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- Mar 11, 2016
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Hello Cat Site people,
How do we know when we're asking too much of our feline companions? I am sure I'm not the only one struggling with this question. I really just want to know what other cat caretakers would do in the same circumstances.
Here's the run down:
Phoebe's exact age is unknown. She has been with me for 18 love-filled years. She was mostly full grown by the time we found each other, so a good guess is that she is 18-20 years old. She's a beautiful, affectionate calico- to me and a select few other people anyway! She lives up to the calico feisty nature in every way when it comes to anyone or anything she does not like.
Her aging started to show about 4 years ago. It was discovered then that she has hyperthyroid which we now manage with oral methimazole. We're still working on getting the dosage right. It's been very tricky and it keeps either sending her into hyPOthyroidism or not fully alleviating the hyPERthyroidism.
She also, not surprisingly, has chronic kidney disease. Her kidney values are very much influenced by where the thyroid pendulum has swung at any given time, as anyone with a hyperthyroid/CKD cat probably can relate to. When her thyroid is over-active her kidneys get more blood flow and values look better. When the medication sends her into hypothyroid, the kidneys get less blood flow and blood values look like they are tanking.
A year ago, another health issue began: seizures. Our vets have not been able to determine a cause of the seizures. She gets gabapentin everyday, twice a day, to prevent seizures. She still has about 1 seizure every 1-2 months even with the gabapentin.
Her blood pressure also went through the roof last year with the hyperthyroid/CKD and she began screaming all night in agitation. So now she also gets blood pressure medication.
On Monday of this week I noticed that she was drooling pus. Sure enough, she has an abscessed tooth now too. Given her conditions, the vet (and I agree here) said that sedation to remove the tooth is not an option. She would most likely not wake up.
The vet said that instead, we would most likely have to "pulse" antibiotics off and on to keep the infection down, thus alleviating the pus and pain.
So she is now on an antibiotic too.
This means in the morning I give her orally- methimazole, gabapentin, antibiotic.
In the evening I give her- methimazole, amlodipine (blood pressure med), gabapentin, and antibiotic.
(She also gets phosphorus binder mixed in her food.)
I'm told by the vets that these are all "treatable" problems. How many treatable problems add up to a miserable life for her though? I don't know if she has any quality in life. She does not like getting medicine but she tolerates it. She does continue to eat despite her bad tooth, presently. She also still sits at the window.
But she also seems very "out of it" and confused lately. I don't know if that's from tooth pain, all the medication, or merely her age.
Cat Site People, what would you do? Keep on this course and see how bad things get? When do I say "enough is enough"? I don't know if she's in pain. How I wish I could ask her wishes.
How do we know when we're asking too much of our feline companions? I am sure I'm not the only one struggling with this question. I really just want to know what other cat caretakers would do in the same circumstances.
Here's the run down:
Phoebe's exact age is unknown. She has been with me for 18 love-filled years. She was mostly full grown by the time we found each other, so a good guess is that she is 18-20 years old. She's a beautiful, affectionate calico- to me and a select few other people anyway! She lives up to the calico feisty nature in every way when it comes to anyone or anything she does not like.
Her aging started to show about 4 years ago. It was discovered then that she has hyperthyroid which we now manage with oral methimazole. We're still working on getting the dosage right. It's been very tricky and it keeps either sending her into hyPOthyroidism or not fully alleviating the hyPERthyroidism.
She also, not surprisingly, has chronic kidney disease. Her kidney values are very much influenced by where the thyroid pendulum has swung at any given time, as anyone with a hyperthyroid/CKD cat probably can relate to. When her thyroid is over-active her kidneys get more blood flow and values look better. When the medication sends her into hypothyroid, the kidneys get less blood flow and blood values look like they are tanking.
A year ago, another health issue began: seizures. Our vets have not been able to determine a cause of the seizures. She gets gabapentin everyday, twice a day, to prevent seizures. She still has about 1 seizure every 1-2 months even with the gabapentin.
Her blood pressure also went through the roof last year with the hyperthyroid/CKD and she began screaming all night in agitation. So now she also gets blood pressure medication.
On Monday of this week I noticed that she was drooling pus. Sure enough, she has an abscessed tooth now too. Given her conditions, the vet (and I agree here) said that sedation to remove the tooth is not an option. She would most likely not wake up.
The vet said that instead, we would most likely have to "pulse" antibiotics off and on to keep the infection down, thus alleviating the pus and pain.
So she is now on an antibiotic too.
This means in the morning I give her orally- methimazole, gabapentin, antibiotic.
In the evening I give her- methimazole, amlodipine (blood pressure med), gabapentin, and antibiotic.
(She also gets phosphorus binder mixed in her food.)
I'm told by the vets that these are all "treatable" problems. How many treatable problems add up to a miserable life for her though? I don't know if she has any quality in life. She does not like getting medicine but she tolerates it. She does continue to eat despite her bad tooth, presently. She also still sits at the window.
But she also seems very "out of it" and confused lately. I don't know if that's from tooth pain, all the medication, or merely her age.
Cat Site People, what would you do? Keep on this course and see how bad things get? When do I say "enough is enough"? I don't know if she's in pain. How I wish I could ask her wishes.