Entry tags:
Cat update
The short version: no evidence of cancer, yes symptoms of infection, we are giving him fluids.
The good news is that the ultrasound produced no evidence of cancer.
Also, the urine culture came back negative. However,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
julian_tiger does have an enlarged renal pelvis, which is usually a sign of infection, so we are giving him an antibiotic anyhow. The alternative would have been to send him out to have a urine sample drawn directly from the kidney, possibly under sedation, and decide about antibiotics based on culturing that. The vet recommended against that, and we're following her advice on that. This does mean that the main thing we get by having had this culture done is that we know there's no point doing a culture in a week or two in order to see if the antibiotics are curing him, since finding no harmful bacteria wouldn't be information: we're going to go by symptoms.
It's a six-week course of antibiotics, normally, but the veterinarian started us with one week's worth of pills, in case they disagree with him. (This is to avoid paying for six weeks' supply of pills we can't use, in that case.) He's getting Zeniquin, 25 mg/day (meaning we get to split 50-mg pills), selected on the basis of tending to be concentrated in the kidneys; I think that if the culture had produced something, treatment would have been based at least in part on what bacteria were found.
We are also giving him subcutaneous fluids. We took him to the vet this morning for the first 150 mL and to be shown how to administer it. The process looks basically straightforward, until and unless Julian decided he strongly dislikes it and is feeling enough better to fight us, but probably needs both of us, since it seems to involve three hands. I am hoping he is well enough to stop them by the time I go visit![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
adrian_turtle in October.
As the vet said, the good thing about the evidence of infection is that it gives us something to treat, and the hope that he will be doing much better after the treatment. Otherwise, we'd be limited to changing his diet and hoping for the best.
We will be taking Julian in next Saturday for a blood draw, to see how he's doing after a week of this.
The vet's office sold us some "pill pockets" to make it easier to get Julian to swallow his pills. (or maybe pill play-doh, in that they can be broken up and molded around the pill), after first testing one to see if he liked it. He does, which is unsurprising—it's "duck and pea" flavor, and he likes both of those foods—but good to know.
The good news is that the ultrasound produced no evidence of cancer.
Also, the urine culture came back negative. However,
julian_tiger does have an enlarged renal pelvis, which is usually a sign of infection, so we are giving him an antibiotic anyhow. The alternative would have been to send him out to have a urine sample drawn directly from the kidney, possibly under sedation, and decide about antibiotics based on culturing that. The vet recommended against that, and we're following her advice on that. This does mean that the main thing we get by having had this culture done is that we know there's no point doing a culture in a week or two in order to see if the antibiotics are curing him, since finding no harmful bacteria wouldn't be information: we're going to go by symptoms. It's a six-week course of antibiotics, normally, but the veterinarian started us with one week's worth of pills, in case they disagree with him. (This is to avoid paying for six weeks' supply of pills we can't use, in that case.) He's getting Zeniquin, 25 mg/day (meaning we get to split 50-mg pills), selected on the basis of tending to be concentrated in the kidneys; I think that if the culture had produced something, treatment would have been based at least in part on what bacteria were found.
We are also giving him subcutaneous fluids. We took him to the vet this morning for the first 150 mL and to be shown how to administer it. The process looks basically straightforward, until and unless Julian decided he strongly dislikes it and is feeling enough better to fight us, but probably needs both of us, since it seems to involve three hands. I am hoping he is well enough to stop them by the time I go visit
adrian_turtle in October.As the vet said, the good thing about the evidence of infection is that it gives us something to treat, and the hope that he will be doing much better after the treatment. Otherwise, we'd be limited to changing his diet and hoping for the best.
We will be taking Julian in next Saturday for a blood draw, to see how he's doing after a week of this.
The vet's office sold us some "pill pockets" to make it easier to get Julian to swallow his pills. (or maybe pill play-doh, in that they can be broken up and molded around the pill), after first testing one to see if he liked it. He does, which is unsurprising—it's "duck and pea" flavor, and he likes both of those foods—but good to know.