For the love of Grady
Sunday, 19 July 2009 23:59![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fatrockstarI've been offline in an effort to break away from the internet and work on my priorities. During that time I have been journaling on paper and focusing on work, music, and my interpersonal relationships. One very important interpersonal relationship is being tested right now, and that is with Grady.
Grady is the first cat I have had since I was 16 years old. He came into my life as a talkative, clingy, barfy cat, weathered two moves, several career challenges, a divorce, and at least one major health scare, and is now a quietly suffering bag of bones at the foot of my bed. Aside from the barf, he's been a good boy.
Sunday morning I picked Grady up to give him a scritch and he was noticeably lighter. His reluctance to eat has turned into refusal, something that started to show this last weekend. He was taken to the Seattle Veterinary Services hospital in Kirkland and remained there most of the day while they sedated him and drew fluids for testing. Diagnosis: Possible liver damage, but not fatty liver disease... yet.
The veterinarian recommended they keep him overnight, give him fluids and a feeding tube, do an ultrasound, have him examined by an internist... it started to add up. The visit alone already cost me $100 when I walked in the door. Sedation, fluids drawn, and tests run brought the grand total to $402.
Grady is at home now, resting as comfortably as he can after being force-fed an appetite stimulant and antibiotics. He is NOT happy with me AT ALL --if he only knew what the alternative was, I'm sure he'd come out from under the bed already.
His story doesn't end there, though. I need to take him back to evaluate the state of his liver and get proper treatment. The tests that were run today indicate he is at high risk to develop fatty liver disease unless he starts eating soon, but it hasn't gone that far yet.
I hate that my first post back after a short hiatus is a request, I really do. Times are tough for everyone right now. I wouldn't ask if I wasn't in need of the help. If you enjoy reading Grady's stories, have met him and think he's awesome, or just love cats in general, he would appreciate whatever you can spare.
As an extra incentive, anyone who donates $10 or more will receive a small thank you gift from the both of us, hand made by me. Just make sure I know where to send it in your PayPal comment or in a screened comment below if you do.
Grady is the first cat I have had since I was 16 years old. He came into my life as a talkative, clingy, barfy cat, weathered two moves, several career challenges, a divorce, and at least one major health scare, and is now a quietly suffering bag of bones at the foot of my bed. Aside from the barf, he's been a good boy.
Sunday morning I picked Grady up to give him a scritch and he was noticeably lighter. His reluctance to eat has turned into refusal, something that started to show this last weekend. He was taken to the Seattle Veterinary Services hospital in Kirkland and remained there most of the day while they sedated him and drew fluids for testing. Diagnosis: Possible liver damage, but not fatty liver disease... yet.
The veterinarian recommended they keep him overnight, give him fluids and a feeding tube, do an ultrasound, have him examined by an internist... it started to add up. The visit alone already cost me $100 when I walked in the door. Sedation, fluids drawn, and tests run brought the grand total to $402.
Grady is at home now, resting as comfortably as he can after being force-fed an appetite stimulant and antibiotics. He is NOT happy with me AT ALL --if he only knew what the alternative was, I'm sure he'd come out from under the bed already.
His story doesn't end there, though. I need to take him back to evaluate the state of his liver and get proper treatment. The tests that were run today indicate he is at high risk to develop fatty liver disease unless he starts eating soon, but it hasn't gone that far yet.
I hate that my first post back after a short hiatus is a request, I really do. Times are tough for everyone right now. I wouldn't ask if I wasn't in need of the help. If you enjoy reading Grady's stories, have met him and think he's awesome, or just love cats in general, he would appreciate whatever you can spare.
As an extra incentive, anyone who donates $10 or more will receive a small thank you gift from the both of us, hand made by me. Just make sure I know where to send it in your PayPal comment or in a screened comment below if you do.
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no subject
20/7/09 08:47 (UTC)Poor Grady. I really do wish I could do something.
no subject
20/7/09 16:42 (UTC)Also: Chocolate sandwiches?
no subject
20/7/09 16:58 (UTC)no subject
20/7/09 13:46 (UTC)no subject
20/7/09 16:45 (UTC)