_________________
The little monsters 3

Ugh, I hate "fasting" Raiden as he eats throughout the day and night. There were no conclusive results from the ultrasound yesterday. Didn't show anything different from the one we did a year ago. Thickening of the small intestinal wall is all there was, but the vet said the total thickness of the four layers is normal size.

He does have very low cholesterol. His calcium level, which was highly elevated 2-1/2 weeks ago came back normal. They are testing his B12 levels and for pancreatic disease. His thyroid function is normal. The vet did not see lesions or tumors, but said lymphoma in the early stages is not detected on an ultrasound. The only way to know for sure is to scope from both ends -- which freaks me out for my little baby. So ... what we are doing now is ......

Giving him a weekly B12 shot (unless the test results today or tomorrow show normal level). I gave him the shot in their office yesterday.

0.5 ml Prednisolone in liquid form daily.

Anti-nausea medication for four days, off for two, on for four, off for two, etc.

We go back in 3-1/2 weeks for the blood work again.

The thing is, Raiden's vomiting and diarrhea are not chronic. Today I took a picture of his poop which was formed, but not solid. Gross, I know, but it will help determine if it has improved over the next few weeks. Raiden's vomiting is only once or twice a week, but the vet says cats should not be vomiting like that.

So .... we will work with this program and see what the numbers show. She feels that it is probably only IBD since his appetite is really good, however, she stressed that we will never know if there is any cancer unless we do invasive testing. She put him on Hills I/d, which he loves, so far. I have a ton of Weruva that I guess the other cat will enjoy, although she said to put both cats on the same food.

If the numbers have not improved, especially for the cholesterol, then we will have to decide if we want to scope him. There, I would drop him off and they would give him stuff to flush out his system -- I guess I wouldn't have to "fast" him. Even though Raiden is such a good little boy, you just hate to put him through anesthesia, especially with a heart murmur.

We always think of our cats being happy and healthy -- I've dealt with a diabetic cat (thus, I can give injections) who eventually went into kidney failure (I can give subq fluids as well). Then when they get "sick," we become nurses. And when it's a chronic illness, we become complete medical caregivers which can be exhausting for both the human and the cat.

I really pray that your kitty gets through this. Cancer of any type in cats (and small-cell lymphoma is common in older cats) is hard to deal with. Please continue to update us.

We will know more June 6 when he goes back to the doctor. I'm almost afraid to find out anything for sure. He is such a good kitty -- I just don't want to see him being put through everything. Drawing blood is one thing -- shaving a belly for an ultrasound is another -- and I don't think they gave him any anesthesia to do it. We'll definitely decide once all the test results are in. Sounds like your vet and our vet is on the same page.

Raiden is going to need B12 shots for the next four weeks. He hasn't thrown up in days (that I can tell). His appetite has waned a little bit, however, and not sure if it is due to the medications he is taking. He is also not yowling like he normally does (good thing in my opinion), and he is sleeping more. Still wants his twice daily walks. Not a lot of improvement in his poops, though.

I am so glad your baby is doing so much better. We may get there at some point.