Reggie goes to the vet...and comes home...

Today Reggie went to the Vet for his yearly teeth cleaning.  I get to take him before work, and pick him up afterwards, which works out well.  However, that means Marley has to stay at home, by himself, without his best friend (Marley gets his teeth cleaned in a couple of weeks).

I decided to record Reggie's home coming.  From the moment I walked in the house I heard the strangest "meow" coming out of Marley - definitely not one I am accustomed too.  You can see how upset he is and is telling me all about his day without Reggie to share it with.  He wouldn't even go up and sniff Reggie like he usually does after Reggie comes home from the Vet.  In fact, right now as I write this, he is still giving me strange meows thirty minutes later and is on top of the stove and has refused to come and say "hi" to his brother...

Reggie on the other hand is happy to be home and is bird watching - almost like nothing happened today!!....Marley is the more "sensitive" kitty, so he hasn't quite forgiven me for taking his best friend today. 

Update on Reggie's teeth cleaning visit...

My vet is so thoughtful (and also knows how worried I can get) and sent me the following updates.  She also sent me this picture.  I think he was just coming out of sedation here.  (I brought his blanket for him).

11:23am

Hi Lisa, Reggie is ready to go under anesthesia. He required special handling, but no extra charge for it as you're such a great kitty momma. He really was as good as he personally could be. I adore his tufts of fur on his ears. We'll let you know when he's in recovery. He's third in the lineup. His CBC and internal organ function screen were within normal limits.  

1:21pm

He is in recovery and is extremely lovable right now, lots of nose-to-nose contact. He can go home after 4. Did great!

Guess where I ventured to yesterday?...

Not my idea, trust me! I meowed with vigor and purpose the entire way here!!!

Once the doctor comes in, I immediately curl up on my blanket so she can't examine me. I am glad my mom brings the blanket because that table is cooooold! But, I got examined and I am one healthy boy! I weigh 9 lbs. and didn't have to get any shots this year since I am an indoor kitty and the American Association of Feline Practitioners says I only need my Panleukopenia Virus (FPV) /Feline Herpesvirus-1 and Feline Calicivirus (FHV-1/FCV) every three years!

A special thanks to Teri at Furrydance for letting us know this!

Reggie's Echo Results

Reggie does have mild HCM; only some slight thickening in the left ventricle, but NOT in the left atrium which the doctor told me is when it is really bad. She said his asthma is totally unrelated so we can probably get him started on some steroids for that. She agreed with the radiologist too that his asthma is mild and should stop with the steroids. So, this doctor needs to speak and send the lab results to my current vet for follow up....BUT...she was very surprised b/c Reggie has NO heart murmur....both her and my regular vet confirmed they don't hear any sort of heart murmur, so that is good I guess?! Really, when I think about it, the only reason we found out about this mild thickening was b/c he coughs from his asthma which led to the chest x-ray to this...Like the cardiologist said yesterday, if she was just doing a routine exam on him she would have had no reason to suggest an echocardiogram for him, so this makes me think how many other sphynx' could have this and not even know it! Reggie's breeder told me both his parents are clear of HCM, but I'm wondering if one of them has it midly and doesn't even know it.

Like the doctor told me today, the "good" thing about HCM is that it is so variable. They just don't know if/when it will progress, if at all, from animal to animal....He could live a very long life if it doesn't progress, or he could get worse. She is concerned because of his age (he'll be 1 year old in April), but said we should check again in 6 months to see if there has been any changes. Then, after that, maybe check once a year. She is not putting him on any medications for the heart just yet; she said though in 6 months, even if there has been no changes, we still might put him on medication then....I guess we'll wait to see what she recommends. She was a very good cardiologist though and didn't rush me at all with my questions...for $600 she shouldn't! haha! (But I got Care Credit and can pay in 3 payments, interest free). Of course they couldn't get Reggie to lay on his side "like a normal cat", so she wrapped him up in the blanket I brought with him and sat him in her lap and did the ultrasound that way. What a character he is. Marley is so much better at the vet's compared to Reggie!

If anyone has advice pertaining to mild HCM, please let me know. I've heard that adding taurine to his diet is good for heart conditions. Anyone familiar?

Update from Reggie's V-E-T visit....

So, after not hearing from the V-E-T still at around 1:00pm, I decided to call over there. They told me they had only taken one x-ray so far (needed 3 total) because Reggie was difficult, and they were taking their time with him, which involved playing with him, rubbing his chin, and generally just calming him down (I love Banfield the Pet Hospital!). This was good since I didn't want them to have to anesthetize him if they didn't have to. So, I was told to call back in a few hours to check on his progress.

They called me around 4:00pm and said he was ready to go. They were successful in getting all three x-rays, and good ones at that, but my vet saw some minor abnormalities on the x-ray and wanted to send them out to an expert radiographer. I said of course, along with another $100 (total vet bill was $420 and that was with my discount for the wellness plan!)

