The Never Ending Drain

I love my pets, as they are my kids. However, I made the mistake of discontinuing their pet insurance years ago when it was never getting used and the premiums were increasing, and now I'm paying for it (literally). Although Penny's pancreatitis seems to be improving, Indy is headed to the vet today because his anal glands appear to be bothering him...again. For those who don't know what AG's are, they're sacs on each side of the anus that secrete a substance that dogs and cats can secrete/spray in times of stress or fear. They're also the glands that dogs are smelling when they shove their noses up each other's butts.

From www.nailstotails.net

Unfortunately, anal glands need to be emptied to keep them from "clogging up" and this is usually done when the animal is having solid bowel movements. The "hard" feces pushes against the glands and empties them as the animal defecates (gross, I know). Enter Indy and his IBD. Due to the fact that he has occasional diarrhea, and scar tissue from a previously abscessed gland, he is prone to clogged and infected glands. He is also prone to attacking the vet when she tries to empty them (which in his defense, it hurts) and therefore has to be sedated for it to happen ($$$). Unfortunately we are up to having them emptied and infused with antibiotics and I feel like it's getting to be too much. I'm not sure if there are any home remedies for anal gland issues, but he's already getting fiber and probiotics in his food. Usually surgery is recommended, but after seeing what Stetson went through after having one removed, and knowing the risk of incontinence especially with both removed, I can't bring myself to agree to it.

If anyone out there has any suggestions, please, hit me with them. I don't know how much more either of us can take and I'm desperate for something natural/homeopathic that can give him relief without surgery.

Note: Vet bills do NOT bring me joy. Sorry NaBloPoMo!

Suckvember As Usual

Two years ago I wrote a post about why my husband and I refer to November as Suckvember, and now my vet even knows what we're referring to. Last year we tried to be tricky, and got all of our pets checked in October or December rather than risk having to go to the vet during Suckvember. This year we attempted to do the same thing, but are failing about as miserably as possible. Since this wonderful month started, the following events have occurred:

• Stetson ended up back at the vet with hind end weakness, a skin infection, an ear infection, and senile anxiety. He is being treated for all of the above and while the infections have cleared, it is apparent that the trazadone for anxiety makes him clumsier than myself, even at half the dose. Sigh.
• Indy ended up back at the vet post-IBD diagnosis with impacted anal glands, another anal gland antibiotic infusion, tartar that needed scraping off, and another round of antibiotics. $$$
• Penny ended up at the vet this past Saturday with suspected pancreatitis. Lots of blood work, x-rays, anti-nausea meds, antibiotics, sub-q IV fluids, and pain meds later, I have a cat that is having to be fed with a syringe because she won't eat. If she weren't only 3 years old I may have given up.
• I passed those 2 kidney stones but was reminded there's a big one left and I still need surgery per my last post.

On the plus side:

• There's only 2 weeks left in my first semester of graduate school and I've been busting my tail to get everything done except for my final exams before Thanksgiving.
• I still love my job.
• Thanksgiving is this week, and while big family get together's can be stressful, it's also incredibly nice to get to see loved ones from out of town; I don't think I've seen my aunt and uncle from Texas since my wedding.
• The pets all SEEM to be happy minus Penny not eating so neither my vet nor I think they're suffering. Plus they get kick ass pain meds and get gorked before they ever hurt.
• My husband plays silly games with me.

And some photos...

I tripped on my own sober feet and jammed my kneecap into the corner of the coffee table. I thought I had dislocated the entire thing

My super-loving and super-expensive cats

Trying to get in the holiday spirit

Dr. Teal's makes for a good bath time

The greatest mug ever

Apparently my husband is concerned that it will so I wanted to help remind him he'll be okay

Someone is crazy excited to be playing Candyland with me

Five Things Friday

Apparently I haven't done a five things Friday in a while now, so here's my top 5 things that have happened or that I'm excited about from the past week.

