Milli Update

[lavendertook]

After getting Milli xrayed and finding she had a bunch of fluid on the lungs, the vet aspirated her thoracic cavity and removed 90cc of fluid. She sent off a sample to a lab and hopefully we'll know something Friday. Today, I'm taking her off the prednisone and putting her on antibiotics and salix. She lost 3 more ounces in just the last 2 days. Even though she has been eating a little better the last 2 days, it's not enough to keep up with how much she's burning with her lungs pumping so hard, and the steroids have done little to help with that.

The aspiration should have made her breathing easier, but it hasn't very much. She ate well enough this evening for me to get all her medicines in her, and I was really relieved she didn't balk at the Baytril in her food because it's a bit acidic. She's been spending the evening plastered beside me and laying like a wet noodle. Her breathing is better enough that she can rest on her side now. The problem is that when the poor thing gets relaxed enough she wants to curl her head over and lay halfway on her back, and that just makes her pant again.

So here's hoping there's an infection that the antibiotics will take care of or something that is treatable turns up from the lab report. She's enjoying eating and she's enjoying affection and brushing, but she's not going to last long unless we can get her breathing to ease. If it's cancer or something else untreatable, I just keep her until eating and affection aren't satisfying anymore, and then take her in for the peaceful way out of this life.

Saki has been a real champ at shouldering how Milli is getting all the attention and brushing and she truly deserves a medal for that, my cat of constant wanting.

Comments

[monkey5s.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry to hear this. We lost our Scrap from this, the vet was drawing out fluid on a twice-a-week schedule, there towards the end. But I will say that Scrap did get great ease from the aspirating, so maybe it's something easier to deal with, with your Milli. I hope so.

But I will never forgive the emergency clinic that I took Scrap to when he first developed the labored breathing (because of course it happened on a weekend, and my vet was on vacation anyway). They explained about the fluid, and then spent a few minutes trying to persuade me to have him euthanized, right then, because it would just keep recurring even if I got him treated for it. Man, do I hate that place now.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Oh, I'm so sorry, you went through that.

I've had the opposite as well--dealing with doctors who want you to keep trying things and trying things and keep shoving more medicines down their throats until you're keeping them alive with a horrible quality of life. My first kitty died at home in my arms and I really wish I had stopped trying to keep her alive sooner and taken her in for a shot and let her go more peacefully. I'm much more mindful of quality of life now--that's why I'm not willing to shove pills down Milli's throat that she won't take in her food. I could do that with Saki, but Milli's too easily stressed out. I don't have a good feel for the kittens yet and what they will be able to deal with.

What's worrisome is that the drawing off of the fluid today hasn't helped very much and she's weaker today than yesterday. If the antibiotics don't do the trick, I'm not sure she'll last until test results come back Friday.

[monkey5s.livejournal.com]

I'm lucky that I've usually had very good, responsible people caring for my pets. When I got Scrap into our regular vet, he had to aspirate again, and explained things in detail to me (I'm sure it helped that his specialty in vet school at OSU was cats). He said that, since Scrap took the aspirating so well, as long as it helped him, he was willing to fit us in whenever we needed it. And he said that Scrap would let us know when he was ready to go.

I hope for the best, for both Milli and you.

[lavendertook.livejournal.com]

Thank you--I appreciate it.

We found out today it's cancer. And the breathing is worse today--poor thing is so exhausted--she's trying so hard to enjoy her usual things, but she can't. Tomorrow will probably be the day. There's a wonderful vet who does home visits--I hope he will be available tomorrow.