This worried me nonetheless, but those that know me know that I am a BIG worry wart about everything.....so I tried not to think the worse....

It was now time for me to leave work and I headed out to go pick up lil' Reggie. The vet was awesome when I got there and took me in the back of the hospital and showed me the x-rays and explained everything to me. His heart, aorta, veins, etc. all are normal and look the right size. His trachea is also perfect and clear. The only "abnormalities" she saw were these little itty bitty white dots that she called "Donuts" around his lungs in a few places. I forget what she said they were (collection of cells?), but basically they can be linked to bronchitis or asthma...she wants to get the expert's opinion to see if they are serious or not. We will have the results in about a week.

My awesome vet then explained to me what the next possible steps could be, depending on what the radiographer says. We could try steroids for the asthma, or possibly a tracheal wash with cytology and culture (more invasive).

Here's to hoping the radiologist doesn't think the x-rays are serious! Honestly, he's only had 3 minor coughing episodes in the last 2 weeks, that I've heard anyways, and in general we think he's improved. He is as peppery and hyper and loving as ever!

It was so cute when we got home - Reggie was in his carrier and I was opening the front door and Marley was on the other side howling and meowing and then Reggie started meowing too - guess they really missed each other yesterday....

Oh, and yes, Reggie got lots of "stinky goodness" last night, as did Marley!

More Information:

This site's page talks about some of the items my vet explained to me yesterday, in particular the "donuts" and the tracheal wash. Just by "googling" feline asthma one can find lots more information. Please keep Reggie in your thoughts; if his asthma, or whatever it is, does not get any worse, I think that's the best outcome for now.

Reggie update

Dropped Reggie off at the vet's office this morning. He will be getting his yearly comprehensive exam as well as a chest x-ray, finally. He still coughs here and there so we want to find out what is going on with him. I hope this tells us something, if not... more tests!

I will be picking him up after work. He had to fast after midnight, but I sent him with his blanket and also some dry food for after they are finished with him. Poor guy was so hungry this morning - while I was brushing my teeth and washing my face he kept stretching out on my leg and nipping at my leg with his teethies!

Ups and Downs from the Weekend....

Friday:

• Telecommuted from home (good)
• Doctor appointment in the afternoon (fine)
• Coming back to my car after being in the doctor's office for only one hour and finding my passenger window smashed and my GPS stolen (BAD)

Saturday:

• Getting my window fixed and the nice lady giving me the AAA "Gold" discount (good)
• Making my chicken mole dish for dinner (yummy)
• Going to the movies and seeing Twilight (fun)
• Coming home from the movie and seeing that Reggie's chin/neck area was very puffy (BAD)

Sunday:

• Not being able to sleep in because I needed to take Reggie to the vet (BAD)
• Getting to the vet right when they opened and being the first walk-in (good)
• Getting antibiotics for Reggie and the whole visit only costing me $21 - he's on the wellness plan so visits are free (GOOD!)
• After one dose of Reggie's antibiotics his neck appeared less swollen (good)
• Having Reggie keep me warm under the covers all night (good)
  

So, all in all it wasn't a totally horrible weekend, but I could have gone without my car getting broken into. And just a side note on that. It happened in broad daylight, on the corner of a busy street (Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood!), with a Burger King drive through right across from where I was parked and tons of pedestrians walking around everywhere. Go figure. Hmph!

The vet said it was not Reggie's lymph node that was swollen (good!), but that it could either be from the saliva gland and the mucus not draining like it should, or from bacteria, which we are hoping it is. I think it is bacteria related because like I said, after only a few doses of the antibiotics it looked like the swelling had decreased. The vet asked if I had another cat at home (not my usual vet on Sunday, so he didn't know I had another sphynx at home) and I said yes. He asked if they wrestle/play fight and I said yes. His theory was that it could have resulted when Marley "bites" Reggie in that region on his neck while they are wrestling....and come to think of it, I had just brushed Marley's teeth earlier last week for the first time in several months, thus releasing lots and lots of bacteria, I'm sure!

Have a great week everyone!

Oh, and we are finally getting some "winter" weather here in So. California. Poured and poured all last night and is still raining.

Our Christmas Tree

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UPDATE: The vet appointment was great on Sunday. I put Marley & Reggie in the same carrier for the 25 minute drive to the vet's office. They do so much better and are much calmer being in the same carrier. Marley received two vaccinations and Reggie was tagging along for a wellness checkup. Marley still weighs 8.7lbs, but Reggie, at only 8 months weighs a whopping 8.1lbs!

The vet suggested I only put enough dry food in their bowls so that they will run out during the day at some point. Since they are strictly indoor only cats they do have a bit extra weight, and even though they are Sphynx' and eat much more, Reggie is still a bit pudgy! So, I am trying the new feeding routine. They are just like humans - when we get bored, after being inside all day, we eventually head to the kitchen and eat just for eating's sake!