Azalea, our cat, who up to now has been most famous for the mischief she creates with our Christmas tree, has had quite a week.
We were dogsitting for a good friend last weekend when the unthinkable happened. We found Azalea's head in the mouth of one of the visiting dogs. Now, I don't believe for one minute he was trying to hurt her, but unfortunately he did.
Brian and I rushed her to the nearest emergency vet and waited for the worst. I knew her jaw was probably broken because the right side of her mouth was drooping down. I felt she would make it, but what concerned me was the road that it would take to get her there.
Well, we are on that road now. A few thousand dollars in, two emergency vet clinics and a people dentist, as a matter of fact.
I know. You probably think we are crazy. But these are our children. In fact, Brian had no idea the effect she has had on him until she was hurt. He was a mess.
She got to come home on Wednesday from her second procedure. Her canines are fused and her jaw is wired. Her mouth is open slightly so her tongue is sticking out most of the time. It's kind of cute and pitiful and the same time. She drools a lot and her fur isn't as perfectly groomed as the little princess usually keeps it.
She took over our clothes hamper in our bathroom where we confined her for the first few days. We put her little kitty bed in there and took the dirty clothes out. She has been very happy. We may never get the hamper back, even when she is well.
Giving her the medicines prescribed is a real adventure. She needs an antibiotic and pain meds every twelve hours. Which means using a syringe to shoot the liquid in her mouth. Know much about cats? They don't take well to stuff being forced into their mouths. Especially when it tastes disgusting. I guess no one has thought of making a tuna flavor antibiotic. Most of the liquid ends up on the lucky person holding her. So dressing for work in the morning and then giving her the meds isn't the best idea I have had.
This weekend she didn't eat as much as we'd like and she seemed pretty lethargic. This afternoon we decided that she needed to be looked at, so we made the trek back over to Arlington to the vet.
We discussed what might be wrong with her on the way over. One thing that had occurred to me was that she no longer liked the food we gave her because of the shortcut I tried. I injected her medicine into the food I wanted to feed her. No muss, no fuss. Maybe.
Miss SmartyPants could smell the medicine and decided she didn't want to eat what she was offered. She was hungry, just not for food that smells like antibiotic.
She acted like a champ at the vet, even sitting curled up on my lap, purring up a storm once she confirmed there was no viable exit from the exam room.
Our dear friend gave us some canned food her angel kitty didn't need anymore, and as soon as we got home, we served up some of that, sans medicine.
Let me tell you what! She ate (licked) like she had never seen food before! She had a half a can before she decided it was time to get her appearance in order.
So, I have learned my lesson. Medicine will no longer be dispensed in Princess Purrrfect's food. And we will syringe smaller amounts of said awful-nasty-stuff at a time into her mouth, to make sure she gets the proper dose.
Live and spend a fortune learning how to care for your "children."
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