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cellioErik saw our regular vet on Monday for a follow-up after the surgery. (We had to wait long enough for the drugs from that to get fully out of his system so blood tests would be meaningful.)
He weighs 7 pounds (even). A year ago he was at 8.25. I expressed disappointment that he hadn't gained more by now, but the vet said he's about where she expected him to be and just keep feeding him the canned food.
She called with preliminary results of his blood tests today. His bilirubin (err, that's phonetic) is good, she said, which means his bile duct and gallbladder are fine (i.e. the surgery worked). Two liver enzymes that have sometimes been high in the past are high now (SALT and, I think, SAST?); this suggests infection or inflamation, so he's now on antibiotics and we'll check again when that's done. We've done this before (not always the same drugs); I suspect that we couldn't go far wrong by just doing a round of antibiotics every few months and not bothering to do the not-cheap blood tests. Yeah, I don't want to blithely help create Supergerm here, but we've done the "see high results, do antibiotics, measure again and see normal results, wait several months and repeat" cycle a few times now. I'll have to ask about that.
The antibiotic this time is liquid; the tech told me it's banana-flavored and asked if he likes banana. Haven't the faintest idea, I said. Apparently he does, which makes this easier. It does raise the question, though: if they're going to flavor the stuff anyway, why not just make it tuna-flavored?
He weighs 7 pounds (even). A year ago he was at 8.25. I expressed disappointment that he hadn't gained more by now, but the vet said he's about where she expected him to be and just keep feeding him the canned food.
She called with preliminary results of his blood tests today. His bilirubin (err, that's phonetic) is good, she said, which means his bile duct and gallbladder are fine (i.e. the surgery worked). Two liver enzymes that have sometimes been high in the past are high now (SALT and, I think, SAST?); this suggests infection or inflamation, so he's now on antibiotics and we'll check again when that's done. We've done this before (not always the same drugs); I suspect that we couldn't go far wrong by just doing a round of antibiotics every few months and not bothering to do the not-cheap blood tests. Yeah, I don't want to blithely help create Supergerm here, but we've done the "see high results, do antibiotics, measure again and see normal results, wait several months and repeat" cycle a few times now. I'll have to ask about that.
The antibiotic this time is liquid; the tech told me it's banana-flavored and asked if he likes banana. Haven't the faintest idea, I said. Apparently he does, which makes this easier. It does raise the question, though: if they're going to flavor the stuff anyway, why not just make it tuna-flavored?
(no subject)
Date: 2006-02-02 06:04 am (UTC)Parents of very small humans, on the other hand, have LOTS of buying power: hence the presence of banana and the absence of tune flavor.
One of my cats gets daily anti-herpes eyedrops. A few years ago they more or less stopped selling the cheap, non-irritating drug for humans (Idoxuridine -- it's still legal, but no longer stocked), because a more expensive, newer drug worked better in humans. Unfortunately, it doesn't in cats -- it tends to irritate cat eyes but not human eyes. So my coffee-colored cat is probably the only "person" still using this drug in our area. A pharmacist in the next town makes the solution in the correct strength, and, thankfully, _doesn't_ overcharge for it. (I'm told people mail-order it from halfway across the county because no one anywhere else carries it.)
(no subject)
Date: 2006-02-02 04:04 pm (UTC)Their keepers must have some, else pet resorts and the like wouldn't be able to make a go of it. But if they're re-using kids' drugs, it makes sense that kids' flavor preferences would dominate.
I'm glad you were able to find a pharmacist who can keep you supplied with your cat's drugs. A pharmacist who'll continue to take care of customers is a real win.