Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Esmay update



So Esmay went to the shelter on Thursday.  She hasn't been eating well, so I started force feeding her.  She wasn't a fan of it, but it went well enough, and I was able to get a third of a can of A/D into her the first night, and she ate a little on her own.  The second night I got a second third of the can into her, but she ate nothing else.  There was no stool in the litter box and she was testing out blood sugar (BG) wise at a 54.  To me that was alarming.  I wrote to the shelter and they said bring her in and they would get her to the vet... so in she went.

I didn't hear anything on Friday. Nor Saturday, which wasn't completely unexpected. Sunday the vet is closed - they come in and care for the animals but they wouldn't be there to relay info to the shelter outside of an emergency.  Still no information on Monday, so I wrote and asked.

Once again her exam was 'uneventful'.. nothing stood out.  They also did xrays which showed nothing concerning.  She started eating and they were not concerned about her BGs and so they sent her back to the shelter.  One of the emails I got about her suggested that maybe my meter wasn't testing properly.  I can understand that except I was worried about that too so I used two different meters and calibrated them both, so I was pretty sure my readings were accurate.

I got an email this evening right before work was over saying most of the above and that they were going to monitor her there. I totally get that.  But I had brought needles I had used giving Fluffy fluids so I stopped into dispose of at the shelter since they have a sharps container, so I stopped in to see her.

I also brought my meters.. I tested her for giggles, I wanted to see how she was doing, this time she was 47!!!  I panicked for a second, but remembered she had food and she was eating, so I assumed she was going to be fine.  The nice staff member who was interested in seeing me test let me test another kitty they had and she was 67 (having been recently spayed)  which is a number I am much more comfortable with.

I gave Esmay some love and left for home.  Driving home I thought it might not be a bad idea to have a few more non-diabetic numbers to compare that 47 to.  I tested Fleurp (who had her own eventful day - but more on that later - possibly Friday.. ) and she tested out at a 62, and I tested Kit who was 49.

So today I learned that what I consider to be a scary low BG level in a cat might very well be their normal.  Very much a good thing to know and something I wish I had known a month ago :)

So Esmay is at the shelter.  I am speculating that the antibiotic for her urinary issues caused her to go off her food.. (and that is a total speculation, but it makes some sense.. ) and now that she's been off it for a while she's doing better. Hopefully she will make it to the adoption floor right quick and find a home before two shakes of a lambs tail..

Safe journeys my sweet girl.. May you find owners who totally accept your hatred of being picked up, but your love of having your belly rubbed..

17 comments:

  1. I am sending lots of hopeful purrs to Esmay - I would love to see her find a home too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Purrrrring that Esmay finds a home of her very own soonest.

    ReplyDelete
  3. More prayers, purrs and hugs for Esmay making a full and quick recovery and finding her forever home. Purrs and hugs from the kitties at The Cat on My Head, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbet and Calista Josette

    ReplyDelete
  4. On your last post about Esmay I thought she was your own cat, as you said she's 15. Not 15 years? Or is she one of the older cats you foster?
    She's so beautiful, and glad to hear she's doing better. Thanks for the update.
    (I just discovered your foster home blog on Saturday, so don't know the history of everyone, except Simon & Schuster who I followed beginning to happy end.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Esmay is/was a foster. She was turned into the shelter at her age to find a new home. I did say she was 15, but rereading the paperwork on her last night it lists her as 13 yrs of age and 15lbs.. I got the numbers mixed up. She developed a urinary issue while at the shelter waiting for adoption and came to me to hang out while she got better.

      Delete
    2. I feel most sorry for older cats who are "cast off" or for whatever other reason put into a strange, foreign environment. The next cat I adopt (I only have two now) will be an adult. I love kittens! But I want to give an elder cat a good rest of their life. You are so wonderful, Connie, in what you do for the babies and the elders. Thanks for warming my heart everyday (yes, I follow you daily).

      Delete
    3. The elder ones do sting.. I just don't understand how you can have a cat for 10 years (heck 10 minutes) and turn it over to a shelter. I've known a couple of people who have done it, and it always stuns me the justification they used. neither one of them wanted to put the cat through the 'trauma' of moving across country.. like the cats weren't going to be traumatized being at the shelter.. What I think they really meant was they don't want to deal with the cat being traumatized.. which is just sad.

      Occasionally I see some real cases of "this is absolutely killing me but I have no other options" and those people I respect for doing everything they can for their cats and then coming to the conclusion that they can not provide for the kitty what it needs.. I hold on to those when I see elders at the shelter, and I simply pretend (because I can) that their former owners made that choice out of love and not out of... well let me not say what I was going to say.. because if I do not think the best of people, I don't think I could continue doing what I do..

      Delete
  5. Still hoping for the best for this lovely tortie.

    ReplyDelete
  6. glad she is doing a little better (and that you got a base line for the meter - bet the cats LOVED that) :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. neither one of them could figure out what I was doing.. it wasn't as bad as one might have imagined :)

      Delete
  7. good luck to her hope she gets her forever home soon,xx Rachel

    ReplyDelete
  8. So glad to hear that Esmay is feeling better. Thanks for letting us know :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous4:35 AM

    Hope she's going to be okay!

    ReplyDelete
  10. We're purring for Esmay to keep well and find that forever home very, very soon. It's obvious how much you cared for her -- emotionally and physically.

    Domino is doing well, by the way. The medication seems to be working. She's looking a lot better. The shine has returned to her coat, and she has gained a little weight. She's bopping around like a little kitten again. Thanks for asking.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh, this is so sad. I so hope she'll be OK and get a home. My heart goes out to her because I think of my Lucy when I hear of older kitty girls in bad health and then also homeless.

    ReplyDelete
  12. oh my cat, what a rollercoaster ride! We wish the same for her - an understanding and loving forever family for her senior years.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Awwww beautiful Esmay!! Awwww - we hope and pray you find a loving home after all you've been through!! But you are a survivor and a very pretty one too! Yay! Take care
    x

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...