Lucky got sick friday afternoon...inusulinoma-like symptoms...extreme
lethargy...glazed look...my vet is not in on fridays...so we treated him
with Pred and i fed him chicken gravy...he ate at first...i called my vet
first thing saturday morning...i got a recording that he was out of town
and would not be back till Monday...so i continued with the only
treatment i knew...
 
in hindsight, i would give my right arm to have had the money or been
able to get the money to have taken him to an emergency vet somewhere...
anywhere...
 
they require being paid up front...by now i suspected a blockage...he
was not responding to my treatment for insulinoma...but sunday morning
he was almost gone...i called Mary in Michigan...to see if i could get
him in to her vet...she is 3 1/2 hours away...Mary said she would
call..but suggested that i try Julie Fossa and her vet...i called
Julie...she was on her way to Baltimore to pick up her son...coming home
from Turkey...:)... i thanked her husband, Neil, and hung up..he called
right back and asked if there was anything he could do...i told him what
was going on with Lucky...he gave me Julie's cell phone number...i
called... she gave me all of Dr. Higgins' phone numbers...i called...
left a message...he called right back...by this time it was like 9 a.m...
sunday...it would take up over 2 hours to get there...i held Lucky almost
all the way...he started pooping and peeing all over himself and the
sleepsack i was holding him in...i traded it for the blanket...cleaned
him up as best i could with napkins...he continued liquid poops for the
last 1/2 hour before we got to the vet...by the time we got there...he
was barely with us...and his tail had gone bottlebrush...the vet got
there...he let me clean Lucky off in the sink...after a partial exam...
then he continued...Lucky had a fever of 106 and was dehydrated...he
gave him sub-q fluids...and a 'super-shot' of antibiotic...he said it
looked like a high grade infection...there was not blockage he could
detect...but he was in no shape for surgery anyway... he asked if he
could keep him and take him home with him to continue the fluids and
antibiotics and monitor him...that was about 1 p.m....we got home about
3-3:30...he called at 4:30 p.m.  on Sunday, April 13, 2003...He had done
everything he could for Lucky...but Lucky had gone...he was just too
weak...he could not make it...Lucky had just turned 3 last month...my
first Albino baby...
 
i know i did everything i could have...but i still failed him...just
thursday night he was here jumping at me and playing and dancing and
rolling around...perfect and playful as could be...my happy go lucky
Lucky...now he is gone...
 
why would God make an old 6 year old, with an illness that can not be
cured, better...and take a perfectly healthy 3 year old???  this sure
shakes your faith in the Almighty....
 
I will be "unavailable" for a few days...if it is important...please mark
the subject line "Urgent"...or call me if you have my number...after 9p.m.
Eastern time...i will still attend to my committments...but i will not be
chatty...
 
If you must send a note of condolence, to ease YOUR grief over Lucky, go
ahead...i do not want to keep you from dealing with your grief...but i do
not know when i will feel up to reading them...but i will eventually...
 
thank you...
kat
[Posted in FML issue 4118]