The Vent - Part 2

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

My rant? People I work with who constantly try to convince me that moving to Canada is going to be the worst mistake of my life b/c I will die from the horrible health care, my daughter might die from the horrible health care, and the education system is far worse than the US. Excuse me???? How the h*ll do THEY know this????

They've been watching that Shona Holmes commercial again. She had a cyst on her pituitary not a brain tumour and she couldn't get treatment? PULEEEZE. She could have come to Toronto, only an hour down the highway from Waterdown, they would have done it in no time flat at Sunnybrook. She goes, not to Buffalo, but to the Mayo Clinic, not the one in Rochester, MN but AZ. Now she wants OHIP to pay $97,000 for it. She claims she would have died without treatment, the only way she would have died is if she stepped in front of the bus. Maybe she can get her anti-public healthcare/pro HMO friends to pay the bill for her vacation. The Canadian Healthcare System is far from perfect but if you're in trouble it is a Godsend, ask any parent of a teenager. I knew a guy at Sunnybrook who had to drive 7 hours from Espinola to Toronto for imaging but that was only because he didn't want to wait 3 months for an MRI since he was working in Hamilton when they had an appointment scheduled at Thunder Bay. It was for elective surgery BTW. I've had MRIs done within four weeks. As for education, there are good schools and bad ones but ask an American what a gerund is and watch the reaction. Hell, ask the teachers.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

Sorry forgot to add, Bob Costas (yes, the sports guy) did a piece for NBC News comparing healthcare in Cuba, The US and Canada. He compared quality of treatment, cost and time delay. Guess who won?

Edited September 27, 2009 by IR5FORMUMSIE

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Ok - one less thing to worry about - the gray cat just showed up - hungry but healthy. I think he must have got stuck in a garage somewhere. Hopefully the passport issue will resolve itself as easily tomorrow.

[Malrothien 6]

Vent vent vent. *sigh*

My eldest kitty is sick. We just went through a terrible time with the other one in June - she had fatty liver from an unknown cause. She's 100% better.

Now.. the other one started being sick on Friday. We came home to her laying on the bed, as per usual, but she didn't get up when we came in. She was very lethargic and we noticed throw up on the litter box carpet. I immediately went and got her some grass as I know that makes her feel better sometimes. We also noticed that she had loose stool (as her poor little bum was covered!).

She was feeling better yesterday, definitely like herself.

About 3 hours ago she started being sick again - she's thrown up about 4 times now. Once with food, three other times just white foam. The last was the grass we gave her about an hour ago. She has no energy whatsoever now. All she wants to do is just lie there. She's not even purring (she was impaled by a metal something or other about 8 years ago and she was purring through that). She doesn't even really seem to be all there mentally. I felt her nose - it was dry. I checked her gums - sticky. I gave her about 8 ml's of water 30 minutes ago. Will be giving her more in another 30 minutes. She's kept that down so far. Her skin is still snapping back but I want to head off any dehydration.

We're going to stop their kibble immediately - we suspected it in June but couldn't pinpoint it 100%. I'm picking up baby food (chicken and rice) tomorrow to begin force feeding her should we need to. After that, we are going to raw food. I'm tired of wondering if the food we buy (Iams All Naturals.. right) is causing my girls to be sick. I'd rather control what I put in their bodies than letting some ####### food company decide.

And with that, I'm done.

[Rhiannercakes 14]

I hate these allergies.

I don't even know what I'm allergic to.

I've had hives for like 5 weeks now and my appointment with the specialist isn't until October 7th.

And thanks to these allergies, my hands have swollen a bit and I can't get my engagement ring off, not even with hand cream.

I don't really need to get it off, but I can feel some pressure from it, it's slightly irritating.

My fiance blamed water retention right off the bat, just like my weird weight gain. He's so quick to blame that or hormones for all my problems.

I just want these allergies to go away. /rant

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

Ok - one less thing to worry about - the gray cat just showed up - hungry but healthy. I think he must have got stuck in a garage somewhere. Hopefully the passport issue will resolve itself as easily tomorrow.

