The Morton Salt Girl's Got Nothing On Me!
by Amy Austin on July 1, 2008
Except for a fucking umbrella. "When it rains, it pours..." Well, it's fucking monsoon season in my life, apparently -- I guess I should stay away from the Midwest, too.
Don't think I've mentioned it here, but I've been fighting the worst battle with fleas EVER... and the first since I've been living up here in Rhode Island. They say (and "they" includes people who've never even been to Florida) that the bugs are bigger, badder, bitier... whatever your bug bitch, it's worse "in Florida" -- well, I've never met a worse bunch of fleas in my life. And I've never seen resistance to the big name products like this, either. I had always used Frontline Plus, and it's what I applied when I saw that there was about to be a problem. Apparently, they drink the stuff at happy hour here... it didn't touch my blossoming flea population.
It did, however, bring my attention directly to the health of my oldest dog, C.C. -- three weeks ago (just a couple of days after the Frontline application to all three), she became a different dog. Lethargic to the point of not wanting to move -- even for food (a very big deal) -- and unable to manage the trip outside (which includes a small stair) without flailing around and needing my assistance, she was clearly in need of medical attention for what I suspected may be a toxic reaction to the Frontline and/or a flea shampoo that I had just bathed her with (Sentry Natural Defense, which uses oils of peppermint, clove, cedar, cinnamon & rosemary, but I reserve judgment). I've also since learned that you should *half* the dosage of these products for older animals like C.C. -- even though I've used this product and dosage on her many times before -- though I don't know how I could have seen this coming... how do you know when to do this? "Old" is kind of a subjective thing!
Bear in mind for a moment that the other two were about to hit their fourth (or fifth?) "season" -- which I dearly wanted to avoid -- and I had just taken them in May for their check-up ($300) and spay ($900 + $400 revisit/redo surgery for Devil after her sutures tore open), and as I continue even now to wait for my "stimulus check" from the government and my estranged "spouse", I had to write out the tail end of that in checks to hold (the $400 portion, which they only did because it was an emergency).
Cut to emergency #2, three weeks ago, which cost me a total of $700 for diagnostics and treatment. I again paid what I could up front and wrote the remainder out in checks to hold... which puts the vet into me until the end of August, so far. At that point, the only thing we knew was that her red was low (flea anemia, because the poor girl had them worse than I could see/tell), white was high, though not remarkably (possibly fighting off *something*), and her liver levels were really high... confirming a possible toxic overload, or else indicative of something else ongoing... like a tumor.
The X-rays told us that her liver was indeed slightly enlarged/displaced... and she had some swollen loops of intestine, as well. Although pancreas and spleen looked pretty normal, there would need to be an ultrasound in order to determine more specifics about the possibility of tumors on any of these organs. This would have to wait until after a round of treatment -- some of the medication was even from their "donation box" -- which she just completed this weekend, and we went back on Friday for a blood draw and urinalysis for another round of lab work ($140 + another $37 for an organic parasite dust to help me continue to fight the war jihad on fleas*)... the results of which I had to wait until today for.
As I pretty much expected, the news was not cheery. Red and whites were normal -- good that the anemia had resolved and no signs of infection, but... bad that no signs of infection and still high (though lower than previous) liver counts pointed again to probable tumor/s, the next step being an ultrasound ($250) to evaluate/determine treatment and meanwhile recommended continuation of meds she just finished (and that I don't have the spare money for) to help keep her comfortable and asymptomatic (i.e., the bileous vomiting I've also been dealing with over the weekend, since she finished the Acetylator that was doing wonders, apparently).
Cut to last night, when I was doing my ritualistic flea grooming of the trouble twins... I went to pick a flea off Devil's front ankle, and she jerked/yelped at me. Further examination revealed that she had somehow lacerated/avulsed the little pad on her ankle, behind the paw. *Just* meaty, and yet not bloody/gory, enough to put me in the quandary of whether to make another costly visit to the vet's office! (Each trip costs me approx. $12 one-way in gas/tolls, btw.) Easy enough to let my ultra-thin wallet decide this one, right? And since I'm expecting the vet to call today with C.C.'s lab results, I decided to wait until and mention it then.
I called the vet first (because I had been expecting the results on Saturday, but didn't get them -- and she wasn't expected in until after 2 today), and the vet tech was rather worried/worrisome about it. I went from feeling okay about deciding against it to wishing that my feeling of nausea could somehow result in a magical ability to puke up Ben Franklins. When the vet finally called with the lab results, and I discussed it with her, I felt much better about things... though, understandably, her advice was limited by not being able to see it for herself.
I got home and determined that things were still not alarming, though Devil is still quite the baby and (overly?) sensitive to being touched, and I (bravely) decided to pour some alcohol over it. Oh, the crying and attempted biting ("stop hurting me" kind, not aggressive) that ensued! I applied some of the aloe-comfrey gel that I had leftover from their surgeries and felt okay about it. Fell asleep in my usual so-tired-of-the-world-that-I-just-can't-stay-awake-anymore-ever way (about eight o'clock) and was later woken by Devil's attention-seeking fidgets (around ten-ish).
I guess I'm just going to have to bite another $big one$ here. Perhaps she isn't exaggerating the pain factor after all... her poor little paw is now swollen, and I can't determine if this is just potential (probable) infection ($antibiotics$) or if there may also be a $break$ that I was previously unaware of and may be causing her greater pain? Only some $100+ x-rays will be able to tell me that, of course. And... get this! While trying to doctor her earlier tonight, I discovered that her Blockhead sister has the same thing going on with the opposite front paw!!! Much less serious, thank God -- the flap of skin is an obviously much thinner/superficial tear that will no doubt fall off & heal on its own (thank God... but who *could* be doing me a few more favors here, as far as I'm concerned...) I have no idea what these pea-brains have been up to in order to cause themselves these damages... even if I were home with them all day (God, those were the days!), I couldn't possibly keep non-stop watch over them... they are just too much troublekins for that.
Someone kill me, please.
Four Replies to The Morton Salt Girl's Got Nothing On Me!
Lori Lancaster | July 1, 2008
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Jackie Mason | July 2, 2008
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Aaron Shurtleff | July 2, 2008
As a person who has spent more money than I care to think about on kitty valium to get my eldest cat to stop peeing in the corner of the bathroom (which she still does every so often!), I am sympathetic to your pain. But, like Steve says, they're totally worth it (though my kids don't need dance lessons)!
Fleas are a tough problem to deal with... I'd love to give you advice on that, but it's not really my specialty, and I'd hate to steer you wrong. Good luck with it!
And the Florida bugs have nothing on the New England mosquitoes and black flies, in terms of voracious biting, so don't believe the hype!
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Steve West | July 1, 2008
The price of "parenthood". I look at my kids' bills (dance lessons, summer camps, movies, FOOD!, etc.) and marvel at how we pay for it all and just how much they are worth it. Hang in there!