Turns out he has a blocked urinary tract. They don't really know what causes this sort of thing, but if we hadn't brought him in when we did, he would have been dead in 48 hours. So, CT called me as soon as he got back from the vet and we had to make a decision. Either we put him down, or we pay the $750 to have the procedure to clear the blockage. And that is the reduced price since we told the vet that we couldn't pay the original $1000 estimate. So, once CT called me, I burst into tears at my office. I composed myself enough to talk to my boss, but as soon as he asked me what was wrong, I started sobbign again. Great, I sobbed in front of my boss. He was really nice about it though, and sent me right home and said I could skip out on our meeting this afternoon if I needed to.
I cried the whole way home. I called my mom, and she just happened to be at home today, so she met CT and me at our house. We all talked about it, and we decided to pay to have the procedure done. My only hesitation was whether he would be prone to get these in the future, but the vet said the procedure has a very high success rate.
So, I am feeling much better now. It's a lot of money, but I just couldn't imagine living without him. My mom has offered to give me some money towards it, and if I put it on my credit card, then we'll have a month to save the money, so I'm sure we can save up for it by then.
What a morning. I've managed to pull myself together, so I'll still be going to my meeting.
We get to pick Smokey up tomorrow, I can't wait until we have him back. And I'm really excited to see nej again, so I'm sure the weekend will be great!
Baby Age Ticker
9 comments:
Poor little guy. I wonder what is causing the blockage. I've read that it is common for stones to develop in some animals, and I've heard that a simple dietary change can help reduce the chances of it happening again. Your vet will hopefully no more after the surgery.
I know exactly how you are feeling. Ally had to have surgery a couple years ago to remove a bladder stone. I think some people thought I was crazy to spend a few hundred dollars on surgery for a guinea pig, but for me it was a no brainer. I love my pets. I guess it was a wise decision on my part because she is still kicking around, and we will be celebrating her 5th birthday in June!
Give Smokey a little pat for me, and take care of yourself! You have a kind heart :)
Aw, poor Smokey! I'm so glad that you got him checked out!
(((Hugs)))
You are a good mommy! He's only 1 and has a full life of pestering Gino ahead of him.
Glad he's going to be ok.
How horrible, I can imagine how you feel (well, kind of anyways). Yes, pets can be expensive, but the success rate is high, so hopefully it will be a one shot deal. Heck, I buy the most expensive cat food for Jenny and paid around $300 to have a small metal hook taken out of her nose, so I understand paying high amounts for a pet :)
Also, money wise, wouldn't make sense to put him down anyways since a new cat would cost close to that in their first year anyways what with buying it, paying for it to be spayed/neutered, plus the 3 sets of shots ($90/time here in waterloo) and any other routine healthcare.
Oh, and cause I didn't say it before, hugs to you and smokey.
Thanks girls. We talked to the vet again after they finished the procedure, and they said his urinary tract was really blocked up, but it was a relatively easy procedure. So, they are keeping him overnight for observation and we hopefully get to pick him up tomorrow. They said it went well and are recommended a diet change to try to prevent this in the future.
The scary part is we already were feeding him top of the line food, but I will do whatever the vet recommends. We'll have to watch him really closely from now on and check his litterbox everyday to make sure he is still peeing like he should be.
I totally can't wait to pick him up and hold him in my arms again!
I know we made the right decision. If we had decided to put him down, I would have always regretted it and wondered if he would have been okay if we had gone through with the procedure.
Thanks for all the well wishes and I will be giving Smokey all the hugs from you girls as soon as I see him tomorrow!
Glad to hear it went well!
Not sure what you are feeding the little guy, but I've read that Felidae is a most excellent food choice for cats. It's a holistic pet food and only contains human-grade meats. The ingredients actually list cranberries - good for the urinary tract.
If you are interested, here is the website:
http://www.felidae.com
They have a store locator search engine. Since it is holistic food, it is unlikely to ever be found in SuperPet or PetsMart.
Hope it all works out for the poor little fur-guy!
I've spent a lot of money on kitties, so I know how you feel. They are part of the family, not just pets. I'm so glad to hear the operation went well! *hugs*
Ah I'm sorry to hear your cat is sick! :( I'm als overy glad to hear that he'll shortly be feeling better.
Terry's dad just had emergency kidney stone removal. It seems like a painful process. I hope smokey is feeling better soon.
Keely
Sounds rough...I'm so sorry to hear about him. I think you made the right move, otherwise, you would always be thinking "what if". Is there pet insurance that you can buy?
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