So, if I understand you correctly, the cat came back the very next day. Actually, I've had a few cats that disappered over the years, most of them came back so I know how you feel. A lost passport would give me ulcers but it will resolve itself one way or another, no point in worrying about it since you can't do much.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

Vent vent vent. *sigh*

My eldest kitty is sick. We just went through a terrible time with the other one in June - she had fatty liver from an unknown cause. She's 100% better.

Now.. the other one started being sick on Friday. We came home to her laying on the bed, as per usual, but she didn't get up when we came in. She was very lethargic and we noticed throw up on the litter box carpet. I immediately went and got her some grass as I know that makes her feel better sometimes. We also noticed that she had loose stool (as her poor little bum was covered!).

She was feeling better yesterday, definitely like herself.

About 3 hours ago she started being sick again - she's thrown up about 4 times now. Once with food, three other times just white foam. The last was the grass we gave her about an hour ago. She has no energy whatsoever now. All she wants to do is just lie there. She's not even purring (she was impaled by a metal something or other about 8 years ago and she was purring through that). She doesn't even really seem to be all there mentally. I felt her nose - it was dry. I checked her gums - sticky. I gave her about 8 ml's of water 30 minutes ago. Will be giving her more in another 30 minutes. She's kept that down so far. Her skin is still snapping back but I want to head off any dehydration.

We're going to stop their kibble immediately - we suspected it in June but couldn't pinpoint it 100%. I'm picking up baby food (chicken and rice) tomorrow to begin force feeding her should we need to. After that, we are going to raw food. I'm tired of wondering if the food we buy (Iams All Naturals.. right) is causing my girls to be sick. I'd rather control what I put in their bodies than letting some ####### food company decide.

And with that, I'm done.

It could be a metabolic problem. Nausea in mammals is common with a metabolic problem such as diabetes. One of my cats developed diabetes as a result of a tumour. I'd check to see if the cat might have a urinary tract infection, is kitty urinating? If the nose is drier than normal it could be feline flu. Fatty Liver Disease could be the problem and is generally idiopathic. What do her eyes look like, is there any jaundice present?

[Malrothien 6]

Oh, she doesn't have fatty liver. I've become an expert at that since the other one had it.

The one that's sick hasn't actively sought out water today. She doesn't normally drink a lot, either. No weight loss or gain.

She did urinate today. She's been in the litter box about 5-6 times.

Her nose is completely dry. I've given her a second 8ml of water and she actually fought me this time. She also finally slept some and is purring a little bit.

[Malrothien 6]

Let me add since I didn't: Thanks for your response, Mumsie.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Malrothien,

I hope your kitty is doing better. Is she elderly, or just your eldest? Could she have kidney problems? Many older cats do and lethargy and vomiting are symptoms. I assume you are going to take her to the vet tomorrow to be checked out. It can come and go and generally presents no symptoms early on. If she has been vomiting you might also want to try syringing some pedialyte (unflavoured) into her as well. You can buy the single serving sizes in most pharmacies. It will help to restore her electrolyte balance that can get out of whack due to dehydration/vomiting/loose bowels.

I have an ongoing problem with one of my cats from a food that was improperly manufactured. The food was eaten last fall and apparently had improper mineral proportions - the recall didn't happen until this past June but by then it had already triggered massive colitis in 3 of my cats and for one it has become chronic and will probably be on medication for it the rest of his life. When they kept getting sick again after finishing treatment I suspected the food and changed it out - that is when the 2 of them stabilized but the damage was done for the other one. The food in this case was Nutro Max cat food, not Iams. I haven't heard of any Iams recalls (yet). There may be nothing wrong with the food, however kidney disease often requires a change in diet as the cat's system now handles protein differently. Again, the vet would be able to give you a better idea.

Good luck. I hope your kitties are both well and happy soon.

