Blatant plea for sympathy

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Mollycat
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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Update/corrections

Where I saw the lump that was gum inflammation due to a resorptive lesion (FORL) and on the other side also lower jaw the rearmost molar was a possible FORL also or possible broken tooth. Either way she will be much more comfortable but I have a lot of reading to do on FORLS as I believe it might be a progressive oral disease?

Separate but not necessarily unconnected - she has been on potassium supplement for 2 years since her radioiodine treatment and it's doing little, her level is only just in the normal range, so that continues now for life. In those 2 years her kidney failure has progressed, it's still early and vet recommends the K/D Early rather than the proper full blown K/D and so at 14 it's time to start looking at palatable renal foods, to which I will still add a little raw lean meat. We had not done it so far because her digestive trouble and need to rebuild muscle mass took priority and it's only now we're talking kidneys that I remember all those things are pretty much behind us and we can start to pay attention to her kidneys.

So she doesn't have mouth cancer and that's the big good news, but with a long list of BUTs.

Fjm the problem is this is 17 years old and near enough mint, and the old owner lived just down the road, I go through his village weekly to buy our meat. I'd be so embarrassed if he saw I wasn't keeping it nice! I know, silly eh.
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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So glad that she doesn't have a lump, what a relief
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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I'm not sure if what Saturn had was FORLS, but his teeth did resorb. He never seemed to suffer any pain from it and always ate normally. Each year at his annual check up the vet would mention that the teeth would need doing 'soon' and that he suffered gingivitis but no scaling, but they never made it seem that urgent. The main problem he seemed to have was bad breath Then one of his upper canines broke off and he had to go in to have the root removed. That was when i found out his incisors had gone, his premolars had gone and all his molars were going and would be best removed.

He now has 3 teeth left, one upper canine and both lower canines, but i have a feeling in another few years that other upper canine might have to come out as well. Poor Saturn is only about 6 and a half years old. On the good side of things, after he had the teeth out his breath has improved tremendously and he doesn't seem to notice that he has no teeth, raw meat, cooked meat, wet cat food, dry cat food, cheese, Dreamies, he happily eats it all. If there is any problem it is that we seem to get a few more live mice brought in than dead ones, but that could be that he just wants to play with them inside where it is warm rather than he can't kill them as easily. Once again last night at 11.00 we were chasing a mouse around the shower room, and once again I was so glad that when I designed it I made sure it had no nooks and crannies for a mouse to get into where we couldn't get at it.
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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Ruth B wrote: Thu Mar 04, 2021 7:42 am I'm not sure if what Saturn had was FORLS, but his teeth did resorb. He never seemed to suffer any pain from it and always ate normally. Each year at his annual check up the vet would mention that the teeth would need doing 'soon' and that he suffered gingivitis but no scaling, but they never made it seem that urgent. The main problem he seemed to have was bad breath Then one of his upper canines broke off and he had to go in to have the root removed. That was when i found out his incisors had gone, his premolars had gone and all his molars were going and would be best removed.
FORLS is just the old term for TR apparently. From what I'm reading so far it sounds likely. Also read that true caries in companion animals are as rare as 5% of extractions, according to one source, I am at the stage of taking in lots of disjointed uncorroborated and slightly clickbaitish statements. After some more dedicated reading I might start picking up more sense. Something about a possible overdosing of commercial foods with vitamin D3 which other researchers have been unable to replicate. Commercial foods seem to be investigated for all kinds of things and then there is never any conclusive evidence of anything and all that's left is a kind of latent fear cast in stone at whatever latest study cat owners found most compelling.

