SqueakingJellybean
Mission Control -- All is ratness
Our wee Cleopatra is not doing well. As with two of her three siblings, her breathing has never been good; efforts to treat the issue have been many and fruitless. We'd long ago (relatively speaking) come to terms with the probability that we'd lose her the same way we lost Chess. We figured Raven would go the same way, but it was likely a PT that got her-- she didn't make it to her appointment to find out.
Cleo may be dealing with both, and then some.
Since Raven died, she's gone downhill. Her breathing has gotten a bit worse, she's started to lose weight, she's having occasional confused and panicky bursts, and she gets tiny-eyed and poofly sometimes. I've also noticed what may be blood in her urine, but I'm not certain-- it's not in all the urine, and it's pink staining that never goes brown the way blood does when it dries, so I'm not sure if it's something she's eating/chewing on, or if she is indeed having some manner of bleeding.
She's still eating and drinking, though not as much as we'd like; she's still grooming herself, still active, still building nests and playing with the boys, but she's slowed down enough that we notice because we know her. Her balance hasn't gone funny and she can still hold food, which is good, and she's still using her water bottles. I put an extra water dish in just in case, but nobody appears to be using it.
I've already dropped a line to the vet, so hopefully she'll have an appointment this week. Hopefully we'll have some kind of idea what's going on relatively soon. If need be, we can get her to the OVC in Guelph.
When Chess died, Raven tanked. When Raven died, Cleo's health worsened. The boys are, for the most part, okay (Rook twisted his foot badly enough that it swelled, but we got him meds and made sure he rested as much as possible, so he's fine now) but Cleo and Raven were so close that I think the stress of losing her sister tipped what may have been a delicate balance.
This year is hard on the heart.
Cleo may be dealing with both, and then some.
Since Raven died, she's gone downhill. Her breathing has gotten a bit worse, she's started to lose weight, she's having occasional confused and panicky bursts, and she gets tiny-eyed and poofly sometimes. I've also noticed what may be blood in her urine, but I'm not certain-- it's not in all the urine, and it's pink staining that never goes brown the way blood does when it dries, so I'm not sure if it's something she's eating/chewing on, or if she is indeed having some manner of bleeding.
She's still eating and drinking, though not as much as we'd like; she's still grooming herself, still active, still building nests and playing with the boys, but she's slowed down enough that we notice because we know her. Her balance hasn't gone funny and she can still hold food, which is good, and she's still using her water bottles. I put an extra water dish in just in case, but nobody appears to be using it.
I've already dropped a line to the vet, so hopefully she'll have an appointment this week. Hopefully we'll have some kind of idea what's going on relatively soon. If need be, we can get her to the OVC in Guelph.
When Chess died, Raven tanked. When Raven died, Cleo's health worsened. The boys are, for the most part, okay (Rook twisted his foot badly enough that it swelled, but we got him meds and made sure he rested as much as possible, so he's fine now) but Cleo and Raven were so close that I think the stress of losing her sister tipped what may have been a delicate balance.
This year is hard on the heart.