Pet Oxygen Masks

If you wanted various sizes of masks for oxygen for pets, Amazon sells many.

Pet Oxygen Tent/Chambers

If you wanted an oxygen tent-and learned how to use them-here is just one on Amazon; $319 for a small.

Pawprint Oxygen Cannister Kit for Pets

II don't think this was available-certainly wasn't recommended-when Myrna was alive or it would have been in our house. It's easy to use, safe to use; doesn't require a chamber. About $210 for a kit.

Pawprint Oxygen kits for dogs or cats.

Bette Has Evening Trip to ER after Radiation Weakens Her System

Saturday May 6:

So-despite doing better, today Bette decided she was not. She seemed fine this morning and ate. But hasn’t eaten, nor had water-except for the 9ml we gave every three hours-hasn’t eliminated, and both eyes are closing, she hates being touched, hated her mouth touched, was drooling. This happened over the course of the day. By 4 pm I thought something was wrong. I reread the information from her radiologist about how certain symptoms can appear and be normal; how others are life threatening. By 7pm I thought she was worse and since the drive to the vet school is an hour-they have emergency also, have her records, nothing needs to be explained except about what happened today-I took her then instead of waiting even later and risk coming up here with her at midnight. (We are not strangers to midnight visits to our regular ER.) 

They believe she is exhausted from treatment, and is dehydrated; she is not crashing-radiation can cause fistula-a hole-in the colon or bladder leading to death and those signs would appear quickly after occurrence, she would vomit and be lethargic and be unresponsive. Her eyes are closing and they will check both. They will do another urine test. They may change the antibiotic. They will do an ultrasound to make sure her bladder and colon are fine. She doesn’t have a fever. Breathing and heart rate are normal. 

She arrived very weak but once in the examination area, tried to bolt very fast on three legs anytime they let go of her.

She presented clinically with issues but NOT when tested. She had normal temp/breathing rate/heart rate/pulse; was not congested nor wheezy as I thought; and was not dehydrated-not in the blood work, not in the skin test. Her right eye no longer has an ulcer but both are irritated. Her kidney/liver/electrolytes were normal. The ultrasound showed no fistulas or blockages. She does have a UTI with a high level of bacteria, no crystals, normal pH. 

They thought the drooling and not wanting to be touched in the mouth was from nausea. Similar to humans with indigestion and burping, the mouth can get irritated and uncomfortable. They gave her a new med Ondansetron. Cerenia is to stop vomiting and helps with nausea, also. But when a cat presents with strong nausea that causes drooling and mouth aversion, this med is necessary. 

They will do a urine culture to see if we need to change the antibiotic. 

They did not give fluids since she was fine. 

They cleaned her eyes and face (the eye gel gets messy.) We are to continue use of the eye gel but we don't need to use as much and only twice a day (so far.) 

But why had she not eliminated? They don't know why. She had a small bladder and they withdrew some for the test. 

She ate very well for them after not eating all day at home and BEFORE she received the Ondansetron. She left looking more chipper for no reason other than having ate finally. She was perfectly fine once home. She received the new med and her bedtime Gabapentin and ate some more. BUT she still did not eliminate. 

Sunday May 7:

We got up this morning and was fine. We seculded her in the dining room on her own so that I knew if she was the one using the litter box. She ate, etc. She was tired but alert. She slept a lot. I could not express her bladder (I'll need to learn how.)

Then at 2:30 she got into the litter box, and finally urinated-in the box, over the box, on the pad; then moved out of the box, laid down and finished urinating on a pad. She was soaking wet with urine on her backside, legs, and tail. I used a pad to wrap her up so that I could carry her to the laundry room without dropping urine all over. The pad also soaked up a lot of it from her. I gave her a bath in our blessedly very deep laundry room sink from which she could not jump. It also has a hose. I sprayed her down while holding her up in one arm because the bandaged port line in the front left leg cannot get wet. I shampooed and rinsed. Then I wrapped her up in a large towel to dry her, took her outside and sat on the deck in the sun for about 15 minutes, turning her over every so often to dry her. Then I brought her back inside, and she laid on the blankets while we finished cleaning up the pads. 

She also eventually began this afternoon to drink water out of the bowl on her own again after not drinking all of Saturday. 

I'm not sure what happened yesterday. Is it possible she did not get enough of her prednisolone? Maybe I didn't see an air gap that can occur which decreases the amount in the syringe. (Wedgwood sends orange syringes to go with their orange bottles.)

