Results matching “enema” from Valley of the Dogs

We all know how bad the economy is these days. That makes it very hard for people to give up their precious money to charity. It's not because we refuse to donate...it's just that we need money for food, which is rising in cost, and mortgage/rent etc... Heck! I wish I could donate more than I do but with rising vet bills with Marcie there's no way.

Speaking of her...she had to get another enema yesterday but I'm saving that story for another post (no time since I'm at work). But here's one of my favorite pictures of her because you just can't have enough pictures of the Marcie girl.

But here's the perfect way to donate to an animal charity without annihilating your pocketbook. I'm definitely going to write up several stories about all the animals that have touched my life (there are many...Marcie being no exception!!).

Here's the info:

As we all know the holidays are a time of giving, but with this economy not everyone can afford to join in the giving spirit. This year, let your memories make a difference. Power of Paws gives people the chance to still get that warm fuzzy feeling of helping a worthy cause, without ever opening their wallet.

The Power of Paws program (CLICK HERE!) enables dog, cat, hamster, lizard and even ferret owners to help raise money for pet related charities this holiday season. All you have to do is submit
your own "tail" of how your pet (past or present) has helped you in your life. For every story submitted (even a couple of sentences!) Power of Paws will donate $1 to a pet related charity. Every story matters and we know there's a million to share. And if you're feeling stumped, log onto the website to read some of the "tails" submitted so far.

So get out there and write your stories! You don't even need money to do it...just an imagination, a computer and keyboard and there you go! Get writing!!!

It's been awhile since I've updated you on the old girl and her condition. This photo was taken a few weeks before IT happened.

As you know...for the last few weeks she's had to get enema after enema because she either would not poop or she'd strain until she finally pooped out one big hard piece of poop. It got to the point where I had to take her to the emergency yet again only for the enema not to work. Two days later I took her to my regular vet to see what he could do. He gave her another enema, which expelled almost everything except for one big piece that was stuck a the top of her colon. She had to be sedated so that he could extract that last piece of poop manually. That caused her to stay overnight. Yes it was not healthy for my pocket book but it sure as heck made her feel better and gave me piece of mind at the fact that she felt better. I could tell the minute she came home that things were much better...at least for awhile. She ate like crazy (something she didn't do while she was uncomfortable from lots of dry poop stuck in her colon) and drank allot...probably from the multiple enemas she got.

Following this episode the doctor suggested that I keep trying the canned pumpkin approach because it may work after several times giving it to her. I think it is working in some way although she's not pooping as often as I'd like. Every couple of days I see one or two pieces of what looks like her poop although it's much smaller than it was before she got sick. Heheh!! Yes I've learned to decipher the difference between Hershey's and Marcie's poop. I guess it's a good thing because I'm not always home to "witness the event!" LOL!!! It has gotten to the point where the minute I come home I check both litter boxes and if nothing is in there I get really nervous...as I have been in the last couple of days. I mean she hadn't pooped in almost three days and the last time I checked it was a couple of very small pellets instead of the large chunk that she normally spews out. But the doctor reassured me that she didn't have Megacolon, something that I hope she never has. So he told me to continue with the pumpkin and give her as much exercise as possible to stimulate movement in her bowels. And if she still doesn't produce a satisfactory bowel movement then he'd prescribe a medication designed to stimulate nerve function in that...ahem...area. He was a bit concerned that when he administered the enema last time she didn't growl and hiss. That indicated that she may have lost some feeling in that area. It's not a good sign because it could mean that part of her colon isn't...you know...giving her the sensation that she needs to relieve herself. And when your colon is too weak to push things through then you're in deep doodoo!! Yes I'm trying to make light of this situation although it's not really funny if things don't get moving!!

Anyway...I took the girl to the vet again today for another followup on her overall condition...especially to address the poop situation. Once again the doc stuck his finger up Marcie's butt and boy was I happy to hear her growl in pain. It sounds horrible but it made me and everyone in the room feel better that she showed signs of sensation down there. In this case...pain is a good thing. He could feel that she had small pieces waiting to be expelled but they weren't big enough to warrant another enema. So he prescribed the medication he told me about before. It's on order at the moment and I should receive it at my house any day now. For the life of me I cannot remember what it's called. All I know is that I'm supposed to squirt the medicine in her mouth with a syringe....a much better option than giving a cat a pill (read that...it's hilarious!!). The good thing is I did not need to leave her at the vet for the day.

And another good thing is....drum roll!! SHE POOPED this evening and I witnessed the event! hah!! One decent size chunk and a very small one. She still strains a bit but something is better than nothing.

There are other issues going on with her but I'll save that for another post. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. Please keep them coming!! Marcie has proved that she is not one to give up easily when it comes to living.

I thought this picture sort of fit the category...LOL!!!
WARNING!: Don't read while eating...or if you get queasy from talk of bodily functions!

As you know from this post, Marcie has had a bit of a constipation problem. And as said before, you can just imagine the result from the enema the doc gave her. Well he had to do it again and I'm really beginning to become concerned. It's mainly because of her condition (though she is moving allot more and the vet was even more impressed with her progress). The other day she really strained to defecate and nothing came out. I researched various natural remedies and came across everything from olive oil to canned pumpkin (not pie mix but plain pumpkin). I gave her a teaspoon of olive oil the night before and saw that she did something, but it was not to my satisfaction since she hadn't pooped in a few days...plus it was very hard.

So yeah...she had another lovely explosion after her enema but I bet that felt very good. As a result of this I plan on giving her a full on bath tomorrow. WISH ME LUCK!! The doctor also suggested that I put one to two table spoons of pumpkin in her food each time I feed her. I will let you know the outcome. I also ordered natural supplements from Pet Alive for constipation and Diabetes support. Hopefully those will give her a little boost.