1. I have 18 days left before first semester is completely done. During that time I'm down to 1 paper, 3 quizzes, and 4 exams. 
   
2. Pitch Perfect 2 Trailer: I can't lie, I loved the first movie eve if it was ridiculous. It appears I will be loving this one too if it's anything like the trailer. While I'm at it, I'm completely fascinated by the new Cinderella trailer also. I love these re-made Disney movies.
   
3. Indy has gained enough weight that we're able to try dropping his steroids to 1x/day. We're still crossing our fingers that it's not lymphoma.
   
4. I passed 2 kidney stones. Go team. Also, it hurt. A lot. Sadly there are still two left so surgery will be happening in December. After exams of course.
   
5. My cheap Christmas bathroom set from Amazon.
   

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Friday. I'm headed in to work my 2-12 hour shifts tomorrow but hopefully people want to stay out of the hospital for the holidays and it's not too busy!

Usual Lazy Updates Post

As always too busy and/or lazy to write a full post.

• Indy is hanging in there- not losing any more weight and not vomiting or having diarrhea anymore. However we're now battling a resp infection (see IBD tab)
• Stetson's hips are worse although not painful (he gets the good drugs) and he recently was treated for an ear infection and skin infection. $$$$. Sigh. On a good note, last Wed was his 2 year anniversary surviving cancer and give that the average lifespan is 1-2 years with chemo and surgery I am blessed to have gotten to spend 2 full years with him
• School has less than a month left in this semester. All seems to be going okay but I feel like I'm at the edge of a breakdown on a weekly basis. Luckily many of my classmates are on the same boat so we support each other
• My artist finished up one part of my LOTR tattoo. There's more to be done but there's things that need to be paid for before that happens
• My sister and nephew are doing well and enjoying Japan. I still miss them but have adjusted to never seeing them so it's all good
• My youngest cat is now obese. It's stressful trying to get one cat to gain weight and the other one to lose weight
• My job is awesome. No complaints
• I ended up in the ED last Tuesday in excruciating pain and ended up passing 2 of my stones at the same time, in the same day. According to the CT there's only 2/5 left so I must have passed the smallest one without knowing. I'm really hoping the other 2 will come out b/c I would LOVE to avoid surgery in December
• I feel like I'm so overwhelmed that I'm not able to enjoy the holidays. Usually the time between Halloween and Christmas is a happy time for me, but I still haven't changed out the spring decorations on the mantle. Our only tree this year may be the little pre-lit white one from WalMart at this rate. I did manage to dress up as a box of Crayons to answer the door on Halloween though. Progress
• I ran a 5K just for the cupcake medal and free Gigi's cupcake afterwards (not sure if that was in my last post). I hadn't run in months so that was a rude awakening although I managed a 13min/mile

And  few pictures...

Large glasses of wine are good

My life

My not-so-little overweight food hoarder

Gigi's 5K

Baer's well visit

Post-ultrasound Indy

Box of crayons

Becoming an ED frequent flyer

The Stetson man on his 2 year post-cancer anniversary

The finished LOTR Ringwraith

Cats and I getting warmed by the fire

Stressful Days

I haven't posted in a while due to a lot going on, mainly grad school, work, and health concerns (both mine and my pets). Things are, for the most part, better than they were but still not great. I am scheduled for a ureteroscopy and stent in December to get the remaining kidney stones out which I'm not looking forward to. My husband's dog Baer has presumed food allergies in addition to gaining even more weight so we have to switch him to a hypoallergenic diet. While Stetson and Penny are trucking along, Indy (my older cat) was recently diagnosed with IBD; you can see his story here or under the IBD tab at the top of the page. We have been staying busy, spending too much money, and doing what we can to give our "kids" a good quality of life. I hope for some relief in the future, but luck usually isn't in my favor.

I hope everyone enjoys their Halloween; I will be hauling myself to Wilmington first thing in the morning for a full day of class. Please stay safe, be smart, and don't eat too much candy (especially you diabetics).