Hughie's Home!!

Hugh's Home!
Hugh's Home!!
Hugh is Home.

Ohh, he looks so good! I didn't even know the little guy could look so wonderful. The swelling in his face is gone, his eyes are clear and bright, and he's so trim through the abdomen I'd think he's a Whippet if I didn't know better.

He's definitely feeling better, too. The second I let him out into the back yard for what was supposed to be a sedate little potty break, he darted out behind the garden shed and started trying to dig under it! He's after that damn lizard that foiled him last Saturday, I know he is.

So, right now he's on a "Slow Kill" heartworm program, which means that they are giving him smaller doses of the arsenic-based medication in two session to limit the amount of worms that are eliminated at one time. This will reduce the short-term stress to his system that the worms' decomposition will impose. This is apparently a new treatment strategy; the vet explained that the protocol is so new that Hugh will be the first to be treated in this manner at her clinic. Which I think is pretty cool. I'm all for the "practice" of medicine, and I think it's great to support healthcare providers as they continue to learn.

I did, however, encounter some people at the office while waiting to discharge Hugh that gave me the heebie geebies. To wit:

"I told my six year old daughter that we'd get her a cat if she kept her room clean. She did, so now we have the cat. But, she knows that if she doesn't keep her room clean and keep getting good grades, I'll get rid of the cat. She's done pretty well so far, so we're getting the cat's hind paws declawed today. All ready had the front ones done..."

Huh? Since when is a cat a toy for a six year old that can be put in a closet when the child misbehaves? Oh, and here, hold still while I hack off the first digit of all ten of your toes...

This one was good too:

"I'm on to their little racket here, y'know. The vets that care for shelter animals, they take the money for the healthcare and never give the shots to the dogs. The dog we adopted from the shelter almost died of Parvo, and it's because they didn't give them the shots they said they did. But they know the owners will pay to save the dog's life, so they just make them healthy enough to bond, but make sure they keep getting sick so they have to come back to the vet."

Wow, I didn't know they could program a dog to break down like they could a Cadillac. Or that a VACCINE for Parvo is supposed to magically cure a dog that all ready has the disease. I'd like to live in that reality. Must be nice.

So, anyway, Hugh's on an antibiotic, a cardiac stimulant, a diuretic, an ointment for his eyes (minor upper-respiratory infection), and something else I can't remember, but I'm sure it's important. He's more of a walking pharmacy than I am! His kidneys are still having a hard time, and he's on a low-protein diet for the foreseeable future. But, he's home, he's sleek and lovely and in time he should have a good long-term prognosis.

Thank you all so kindly for your help and good thoughts. I really appreciate the health mojo, I do believe that Hugh and I wouldn't have gotten this far without all of you. I'll keep you posted, and I'll also post some actual cat-related stuff soon. Holy Cow! Could things be getting back to normal? *gasp*