What astounds me, from both www and you and Molly (that makes 3) is the apparent lack of pain from it. You'd think that as the dentine goes and the pulp and surely therefore the nerve would be exposed, that this should be extremely painful. But no. So is it any wonder we don't spot any symptoms! Molly never had bad breath and that makes sense as she never had any significant tartar, her teeth as best I could see looked really good. I have so much to learn, and cats are such great teachers.
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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From what my current dentist has told me, when a tooth gets damaged it slowly turns to dentine, the stuff you find under the enamel, not as hard, but still fairly tough. The change gradually increases until the nerve that runs through the root of the tooth closes off and the nerve channel is also filled with dentine. It is natures way of trying to repair a tooth that has been broken, and why i can have one that has nothing above the gum level and still have a good root. I think, back when my Dad was still practicing, the thought was that once the nerve had gone the tooth was dead and best removed or the canal filled, now it seems that they think a root can still be viable without a nerve in it, and so it is best to leave it alone rather than try and do a root filling unless it gives problems. I can only assume that the same is true with a cats teeth when they are being resorbed, the nerve gradually recedes so the tooth doesn't feel the pain. As you well know a lot of tooth pain comes from gum infection not an actual problem with the tooth, cavities or a broken tooth that exposes the nerve give pain in the tooth itself, but most of the time the pain comes from tenderness and pressure in the socket not the actual tooth when the area around the root gets infected.
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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Ah you make so much sense Ruth. When my wisdom tooth started to cause me aggravation and they couldn't get me in to remove it for months, they called me in to kill the nerve to give me peace until it could be removed. And peace I did have!
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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True pain is an emergency, it is something I learnt from my Father.
As his surgery took up a couple of room of the house, people knew there was a good chance of finding him in if they had a problem. If it was an emergency he didn't mind, he knew an abscess could suddenly flare up and if someone rang with one, it didn't matter the time of day (unless it was really late evening and he had had a glass of whisky, then he would send them to the hospital), he knew that by drilling the tooth out and taking the pressure off he could cure the pain almost instantly, and would do so. However someone who rang at 7.00 on a Friday evening with toothache that they had had for three days, but as they were going on holiday on Monday thay had decided they really needed someone to look at it before they went, got very little sympathy.
The only person who really got away with things was the vet. There was one time when he had an appointment in the middle of the afternoon and didn't show up and didn't call, it was in the days before mobile phones so there was a bit more of an excuse back then. He finally phoned at about 9.00 that night, really apologetic, he had spent almost all day at a farm desperately trying to safe a cow and calf (It may have been the Forest of Dean not North Yorkshire, but I'm sure you can image the scene from James Herriot), he had succeeded but it was close and he had wanted to stay until he was sure they were going to live. His tooth was giving him hell and was there anything that could be done. My Dad opened up the surgery that night at about 10.00 so that he could do the job properly, my Mum filling in as Dental Nurse (she was trained as a Staff Nurse so not unused to surgery). Sometimes an emergency elsewhere is a reason to still be seen.
The other emergency I'll never forget, was one on Christmas Day. The guy turned up on the doorstep in the middle of Christmas Morning, with his son, about 8 or 9 years old, with a face covered in blood. He had had a new bike, and had been riding it, he'd fallen off and hit his mouth on the kerb edge. Fortunately it wasn't as bad as it looked, a lot of blood, some damage to the gums, and a couple of milk teeth knocked loose, but that was one time when there was no messing, it didn't matter what day it was, the it was a child and he needed to be seen.
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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Oddly enough we have been watching Heartbeat, OH loves it and has bought them and we're up to series 6 or 7 or so, and I have been reflecting on the old fashioned out of hours services where you could call on the village bobby or the local nurse for help between surgery times. When I registered with our vet they did their own out of hours as the practice founder and her family live above the surgery. A few years ago they decided to use another vet - one I'm underly keen on having been with them for previous cats, and hence will see or at least phone mine at the last minute of a Friday to reduce the risk of a forced out of hours visit. I do understand, but that doesn't mean I'm happy.

I suppose it's an inevitable consequence of heavier workloads with less flexibility and more paperwork, that kills it. Demand for longer regular hours and instant response with the wonderful mobile phone. I mean, when surgery was 2 hours in the morning 5 days a week and 2 in the afternoon 4 days a week, maybe there was more room for keeping your own emergency service without going into burnout. Our vets alone run 8.30 till 6 daily and although each vet is part time there is other work to do than see patients. Not everything improves in a 24-hour world.

