Penn Went to the Vet Today!

After getting fluids into Penn on the 16th, he started holding his food down that very night. I continued fluids for a few days and gave him 100ccs twice daily. As the days passed, he continued to look better and started to even groom himself again. I knew it wasn't a permanent fix, but at least it would hold him over until we could get enough money to take him to the vet and get to the bottom of things.

As of this morning, we finally had enough of a financial cushion to justify an added vet bill. All thanks to some help from my mom and receiving our tax return. I called the vet around noon and they were able to squeeze him in at 1:00. I grabbed Danzo and Penn and off we went to the clinic.

They were able to do some in-house diagnostics including a blood panel and urinalysis. I got a nifty little copy of his bill of health that explains each part of the blood test. The little receipt-looking thing to the right is Penn's blood test results. The left/first column is the name of the chemical component. The second column is the level found in Penn's system. The third column is the normal range. The last column is the measurement/unit.

 

The separate urinalysis showed evidence of a urinary tract infection and a few crystals. All in all, the results were in congruence with what I originally suspected. The figures associated with his kidneys, liver, and thyroid were on the high end of the spectrum.  Thankfully, its not as bad as I thought it would be. His levels are still manageable through a simple diet change, antibiotic shot, and continuation of periodic fluids. The vet suggested I switch him to a Hill's prescription diet for the kidneys. It's called k/d and costs about $20 for a 4 lb bag and $1.54 per 5.5 oz. can.... Yikes!  This stuff better work!

Since we've been home from the vet, I've given Penn a few opportunities to dig into a special bowl of his very own food and so far, he LOVES it! Not sure what he loves more... the taste or the exclusivity of having food that none of the other cats can touch. Either way, I'm feeling grateful that he is returning to his old self once again.