AAR

[Tee]

What a great looking cat, kris.

And, xina, that cat film was extraordinarily creative and funny.

[xina]

[xina]

[Linda in sw va]

[Linda in sw va]

[Beth W]

I love Henri!

There's another installment where Henri goes to the vet.

[kris]

Linda, I was just looking at all the pictures of Ranger and Lucy.....how adorable. They look like real buddies.

Tee, My husband says that the 20 hours a day that Roxy sleeps is actually conservation of energy....who knew.

Xina, The bichon that we were dog sitting was like a vacuum. Whatever was on the floor was eaten....including paper wrappings I'm sure.
_________________
Behind every successful man is a surprised woman.

[xina]

Kris...What a precious kitty. She looks a bit like my cat, only a much younger, and thinner version.

Beth...I just discovered Henri. What a perfect cat for filming. I love the line..."He just checks for gunk in my ears." LOL...
_________________
"As you wish"
~The Princess Bride

[Linda in sw va]

Saw this and it made me smile, thought of you xina!



Linda
_________________
"The Bookshop has a thousand books, all colors, hues and tinges, and every cover is a door that turns on magic hinges." ~ Nancy Byrd Turner

[xina]

[Linda in sw va]

Sure thing!

Linda
_________________
"The Bookshop has a thousand books, all colors, hues and tinges, and every cover is a door that turns on magic hinges." ~ Nancy Byrd Turner

[xina]

[Hopeless_Romantic]

This thread is such a great idea - I can't resist cute, fuzzy critters!
_________________
Close-Up Merman's Kiss http://th06.deviantart.net/fs10/300W/i/2006/102/5/b/A_Merman__s_Kiss_Detail_by_Barbiedoll.jpg http://images.epilogue.net/users/emerald/mermans_kiss_emerald2006.jpg

[Niftybergin]

For the last several months, I've been going through something with Bandit.

It started in April or so, when there was a recall on his dog food. I switched him to something else, but then I noticed that his fur and skin were getting dry, so I switched him to something else. He ate that well for a while, then started getting finicky. At this time, his weight was about 73 pounds: lean and trim but not too thin.

Meanwhile, I started weaning him off his Phenobarbital. (Bandit is epileptic and has been on Phenobarb for 5 years for seizure control. He has not had a seizure in a couple years, and my vet and I decided it was okay to wean him off the drug. My goal has always been to try to protect his liver, etc.) Around June/July, he was completely off the drug, and the picky-eating was worse. He WOULD eat, but his intake was inconsistent. Also around this time, he started to develop anxiety about noises.

In August, I took him to the vet for his semi-annual checkup and blood-work, both of which turned out great. He HAD lost some weight, though: 70 pounds, down from 73 in April or so. I spoke with the vet -- not our usual doctor, but one of the other vets at the practice -- about Bandit's inappetence and the noise issues, and she pointed out that the Phenobarbital, which he was no longer on, both stimulated the appetite and was a calming agent. So that could explain what was going on with him.

In late August, I had surgery and my mother came into town to take care of me and brought her new puppy. Puppies are noisy, and Bandit's anxiety went up. I became fearful that his anxiety would trigger a seizure. So I spoke with my vet and he called me in a prescription of Phenobarb. I started Bandit on it right away.

Over the course of September, Bandit's appetite returned and he ate well, and his anxiety decreased, but he also developed EXTREME ataxia, which is a discoordination of his back legs. Concerned over the degree of ataxia, I took Bandit back off the Phenobarb, and as soon as I did and the drug exited his system, he started avoiding food again.

On October 9, I took him back to the vet. More blood-work, and this time it revealed hypercalcemia, which can be a symptom of lymphoma. One of the lymph nodes in his neck was also enlarged. My vet suggested an abdominal ultrasound and a needle biopsy of the neck node. Those procedures took place on October 16. The ultrasound revealed healthy organs and no tumors, but the lymph nodes in his abdomen were enlarged. The pathology report on the lymph node in his neck revealed no malignant cells.

This made my vet think that Bandit's lymphatic system was REACTING to something, and the only thing he could put his finger on was MAYBE Bandit's mouth. He needs a dental cleaning. So he prescribed Prednisone and antibiotics, and the intent was that if that treatment worked, Bandit would have a dental cleaning after a month. In the 2nd week of treatment, Bandit's appetite came back and he ate really well, but then in the 3rd week, his appetite faded again. Also, I noticed that the lymph nodes in his neck were getting very large...easily the size of walnuts.

We went back to the vet again today. Bandit's weight is now 63.8 pounds. Also, more of his lymph nodes are now enlarged. The combined signs are pointing us once more toward a diagnosis of lymphoma.

I made a decision today that I would not pursue any additional diagnostic tests/procedures. I do think that this IS lymphoma. Bandit will be 11 years old in December. If he were 5, I would do everything I could to fight this. But I guess I feel like he's had his life -- a good life -- and I don't want to put him (and myself) through months of tests and trial-and-error. I have decided that I will choose euthanasia for him, but I'm not ready for that to be right now, and I don't think Bandit is, either. But nor do I want him to starve to death! So my vet is putting him on a STRONG dose of Prednisone, which he says will stimulate the appetite and shrink the lymph nodes. I'm hoping that as Bandit's appetite returns and he eats, he will gain strength and his energy and humor will return. And then, in a few months, when I think the time is right, I will ease his journey to the Bridge.

It's been a tough few months, and an especially tearful day today. I'm nearing the end of my journey with my lovey, and it is breaking my heart. I love him so much.

[LeeB.]

I'm so sorry to read your story about Bandit.
_________________
My Shelfari Shelf: http://www.shelfari.com/o1518275077