My avatar is in surgery right now...

[tuliptree]

The little guy in my avatar (Guiseppe, aka Seppe) is currently in surgery to remove a benign growth on his eye lid, to have teeth cleaning and to remove a ball of ear wax that is way deep in his hear (they can't reach it while he's awake!) I'm a little nervous because he's almost 14 years old and is diabetic.

I'm just posting to try to calm my nerves right now. On the upside, I'm really happy with his vets (they are actually close personal friends of mine, so that helps me tremendously knowing he's in their care), but still. I'm a ball of nerves today . . .

[morea]

Glad to hear that you are confident in your vet... that's got to be of some comfort.

I hope that the surgery goes well and that he's back to normal in no time. Will he be able to come home today after the procedure is over?

(((hugs)))

[tuliptree]

Thanks morea! :) Yes, he will be home this evening. Can't wait to get him back here safe and sound. I'm just waiting to hear from the vets that he's come out of surgery ok. I am confident in my vets, but still I know there are no guarantees, so until I talk to them, I'm just trying to occupy my brain so I don't fret too much.

[Kool]

Good luck Seppe! Hope everything goes smoothly. :)

[morea]

I'm the same way, tulip. Be sure to let us know when you hear from the vet! :)

[CkretAjint]

*mentally pets* all will be well, he's a cute kitty! :)

[Kool]

If he is still all dopey when he gets home make sure you have a safe secure place he can stay until all the drugs wear off. Their natural instinct is to find a place to hide and they can hurt themselves, especially if you have stairs.

[tuliptree]

Thanks Kool and ckret, too. Thanks for the support guys. I will definitely check in when I get a call.

[Typically]

hope all goes well with seppe tulip!

[tuliptree]

If he is still all dopey when he gets home make sure you have a safe secure place he can stay until all the drugs wear off. Their natural instinct is to find a place to hide and they can hurt themselves, especially if you have stairs.

Yeah, you're right kool, thanks for the reminder. I know he'll be dopey, but I didn't think about the fact that his litterbox is in the basement...I'll have to bring that up for him. He just got a new little kitty bed last week, so we'll make a cozy nest for him.

[tuliptree]

Awww Seppe Tulip, I like that. Thanks Typically!

[Red Kittie Kat]

Best wishes for a speedy recovery Seppe!! (((hugs)))

huggles to Momma too ... shes nervous waiting for you http://redkittiekat.com/p14/a020.gif

[tuliptree]

Thanks kittie! (smooches!)

[Virgo Nightingale]

Here's to hoping 'Seppe pulls through even better than he was before!

[tuliptree]

Thanks Virgs!

I just called because I couldn't take waiting any longer....here I thought he had started and was done, but they are just getting ready now. Sigh...guess I'll be waiting a little longer than I thought. http://forums.viachicago.org/style_emoticons/default/42.gif (javascript:add_smilie()

[WannaBrie]

sending some good karma your way Tulip!! I'm sure the little guy wll be fine. Be sure to watch him when he comes out of the anesthesea, he''s likely to be a bit on the aggressive/fearful side.

[tuliptree]

Thanks Brie. I will, I'll be putting him in the bedroom (where his usual hangout is when he wants to be safe), and separating him from our other cat (Leonard, poor Leonard gets no representin from me here!) and our lab, Guinness. They all are a very close knit group of critters, but I will keep him alone and quiet. The only other time he was under anesthesia was when he was neutered as a little guy, so I guess I have no idea how he will handle it as he's coming out. He's normally a pretty docile guy, we'll see though.

[vtwin_gary]

hope everything goes well.

[Danger_Mouse]

I am sure he will be fine. :) Sounds like you baby him so no worries on that front.

We are the same way with our Aija (half blue tipped siamese). He gets his balls off next weekend...and I feel bad for him...I mean he has one huge sack under there. Looks like two grey walnuts. (ill post a pic later).

[Typically]

I am sure he will be fine. :) Sounds like you baby him so no worries on that front.

We are the same way with our Aija (half blue tipped siamese). He gets his balls off next weekend...and I feel bad for him...I mean he has one huge sack under there. Looks like two grey walnuts. (ill post a pic later).

hahahahahaha deep breath deep breath aaaaaahahahahahahahahha

[tuliptree]

LOL DM! (breathe, Typically, breathe! :)) Do we get before and after shots?

Thanks gary!

I just heard word from the vet office a bit ago...he's out of surgery and in recovery, and very groggy. They had to pull two teeth but all is good at the moment. They are rechecking his glucose levels at 4pm and then I am supposed to pick him up around 5:30. So far so good. I'll update again later.

Thanks for all the encouragment, guys!

