Next Tuesday is V-E-T day for THREE critters here....

Snowball (he's a dawg) has been chewing on all the cats toys lately - nothing he's ever done before. I looked at his mouth (assuming a tooth might be irritating him) and OH MY GOODNESS!!! his gums are pink BUT there is a thick bright red "line" all along the tops (on his top teeth) and bottoms (on his bottom teeth) of his gums throughout his entire mouth!!!! He must be in pain or something even though he is eating (dry food) just fine... problem with Snowball is that starting this past September, ONLY when he throws up - he has a seizure. He throws up about once a month. No biggee - he's been doing that since he was born - and he is 10 1/2 years old now... I am concerned about him seizing during the dental he is going in for on Tuesday.... I just booked him for it without consulting the vet - he already know's Snowballs teeth need cleaning - I am hoping the cleaning will clear up that red gum problem. I will discuss this with the vet at that time.

Sparky is also going in - but just for a check up and his shots. I will also be letting said vet know that the Sparky monster has been sneezing - sometimes in "fits" (4-5 sneezes in very quick succession). Let's hope he's ok - he seems absolutely fine...on the other paw, he does meow at me alot and I have no clue what he wants. I'll discuss that with the vet too.

Peaches is also going in for her check up and shots. She has a SUDDEN penchant for chewing things - paper, cardboard, tissues, hard plastic, soft plastic, plastic bags, tape, pens, pencils - you name it. I will mention this to the vet too.... Also, she has begun meowing at me and I absolutely can not figure out what she wants. Perhaps her teeth are bothering her too.....

Anyway - I don't think there will be any problems but I would greatly appreciate "happy healthy thoughts" for all on Tuesday - I am putting this on our credit card because it HAS to be done even though I have not yet found a job..... (((sigh))) I've been sending at least 5 resumes or filling out applications to at least 5 places PER WEEK for months now..... not even getting calls for interviews..... this really sucks.

All I want for Christmas is a JOB.........

Best wishes for your cats with their checkups and dentals.

Not to hijack the thread, but..

I'd say the risk is well worth it.. considering the consequences of not doing so.

I had an incredible close call with my 10 year old cat, Elmo recently.

He had never had his teeth cleaned, neglectfully on my part, I must say.

When he stopped eating last October, and became very withdrawn, I didn't immediately notice. (He's always had a tendancy to hide under the bed..)

Well, I finally saw him looking terrible one day... and brought him in immediately.

Turns out he had basically starved himself, although still fat in appearance, he caused his liver to stop functioning. (Someone help me.. the technical name for 'fatty liver?')

Looking between his blades of fur, and the roof of his mouth, he was BRIGHT yellow (jaundice) and was given a very bad prognosis.

They wanted me to put him down that day.

Being broke, also, I applied for Care Credit at the vet, and was immediately approved. We hospitalized him on IV fluids, and a feeding tube... and ran all the tests. Very bleak outlook, nonetheless.

The only chance of getting him back, would be to get him to eat, and get his liver and other organs "kickstarted" again.

Taking him home, the vets were certain that a euthanasia would be soon to follow.

But I didn't give up. I did the very difficult force feedings three times a day. Every day. Liquid food mixed with crunchy food, ground up in a mixture with water in a coffee grinder.

Then, with a large syringe, would get most of it in him. (He would fling his head alot, splattering me and the walls with about half of it.)

Anyway.. making a long story short.. in a MIRACULOUS event, just last week, he went to the food bowl and started eating the dry food on his own again!

The Vet called me, fearing the worst.. and was absolutely amazed when I told her of Elmo's incredible recovery. (He's not yellow anymore at all.)

Elmo is no longer yellow, is full of vigor, and eats alot on his own now, despite the apparant pain in his teeth.

The Vet was so amazed, they have offered to cover his dental gratis (free) because they were so moved by this success story.

So.. looking back.. I only wish that I kept up on his dental care over the years... and wouldn't have had such a close call. The risk would've been very well worth it.

Michelle, my best wishes for all your critters.

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problem with Snowball is that starting this past September, ONLY when he throws up - he has a seizure

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Oh my! That is worry. What has the vet said about that? Does Snowball take seizure meds? I would call to remind them that Snowball gets seizures in case they need something special for the dental.

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I am hoping the cleaning will clear up that red gum problem

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It sure will help a great deal, if not clear it up. He probably has gingivitis.

Maybe Peaches' teeth/gums are bothering her too.

Sparky has sneezed some ever since I had him. Maybe he has allergies, since he had been on plenty of antibiotics between when he was here and then with you. But, he could have picked up a URI.

I send very strong vibes that you get a job real soon. That is so hard to be unemployed for so long- well, the not getting money part of it.

Good to see you here again Hogger.

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he caused his liver to stop functioning. (Someone help me.. the technical name for 'fatty liver?')

Hepatic Lipidosis. But it is commonly called Fatty Liver Disease.

