I figured I'd give everyone a quick update from time to time on Mr. Grimm.
Monday: He seemed more "normal" today. He came out of his hiding spot in the office and slept on the kitchen chair, under the table. He also came out when Sam and I got home and seemed excited about eating dinner; however, a kitten walked up to his food and Grimm was immediately done with eating. (Which usually happens when Odin tries to eat Grimm's food, too.) Sam and I put the food in his room, but Odin went in there after he was done eating... and ate all of Grimm's food! Odin is such a greedy jerk. haha! I talked to a friend of mine at work- she used to work at Dove Lewis. I told her about all the different medications and she agreed; if Grimm isn't puking, he doesn't need the Pepcid. If Grimm is eating, he doesn't need the appetite stimulant. If we check the dehydration signs and Grimm is fine, then he doesn't need the subcutaneous fluids. I felt better about our decisions.
However, we were getting mixed information from the vet today. I called this morning to ask about the Epogen, the hormone that the 24 hour clinic help Grimm's anemia. I also asked WHY we were referred to the 24 hour clinic only to have Grimm come home WORSE than he was when we dropped him off. I was sure to be very blunt and somewhat bitchy... but I ended up crying at some point. :-/ The receptionist apologized because what Grimm has is "so rare" that they don't treat it often. She said she'd ask the vet and have someone give us a call back. With the first call back, Sam was told the shots would be needed one a week. Apparently, that person had never really heard of Epogen and had to do more research on it, even though the 24 hour clinic had told us specifically to follow up with our vet for the Epogen. Later in the day, Sam was told the shots would be needed three times a week with weekly blood tests until the RBC goal was achieved. After Grimm reached that point, he'd need weekly shots and then monthly shots with blood tests every month to monitor his RBCs. Either way, we have decided that this vet is obviously NOT properly educated in how to best help treat chronic renal failure... and we may need to find a new vet that is educated in Epogen treatment. Also, a vet that doesn't over-exaggerate test results would be good, too. I called the vet two times today, once before work and once after work. That's one more time than I should have had to call and complain about my "service..." two more calls even, considering both calls were me complaining about our service/lack of service there within the last 2-3 weeks. /sigh
Sam and I would like to try the Epogen for two weeks... and see what the blood tests show. We found a website that will allow us to buy a 2 week supply at a time, which should give us time to see if the Epogen will work or not. If the Epogen works... then we would have no problem buying it in packages of 6 vials at a time. If it doesn't work, weren't not stuck with 5 vials of Epogen that we'll never use or get reimbursed for. And I'm trying to figure out a way to get the vet to give Grimm the shots three times a week (for free) instead of having us do it at home, considering Grimm will let the vet give him shots, but he puts up a fight when we try to get a syringe full of water down his throat. But I'm still working on that one.
Tuesday: Grimm actually let me scratch under his chin and rubbed against my knuckles today (which is his way of asking me to scratch more). I was overly excited about that. Also, he played with my name badge from work! hehe... I tricked him! He's eating wet food (which is better for him than kibble, considering it contains some water), but he's still sleeping most of the day. I'm glad we're making a little progress.
Wednesday: Grimm came out from hiding for a little bit tonight- I was very excited to see him out and about. It was a nice change of pace.
Thursday: Grimm was on the kitchen table when I got home and he stayed out in the front room most of the evening... including jumping on top of me and purring... TWICE! My heart melted. I was so happy to see him being more like him again. He sniffed the catnip toys, he ate his favorite Greenies (Tuna flavored), and he ate kibble *on his own* and wet food, too! I am beyond overjoyed.
Friday: He's out and about this morning, too! He's sitting by his toy box. Adorable. He doesn't look comfortable, but he's trying to stay out of Odin's way, since Odin is on a crazy war-path, running all around the house with his tail fluffed up... so I don't blame Grimm for looking the way he does. haha! When we came home after being out for New Year's Eve, Grimm woke up and came out of the office to greet us. I was again impressed.
Saturday: I woke up to Grimm sleeping by my feet! It was amazing! He got up and sat in the window, too! I'm going to say my Grimm is back to "normal" again... definitely now more than ever. When he was done in the window, he went back onto the bed, by my feet! It was awesome... and warm. :) hehe... When I took a shower, he was pawing at the door, wanting to come inside the bathroom. He came inside, purred for a bit, and then wanted out. I think he's recovered. :)
Monday, December 27, 2010
Sunday, December 26, 2010
My Grimm
I love my Grimm.
I don't know what I'll do without him.
However... things have changed.
I worry about my Grimm everyday now.
In the beginning of December, I was starting to realize how many puddles of pee there were around the house. I was getting tired of cleaning up every puddle only to find another and not know who was peeing all over my house! Then, one night, I put a clean load of laundry on the bed that was fresh out of the dryer. Grimm immediately jumped on the bed, got onto the laundry, and PEED! I was so pissed (for lack of a better word). Sam did some reading and found out that random puddles might mean that Grimm had a bladder infection... so he took Grimm to the vet. The vet thought he was at the tail-end of a bladder infection, based on a urine test, so she prescribed Metacam (an anti-inflammatory) and some eye drops (since Grimm's eyes have been kinda booger-filled). The vet sent them home with a good bill of health.
