Saturday, June 28, 2008

"Buster" is Home but "Oliver" Isn't


BUSTER'S "CASTLE" FOR THE NEXT 2 WEEKS



A CLOSER VIEW OF BUSTER (He looks contented, don't you think?)


Yesterday was another busy day for me! I had NO sleep the night before, staying up all night, as I was afraid I wouldn't get up in time to get Oliver at 7am.

First, I had to pick up Oliver at the Emergency Vet Clinic at 7am and take him to his own vet for the day to keep the IV fluids going in him to keep his kidneys flushed. Okay, he was set now til 5pm! (The Emergency Clinic is closed during the day.) So it was back home for me to take care of all my other little fur kids and get myself ready to head to Greenville to visit Buster. I like to visit every day so they don't think they've been abandoned.

At 9:30, Buster's doctor phoned and said he wanted to let him go home. He said they tend to do better once they are home. So we arranged a time for picking him up early afternoon. I then called Stosh, and we made plans to get one of my big pens out of my storage room and take to Tammy's for Buster. He is under strict exercise restrictions for 2 weeks. No running, no playing, no stairs, no other pets around him, on a leash if taken out of the pen at all, under human control at all times, etc., etc. (They had the word "strict" in bold print on his discharge letter, too.) So we got that all set up in her living room for him.

Then, off to Greenville we headed! It was another very hot day in the 90's with dark clouds rolling in. (I never did get to see the TV weather to get the actual temp, though. Too busy and too tired to even care!) So we arrived there and met with Dr. Jevens, who is just theeeeee best, and he went over all the discharge instructions and meds with us. I wish they treated humans there as everyone is just so loving and compassionate, plus all the doctors are just "top notch" in my book! (They have 13 specialists there and are looking to hire 2 more! Guess that says a lot for their reputation! People from all over the South bring their pets there.)

Buster had a quiet ride home. As instructed, I gave him his pain med upon arriving home, and his antibiotic wasn't due until 8pm. He wasn't allowed food for 2 hours after arriving home, probably since he was excited from the trip and all. So I took a little rest on the sofa and watched him adjust to his new "pen/castle." (I call it a pen, others call it a crate.) He checked it all out, believe me! It was really quite interesting to watch him. Poor little guy, he's been through so much this week. Finally, he decided to accept it all and laid down on his pillow. I, myself, could have stayed right there on that plush leather sofa all night! It felt so good to get off my feet!

I had to leave him to go get Oliver at 5pm and return him to the Emergency Vet Clinic for the entire weekend so he could keep receiving his IV fluids. Then.....I headed for home. It was 7:15pm when I finally turned the key in my door...another verrry long day! It was so humid, as there must have been a rain shower while we were in Greenville, from puddles we noticed along the streets. It felt like a sauna outside! I was so glad to get in for the night! I was dragging with no sleep the night before, really whooped! And.....I had all my cats waiting to be scooped and fed, which takes me from an hour to an hour and a half at night to do.

My daughter, Tammy, got home from work shortly after I had left there and said Buster had removed his wrap from his IV line all by himself as it was laying on the pen floor. We usually leave that wrap on until bedtime whenever they have had an IV line removed. She said he cried and tried to get out of the pen when he saw her. He hadn't seen her since Monday! So she laid on the floor beside him and stuck her arm in to touch him, and he loved her arm all up, kept rubbing his head all over her. She said it was as if he couldn't get enough of her. They have such a strong bond....I have never seen a cat so attached to anyone in my life! She then fed him, and he ate it all, she said. Later, she noticed he had done a little poo-poo in the litterbox! So guess the surgery in that area was a success.

I phoned to see how Oliver was doing this morning, and he, somehow, had torn his IV line out during the night! So the vet on duty said they were going to leave it out and just see if he would drink water on his own. He's there to receive IV fluids, not a few laps of water! So I phoned Oliver's personal vet who will look into that matter. The vet who took care of Oliver at the emergency clinic Thursday night will be on duty again at noon today, so I believe he will put in a new IV line. How that cat could even get to that IV line is beyond me, as he had on that big rigid plastic collar! He wasn't even able to see that line! I worry so when I have to leave them overnight like that!!!


OLIVER


I also called to check on Buster this morning, and he had put in a good night. So guess things are moving in a positive direction there! Now if I can get Oliver back home and healthy again, we will all be happy! That is, until the next episode comes along! Back to the emergency clinic Monday morning at 7am to get him, and then my running starts again!!!

14 comments:

Renie Burghardt said...

Hi Nancy,

Oh, praise the Lord that Buster is home and getting along so well. Poor little guy! But he does look quite content in his castle, and oh joy, how happy he was to see his mom! A very good sign that he ate and even left a small deposit, afterwards.

Now, I pray that Oliver will be all well again, soon! I always hate to leave my animals at the vet's overnight, convinced that they think I have abandoned them. This all must be so hard on you, Nancy. I don't know how you do it all. Try to have a good weekend, which is difficult when you're worrying about beautiful Oliver. Get some much needed rest, since your running will start all over again on Monday.

Prayers and Hugs,

Renie

Anonymous said...

I am almost afraid to ask what the medical problem is but it sounds serious. Wow, and the vet bills are staggering.

My non-blogging daughter has 11 cats and nine are outdoor cats and two in the house. All were strays that wandered up and she kept feeding them. And then they bred and had more and on it went. So she had all 11 fixed. Another staggering vet bill and the number is settled to the 11. All are well cared for.

You cat people are amazing.

When somebody actually takes the time to write a comment on my blogs, about my work and what I do, that to me is the biggest gift a person can give another. It is like a smile and a hug; it is a welcome handshake: It gives me and my family some hope that the funny farm is still in the future.

