Archive for February, 2010

Feb 02 2010

Rescued

Published by under Cats,Family,Henry


Henry Etta gets comfortable

On the Sunday Megan and I wallowed in “Gone with the Wind”, we noticed that all was not well with Henry Etta.

Though she’s always had a stumbling, arthritic walk, this was really bad. Henry dragged her back leg behind her when she walked, and you would be surprised by the noise the lame leg of a four and a half pound cat can make on a wood floor. It was horrifying to watch her drag herself through the cat door.

As I gazed at my sweet girl in horror, Megan swung into action and called Dr. Karen. Yes, we have our vet’s home number and cell number. And she called us right back. I could hear her family in the background as we spoke.

She suggested metacam, which is basically ibuprophen for cats, and treats with glucosamine and chondroitin called Sea Flex, carefully calculating the dosage for the tiny old cat. She said that she’d be in her old office in Fort Bragg on Wednesday and could dispense the meds there. This wasn’t good enough for the EMT in the family. Before Meg went to work on Monday night, she went to the Feed and Pet and picked up the Sea Flex.

She also stopped by Lu’s house, and it turned out that Lu had some metacam on hand from one of her cats’ past illnesses, and being Lu, gave the whole thing to Meg to give to me.

Anxious about Henry Etta, I slept badly that night, and woke when I heard Meg come in early on Tuesday morning – the same day I was leaving for the city. She dosed Henry Etta and said she’d come by each morning to do so while I was away, and that Rob would keep an eye on Henry Etta while I was gone.

Meg called me on Tuesday afternoon before she went to work to tell me that Henry was already better! And on Wednesday morning, Henry Etta actually ran to the door to meet Megan. Just one dose made such a difference!

Before I left, I put the cuddly bed you see above right next to the heater. This is the same bed I bought her years ago and which used to be under the porch in Oakland. She had scorned it since we moved here, but now it’s her place of choice. I’m happy that June and Audrey have left her alone on it and not tried to take it over or harass her.

Now I give her metacam every 72 hours and Sea Flex every day. She seems well and happy. I feel guilty that I didn’t notice it sooner and worry that she was in pain for a long time before I noticed. I’m just glad that we were able to help her. And I love how my sister is an EMT for animals as well as people.

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Feb 01 2010

New Beginnings

Published by under Cats,Special Occasions


The new vet office

On Sunday, Megan, Jonathan, a still-limping Lu and I met up to attend Dr. Karen’s grand opening of her vet office in Mendocino. It’s the first time she’s had her very own practice, and she put all her heart and resources into it. She renovated the little house you see on the left, so it now has a reception area, waiting room, and two exam rooms.

A boardwalk leads from the office to a barn, converted to a surgery:

The surgery has a digital x-ray machine which Meg says is better than the one the hospital has. The idea of having the surgery separate is that animals coming in for other reasons won’t have to smell the anesthesia and get scared or upset. The practice offers holistic medicine along with more traditional methods of treatment and care. In time, there will be outdoor kennels so patients can take the air when the weather is nice.

As you can see, the grand opening was packed. There were lines to write in the guest book, and you could hardly walk around in there for all the people wanting to congratulate Dr. Karen. I don’t think she has to worry about making it on her own any more than Mary Tyler Moore did.

I had the genius idea of giving her a gift certificate for a massage at a spa conveniently located a block or two from the office. I figured she was stressed as well as excited at striking out on her own and dealing with the reno, and thought this would be more welcome than a bunch of flowers. We all chipped in and I hope she has a wonderful, relaxing time. To me it’s much like having a friend who’s given birth. Everyone gives gifts* to the baby but nothing to the mother (other than flowers), who has been through hell for almost a year. I think Moms should have something special just for her, and I thought Karen should, too.

On our way home, I noticed some signs of approaching spring, including this flowering vine near Karen’s office:

and a lovely cherry tree beginning to blossom:

cherrytree

*From what I hear, people tend to give newborn sized clothes, so after a couple of months, the baby has outgrown most of his/her wardrobe.

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