[Danger_Mouse]

Good news then!He'll just need some TLC from this point on.

heh heh....wait till you see Aija's pic you'll know Im not exaggerating....Daddy is quite proud of his kitties balls. what makes it dramatic as well is he is most white, save his balls which are a deep grey.

anyways...

[budafist]

Hugs to Seppe and for a speedy recovery.

[tuliptree]

Thanks Buda! :)

DM, that's just too hilarious. That's quite a color scheme for a cat!

[morea]

uh... *cough* http://i14.tinypic.com/4qd4l0o.gif


Glad that Seppe's in recovery, tulip. I'm sure that he'll be thrilled to see you tonight. :)

[Virgo Nightingale]

Sounds like he's going to go home and get spoiled! Glad he's okay!

DM: Your cat's nuts sound funny.

[Danger_Mouse]

they are....im quite proud of the little bastard.

[Tea]

I hate worrying like that! It's such an awful feeling. Sounds like it will be a good thing though to have things taken care of though. I hope it's all hugs and purrs for you later.!

[WannaBrie]

Glad to hear he's in recovery Tea!

[Red Kittie Kat]

good news tea :)

[tuliptree]

We'll here's the scoop on the little guy. I don't know why I keep calling him little, he's actually a huge cat! Anyway, he's home and well. When I picked him up he was awake and not to happy because they had to put a cone on him because he was working on his eye when he came out of the anesthesia. But they said to take it off at home and see if he left it alone once he wasn't so loopy. When he got here I put him in the bedroom and he banged around and stumbled, and would not sit still. He kept trying to be sweet and rub against my legs and the cone would ricochet him around. So I took it off. He's been fine so he's now cone-free. His meds wore off pretty quick and he ended up eating a small dinner, which he had the green light to do. He also wanted out of the room and immediately wanted to go find Leonard, and especially Guinness, who was really happy to see him. They are quite the unlikely duo. Guinness is an 80 lb lab and very clumsy and Seppe is just this striped shrimp. But they love eachother. Anyway, so now Seppe is napping quietly in a dining room chair and doing well. So....phew. Its over and he's recovering.
YEAY! Thank you all for keeping me occupied with good thoughts today!

[Virgo Nightingale]

YAY for SEPPE!!!

Glad to hear he is doing just fine. :)

[morea]

awesome news, tuliptree! I am so glad that it turned out well. You can't help but worry, even if you know that they are in good hands. Did the vet say how long before he should be back to normal? Any stitches or anything to come out?

[Red Kittie Kat]

Welcome home Seppe!!! http://redkittiekat.com/p14/g025.gif

[urstwile]

Well, darn, I missed this whole thing, or I would have offered some support as well.

I'm glad to to hear he's at home and recovering. I know I'd be the same as you Tulip, just waiting to hear that everything's okay. I'm glad it sounds like it went well. (((hugs)))

[budafist]

Sweet! I've never seen an animal with a cone in real life. I think it's cruel yet adorably hilarious at the same time.

At least you took it off for his small dinner.

http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/fail.jpg

[tuliptree]

Heheh, that's pretty much what he looked like. I agree buda. The cones seem so cruel, but it looks hilarious. At least he only had it on briefly. He wasn't happy at all about it.

Thanks for the good words urst, they're still appreciated! :)

Mo, his stitches will be taken out in 8-10 days, I need to make the follow up appointment (I totally forgot to do it when I picked him up because I was excited to just get him home).

[tuliptree]

So, its back to pet troubles in our household...

Now my avatar's kitty friend and partner in feline crime, Leonard, will be in surgery on Monday. We brought him in today, and they discovered a tumor in the far back part of his mouth. They did some blood work because he does look a little scragly and they are making sure there are no other issues. If the blood work looks ok, they'll go ahead and remove and biopsy the tumor. Poor little guy. I'm a little concerned with the scragly look, because he had major issues as a kitten. I rescued him from a pet store when he was 4 WEEKS old...4 weeks! Someone brought him in to be sold at that age. He was so little he could hardly reach his food and water (not to mention he should have still been nursing!) so as much as I despised the idea of giving my money to the pet store, I didn't want to waste any time trying to get him rescued, so I bought him and took him home. He had major stomach issues and the vet I saw back then gave him a 50/50 chance of even surviving. But he did, and has been pretty healthy for the past 12+ years. He's still got a sensitive stomach though, so it worries me that he looks not quite right, but so far everything else has checked out.

And now, this evening, Guinness, our almost 9 year old lab came limping into the livingroom this evening. He can't walk on his back leg. He's been a little stiff the past year or so, but has overall done really well until now. I feel so bad! We got him comfortable on his bed and he's sleeping soundly so I'm going to see how he is in the morning. I hope it is just extreme stiffness, and not an injury of some sort. Sigh....all the worries from these little guys...

