Grady's Days

For a couple of months now Grady has been sporting a very swollen belly. Taking him to the vet when I first noticed it did nothing -- the vet there said he was old and fat. I'm pretty sure that guy is an idiot and will not be going back there. Twice I have taken Grady to that clinic (which came highly recommended, by the way) and twice they have failed to diagnose a very serious health problem in my cat. Last year's fatty liver was diagnosed by an emergency vet closer to home, and this time around I find my cat is slowly dying of liver failure.

Liver. Failure.

I already feel bad enough about not having the means to get Grady to a vet, much less paying one. After last year's ordeal the last thing I wanted to do was let another serious medical symptom go unchecked. When the doctor Grady saw today told me "had the fluid not been clear, there would at least be something we could treat with antibiotics" my heart sank. I have no idea how much time he has, only that this makes one too many liver problems for one little guy. My best bet is to give him the supplement prescribed by the vet and change his diet dramatically.

It's hard not to blame myself. Every time Grady has been sick, it's been something that could have been an easy fix had I been quick enough to get him medical attention, and much of that has been dependent on money (and more recently, transportation).

Today kistha called in a favor from a veterinarian friend of hers, and drove us to the clinic. Grady got an x-ray to confirm the fluid in his belly, and was then drained of about a liter or more of clear yellowish fluid. He was not terribly happy about either. In total he lost about three pounds from the process. It was good to see him walking about without straining when we got home. I'm sure he feels a lot better.

What will determine the number of days Grady has left is how quickly he puts the water weight back on. The supplement and diet change should help a little with that. In the meantime I have quite a bit of kibble and wet food that I can no longer use. If anyone wants to take it off my hands it's yours. My apologies if it's not your brand.

Grady is comfortable for now. When he is not napping he is bright-eyed and affectionate, eating and using his litterbox like always. I am keeping my fingers crossed that he will beat the odds again like he did last year, but preparing for the worst.