That said when Snoopy had his op I was given the vet's private home phone number for any emergency and she rang me on Sunday morning to check in as she was about to take her own dogs out and didn't want me to miss her if I needed her. We have received several calls a day this week between Molly's dental, one slight complaint issue, Snoop's follow up x-rays and also his rehabilitation assessment on Thursday. Looking forward to a much quieter week next week.
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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I remember nearly 40 years ago my American neighbours in Oxford being stunned when I suggested asking for a GP to visit late one evening for their injured toddler, and even more stunned when he arrived half an hour later! We still ended up in A&E waiting to have her elbow popped back in, but even then house calls just didn't happen in the US. I cannot fault my vets though - they run their own 24 hour service, so there is a good chance of speaking to someone you know at any hour of the day or night, and are very fair about it as far as I can see (I once got the senior partner early on Boxing Day morning).
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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That might be the issue here fjm, they might still be just a little too small to handle their own out of hours again, thought they did when I first signed up around 6-7 years ago. Then they found it was getting a bit much, and now with the extra pressures of Covid first during lockdown mkI they took back the ooh work and now they have joined a network mostly for admin and behind the scenes. I am assured there will be no change in medical care, I really hope that is true, but perhaps a little expansion might keep everything in house ... what do I know?

40 years ago GPs still did home visits, now you have to be dying to get a home visit, or that was my experience in care work 10 years ago.
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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My vets do their own ooh, although you have to go to the main branch which is 12.5 miles away (I've been enough to get there with my eyes closed!!), they scrapped the ooh fee the other year in the hope that it would stop people leaving a poorly pet all weekend to avoid the extra charge (although before that the main branch was open 9-5 on a Sat and Sun), I don't think it worked though. When they had their new building built, they had 2 self contained flats built above the surgery, as the weekend vet does 8pm Fri to 8am Mon - when Lucy was hospitalised, it was one of the newly qualified vets on, so her usual vet popped in Sat and Sun to take her bloods.
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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A proper 7 day service sounds like a good plan to me, not much fun for those on rota but then there are advantages to having days off in the week.

Just this minute had a notification that my vets have been recognised as one of the top 3 in the area, and the out of hours they use is not there.

Did I mention one slight complaint about Molly? Utterly dismayed that the vet trimmed her claws. I mean really upset and gutted for her. Ironically my last vet doing the same to Boo was the reason we moved, though as always it's only the toothpaste tube clincher and not the real core problem. Old vets I never saw the same one twice and the response to my questioning the very ragged and badly cut claws was "they needed doing" rather than a humble apology, and then the nurse claimed Boo my ragdoll Boo had scratched the vet. So for the replacement vet to do the same to Molly is especially disappointing.

However, as these vets are worlds away from my old one, the way they have worked with us over the past 4 years and everything all our pets have been through and are still going through, one technically very minor error which chief honcho was able to figure out in minutes and tell me how she would prevent it happening again, does not negate or even dent my faith in them. The admitting nurse forgot to ask, the operating vet saw no marks on the consent form and went with what 90% of owners want - and at the next staff meeting everyone will be gently reminded that if there's no yes then we check or we don't do. How can you argue with that? I mean, we're all human and make mistakes, what separates the good from the bad is how those mistakes are handled.

The clawtips can't be glued back on however and I now have a distressed Molly who cant understand why her paws keep slipping off the scratch posts and her back feet slide slowly across her bed while she's resting (normally she digs one back claw in to anchor herself) and this morning most upsetting she tried to jump up on her ivory tower and fell as her claws failed her. Grass and claws, two very underestimated items relating to cats that I am passionate about. I'm sure it's fine to trim claws on cats that have always been used to it but Molly's have definitely never been done in 8 years and very likely never in her life. With all her anxiety and insecurities, I am pretty certain the claws are the difference that is making her so skittish as other treatments and times away from home have never made her regress this far.

