Really Bad News

This is my new favorite place to nap. Mom put soft blankets on both the couches for me since I don't seem to want to use my bed any more. Mom washed my bed for me and maybe I will go back to it some times, but I really enjoy napping here in the sun. Mom wants to tell you about my vet visit.

Karen Jo: The news from the vet is mostly bad. Herman has lost another pound and is down to 8.6 pounds. He should weigh about 12. He is in the terminal stage of feline leukemia. The vet and I are now aggressively treating his diarrhea, as stopping it can buy him some time. The vet lady was reluctant to use the strong anti-diarrhea medicines before, as, if I understood everything correctly, they can be hard on a leukemia kitty's system and contain an antibiotic, which can kill good gut flora as well as bad. It was important to get Herman's good gut flora in as good a shape as possible before trying these medicines. He will be taking Metronidazole and Centrine three times a day for ten days to see if they will work for him. If not, we will switch to Sulphasalazine. It may be that the leukemia has taken such a hold on his gut that nothing will stop the diarrhea. The leukemia is now also attacking his bone marrow, making him anemic. He also has a loose incisor, which means that the leukemia is all through his body now.

There is some good news. Herman has been excused from his rabies booster, which he was supposed to get next week. The vet lady checked him over thoroughly and there is no sign of intestinal lymphoma or lung involvement. This is actually very good news. If Herman keeps on as he is, he will just slowly fade away, without pain, other than the discomfort that the diarrhea gives him. If we can stop the diarrhea, he will regain a bit of quality of life, at least for a little while. I am not going to take any heroic steps, like blood transfusion or force feeding, to try to keep Herman alive. It wouldn't buy him much time and he would hate every minute of the treatment. I am just going to try to keep him as happy and comfortable as I can for the time he has left, which could be a few weeks or even a few months. The other good news is that Herman is letting me pill him. He doesn't like it, but he isn't fighting me very hard. I also remembered a trick from a long time ago. I roll the pills in margarine and then stick them as far to the back of his throat as I can. Luckily, he is taking pill halves and they are small to begin with, so I can do both medicines at once.

I am going to catch up with Herman's awards and try to keep this blog on a fairly upbeat note. I will probably go back to doing some Kitty Limericks, as I won't blog about Herman unless there is something funny or amusing or good to report. I am not going to turn his blog into a wallow of bad news and depression.