[Red Kittie Kat]

aww tulip :(

I hope they both are going to be ok

[tuliptree]

Aw, thanks, Kittie.

Hey, how are you feeling, by the way? I seem to recall you being under the weather!

[garricks]

good thoughts @ tulip & co. ))))))))))))))))))))))
I hope all turns out well.

[Red Kittie Kat]

aww you remembered http://redkittiekat.com/p9/cloud9.gif

;)

I'm doing ok .. still have a cough .. going on 5 weeks now lol ... its been a long haul. I think it's my bodies way or rebelling on me for not smoking anymore lol :D

[tuliptree]

Of course, Kittie! :) Glad you're doing ok, sorry you're still coughing though. Wow, still not smoking? That is fantastic!! http://forums.viachicago.org/style_emoticons/default/dance.gif (javascript:add_smilie() (<---that guy reminds me of Steve Martin)

Thanks Garricks!

Guinness actually just hobbled out of his bed to come be next to me and lay on my feet as I work :( poor fella.

[Red Kittie Kat]

aww poor little baby :(

[urstwile]

Awww, tulip, I hope your furry friends are all feeling better soon. :( ((hugs))

[garricks]

I'm doing ok .. still have a cough .. going on 5 weeks now lol ... its been a long haul. I think it's my bodies way or rebelling on me for not smoking anymore lol :D
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a249/garricks/congratulations.gif on quitting.

"I wish I knew how to quit you, Salems."

Stay quit, Red. Stay quit.

[morea]

aww, so sorry you're dealing with all of this right now, tulip. I hope that everybody's going to be okay. Let us know how it goes!


(((hugs)))

[tuliptree]

Thanks guys http://forums.viachicago.org/style_emoticons/default/cheekkiss.gif (http://javascript<b></b>:add_smilie() I will, Mo, I'll let you all know Monday how his surgery goes.

[Virgo Nightingale]

*Fingers & toes crossed for Leonard!!*

[tuliptree]

Thanks Virgo...just got back from dropping him off for the surgery. All of his blood work came back normal, which I am happy about. So around 11 or so he'll be in surgery.

Guinness is still hobbling, but a bit better, a little wazzed from his pain meds right now. We're hoping its not a torn cruciate (ligament that attaches muscle to his knee). Hope he doesn't need surgery too :(

[Red Kittie Kat]

keeping good thoughts for both of them Tulip :)

[tuliptree]

Thank you Kittie!!

[urstwile]

Any more news, tulip?

[morea]

I was wondering, too... how did it go?

[tuliptree]

Mornin everyone! Yes, sorry, yesterday got very hectic so I didn't have a chance to report back.

Leonard is home from the surgery, they removed the mass, I have to wait 5-7 days for the biopsy, but they think it was an abcess in his salivary gland, and most likely not cancerous. He had several teeth removed too (I never realized the importance of brushing pets teeth until this year....though I have no idea how I'll get it done with my two cats!!)

He is doing fine, but he was really out of it when he came home, more so than Seppe was (Leonard is much more wiry and skinny than Seppe). He paced around in a daze, I couldn't get him to settle down, and if I got near him he'd meow at me and try to run (he's had a few days of being caught and put in a cage and held down for meds, so he doesn't exactly trust me!)

But all in all, I think he will be fine. He ate breakfast this morning and is perking up.

On the Guinness front, he's still limping a bit, but putting weight on his leg. I am going to give him another day or two and if he's not totally normal, he'll go in for xrays.

Oh what we go through for the love of our animals! Thanks for all the support guys! :)

[morea]

it sounds like things went well! I am really glad to hear it, tuliptree!

[Virgo Nightingale]

Glad to hear he's doing well post-surgery!! Keep an eye out for that Guinness, otherwise I'll drink it.

j/k, hope he's okay, too! :p

[Red Kittie Kat]

Great news tulip ... sounds like they are on the mend now :)

[tuliptree]

He he Virgo!

Fingers crossed, Kittie, but I think we're getting better over here finally!

[urstwile]

Very good to hear tulip, thanks for the update! Keep us posted about Guinness (great name, by the way). :)

[garricks]

good thoughts to tulip and family ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) )

[tuliptree]

I just thought I'd update on critter #3 over here (that being Guinness) . . . he does have a partially torn ACL :( (cruciate ligament in his knee joint) and will be undergoing surgery in less than two weeks. He's doing ok, staying comfortable and we have to restrict his activity. Poor guy. He's had his share of surgeries in his 8 years. He had surgery on his front two legs as a pup (he had a condition called osteochondritis where his bones were growing too fast and caused calcification in the joints), then was neutered, had a growth removed from his tongue (he's got a nice little jagged spot on the front from it) and then a large lump removed from his back. Sigh...
All I can say is the specialist he's going to performed the surgery on his front legs all those years ago and he did an amazing job, so I am confident in his abilities, and looking forward to Guinness feeling better.

