The State of the Dinah
Aug. 25th, 2008 10:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elfsI took Dinah to the vet this morning. I swear, those people have not gotten around to maintaining a proper schedule like the rest of the world. These days, when I go to a doctor's office, if I'm on time usually so are they. But every time I go to the veterinarian's office, it takes forever for them to get around to seeing me. (Hmm, an interesting point for the Yowlerverse.)
Anyway, the vet said that Dinah's doing exceptionally well for a cat her age. Her arthritis has gotten to the point where she's no longer even trying to climb up on the bed and she still pees possessively on every article of clothing Omaha or I leave on the floor. Never hits the kids clothes, though. She's eating well, but is having even more trouble grooming herself properly, so Omaha and I have to spend more time combing and raking her fur. She's doing well with her nightly meds and fluids. We discussed arthritis medicines, but it meant my having to give Dinah a shot every night. I said one needle was enough, and he agreed. We haven't seen any more "neurological incidents" with her since that one seziure Omaha reported about a year ago.
He said that we've done a remarkable job of keeping her weight up, but when I described what we have to do to keep her eating-- rotate her diet every day, different brand every other day-- he shook his head and said, "Well, if that's what it takes. I still wish you could keep her on a kidney-safe diet." Yeah, so do we. I've gotten to the point where I stack the food packets in separate stacks in the shopping basket, so the folks at the store can just shoot the barcodes rapid-fire and be done. They're grateful for that.
She's in today for her annual teeth-cleaning. She doesn't even try to eat hard food anymore, so this has become an expensive necessity. Other than this, she needs only another visit next year in April for a vaccination update, and another one a year after that. I wonder if we can hold off the vaccination six months and schedule it at the same time as her dental appointment.
She's whiny and needy but healthy and holding together, and I expect her to be around next year for that expensive cleaning, too.
Anyway, the vet said that Dinah's doing exceptionally well for a cat her age. Her arthritis has gotten to the point where she's no longer even trying to climb up on the bed and she still pees possessively on every article of clothing Omaha or I leave on the floor. Never hits the kids clothes, though. She's eating well, but is having even more trouble grooming herself properly, so Omaha and I have to spend more time combing and raking her fur. She's doing well with her nightly meds and fluids. We discussed arthritis medicines, but it meant my having to give Dinah a shot every night. I said one needle was enough, and he agreed. We haven't seen any more "neurological incidents" with her since that one seziure Omaha reported about a year ago.
He said that we've done a remarkable job of keeping her weight up, but when I described what we have to do to keep her eating-- rotate her diet every day, different brand every other day-- he shook his head and said, "Well, if that's what it takes. I still wish you could keep her on a kidney-safe diet." Yeah, so do we. I've gotten to the point where I stack the food packets in separate stacks in the shopping basket, so the folks at the store can just shoot the barcodes rapid-fire and be done. They're grateful for that.
She's in today for her annual teeth-cleaning. She doesn't even try to eat hard food anymore, so this has become an expensive necessity. Other than this, she needs only another visit next year in April for a vaccination update, and another one a year after that. I wonder if we can hold off the vaccination six months and schedule it at the same time as her dental appointment.
She's whiny and needy but healthy and holding together, and I expect her to be around next year for that expensive cleaning, too.
no subject
Date: 2008-08-25 11:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-26 02:59 pm (UTC)She doesn't go outside primarily to eat grass. Although she prefers her grass outside (we've bought wheat grass, and she usually ignores it), she really primarily goes outside because she really enjoys being outside. She never goes farther than the yard, and usually just likes to lie underneath bushes in the shade. Also, she will stop doing so during the winter months...another indication that it's enjoyment of the outside, not the need for grass, that drives her desire to go out.