We ended up going to ACC after all, since the other place's vet evidently had a crappy attitude about giving us directions to their emergency center (I didn't talk to her), and dealing with someone combative that also doesn't realize I have any knowledge about vet care didn't appeal to me.

So last night, they gave him a shot of Pepcid AC (famotidine, not unusual) and ran a blood panel, then had us give him 100ml sub-q fluids at home. He has no interest in food, water, or the litterbox.

This morning, they called and informed us that his creatinine & BUN -- kidney values (where lower is better) -- are quite high. Three possibilities:
1) Acute renal failure, in which case we're screwed because the treatment is hospitalization with IV fluids, both not an option for financial reasons and because it'd cause his congestive heart failure to crash

2) Chronic renal failure, which would mean going into the "dance" (as some call it) of managing both diuretics for his heart and fluid for his kidneys. Yes, somehow a lot of people do succeed at this. Also, there's the question of whether he has primary kidney disease so his kidneys were screwed-up on their own, or if it's acquired from the Lasix usage overworking them to get rid of the fluid in his abdomen, or both.

The problem is that we can't tell offhand which of the two above categories he's in, because we also can't afford ultrasound to inspect them; all the vet could feel is that they're lumpy. (Usually failing kidneys are also tiny.) Things aren't looking good, though.

Oddly enough, I also just got bloodwork results recently warning that my own creat/BUN is abnormally high, and the doctor wants to see me ASAP since we know one of them went into failure once already. The situation with Jax, which has now mangled the ability to pay for Bastian's pricey anti-clot med, brought to mind the nasty situation with my father last Spring, and the "face reality that they 'just die'" aspect in particular. So when my mother reminded me to call for that appointment, I calmly refused: I'll get an appointment as soon as I can afford Bastian's medicine, and you two can think about 'facing reality' that people like me 'just die' without expensive medical care, too."

Still no eating, drinking, or litterbox, dammit. We're moving him back in here (he spent the night with my mother since he's kind of fed up with me) in case he likes my facilities more. I feel like I should make a sign labeled "Infirmary" and stick it above the staircase leading up to our rooms at this point. :-/

I'm waiting for a phone call from the emergency vet on duty to tell me how much (if any) Lasix Jax should get, but for now I need to get his Enalapril and Bastian's regular meds ready.

Tags: acc, chf, jax, renal failure, tests
Current Mood: crappy

Oh dammit, I don't need this. Jax has been sick for 24+ hours now -- vomiting, increasing lethargy, zero appetite, etc. -- and it's past what I can figure out how to handle, so we have to head up to an emergency vet. I was going to wait until tomorrow, but the guy's symptoms are getting too disturbing; I'm worried he might even be throwing little clots or something.

We'll be going to a place called "Emergency Animal Hospital of Santa Rosa" this trip... I no longer trust the staff at our old standby ACC, aside from Bastian's cardiologist (who is still away) and Max's internal medicine vet. I'm not up to writing about why yet, aside from saying it has to do with what happened in October.

I'm much less calm than I sound here. Poor Jaxie is looking/acting like Bastian was during that horrid month before he went onto CHF meds.

Tags: chf, eahsr, jax
Current Mood: scared

The universe is laughing at me.  At least this time it was something I could laugh at with it...

Since heart failure (or problems in general) cause lack of appetite or even nausea in cats, Jax has been refusing to eat voluntarily since Thursday.  That's extremely dangerous, because cats develop a serious condition called "fatty liver syndrome" after not eating for ~5 days, and it's usually fatal.

I've been trying every food on-hand and approach I could think of, "assist" feeding him along with meds in the meantime, and becoming increasingly worried.  Having run out of ideas, I was just about to finally search the web & support groups for anything that might help...

...and he promptly leapt onto the bed, then to the dresser, and started eating the boring kibble that I figured he'd have zero interest in.  He didn't eat a lot, but anything is good, and he knows what his body can handle right now.  [Edit: Several hour later, while editing this, he ate again, this time quite a bit more.]

( A couple of cute pictures of him from over the years, as a reminder since I posted them in the distant past.... )

Now off I go -- just did Max's sub-cutaneous fluids (which he likes now), now it's time for Bastian and Jax to get their meds...hopefully to bed at something resembling a reasonable hour this time.

Tags: cardiac, cat photos, chf, dcm, good news, jax, recovery
Current Mood: exhausted

Yes, I've been up all night doing cat care...those first days are a real bitch.

Friday night through early Saturday morning, I took matters into my own hands and gave Jax more Lasix; one pill per day was really obviously not going to do the job.  (I gave him 1.75 more at the six-hour mark, just as Bastian gets.)  By morning, he already didn't look bloated in the middle, and was breathing much more quietly.  Unfortunately, he also has no appetite and is nauseous, which are both expected for uncontrolled heart trouble; he'll feel better once that's handled, but until then I'm stuck forcing food on him (or trying to figure a way to make him want to eat it).

We went to a new vet for abdominal tap (which is just $8) on Saturday, but he turned out to not need it.  The new vet was absolutely excellent, low-priced, plus he already knows our cardiologist from having other patients also under her care.  He had it arranged so Jax could have a good panel of bloodwork to be sure nothing else was causing problems, and results will be emailed to me on Monday.  The doctor said that sometimes something in flame retardants and similar environmental factors can all cause trouble (like hyperthyroidism) that leads to early-onset organ failure.

My brain is fried, so I'll go to bed now.  Just wanted to let people know the basics of what is going on.

Tags: appetite problems, cardiac, chf, diagnosistics, jax, sick cats, vet "heritage"
Current Mood: exhausted

I really don't have the words, once again, I feel tired and confused, I don't know enough about this yet... I almost started crying on the way home just under the weight of everything happening.  I keep almost doing it now.

Jax is now formally diagnosed as having dialated cardiomyopathy with massive fluid retention in the abdomen and gallop rhythm.  The said "it" is early-stage, so I can only guess "it" is congestive heart failure.  I just (per orders) started him on 2.5mg Enalapril/day and 12.5 Furosemide or less as-needed; he's dozing on my bed.  Normally he'd be over here "kissing" (opening mouth & running lips along mine) and "hugging" (sitting up and putting his forearms around my neck)...

If I could afford it, I'd take him to the "good" emergency place we normally go, make sure that the first vet was on-target... Whenever B was in trouble like this, they held him overnight, so I'm not at all used to actually having this kind of problem on-hand.  It's scary... I don't have the kind of equipment a vet does to monitor or deal with crises, I just have a box full of pills.  

I need to learn about DCM in-depth now, I guess... Make sure that I do everything for him (especially right now) that is really possible, and ensure this vet got things right enough to avoid tragedy.

Tags: cardiac, cardiology, jax, prescriptions, vet "aeac"
Current Mood: crappy