Leonard, happily, has recovered fully and is much more social and content now. Glad he's better. And Seppe is looking great, too. I must add, too, that Redcheeks our 3 year old fish is still king of his tank, and our two rats Aryll and Zelda are happy as clams. (Gotta report good news as well!)

[Virgo Nightingale]

Poor Guinness! Hope he's not in too much pain before he goes into surgery. Glad you have an answer as to why he's been limping.

[morea]

aww, my parents' dog had to have that surgery, and it wasn't too bad for him. It was probably more painful for my parents having to pay the vet bill.

Hang in there, tulip! I hope that this will be the last of your family's health problems for a while!

[tuliptree]

Thanks Virgo, I am glad to know why and glad there's something that can help him.

Morea, good to hear the surgery wasn't too bad. I've heard good things about the surgery, my friend/vet said that the medical advances in the past few years have really refined this surgery. As for the bill, well, gulp. I've digested it and am committed. Its gonna hurt financially, but I can't NOT do the surgery. He's my puppy pal and I gotta do what I gotta do to help him.

Thanks, again both of you. :) I feel like our pets have all gotten the works, so hopefully they'll all be well.

[Red Kittie Kat]

Best of luck Tulip .. poor Guiness.

(((hugs))) to you both

[tuliptree]

Hugs back to you Kittie!

[budafist]

Good luck for the surgery Mr Guinnie

[urstwile]

Here's hoping everything goes smoothly, Tulip, and that Guinness is back to normal soon. :)

[tuliptree]

Thank you Ms. Buda and Urstie. The good thoughts are appreciated. Guinness is snuggled up on my bed as we speak. I think he's secretly enjoying the sympathy.

[Red Kittie Kat]

Hey we all like to be babied when we are sick ;)

[tuliptree]

This is very true kittie!

[tuliptree]

Hey guys! I've been out of town since last week, got home and it was time to take Guinness in for his surgery, thought I'd update.

He went in this morning and I discussed options with the vet. Decided on a procedure called a TPLO (http://vetsurgerycentral.com/tplo.htm). Its a pretty intense surgery, but the results are better and heal time is a lot faster than the other option. Plus Guinness is a big guy, and this type of surgery is better for larger dogs. So, I went ahead and chose to have that done. They actually had to cut the bone for the implants, so I had to digest that fact for a bit. But I just got a call and he's recovering nicely from the anesthesia. He'll be home tonight around 8pm, and we just need to restrict his movement as much as possible while he heals. If all goes well, he'll be back to normal in three weeks.

Sigh. I took my daughter to the Rainforest at the Zoo to keep myself occupied while he was in surgery so I wouldn't fret so much. I'm just glad he's on his way to recovery now. On the way in I ran into a woman who was picking up the ashes of her lab, who was only 5, and she got very teary eyed when she saw Guinness. It made me so sad. But for me, it underscored just how important our critters are in our lives.

[Typically]

good to hear that he's doing ok!

[Red Kittie Kat]

aww I'm glad to hear Guinness is getting all fixed up (((hugs))) :)

[Virgo Nightingale]

Good to hear he's doing well so far! I'll keep my fingers & toes crossed that his recovery goes smoothly over the next few weeks!

[tuliptree]

Thank you all! :) (((Hugs back!)))

[urstwile]

Tulip, I'm glad things are looking up for Guinness. :) I'm wishing Guinness and you a speedy recovery.

[garricks]

Yay! I'm happy he's on the mend. :D

[tuliptree]

Thanks garricks, thanks urst. He is on the mend, and will come out of this feeling so much better.

Today is kinda rough. Guinness is still pretty out of it, he's on an anti inflamatory drugs and a pain killer. He whines now and then, but we've figured out its pretty much when he needs to go out. He has a bell by the door he ususally jingles to let us know, but right now he needs help up. He's so well potty trained, I almost think he's fretting about not peeing in the house. Last night, we missed his cue, and he was really whining, I thought he was in really bad pain or something, but then we were surprised by the gallons that came out of him! Whoops! He just looks so shrimpy today, he looks like he thinks he's being punished or something. Its so sad. I did get a tail wag a bit ago finally. And he's eating very very well, which I am really happy to see. So, I am Nurse Tulip today and probably for the next few weeks until he can walk on his own.

[Red Kittie Kat]

well sounds like he is in good hands ;)

[morea]

Aww, poor guy. I'm glad that the surgery is behind him now and wish him a quick recovery. It's good to hear that he's eating, and that he has such a wonderful nurse. ;) Hang in there, I hope that things continue to improve!