Two weeks later, Grimm was acting bizarre... well, more unusual than usual... he was sitting in front of his water bowl, not drinking, just sitting. We called the vet and we took him back in. This time, the vet heard a slight heart murmur and checked his blood pressure, which was pretty high, according to the vet. The vet immediately wanted to do a blood test, which we *wanted* them to do... and we waited 30 minutes for the results. When the results came back, the vet gave us two options: 1) go to the emergency 24-hour clinic OR 2) put Grimm to sleep. That left us with one option: Take Grimm to the 24-hour clinic.
At the 24-hour clinic, we were told that Grimm's lab results weren't as bad as the original vet had described. However, Grimm was very anemic and they were worried he had (chronic) kidney failure. Grimm looked so comfortable and happy while we were at the vet. He was laying in Sam's jacket, purring, and somewhat falling asleep while we were waiting. After two hours, Grimm was admitted into the 24-hour clinic and was put on an IV drip with fluids. He was given Pepcid for stomach upset, amoxicillin (just in case), and an appetite stimulant. After 20 hours, Grimm's blood tests were improving and he was eating and acting more "normal," according to the vet tech. However, his blood tests were not improving as much as they would have liked... so we had Grimm stay another night in the hospital. The next morning, the vet tech said Grimm did good overnight. Later that day, his blood tests showed more improvement, but not as much as they would have liked (again). That night, we took him home.
While Grimm was being "discharged," the vet tech was telling us a LOT of information. We were sent home with 5 cans of Science Diet k/d for renal failure, a bag of fluid along with 10 needles, a bottle of amoxicillin, and appetite stimulant pills... along with a list of what to do, how much, and how often. Sam and I sat down and figured out that the easiest option would be do give Grimm most of his meds at night, when we were both home. That included the subcutaneous fluids, amoxicillin, pepcid, and appetite stimulant (every three days). However, we were going to have to give Grimm amoxicillin in the morning before leaving for work, as well as in the evening. We tried to give Grimm the fluids the following evening, but he wanted nothing to do with it. We managed to give him the pepcid, but it didn't seem to make him feel any better. The amoxicillin went down, no problems. We just felt like horrible parents... I didn't want to do this to him, even though it was for his own good. The following day (Christmas), we managed to get the amoxicillin down, but not the appetite stimulant and not the pepcid. We got in some fluids (50ml out of the 150ml we were supposed to give him)... after wrapping Grimm up in a towel and holding him completely still in the bathroom. Again, we felt as though we were pissing Grimm off with every needle, pill, and liquid we shoved into him.
Tonight, we came to the conclusion that we want Grimm to live... as comfortably and happily as possible, for as long as that may be. I do not want to stick a needle in my cat every night while he's wrapped like a burrito in a towel, looking sad and angry. I am tired of popping pills down his throat when we don't even know that it's doing anything, especially the pepcid and appetite stimulant (since he's eating ok without it). Grimm seems to be breathing harder and his pupils are dilated... which isn't a good thing, we know... but we did what we were told to do (for the most part), and nothing has seemed to help so far. We're wondering if the 24-hour clinic didn't slip him a sedative while he was there... and he's just now coming out of the medicine-induced sleep. Either way, we are keeping an eye on him... a very close eye.
We do, however, want to talk to the vet tomorrow. The 24-hour clinic recommended an injectable medication to help with Grimm's anemia. We want to look into that... and we would prefer to take Grimm to the vet everyday that he needs a shot, so we don't mess it up. We also want to finish giving him the amoxicillin... his eyes are clearing up, without the drops. However, the drops are good for Odin, too... if he ever needs them again (he used them as a kitten). We also want to ask the vet about Science Diet k/d kibble for Grimm to munch on during the day, since he prefers kibble to wet food. We already bought Grimm a new water bowl that says, "Thirsty" on it. *super cute*
Odin and the kittens seem to be leaving Grimm alone, for the most part. Grimm has been hiding under my desk, on top of the pink ottoman. He's been there most of the time; he only gets up to pee, drink water, and eat food (on occasion). He surprised us on Christmas by getting up and coming into the kitchen when he heard me open a soup can. I was shocked... and Sam immediately gave him wet food. :) Grimm also came out tonight and showed interest in the new toys I bought the kitties today at Wal-Mart (since Odin's flower toys were inside the stocking). I ended up giving Grimm a catnip toy in the office, along with his old friend, the stick. :)
I'll keep everyone posted on Mr. Grimm via Twitter and FB. I'm just glad he's home and sleeping, safely under my desk. <3 I love my Grimm (aka Bubba). I don't want to see him leave this world prematurely... he's only 4 years old and he's too good of a kitty to have such a horrible thing happen to him.
I don't know what I'll do without him.
However... things have changed.
I worry about my Grimm everyday now.