I am delighted to hear Elmo is now eating on his own! So I guess you don't have to do the force feeding anymore? Elmo sure was lucky to pull through as he did, since he was in such bad shape. He wouldn't have, though, if not for your great care.

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The Vet was so amazed, they have offered to cover his dental gratis (free) because they were so moved by this success story.

That is really fabulous of them. And helpful for you financially!

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So.. looking back.. I only wish that I kept up on his dental care over the years

You had been brushing their teeth, though, at least for a while. I guess that doesn't make such a big difference. Well, it doesn't for humans either. Sooner or later we all need a professional dental.

Hogger - that is a great story about Elmo! What a scare. Thanks to your care and determination, Elmo is doing well. Wow! You have a great vet.

Congratulations! I'm happy for you and Elmo.

Maria

Michelle,

Wow! What a full day you have next Tuesday! I have a tough time taking one - and sometimes two at a time. Stress! Not to mention worrying a lot.

I'll certainly say a prayer - and send good wishes that everyone will do very well.

Maria

Michelle, you have all my thoughts and prayers for this visit!! I could not imagine taking both of my cats to the vet on the same day. Someone wouldn't live thru that visit, lol

Hogger, Elmo's story is a credit to how much love and care you give to your feline friends. I was very moved by it.

Hogger - I am SO GLAD that Elmo is doing so much better! That whole situation must have been so scary and stressful for you and for poor Elmo!!! I sure hope he continues to rally and that he will live a full, healthy and very happy life. What a story......geez.....(((shakes head)))

Thank you all for your prayers and best wishes for V-E-T day this coming Tuesday....

Margaret - yes, the vet is aware of Snowballs seizures that only happen when he vomits that seems to be about once a month. I took him in a few weeks back for that and they did bloodwork and all is "normal"....there is no explanation for it at this time. I will certainly remind them of his seizure activity before they take him for his dental.....My vet is very good and very thorough so I'm sure he'll see it in his chart before sedation but I will make sure anyway.

No, he is not on seizure meds because the seizures with vomiting is too rare and inconsistent to qualify for meds every day. In fact, Snowball vomited just a week ago and that time there was no seizure....so, it's hard to predict if or when it might happen again. The vet did give me some generic "Tagamet" for him in the hope that it would help prevent the vomiting thinking that he has the Barretts Esphogus like I do and that the vomiting might be a result of acid in the throat, but it doesn't have any effect at all except to my already very empty pocketbook....so I don't think that I will buy any more. He's taken them in the past with no effect too....

Sparky's sneezing is really not related to a URI I think....only because he only sneezes maybe 4-5 times per week and I'm here all the time so I would know. That one little sneezing fit he had at 3:30 a.m. last week Saturday seems to have been a one time event and probably was caused by some dust or something that he might have gotten in his nose. He seems perfectly fine but I will inform the doctor anyway. He ALWAYS asks if a cat has been sneezing during his exam so it's not likely that I will forget.

I will also tell him about Peaches chewing things....I really don't know what's up with that girl - but her gums and teeth look pretty good to me. I will, of course, let the expert check it out.

Thank you Maria - I need all the prayers and good wishes for Tuesday that I can get. I have six animals total and really need to get my other two cats in for shots too but that will just have to wait another month or two. They are indoor only so he told me it wouldn't be that much of a problem. I would have taken them instead of Sparky and Peaches, but those two seem to have other "issues" (sneezing, chewing) that Milo and Muffin don't seem to be experiencing even though THEIR shots are later than Sparky and Peaches'. Did that make sense?

I've taken Sparky to the vet twice for the sneezing (closer to when he first got here) and there was nothing "remarkable" about it. The last time I took him, the vet did give him some shot of something that made the sneezing stop for about 4 weeks and then it came back.

So, if Sparky has that calici virus or rhinotracheitis (Herpes-1), can he spread it to the other cats? I've noticed that Peaches and Milo have sneezed on occasion over the last month or so and they never did before. They still don't sneeze like Sparky does, but could it be related? I remember the vet saying that his sneezing might be allergy related.... I'll bring it up again. If I'm going to have to pay $45 for an exam, I'll make sure I get my money's worth out of it.... I think I'll start writing my questions down so I won't forget anything on Tuesday. I'm not overly concerned about it all at this moment because everybody has just been little balls of fire around here - actually acting MORE playful and energetic than usual. That includes Muffin who is the most timid of all and tends to hide the most. I do have to admit though that Sparky has not been eating as well as usual for some reason the last two weeks or so. I think it's just because he's bored with the food - last night I gave him Fancy Feast and he inhaled it. The others were eating Wellness and he just stuck his nose up at that where he USED to eat it. I think he's becoming finicky to be honest. I still have not found a treat (other than Bonita Flakes) that he will eat at all which really bothers me. I don't give them treats often and especially not the flakes because of the high protein levels, but I wish he would eat something else!!!

Thanks for the link - I'm going to print it out for further review.