaps that would help him. I'm willing to try anything to keep my little man!
Tonight was Miss Ginger's night to host the ball committee and the members presenting costume ideas, and we had pretty much finished. The members had left, and the Lieutenants and co-captains were sharing notes, cocktails, and munchies when there came a howl from the backyard. "Damn Bentley!", thought Miss G as she went out to run off the lesbian neighbor cat that often comes to torment Nog.
When she went outside it wasn't Bentley, but a big, brown cat that looked just like...
"JACKSON!"- "What the hell are you doing out here?" It seems Mr. Curious Indoor Kitty managed to slip by one of the members and spent some time exploring the backyard- until he ran into Mr. Nog!!
Now, Mr. Nog is a sweetheart, and loves his belly rubs as much as the next kitty- but, as an outdoor kitty, he's got street cred- he'll CUT a bitch! I know this from the hanks of yellow fur that I have found he has ripped out of Bentley from time to time!
So there they are , faced off, eye to eye, with Jackson puffed up the size of a mountain lion! Momma Ginger screams "Nog, leave him alone!", and, as Nog breaks eye contact, Jackson high tails it for the backdoor and the safety of his indoor "prison". Once he got in, it was clear he was terrified! He's much better now, but Miss Ginger hopes the little shit learned his lesson: you ain't got it so bad in this palatial home you call "prison"!
Those of you have have followed TFBOMGG for a while may remember that the cats went on a diet about 6 months ago, weighing in at a hefty 17.5 lbs for Jackson and 13.7 for Shelby.
Miss G began to realize that even though the 2 cats have been on the same diet for the same period of time, Jackson seemed to lose a great deal of weight, and Shelby lost none! That didn't seem right, and at the same time, Sonna and Denise, the cat sitters, observed that Jackson drinks and pees a great deal more than Shelby does. He's also been a bit lethargic, so a trip to the vet would be in order.
Turns out the little fella is diabetic. We caught it early, so hopefully he won't have to have shots, just pills and a change of diet. Diabetes is very common in cats. As total carnivores (wild cats eat nothing but meat), their metabolism doesn't deal well with carbohydrates and fiber. (The fur they ingest from grooming is all the fiber they need! Too much more causes furball digestive issues!) Because commercial cat food producers could not possibly obtain the variety of meats a cat would need to maintain a balanced diet, they add carbohydrate fillers to reduce the cost of the food and to provide certain amino acids and nutrients they couldn't provide otherwise. The high fiber diet we put them on to reduce their weight just made things worse, because it didn't provide enough protein to keep his little system balanced!
So now we're back on a prescription diet
and we have to give a cat pills. (Have you ever tried to give a cat a pill?!) Luckily, it can be crushed, but that leaves us dealing with wet cat food, which is something we have managed to avoid up until now!
To make matters worse, Miss G is off again to NOLA tomorrow morning, for her longest stint yet: 10 days! She hates leaving Miss Sonna and Miss Denise to deal with this, but what's a girl to do? Luckily, Jack lapped up the wet food like a big dog ("Doggie" is one of is nicknames because he has so many dog-like traits!) His other nicknames are Jackson Brown (because he is brown), JB (short for Jackson Brown), and JB Dude. He answers to all of them but Jackson Brown is my favorite!
RUNNING ON EMPTY(by Jackson Browne) Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels Looking back at the years gone by like so many summer fields In sixty-five I was seventeen and running up one-o-one I don't know where I'm running now, I'm just running on Running on - running on emptyRunning on - running blind Running on - running into the sun But I'm running behind Gotta do what you can just to keep your love alive Trying not to confuse it with what you do to survive In sixty-nine I was twenty-one and I called the road my own I don't know when that road turned onto the road I'm on Running on - running on empty Running on - running blind Running on - running into the sun But I'm running behind Everyone I know, everywhere I go People need some reason to believe I don't know about anyone but me If it takes all night, that'll be all right If I can get you to smile before I leave Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels I don't know how to tell you all just how crazy this life feels I look around for the friends that I used to turn to to pull me through Looking into their eyes I see them running too Running on - running on empty Running on - running blind Running on - running into the sun But I'm running behind Honey you really tempt me You know the way you look so kind I'd love to stick around but I'm running behind You know I don't even know what I'm hoping to find Running into the sun but I'm running behind (c) 1977 SWALLOW TURN MUSIC
