Thinner is not a good sign
Jan. 24th, 2013 05:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
soniaMy almost 15-year-old cat has noticeably lost weight over the last month. She feels fragile rather than solid when I hug her.
I called the vet, but they refuse to talk to me about options because it's been "so long" (last June) since they've seen her, despite saying, "Call anytime with questions." I guess they didn't say they would answer them... The chemicals there make me edgy and confused and leave me with a 2-day headache, so I want to have a conversation about options in advance.
I sourly remember how a different vet hassled me for years about how Willow weighed too much, but when I brought her in for losing weight, she visibly panicked and said Willow needed a $1000 scan for cancer. I said no, and she didn't seem willing or able to have a conversation about treatment vs. diagnosis and the reasonable costs and invasiveness of either one.
So Willow and I bumped along, trying several different vets, never finding an ally for her last illness.
I would like this to go differently with Lilac. Above all else I want to be gentle with myself and with her as I try to navigate the veterinary system. On a friend's recommendation, I made an appointment next Friday with a nearby vet I haven't tried before. Everyone I've talked to there seems willing to hear what I say about low intervention. I hope they follow through.
They said it might be Lilac's thyroid, which is easy to treat with a daily pill. Lilac's behavior seems unchanged and she doesn't seem to hurt anywhere, so maybe this isn't the beginning of the end. She's so woven into the moments of my days. I hope she gets to be well and happy a while longer yet.
Ironically I've been stressed about gaining weight lately, despite HAES, etc. This puts a whole new spin on it.
I called the vet, but they refuse to talk to me about options because it's been "so long" (last June) since they've seen her, despite saying, "Call anytime with questions." I guess they didn't say they would answer them... The chemicals there make me edgy and confused and leave me with a 2-day headache, so I want to have a conversation about options in advance.
I sourly remember how a different vet hassled me for years about how Willow weighed too much, but when I brought her in for losing weight, she visibly panicked and said Willow needed a $1000 scan for cancer. I said no, and she didn't seem willing or able to have a conversation about treatment vs. diagnosis and the reasonable costs and invasiveness of either one.
So Willow and I bumped along, trying several different vets, never finding an ally for her last illness.
I would like this to go differently with Lilac. Above all else I want to be gentle with myself and with her as I try to navigate the veterinary system. On a friend's recommendation, I made an appointment next Friday with a nearby vet I haven't tried before. Everyone I've talked to there seems willing to hear what I say about low intervention. I hope they follow through.
They said it might be Lilac's thyroid, which is easy to treat with a daily pill. Lilac's behavior seems unchanged and she doesn't seem to hurt anywhere, so maybe this isn't the beginning of the end. She's so woven into the moments of my days. I hope she gets to be well and happy a while longer yet.
Ironically I've been stressed about gaining weight lately, despite HAES, etc. This puts a whole new spin on it.
no subject
Date: 2013-01-25 02:40 pm (UTC)One of our past cats, Minsky, developed thyroid problems around that age. The sudden loss of weight was very noticeable especially since he was a large, muscular cat to begin with. We were lucky in having a good treatment option available to us, and had more happy time with him.
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Date: 2013-01-26 01:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-01-26 09:04 pm (UTC)Here's a little cross species affection.
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Date: 2013-01-27 02:31 am (UTC)