Never mind, they will grow back and there's nothing I can do to change what's done.
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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Odd that 90% of owners want their cats claws cut - I have asked for it as a special extra for a dog under sedation, but it would never occur to me that it might be considered desirable for a cat undergoing another procedure. As you say, what is important is that the error is recognised and learned from. I hope Molly's claws grow fast, and she adapts quickly till then.
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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I'm lucky that I've never had to use an Out of Hours service (frantically touching wooden objects, then realising I'm sat on a wooden chair, and wondering if that counts).

My normal vets do have one, but they have about 3 or 4 different practices in the area and are a training hospital at their main site, which is the one we normally go to. I won't say I have never had a problem, but in almost 25 years of going there, there has only been once when we were getting to the point of considering looking else where. I was lucky to see one of the senior partners in the end for the visit and just had a quite word with her after she had seen Stroppy (it probably hadn't helped that it was a few months after my Mum had died and the cat in question was her old one, and I had a feeling it was going to be serious, it was her penultimate visit in the end). After that chat things improved again and we still go there, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience when Saturn went in to have his teeth done. We don't always see the same vet, but often we do see ones we recognise, I think they do arrange it that certain vets work out of certain practices and it is only if they really need to cover someone's absence that one gets brought in from a different practice.

the only other time that some might have had cause for complaint was one time when we took Freyja in for her check up, as Freyja isn't the easiest to box she had been inn the carrier a while before the appointment, as i grabbed her while i could rather than wait until I couldn't get her. They were running a bit late anyway and we were sat quietly waiting, in a fairly full waiting room. Then a guy came in with a small dog and you could tell there was a problem with its breathing, apparently it had been eating and started choking. Everything came to a stop as the dog was rushed straight into surgery. Everyone waiting was given the option of waiting while they got another vet to come in or rebooking the appointment, knowing that we might not get Freyja in a carrier again in the near future we waited, about another hour, to be seen. It was a bit frustrating and I did feel sorry for Freyja cooped up in the carrier all that time, but in the end I couldn't fault their priorities, the dog was an emergency, and apparently the surgery went well and the dog was fine. In the end I would rather sit and wait with a cat that is just wanting her annual boosters, than have anyone's pet suffer. The dog wasn't even registered there, but the owners had to pass the door on the way to their own vets, and saw it was open so decided to stop as it was the first vets they came to, and i can't blame them for that either.
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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I have to disagree Ruth I think anyone taking exception to an emergency coming in and being given the choice to wait or rescheduled ought to take a long hard look at themselves. I'm with you on the difficulties of re-catching them though. My lot want to see Molly again a week after her procedure, that might have been feasible had they not done her claws, but not now, we will need longer. But I can ring and ask for the vet who looked after her to ring me and we can have a discussion about balancing the need to see her again, the fact she had a 2 week antibiotic injection, how she is eating and whether that is any indication of the actual condition of her mouth, her general nervousness and special nervousness now, and how much reiki can achieve.

We do get an appointment with a specific vet, with them working part time it can mean a limited choice of days but that's ok. I seem to remember being asked who I would like to put Boo to sleep despite it being someone's lunch break, and I chose very well as it happens. Molly's dental wasn't done by our favourite cat vet but the one who is most familiar with her due to being the one who was free in the urgent situation that led her to the HT diagnosis.