We continue to take this one day at a time. 

Bette Has Issues This Week with Radiation Treatment

Bette: developed an ulcer on the eye due to being under anesthesia each day. That can happen because the eyes don't close and can dry out. They are supposedly using drops to keep the eyes wet during treatments but I guess it can still happen. They gave us a eye gel to use for a couple weeks. They do a full physical check each day before treatment and that's how they discovered the ulcer.

She's had trouble using the litter box this week, stepping in but not getting her butt into the box, then urinating out of the box. I thought it was due to treatment, the tumor weakening her rear legs, etc. I captured a sample and took it into the regular vet on Thursday. The results showed high level of bacteria, some blood (not seen visually this time unlike two weeks ago) no crystals, high WBC. So, she's now on Zenequin for ten days. BUT today after treatment (before Zenequin) she blessedly used the box twice by getting into the box, butt and all. She did get a touch of urine on her rear leg so we will continue to have to clean her. 

Bette Radiation Treatment Update Last Two Weeks

May 2-3

Bette is doing well. She is having trouble urinating in the litter box but we have pads around the box so she has gone on those. But it seems she still has no blood in the urine or a UTI but we will continue 9ml water PO (by mouth), Buprenex .25 or so, and Methigel 2x a day. She has not yet gained use of her lame rear left leg but is able to quickly get around and up and down furniture. She is eating well, maintaining weight after losing 9oz in late March-April. We continue to put her in different rooms so that she is not shut up in just one (she usually spends the day post treatment in the enclosed dining room although the French doors allow her to see us; and her siblings hang out with her after she has rested.)

May 1

My husband drove Bette to the vet school for treatment today and will drive her up on Friday as well.

I gave him notes on the drive-time it takes, when it's boring (long, flat section), the dead animals he should try to ignore (there are so many!), where the police hide in their HUGE blue SUVs, the scenery (long, flat, boring), exactly when he'll be tired, exactly where and when there will be traffic. I even told him which gas station to stop at, the blond cows at the yellow house, and the geese and goslings in the marsh along a road. I told him which left turn to take to get to the vet school, to stay in the left lane and not the right when going down that street, and how to hand her off to the attendants. All of which he rolled his eyes and scoffed at until I told him rather forcibly to PAY ATTENTION! And then when he got home he said that I was right about almost all of it, but did I mention this one spot? Yes, I had but he must have still been scoffing.

April 27

A good day for Bette. She is over the obvious blood in urine but we continue to treat it as if still there. She didn’t sleep well Tuesday night so we increased the Gabapentin from .50ml to .75ml (the script calls for 1ml) and she slept well and used the litter box without crying or being disturbed. And she was able to get around (too much med and it makes cats wobbly.) She did well at today’s treatment.

The drive is now becoming automatic. And the wait from 8:30 to 11 or so (today we left at 12) is flying by. I read the news, my book or magazine, and suddenly she’s done.

But I still need a break. My husband will take her Monday and Friday next week.

April 26

So far this morning, Bette is doing much better. Her urine does not appear to be showing any signs of blood. And she used her litter box. We will continue to do the water by mouth every 2 to 3 hours, the extra Buprenex, and the Methigel. And, if it happens again, then I will contact her regular vet who will give her Zenequin . But I think right now everything is going in the right direction and that her bladder is going to hopefully calm down.

April 25

Bette possibly has bloody urine. I saved the pad to take today to treatment. She went at bedtime 10:30 pm in the box but over it onto the pad. It was light red orange. She had an accident in the crate on the way home and it was very dark orange and her urine has been stinking since Friday. So I didn’t know if yesterday it was the radiation treatment but last night it was rather dark looking. But since she only went one time, I didn’t think it was necessary to take her to the ER. She received her bedtime pain med which may have helped. We’ll know more later.

So-The vet school checked and thought she had no bacteria in the urine and suggested not giving antibiotics. They didn’t give sub q fluids to wash out the bladder and any irritants or bacteria that might be there but did give the regular amount of fluid she receives each day with her treatment. They did not offer me guidelines to address the issue. I’ve never had a vet dismiss this problem. They thought it was just stress since she does have a history of idiopathic cystitis. So I called her vet office once home and left a message with them asking her to call me Wednesday when she’s in. And that wonderful woman called me on her day off!! She said if this continues, she’ll prescribe Zenequin antibiotic because there could be bacteria and the pad wasn’t showing it. If it clears up, then Zenequin worked. Meanwhile, give more Buprenex (pain relief/inflammation reducing), water by mouth (we do 9ml a few times), and Methigel to improve the ph level of the urine. The radiologist did finally prescribe Gabapentin for night time.