She can wobble on all fours now but she still has a problem landing properly when she jumps off the bed. She does kind of a kitty somersault. It doesn't hurt her...I just feel so bad for her. Hopefully she'll be able to balance herself with time.

Oh...and one more WARNING!! If your dog or cat gets an enema PLEASE heed the warnings of the vet and put your pet in a special place in the house until all contents are emptied out...LOL!! I made the mistake of forgetting to do that. When the hubby and I got home we experienced a horrible stench and a lovely brown pile on our carpet. Needless to say it was "FUN" to clean up! Nature's Miracle Orange Oxy Power for Cats was definitely my friend!!!

Anyway...that's what's going on with Marcie at the moment. Keep sending those thoughts and prayers of healing.

Marcie resting in the bath tub. I created a little sancuary there for her with blankets and pillows and such. She is sleeping like a log here. I did realize that I cannot keep her in there alone because she will climb out of it and fall to the floor.

Yes I have not posted since Monday. But I've been thinking about what to say. It's been a very challenging week as you know. And the next few weeks and months will be a trial to say the least. Things are looking somewhat up though. I cannot fully see the light at the end of the tunnel but I can feel it coming around the corner, which is something I did not feel at all last week. But I'm still being cautious. Marcie is showing little signs of improvement...not to what I want, but medical conditions always seem to take longer to heal than one would like. I recall a time when I got cellulitis in my leg. It took at least five months to go away. But that's another story.

From the day that she collapsed until last Tuesday (Sept. 9) she has been in the hospital (don't even ask about the vet bill). My regular veterinarian (Granada Veterinary Clinic in Granada HIlls) did the three-day thiamine treatment and kept her over there over the weekend. She showed little change on Monday so they referred me to an internist. I immediately left from work to drive Marcie all the way down to Advanced Veterinary Care Center in Lawndale (yes LAWNDALE!!). Dr. Hinebaugh (regular vet) talked to Dr. Jackson (the internist) about exactly what's going on with Marcie. Both Dr. Jackson and her intern were extremely helpful in explaining what might be going on with her (stroke, possible tumor in the spine, ventroflexion). If you ever need a veterinary specialist I highly recommend these people. They are far from the valley but it's well worth it if you need help with things that a general vet can't do. They told me that they could not find a tumor on xrays but it doesn't rule that out. I still had no definitive answer but they explained to me that if was a stroke she could recover fully. If it was a tumor the outcome might not be so good.

I called my regular vet back and they informed me that I might need an mri. So I scheduled one for Tuesday in Los Angeles. Once again my boss was awesome in letting me take the entire day off to go take care of things. This is not something that should wait. I cried the whole night worrying about what would happen. First I had to drive all the way to Lawndale to pick up the furry girl and talk to the doctor about how she did during the night. Dr. Jackson actually told me that Marcie was more ambulatory than she was the day before. She put Marcie in her office to see what she would do. She also explained that an MRI at this point would not be a good idea because: a) They would need to put her under anesthesia for 2 hours (not a good idea with her condition) and b) there is a possibility that it might result in a wrong diagnosis (hence I would spend all this money for nothing). So I called the MRI office to cancel. She also talked directly to my vet. I'm so glad they communicate closely so that we could determine the correct procedures. I was relieved that I did not have to do this. So I took Marcie home. Actually I took her to the house where I'm dog sitting (the friend allowed me to keep Marcie there). I also love how Dr. Jackson and her associate were so attentive to my needs and questions. They really put my mind at ease to the fact that she can be helped in some way. Just what way remained to be seen. She said that it's probably best that I take her home and take the wait-and-see approach since she's showing some progress. I completely agreed with this because the thought of putting her under for 2 hours in the condition that she's in did not sit well with me at all. I had sleepless nights over it. The doctor went over even more details but that would require me to write a blog entry the size of "War and Peace." So I'm just giving you the jist of the stuff. One thing is for sure. That is one big and beautiful veterinary hospital. If I lived closer I'd definitely take my cats there.

I talked with Dr. Hinebaugh and he determined that the Thiamine treatment might just be working (but it does not rule out other treatments). It just took awhile for it to start kicking in. Oh and I've also been giving her subcutaneous fluid injections to keep her hydrated in case she doesn't drink water on her own. I've also been squirting water in her mouth. Plus I've been feeding her wet food to give her a bit more moisture (plus it's easier to eat in her condition).

Here's where we're at:

She's able to lift up her head enough to eat on her own (when I present food to her) and BOY IS SHE HUNGRY!! Good sign...eh?

She has tried numerous times to stand up and walk on her own only to fall down a few seconds later. But hey! That's a start. You can tell that she's definitely determined to get strong again. I'm her cheering team!! And after this experience is over I bet I could get a job as a physical therapist for cats...heheh!!!

Took her to my apartment yesterday so that she could feel "AT HOME" again and I'm taking her there again today. She actually tried to climb up her scratching post. She couldn't make it all the way but she definitely tried. And she also climbed up my couch with some effort. I was so proud of her. Poor thing was exhausted afterwards.

Anyway...that's what's going on with Marcie at the moment. Let's hope we won't have to do a spinal tap. Yes that's another thing that the doctor suggested. But with the progress she's showing I don't think we'll have to do that. Keep your fingers crossed.

Oh and one more thing...the following is TMI so you may want to stop right here. I was worried because Marcie had not pooped since Sunday. So I asked the doctor about that when getting her thiamine injection. He checked to see if she had stool backed up her colon by sticking his finger up her butt. Oh the poor kitty did not like that at all. She protested by growling and spitting. Yup she was constipated because there was basically no "movement" for days. So he decided to give her a kitty enema!! OH BOY!! DID IT WORK! And that's all you need to know!! Needless to say...the clean up was "fun." I bet she felt much better after that!!