The out of hours practice has a hospital and 3 other large-ish branches. They have got my back up twice in the last 3 years, firstly when we had to bring the dog in for a cut pad that wouldn't stop bleeding. £101 to walk in the door, then we can bandage it ... no, I can bandage it and clean it better than you (I stood him in a bath with TCP, she just squirted one ampoule of saline over it) so what are you going to do for your £101 that I can't do? I love getting older, I tell it like it is so much more now! Well we can't stitch it so what do you want us to do? You could glue it maybe? Oh I suppose we could glue it ... Yes I suppose you could, I mean what do they learn in vet school? The time before was much worse, the way I was treated when poor Henry had to be put to sleep. I understand my ex refusing to let me take Purdy for fear they wouldn't let him have her back, put it that way.
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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We certainly understood having to wait because an emergency came in, unfortunately, having had parents who worked in medicine and a husband that answers phones at the local hospital, I have become very cynical about people and know how entitled some can be.
One tip for in the future, get some cheap tubes of superglue in, you can normally pick them up at 3 or 4 tubes for a £1, and use that if you think a wound just needs gluing. As long as you are sure you have cleaned a wound well and dried it off, you can open a new tube and know it is sterile to use on the wound. Bandage it up and then keep it dry and it should heal fine. it will come unstuck if it gets too wet, but for something like a cut pad it would be a lot cheaper than the OOH vet if all they are going to do is glue it anyway. Allegedly superglue is derived from the wound glue they developed during the Vietnamese war as a way of quickly closing wounds.
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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I had heard that's what superglue was invented for, it certainly is good at it anyway. Glad to hear from someone who has actually used it because I'm still shy of doing so - I don't know, maybe I'm scared they have changed the formula and I'm going to poison my animal then be prosecuted for incredibly stupid neglect.

Any ideas on how to make a dog step up a kerb and stop hopping up it with the back legs as it has been doing for years? He was doing it reasonably well most times but yesterday was a lot of fails and I know it's me not being clear what I want from him. He is not treat trained at all. I did join a doggy forum for help with all this but they seem even worse than the previous cat forum I joined!
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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I suspect if Snoop has been bunny hopping over kerbs for years you may need to present him with a whole new situation to persuade him to step differently. I was watching Poppy as she stepped into a bed last night, and wondered if a large, shallow box might do the trick for Snoop. First, of course, you need something really rewarding - chicken, a praise party, a game of tug, whatever he likes best. Then encourage him to walk through the box - if it is the right size there would not be room to jump, so he would have to step with each leg in turn, just as Poppy gets into her bed. Or even two boxes, staggered and taped together. Might be worth a try - cheap and cheerful if it doesn't work, in any case.

Back to the vet for urine tests today and it is, of course, chucking it down... I do hope we can consult in the barn and not the car park!
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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If I am imagining this right fjm what you're suggesting amount to starting with a step-over, and then progress to the step-up from there? The exercise we were given was a Cavaletti step-over, we thought he wouldn't do it. But he has proved us wrong by standing on the corner of the bed with his front feet between my legs and successfully (if not at all evenly or smoothly) shifting his weight following a treat in my hand from side to side. We thought because the only thing he ever does for a treat is sit, that he would back away and sit instead of doing what was asked. It's so good to be proved wrong sometimes! Will give it a try.
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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Yes, I was thinking of a step over, but two blocks offset might work for a single leg step up. Either way, it would require full flexion, and weight bearing first on one side then the other. It's good that he can be tempted to follow a treat - everything becomes so much easier for everyone when you can lure with a scrap of chicken!

Just back from Poppy's latest vet visit for a bladder scan and no-sedation cystocentesis. Scan showed no abnormalities (hurrah!), and she was extremely good about having a needle pushed through her abdomen so it was all done very quickly. Now back on antibiotics while we await the test results in a week or so.
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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Superglue is very much our go to when we need to seal a wound, I've never used it on an animal we have been lucky and never needed to, but both Lawrence and I have used it on ourselves. His modeling and my leather working leads us both to be using a lot of sharp tools and accidents happen. As I'm also a contact lens wearer we also have a steady supply of peroxide and saline solutions in the bathroom to clean wounds out with and once clean a bit of superglue works wonders and we can get back to finishing whatever we were doing. While I will happily use peroxide on myself, and accept that I will be dancing around the bathroom holding the injured limb while turning the air blue, it does sting a bit, I only use the saline on the cats if they need anything cleaning out, self preservation in action I guess, I use peroxide on a cat, and then i would be using it on myself to clean out the bites and scratches, saline at least doesn't really hurt that much.

