From:
shurcool@infi.net
Date: 2001-07-24 14:59:00 UTC
Subject: Champ Again
Champ was in terrible shape last night. He could only walk a few
feet before resting. When he went to the bathroom, he got tired and
ended up lying in his waste. I mentioned the other day that his
heart problems had worsened last week. He goes to the bottom of the
cage to use the litter box and doesn't have the strength to climb
back up. I have found him asleep on the cold, hard floor of the
cage. When I saw the condition he was in last night, it broke my
heart. We sat for a long time and talked about the Rainbow Bridge
and I told him it was OK if he wanted to go. I told him that Blaze
(his sister) would be waiting for him. She died of cancer last
September. Lily (another cancer victim) will be waiting also.
Champ's whole body is in constant movement, much like a dog panting
but he doesn't pant. I don't know whether he's having difficulty
breathing or if it's his heart working so hard. He seems to favor
lying with his head elevated which suggests breathing problems to
me. That's what I prefer when my head's stopped up. It could be
that the fluids leaking to his lungs are making breathing more
difficult. Just guessing here.
Talked to Doc this a.m. Basically, Champ has renal failure and now
has congestive heart failure. Each has a bad prognosis. Together,
it's pretty hopeless. You can make one illness worse while treating
the other.
I am not yet ready for him to go. I am always comfortable with my
decision before euthanizing an animal. I know that option is there
when he needs it. At this point, we won't be going back to the vet.
There's really nothing more they can do. He can't increase his meds
anymore.
Last night, I moved him to a single level cage to keep him from
having to climb. He looked so miserable, I let him out in about 5
minutes <g>. I then put bedding in the bottom of the big cage so he
could snuggle in when he couldn't climb back up. This a.m., he was
asleep on the floor bedding and Lany was next to him. I thought that
was so sweet.
I will keep him comfortable and pamper him as much as I can. Doc
doesn't think he's in any pain at all. He just feels lousy. When I
feel the time is right, I'll let him go. If anyone has any
suggestions how to make him more comfortable, I would love to hear
them.
Katharine