Buster Needs Your Prayers

 Dear friends, 

Please keep my Buster in your prayers. He went to the vet on Friday (Yes, you read that right! It was the day after Thanksgiving!) because I was concerned about his congested breathing and nearly constant sneezing. I've been in denial that he turned 15 this past March because he's always looked and behaved like a kitten. 

Due to his age the vet is concerned and recommended he try antibiotics and herpes chews for 7 days (by Saturday he refused to eat the Lysine chews) to clear it up. I just thought it was a simple cold! If not, the vet wants to perform blood work and x-rays. She used words such as herpes, tumor, and cancer. She found a small lump on his side too! 

On a happier note, Buster loves car rides! In the past he'd loudly meow in protest but he opted to get out of the crate and ride in the backseat like his dear older, departed kitty brother, Henry, did! 

Fast forward to this morning (Monday) I called the vet as promised to give her an update and was told to come in to get him checked out this evening so there he stood waiting to be prodded and poked again! 

The vet and I were concerned because he hadn't eaten much in two days and was throwing up clear liquid every few hours for the past two days. Also, he refused to take a nibble of the lysine (herpes preventative, etc) due to the fact that the antibiotics were making his stomach unhappy. 

The outcome thus far: The meds caused Buster to throw up a lot causing him to become dehydrated causing the vet to say he needs a fluid therapy injection. He also needed an anti- nausea injection. He's only breathing well out of one nostril but at least the meds are helping out with his congestion! He will eventually to have a blood panel to see if there's an underlying cause. The vet mentioned the word "thyroid" and that, of course, concerns me since Henry had thyroid issues as well towards the end of his life. I hate to be negative but getting old is not something I ever pictured Buster to go through because, once again, he always looked and acted like a youngster! It's also (I said it before, I know) shocking to me that on March 5th he will be 16! How did that happen? 

I've witnessed plenty of pet parents discuss how they had to pick and choose treatment plans based on finances, quality of life, and to prioritize treatments but to have this happen to me with my own vibrant, lovable, snuggly cat is exhausting! I'm doing the best that I can to make the right choices for him but to have it all happen all at once is tough because I want Buster to be happy so seeing him just sit in one spot for hours rather than check out what I or Daisy is doing is heartbreaking! 

Does anyone have any advice to share? 

Please keep him in your thoughts! Thank you.