I will also say that I've never had a wound go bad on me, the closest was when Freyja bit me one time, two puncture wounds in the forearm, making me look like i'd been attacked by a vampire with no knowledge of anatomy. One wound healed beautifully the other was a little deeper and seemed to stay red and angry longer than I was happy about, so it got opened up again and cleaned out well a second time, there wasn't any sign of any discharge but it did heal up quickly enough afterwards so I think there may have been a bit of something left, but didn't have a chance to grow into something nasty. It may hurt at the time but a well cleaned wound is saves a lot of pain in the long run.
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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Love it Ruth and thank you for giving me the confidence, next time ... which is more likely when he gets off the lead as his pads have gone pretty soft. We actually had to have his nails trimmed, I feel like a failure!

My grandmother used to us mercurochrome, I remember animals and kids alike with these red patch stains where grazes and cuts had been disinfected. But the funniest award is to you for the hydrogen peroxide. You know there's a fad for drinking that stuff? Countless hospitalisations, really astounding how completely crackpot people can be. TCP and sea salt are my favourite cleaners on living things, and Savlon cream under a plaster.

Fjm great news for Poppy pending results of course, fingers crossed! I will try your idea 0- - that was Molly's delicate paw on the keyboard just don't ask me what 0- means!
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

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Well at last I believe I'm past feeling any need for sympathy, 5 months on.

Today I got a phone call from the vet then the email forwarded that they received from Snoop's surgeon. Not only are they and is he very happy with the x-rays and how the leg has mended, but he also says he agrees with my vet that on studying the other leg he is confident there is no particularly increased risk of that needing surgery. So, just as I read there is a strong correlation between hip dysplasia and cruciate ligament rupture, he has both those things on the left and neither on the right, only a loose kneecap which should be corrected with the right exercise programme under the physio's guidance.

On top of figuring out that I don't need to panic about Molly's blood results, and her gums looking healthy pink as best as I can see, and the vet being happy to take my word for it unless I need something, I can cautiously say we're getting there. Her mouth is still tender but as the vet pointed out - if she wasn't in pain before, and she has some discomfort now, we will see it. My old Sarah who had all her back teeth removed and came straight home crunching biscuits, was probably in a lot of pain beforehand and so the discomfort of the extractions was already a great relief to her. That makes a lot of sense.

Molly has been sitting next to me on the sofa today, and when OH came home she went to do the same with him, so that's a sure sign she is already more comfortable in herself if not in her mouth. She is disgusted that I've thrown out her old radiator scratching post and given her a plush pristine white new one with dark grey sisal posts. Now she's in the bedroom sulking at the terrible way she is treated.
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

Post by Ruth B »

So glad to hear that things are looking up and both Molly and Snoopy are on the mend. Just because you can now look back and think it wasn't so bad in the end, it still doesn't make it any easier at the time.

I certainly wouldn't tell anyone to drink peroxide, but it works for cleaning wounds out really well. I also know that if the vet was open any cat would be taken there first before i tried any home remedies, but if it was a choice of a different out of hours vet or super glueing a wound I would opt for the superglue if it really needed it. I'll happily use it on myself, but I'm far more wary about using anything on one of my animals. Cats also have the other problem, they will lick it and superglue is water soluble, if you ever stick your fingers together with it, just go and soak it well, they will come apart, so again I might be reluctant to use it in an area they can reach.

As for furniture, I bought a shoe rack not that long ago, a nice bamboo construction with two racks underneath a solid top section. We put it together and put it in place beside the bed, right in front of the radiator. I took one look and realised I would never be putting shoes on the top section (fortunately I can on the lower two racks). the only thing that goes on the top section is an old towel, and Tiggy heartily approves of it,
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

Post by Mollycat »

Wonderful! Molly has lost her under bed hiding places, as we have had to dismantle the bed for the dog, so I have done my best to offer alternatives. So one of the four wardrobes has a permanently open door with a shelf that has nothing more than a blanket on it. Also I have lost the single duvet for guests staying on the sofa, as I made the mistake of putting it on the chair in the bedroom pending putting away and now it's full of so much grey downy fur I probably could never get it clean again if I tried.

