3.25.2009

Just got off the phone with our vet. Alex's blood work is back. His glucose is good so it's not diabetes. His thyroid levels are normal. However, his kidney values are bad. We've been heading down this road with Alex for several years now, we knew his kidneys were gradually going downhill which is why he's on special food and prescription pills. But even with all of that, his latest numbers are twice as bad as what they were in May. The vet says he believes the acceleration means that Alex is only functioning on one kidney now. The protein level in his blood is three times what it should be. The vet explained that this can irritate the stomach and that's why Alex is probably not eating well. So Alex and I have an appointment tomorrow morning. I'm going to learn how to administer subcutaneous fluids so that I can treat him at home. This really is only to make him more comfortable. The only 'fix' is either kidney dialysis or a kidney transplant. The vet says they actually are doing kidney transplants on cats in Atlanta now. You go in with one cat and home with two, because you have to adopt the donor kitty. I really appreciate how kind our vet, his wife and the staff are to us when we go in. He was really nice with me today. I'm losing my sweet kitty. I know it's coming but I'm still not ready for it.