You, yourself, are an inspiration to me.

Such beautiful things is like magic to me. It is impressive indeed.

I come back to say, "thanks for visiting and leaving a comment" but a special thanks for taking the time to photograph interesting things of great beauty. Without that, blogging would be about as exciting as trying to scratch an itch in the right place at the wrong time.

So, thanks for stopping at my blog. And I hope you know, by now, that when you do, I will always try to visit your blog, in return, and leave a comment. I do read what people write and your excellent photography got my attention.

Sincerely,

Abraham Lincoln
oldmanlincoln in Brookville, Ohio

Midlife Mom said...

Oh that is so wonderful that Buster is home!!! That brought tears to my eyes how he was so happy to see Tammy! We do have such strong bonds with our furry kids!!
I admire all that you do for your 'kids', I know it's a lot of work for you but you love your kitties so much and give of yourself to them. I only wish there were more people in this world that cared even half as much as you do!!!
Noodles and Munchkin send their best wishes to Buster and Oliver!! Keep is posted!

hippo chick said...

Hi Nancy,

I have had company and haven't been on line much layely. You hsve hsd your hsnds full, girlfriend! I hope they are all better soon so you can get some rest.

~hippo hugs~]p.

Jess said...

Hey Nancy...soo good to hear that all the furry kids are doing better. Trust me they can kick at anything and hook those back claws in that cloth wrap around those IV lines and they are out before you know it, however if he was bad enough for and IV then I'd say he needs to keep it in....they shouldn't waist time and money waiting to see if he drink water on his own...you were right!

Anyways enough of me putting my nose in....Hope your weekend is goign well and hope that you get some rest!

Diane@Diane's Place said...

One home and one to go! Hope poor Oliver is well enough to come home soon!

Hope you manage to get some rest yourself this weekend.

Have a great Sunday, my friend. :o)

Love and hugs,

Diane

Scott said...

Wow, sounds like you had quite a day with all that is going on with your kitties. Bless your heart for all you do for them - I love cats as well and hate leaving mine at the vet's at all. Hope things settle down and you get some much deserved rest for a day or two. Thanks again for the recipes - will let you know which ones I tried out. This cooking thing may not be so bad after all. Have a good Sunday.
Grace

Diane said...

Things sound like they are heading in the right direction for the kitties. I haven't been through much with mine yet. I don't like to think about what's to come, not because of the money, but because of the heartbreak.

Hope you get some rest this weekend.

Please say some prayers for my father-in-law. I'm taking him to the doctor tomorrow. He's had some respiratory problems (known COPD), but he's having pain and increased cough. He's convinced it's cancer and is afraid to find out.

Hugs,
Diane

Anonymous said...

I answered your questions about the honey bees and insects being killed on my blog but brought it here too.

"People began spraying flowers years ago and still do and they also use insecticides on lawns to kills insects of all sorts -- from ants to grubs including butterfly and moth as well as beetles. It is a cumulative process that gets into the birds and into the flowers and finally things begin to die off including the birds and other insects that depend on insects and seeds as a food source.

There are specials on TV and a big one was just recently on that I watched and showed this honey bee loss is a world wide thing.

The chemical companies are doing their best to steer blame to mites and other diseases with some big payoffs to specialists but I think governments would be smarter than to accept their word. That's like asking a bank robber if he is a thief.

If you spray poison it kills for three weeks or longer. Read the fine print.

Glad Oliver is better and hope you get him home soon."

Patty said...

Just reading some of your past post, sounds like the cats have been having all kind of problems. Our daughter and her partner have two cats indoors and about nine outdoors, they have all been spayed and neutered. But the one cat they use to have indoors, was an older cat, and he started having bladder stones, finally what this vet did, which I thought sounded rather cruel, was somehow opened the penis and lay it back so the stones could pass easier. But talk about a grouchy cat, I told our daughter well you can't blame him, he had been neutered when he was younger, and now he was fixed in such a way that he didn't know if he was a male or a female. He lived several years after that, but he was getting quite old. We had a cat one time, and we've almost always had dogs, but the last time we had to have our dog Autumn, put to sleep, I told Abe, I don't want anymore pets. We're getting too old to house break a dog, and the trips to the vet and then having to have them put to sleep is too much to handle any longer.

Thanks for your visits. Good luck with the cats.

Susie said...

I'm sure that you're so relieved to have Buster home.
I'm sorry that Oliver is still having to stay at the vet. I bet you're beyond exhausted.
Try to get some rest my friend.
hugs

Sam said...

Nancy,
I have been so busy with moving that I've gotten behind on blog reading. I had no idea you've been going through all this kitty drama! I'm so sorry! I am SO glad Buster is safely home, and he looks perfectly content in his temporary house. I hope Oliver can come home soon!

My little cat, Maybelline, had to have major emergency surgery last year and I was just beside myself until she was well again. I hope you're doing okay. Isn't it amazing how far we will go for our pets?

Take care of yourself as you take care of your kitties! :-)

Michelle said...

Oh honey!

While you were going through this, one of the ladies that work for me went through the same thing.

I am so glad that all the kitties are doing better.

It's amazing how animals change and mold us to them, isn't it?

We are so drawn to the unconditional love they give.

Get some sleep hon!

Anonymous said...

Abe's just visiting...

Thanks for visiting my blog, again Nancy. The birds will be up but in a form like the blog you were on. I need something to make the interest pop.

I am working on colors at the moment and this brown one don't look so good.

The bees are back in Brookville, Ohio. I hope for the rest of the year at least. I even got one on my Better Blog Writing post today. LOL

—Abraham Lincoln
Brookville Daily Photo