The sunshine is gone from outside my window but it's brighter in my heart than it has been in months.
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

Post by fjm »

I am so glad that heavy cloud of anxiety is lifting - it has been hanging oer you for too long. Here's to a Spring and Summer of gradually increasing walks and outings with Snoops and long, lazy cuddles with Molly!
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

Post by issiandarchie+68 »

Hi Mollycat, I've been following your 'story' and so pleased life is improving. We have a row of fitted wardrobes in the bedroom. My Gandhi used to claim access to the bottom of them all, which not only caused a problem when he was a bit 'windy' but all the blooming doors had to remain open, or he would bang on them relentlessly. As for the duvet ... put a new cheapo cover on and don't mention the furry covering! :)

Issi
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

Post by Mollycat »

Pupdate!

Snoop LeDog has now had 7 weeks of water treadmill, his third physiotherapist assessment, and his first actual swim. Despite doing pretty dismally at just about all exercises given (for home and there), his hips and thighs are growing stronger and muscling up.

This assessment was the first time I was able to go in with him, and the difference is just huge. She was able to see how dog and I interact, how I get him to do things, how he likes to play and how we can use that to exercise him, so she can adapt play to cover the things he won't do as exercises. To my surprise some of the ways we play like tug of war are actually very good and some details added like more pushing him backwards are very helpful building other muscles. Because he loves a bumscratch and reverses into me and stays standing, I can give him lots of massage all over his lower back, thighs, hips and legs - which we were absolutely unable to do with him lying down as instructed. He resists someone stretching his hip back but happily stretches up to our neighbour's window for his daily treat. It was simply a matter of working with him to get him to have fun and not notice he was working at all, instead of trying to force him to do what he couldn't understand.

Long walks and snuggly cuddles indeed fjm and Issi, one specially for you ...
A few days ago Molly was quite upset about something and I couldn't figure it out. She kept coming to get me and take me to the bedroom, where she has taken up daytime residence on the bed just where my shoulder would be. But she was giving me the high tail and declining offers of a cuddle. After a while she gave up trying to make herself understood and I got on with things. Then I went back into the bedroom to put some washing away, to see Molly sitting on her box (easy step to the her nest on the middle shelf of the open wardrobe!) staring intently at the bed. Spider? No. The penny finally dropped. At first, she just adopted the bed as it was. Then as she was feeling the cold I started to make a fold in the duvet to make a half nest shielding her from the window side where the cooler air comes from. I had not made this fold ... I had not made her bed ready and suitable for Madam. I laughed and said my usual line, sorry I'm only human, and when I sneak peeked back a few minutes later she was curled up and snoring, or maybe purring in her sleep.

Enjoy the sunshine everyone and keep yourselves and loved ones safe, some things at least are getting better.
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

Post by booktigger »

Glad he is getting better, I know after Lucy's op, the vet said it was easier to get dogs to build up muscle strength as you could use play for them. Glad it isn't just me that alters the bed for the cat, Lucy also doesn't like a freshly made bed, so it really only gets made when I change it, the rest of the time I have to leave bumps in it for her, or she does look disappointed!! She tolerates bed making day as I leave the bed for a few hours to air before remaking it, and that means the quilt gets left in a large pile, so she can get in it! I was chuckling at one of your posts to someone else asking if they tell the cat everything, I even kiss Lucy and tell her I'm going brushing my teeth at bedtime!! The only thing I don't tell her is vet visits, although on the way I explain what she is going for - acupuncture is 'needles'!!
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Re: Blatant plea for sympathy

Post by fjm »

You mean you actually get to make the bed, without there being a cat or dog in it?!
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