Another day in Paradise

Another day in Paradise
Steve Sloan's weblog. A bit tech, a bit bikes, a bit family, a bit friends, a bit scooters, a bit photo, a bit trains, a bit fun. Eight bits; that's a byte!

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

Cat crashes again!

Shadow, our dear sweet Blue Burmese kitty, crashed again recently. This is excerpted from an E-mail Sue sent Wednesday, March 16, to our cat breeder friends:

Shadow was ill again over the weekend with very similar symptoms to last time). Shadow appears to be recovering now.

Shadow didn't show any improvement at all after the shot Dr Govers gave him which was reglin. I did get him to lick a little baby food from my fingers. He used the litter box and I found a puddle of blood on the litter. Next morning I found a little blob of blood beside the litter box. I called the vet first thing and he asked me to bring him in as soon as possible. He weighed in at 6.15 lbs, down from 8 lbs in December. He was very dehydrated - hadn't eaten for 4 days and drank very little. So Dr Govers kept him to give him intravenous fluids, do blood tests, and get him on meds. The test results indicated dehydration of course and very low protein levels which is exactly what the blood tests showed back in August/September when he was ill. Shadow stayed at the vets getting pumped with fluids all day yesterday, overnight, and all day today. I picked him up at the end of the day.

Dr Govers thinks that all indications are IBD, he mentioned inflammation of the large bowel several different times. The medication they started him on is Flagyl - again - and we have to follow through with 10 more doses at home. He said, as we've heard before, that the only way to know for certain if he has IBD is to do an endoscopic biopsy. His opinion is that since this is the second time in his young life that he's had this kind of flare up he would recommend the biopsy if it happens again.

We plan to follow up with Dr Klopfer to get her opinion of the situation also.

I'm assuming whether it's IBD or some other intestinal or bowel disease that it is chronic since in his 13 months of life he's had a critical flare up every 6 months or so. I want to be optimistic about his future, but that's a little hard right now.

On a brighter note, I neglected to mention Pixel when we spoke. He's doing great. He was wandering around the house crying for his little brother when he was gone. When he came home today Pixel immediately tried to get into the carrier with him and started licking him as soon as he came out. He just adores Shadow - he's a sweetheart. And our 11 year old, Tupper, has adjusted quite a bit to these guys so they are all getting along better these days than they used to.

Well, that is about it! My idea is to get an accurate scale and chart his weight by weighing Shadow about twice a week. When we see a sudden drop in weight to start hydration, with an eyedropper if need be, and Flagil immediately.

11:39:35 PM    comment []

Last night in San Diego

Etech, my last night in San Diego. This has been an incredible experience. I am in geek heaven! For the latest on my experiences please see my geek blog.

9:19:09 PM    comment []

My movie monologue of 2004

"...it's a hard grape to grow...it's thin-skinned, temperamental, ripens early...it's not a survivor like Cabernet, which can just grow anywhere and thrive even when it's neglected. No, Pinot needs constant care and attention...it can only grow in these really specific, little, tucked-away corners of the world. And only the most patient and nurturing of growers can do it, really. Only somebody who really takes the time to understand Pinot's potential can then coax it into its fullest expression." ~"Sideways"

8:15:41 PM    comment []

From the Emerging Technology Conference (Etech)

Etech has worn me out. It is 5 am on Wednesday the 16th and I can't sleep. It was after midnight when I got to sleep. Between my sister Lura's recent death, the problems with Shadow's illness, the conference and the recent news of our dear friend Diane Chauncy being in a multi-car accident (she is fine but their car is totaled) my head is just spinning! I have a headache and I can't sleep and I have to get up in an hour. I am going to be a zombie at Etech this evening. Speaking of Etech, I am blogging on the geek side of it over on my geek blog.

8:47:58 AM    comment []