The Doctor called around 5:30 this evening and Smoky is officially irradiated. We talked about it in advance, but he ended up getting a very high dose. Usually the highest does for non-cancerous cats is 7 millicuries. Smoky got exactly that. That does is two and a half times the usual does for a hyperthyroid cat. Partly this is because we’re trying to zap his entire thyroid and the cystic goiter that’s growing on it and partly this is because this procedure is happening while he’s still on his methimazole.
Tag: cats
Smoky goes to get nuked, take two
Our little buddy Smoky seems to have gotten well enough that we can now bring him back for the treatment he was supposed to have gotten two weeks ago. We were quite glad to see him back to his old self – especially asking for attention, pestering us for food, and occasionally giving Rerun a bap or two on the nose. We brought him back to Angell yesterday morning so he could get his follow up check after all of his issues from last time, and the doctor has given him the green light for his treatment. So tomorrow we will bring him back once more so he can finally get the thyroid treatment he needs. We really hope that this will make his life easier and make him more comfortable. We will update tomorrow after we have dropped him off.
-Geoff
I got a belly laugh out of this
I think that’s better than a LOL.
Enjoy.
~Kelly
Rest in Peace Sergeant Slaughter
We found out earlier this afternoon that our awesome upstairs neighbors lost their cat, Sarge, earlier this week. He was young and it was totally unexpected and completely unpreventable. He essentially had a stroke. They were there for him in the end when the vet had to give him the shot to let him go and he didn’t linger, but it is terribly sad.
He was the only cat I’ve ever met who didn’t like me, but I’ll still miss the little bugger. We generally can’t hear much from upstairs, but we could hear Sarge when he’d leap from the bed and race across the hardwood floor to the front door whenever one of them would come home.
Rest in Peace little guy. We’ll see you at The Bridge, and I promise I’ll remember to bring treats.
~Kelly
Smoky is eating, a lot.
Normally this would not be cause for celebration. In fact, we usually try to keep him from eating too much since he’s the largest animal in the house. But since Monday’s Thyroid Storm and all of the ensuing insanity, he’s actually smaller than Bucky now. I was actually amazed at how light he was when I picked him up last night to get his pills into him and give him his shot.
An update on the patient
Smoky actually wanted to eat this morning. That’s a huge improvement. For a cat who usually inhales his food, the fact that he didn’t want to eat last night was discouraging. He showed up for his pill pockets but didn’t want to eat them either. We had to drop them down his throat. He’s a creature of habit all right.
A strange but (so far) good turn of events
Tonight Kelly and I expected to go visit Smoky at Angell, and we were concerned after the conversations that Kelly had earlier today with his doctor. But by the time we got to see him early this evening, apparently he had turned a corner and was doing considerably well. So well, in fact, that the doctor said we could actually take him home tonight. Needless to say this was a great surprise, and we were not prepared to bring him home. We did not even have a carrier with us. But we borrowed one from Angell and we managed to get the little guy home.
Continue reading “A strange but (so far) good turn of events”
The Perfect Storm
Yesterday was Smoky’s drop off day for his I-131 treatment. Per the instructions for his admission, he’d been off of his methimazole for a week. Over the last week we’d been monitoring him carefully. He’d been more heat sensitive than usual, he’d been breathing a bit heavier than normal, and his skin was getting drier and itchier. On Sunday night I had to clean his ears and treat the driest of his skin with petroleum jelly because it was just so itchy and flaky that he was scratching it until it bled.
Midwestern through Western PA/NY Eastern OH folks!
This little one needs your help. He needs a home, either forever or foster ASAP. Check him out.
Are you taken yet. No? Well then, I present you with TUMMY FLOOF!
Jet is, as you will see at the link above, fully vaccinated, snipped, and ready to go to his new forever or foster home. If you’re interested, know someone who might be, or just want to look at more picture, please click through to the website above (linked again here because I’m evil) and contact the blog owner. She’ll get right back to you.
~Kelly
You know you need him in your life
Seriously, you do. How can you ignore this face?
The Books are Taking Over... 