I would have taken her to the ER last night had she continued to urinate and was in pain when urinating. We have had to do that years ago with Baby, Bette, Elizabeth; and Myrna-with HCM-was frequently in the ER after 8 pm.

April 24

Bette-good Sunday day. Slept well overnight. Good Monday so far. My husband and I changed my schedule since getting up at 4 am was exhausting for me. It’s amazing how one more hour and a half of sleep can feel great! Up at 5:30; shower and dressed; downstairs to make my breakfast and tea-now to go-and her meds; give her meds, crate her, finish gathering whatever; go to car. By 7:25-five minutes late but still ok-in the car.

He will medicate and feed other four cats, clean boxes, do waters. When I’m home I’ll empty dishwasher/put in dishes, sweep; feed and medicate Bette (as soon as we are home). Then do my list of things to do.

He has hours of vacation he can use that allows him to take off an hour or so in the morning to care for the cats. He will be up earlier to take care of the cats for the days when he has an 8 am call.

Granted, I’m not a wash and go person. If I were, I suppose I could roll out of bed, shower and dress, etc at 6:30. But that’s never been me. Not that I put on makeup for over an hour but it’s not five minutes either.

April 23

Bette had a good Saturday of moving around or being moved and resting. Last night she slept very well. Not sure why compared to a restless Friday night. She used the litter box. We didn’t give her extra Valium. She slept on the bed and then the floor. So-I slept well for the first time in days, including a restless Friday night. The weekend break has been good for both of us. After she urinated in the cat house Friday night, and the urine got on the floor, and after cleaning the floor three times, I covered the floor with pads, even under blankets. You can see her sleeping under the rocker and see how small is the room.

Bette Struggles Post Treatments with Litter Box Use/How to Clean a Mess

Bette overnight: extra Valium only made her more anxious; she had trouble using the box and went inside the cat house that has a cloth covered pad on it, instead of the urine pads around the box. BUT it got on the floor underneath. I cleaned the floor and the house (we'll see if it survives the washer.) I'll pull the (luckily small) room apart and clean again in case that wasn't all of it. I smelled as I may have gotten it on me while cleaning and had to change; she smelled (she was cleaned.) My smelly clothes went into the basket to be washed today and that basket is upstairs in a closet away from the cats. (More on that below.)

Jimmy, with a history of urinating out of the box, and why he's on Prozac, must be stressed this week due to possibly earlier medication times, his sister smelling after the vet (but luckily he's been kind to her and we separate her for the first four hours home), a disruption of sorts in the daily routine, and possibly because the new formula of his compounded Prozac isn't working. But he's urinated out of the box twice and possibly three times: on a basket of dirty clothes (basket, clothes, wall, floor, under trim, in the cracks of the vinyl tile, etc.-when cats urinate it goes everywhere); against the box and pads on the wall around the box; and on the floor (again it gets everywhere.)

When I clean up urine, first I think of containment: get the trash bag, paper towels, spray cleaner; wipe down box, gather up pads, use paper towels to clean, to soak up urine; put it all in the trash bag; clean area with a spray cleaner but WIPE, don't spray because that just spreads it more; spray/wipe, spray/wipe, etc. Then where I can, I use the kitchen bleach spray-in the cracks, under the trim (spray on the surface, let set a few seconds, wipe the surface and let the bleach sink into the crevices, under trim, etc. where it cannot get on feet/paws but is less likely to bleach out the surface.) Then I wipe it down again with water to get rid of the bleach from the surfaces. (All of this depends on the type of surface you might have.) Everything goes into the trash bag to be put outside immediately or it attracts Jimmy. Any rags go into the washer immediately or he'll smell them and urinate in the vicinity. Even the scent of urine in the laundry/trash bag that lingers will attract him and I tend to spray something like Feliaway to divert his attention-which I need to start using daily again apparently. We go through phases of using it, not using it, using it again.

Bette has also lost 5 oz this week. Given that she was just over 12 lbs and is now under, she has some room to lose weight. But not five oz. a week. She eats well once home from treatment but not so much at night, then gets cut off at 10 pm. I can't use Mirtazapine because it will only drive her crazy and when she has a cut off from eating, that craziness would only keep her up more. We'll worry more about this when she's down to less than 11 lbs and post treatment for sure.