Edited September 28, 2009 by Kathryn41

[Malrothien 6]

Kathryn, thanks for the reply. She is doing better, she went potty and is a bit more "there". I'm giving her water every 30-60 minutes and will be giving her some wet food tonight before bedtime. She is my oldest - she's 11 years old in November. She was a stray and we adopted her when she was 6 months old. I'm sure she would live until 16 at least, but with her injury back in 2001, I'm sure that shaved off a few years.

As far as the vet.. I don't know. We truly don't have any funds for an expensive visit. I may take her to just to be looked at and get some advice. When the other one was at the vet in June, it was $900 for a four day stay.

And I know about the Nutro recall. Unfortunately, we had switched to that Nutro in later April/early May and that is when the other one started showing symptoms of being ill. We can't prove it was the food that did it, but after finding out about the recall we threw it away.

Thank you for the well wishes. I've decided to switch to a raw diet (surprisingly, they only need .2-.4 lbs of food a day each). It'll be cheaper and healthier for them in the long run.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

Malrothien,

I hope your kitty is doing better. Is she elderly, or just your eldest? Could she have kidney problems? Many older cats do and lethargy and vomiting are symptoms. I assume you are going to take her to the vet tomorrow to be checked out. It can come and go and generally presents no symptoms early on. If she has been vomiting you might also want to try syringing some pedialyte (unflavoured) into her as well. You can buy the single serving sizes in most pharmacies. It will help to restore her electrolyte balance that can get out of whack due to dehydration/vomiting/loose bowels.

I have an ongoing problem with one of my cats from a food that was improperly manufactured. The food was eaten last fall and apparently had improper mineral proportions - the recall didn't happen until this past June but by then it had already triggered massive colitis in 3 of my cats and for one it has become chronic and will probably be on medication for it the rest of his life. When they kept getting sick again after finishing treatment I suspected the food and changed it out - that is when the 2 of them stabilized but the damage was done for the other one. The food in this case was Nutro Max cat food, not Iams. I haven't heard of any Iams recalls (yet). There may be nothing wrong with the food, however kidney disease often requires a change in diet as the cat's system now handles protein differently. Again, the vet would be able to give you a better idea.

Good luck. I hope your kitties are both well and happy soon.

I didn't want to mention kidneys (CKD and me are old friends) but when metabolic wastes are not removed by the kidneys you have lethargy, vomiting, nausea, etc. Urea and creatinine build up in the blood stream and that makes one sick. Ketones caused by oxidation of fat and muscle in diabetes can also build up and cause symptoms. Cats being mammals have the same issues as humans. Pedialyte is good stuff when cats have diarrhea, we gave one of our cats some when she was having diarrhea after delivering. It goes without saying Kathryn that I'm so sorry to hear about your cats getting sick from tainted cat food.

Malrothien, if you can get your hands on a diabetes meter you can check if your cat has become diabetic. I don't remember if ketodiastix work on cats but getting kitty to pee on the stick might take some doing. If you substitute aquarium gravel or other non-absorbent material in the litter box, urine samples can easily be taken. Hypertension can also occur but a vet would need to check for that.

[Malrothien 6]

I called the emergency vet clinic and they suggest I bring her to a vet to get checked out. I guess I will be doing that tomorrow. Especially after hearing her scream the way she did.

[Autumnchik 6]

Awww Mal, hope your kitty is better soon

My vent is pathetic really, because I should be thrilled that my hubby is back in school and studying like crazy and doing well.

But I just wish the man would learn to PUNCTUATE!!! As a nice wifey, I volunteered to type his chemistry lab reports. When he writes, I know it is the first draft and all and really just the first formulation of his thoughts, but a period here or there or a capital letter would be nice!!!

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

Awww Mal, hope your kitty is better soon

My vent is pathetic really, because I should be thrilled that my hubby is back in school and studying like crazy and doing well.

But I just wish the man would learn to PUNCTUATE!!! As a nice wifey, I volunteered to type his chemistry lab reports. When he writes, I know it is the first draft and all and really just the first formulation of his thoughts, but a period here or there or a capital letter would be nice!!!

Maybe he's a fan of e.e. cummings or James Joyce. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)