In the beginning of December, I was starting to realize how many puddles of pee there were around the house. I was getting tired of cleaning up every puddle only to find another and not know who was peeing all over my house! Then, one night, I put a clean load of laundry on the bed that was fresh out of the dryer. Grimm immediately jumped on the bed, got onto the laundry, and PEED! I was so pissed (for lack of a better word). Sam did some reading and found out that random puddles might mean that Grimm had a bladder infection... so he took Grimm to the vet. The vet thought he was at the tail-end of a bladder infection, based on a urine test, so she prescribed Metacam (an anti-inflammatory) and some eye drops (since Grimm's eyes have been kinda booger-filled). The vet sent them home with a good bill of health.
Two weeks later, Grimm was acting bizarre... well, more unusual than usual... he was sitting in front of his water bowl, not drinking, just sitting. We called the vet and we took him back in. This time, the vet heard a slight heart murmur and checked his blood pressure, which was pretty high, according to the vet. The vet immediately wanted to do a blood test, which we *wanted* them to do... and we waited 30 minutes for the results. When the results came back, the vet gave us two options: 1) go to the emergency 24-hour clinic OR 2) put Grimm to sleep. That left us with one option: Take Grimm to the 24-hour clinic.
At the 24-hour clinic, we were told that Grimm's lab results weren't as bad as the original vet had described. However, Grimm was very anemic and they were worried he had (chronic) kidney failure. Grimm looked so comfortable and happy while we were at the vet. He was laying in Sam's jacket, purring, and somewhat falling asleep while we were waiting. After two hours, Grimm was admitted into the 24-hour clinic and was put on an IV drip with fluids. He was given Pepcid for stomach upset, amoxicillin (just in case), and an appetite stimulant. After 20 hours, Grimm's blood tests were improving and he was eating and acting more "normal," according to the vet tech. However, his blood tests were not improving as much as they would have liked... so we had Grimm stay another night in the hospital. The next morning, the vet tech said Grimm did good overnight. Later that day, his blood tests showed more improvement, but not as much as they would have liked (again). That night, we took him home.
While Grimm was being "discharged," the vet tech was telling us a LOT of information. We were sent home with 5 cans of Science Diet k/d for renal failure, a bag of fluid along with 10 needles, a bottle of amoxicillin, and appetite stimulant pills... along with a list of what to do, how much, and how often. Sam and I sat down and figured out that the easiest option would be do give Grimm most of his meds at night, when we were both home. That included the subcutaneous fluids, amoxicillin, pepcid, and appetite stimulant (every three days). However, we were going to have to give Grimm amoxicillin in the morning before leaving for work, as well as in the evening. We tried to give Grimm the fluids the following evening, but he wanted nothing to do with it. We managed to give him the pepcid, but it didn't seem to make him feel any better. The amoxicillin went down, no problems. We just felt like horrible parents... I didn't want to do this to him, even though it was for his own good. The following day (Christmas), we managed to get the amoxicillin down, but not the appetite stimulant and not the pepcid. We got in some fluids (50ml out of the 150ml we were supposed to give him)... after wrapping Grimm up in a towel and holding him completely still in the bathroom. Again, we felt as though we were pissing Grimm off with every needle, pill, and liquid we shoved into him.
Tonight, we came to the conclusion that we want Grimm to live... as comfortably and happily as possible, for as long as that may be. I do not want to stick a needle in my cat every night while he's wrapped like a burrito in a towel, looking sad and angry. I am tired of popping pills down his throat when we don't even know that it's doing anything, especially the pepcid and appetite stimulant (since he's eating ok without it). Grimm seems to be breathing harder and his pupils are dilated... which isn't a good thing, we know... but we did what we were told to do (for the most part), and nothing has seemed to help so far. We're wondering if the 24-hour clinic didn't slip him a sedative while he was there... and he's just now coming out of the medicine-induced sleep. Either way, we are keeping an eye on him... a very close eye.
We do, however, want to talk to the vet tomorrow. The 24-hour clinic recommended an injectable medication to help with Grimm's anemia. We want to look into that... and we would prefer to take Grimm to the vet everyday that he needs a shot, so we don't mess it up. We also want to finish giving him the amoxicillin... his eyes are clearing up, without the drops. However, the drops are good for Odin, too... if he ever needs them again (he used them as a kitten). We also want to ask the vet about Science Diet k/d kibble for Grimm to munch on during the day, since he prefers kibble to wet food. We already bought Grimm a new water bowl that says, "Thirsty" on it. *super cute*
Odin and the kittens seem to be leaving Grimm alone, for the most part. Grimm has been hiding under my desk, on top of the pink ottoman. He's been there most of the time; he only gets up to pee, drink water, and eat food (on occasion). He surprised us on Christmas by getting up and coming into the kitchen when he heard me open a soup can. I was shocked... and Sam immediately gave him wet food. :) Grimm also came out tonight and showed interest in the new toys I bought the kitties today at Wal-Mart (since Odin's flower toys were inside the stocking). I ended up giving Grimm a catnip toy in the office, along with his old friend, the stick. :)
I'll keep everyone posted on Mr. Grimm via Twitter and FB. I'm just glad he's home and sleeping, safely under my desk. <3 I love my Grimm (aka Bubba). I don't want to see him leave this world prematurely... he's only 4 years old and he's too good of a kitty to have such a horrible thing happen to him.
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