Barney is an Angel Now.

[Catty1]

Maybe he's got NOSE BARNACLES!

ROFL!!!!!

[katslady]

I have not been on pet talk in a month or so.So I do not know all of Barney's history, but just wondered if the ear bacteria was cultured.I don't have much to donate but if you you can send me the info. I would like to help.

[Emeraldgreen]

I have not been on pet talk in a month or so.So I do not know all of Barney's history, but just wondered if the ear bacteria was cultured.I don't have much to donate but if you you can send me the info. I would like to help.

Thank you for offering to help. PT'rs have been so supportive to Barney. Please know that prayers are also very valuable and are needed and would be greatly appreciated. If you don't have much, please don't worry. Barney has had alot of help this past while from PT'rs and some local people where I live and we have enough to get him to his next exam and more blood work and more food and meds. Everyone has been very kind.
Speaking of which!!! I picked up the remaining 4 cans around town and collected an additional 135.00!!! I was very surprised because not one person called about Barney to adopt him but they do care because people contributed their change into the cans and someone even put a 20.00 in there!!! I have this little brown paper bag full of the change and I'm calling it Barney's bag of gold. I went to the Salvation Army and bought him 3 very soft fleecy sweaters to make more beds for him and to have some back up bedding when I wash his others.

Katslady, I've only known Barney for a few weeks myself but I do believe the vet did a culture or ear swab on his right ear on the last visit. I haven't taken him into the vet for his last two exams, that was done by another woman who was helping Barney but who is no longer on the scene. I will be taking him to his next appointment though and will make sure to get all the details.

The vet told us that Barney has a bacterial infection in his right ear and prescribed Surolan drops. He is also on 1/2 a tab of Clavamox two times a day. I have skipped a few days of the Surolan because he seemed to be in pain and was really getting upset with me when I put the drops in. But I've started up again this morning.

What I really think needs to happen is for him to be sedated a bit so they can get in there and really clean those yucky ears out. He has the worst balance and teeters all over the place and I'm sure it has everything to do with his ears. The polyp in his left ear is going to be dealt with down the road and the goal now is to get him healthy enough for that. The vet said she didn't think he'd survive surgery at this point (that was on October 29th).

I'm also going to have her examine his nose. Here is a close up of his scabby little nose that never seems to heal.



Pomtzu wrote:

If you do find that he is diabetic and needs insulin, I'd be happy to help out with syringes (even tho they aren't too expensive). I have leftover 1/2 cc syringes from when my RB dogs were on it, plus I use 1 cc syringes for myself for B-12 injections twice a month. I get them in boxes of 100 and I can just get doc to write me another prescription for them.

Thank you. I hope that he won't need injections but that is a very kind offer if he does.

JennLibrarian wrote:

My one foster had a scabby nose for a long time, and I think it took a few months for it to totally clear up (his name was Monty). He even had a bit of it left after he was adopted. Not sure if this is the same thing that is going on with Barnacles. Maybe he's got NOSE BARNACLES!!

LOL Funny!
I am relieved to hear that you know of a similar thing like this and that it resovled itself. Did a vet ever tell you anything about it? Sometimes it bleeds a bit. I guess he might paw at it but I'm not sure.

Barney is pretty much the same today but he is making poops each day which is great. He was only doing this every other day but for the past 4 days he is going every day. Nice way to end the post! LOL

[Medusa]

Ok, somehow I missed the post where it was confirmed that Barney does indeed have an ear polyp. This poor boy sure has had the stuff heaped on him, hasn't he? Well, I shouldn't call him a poor boy; he's actually lucky because he found you and Angela, Lara. Every time I read an update, I wish I was there to help. I could relieve you so that you have more time to yourself but if you're like me, you'd be there anyhow. His face is just too much. It makes me want to just hold on to him and never let him go, so I can imagine how you must feel. Please know the prayers are continuing.

[jennielynn1970]

Just wanted to let you know that there will be a package going out in the mail tomorrow for you and Barnacles. Just a few things I found for him. There is a self heating bed in it. I remembered the bed that one of the sponsors got for my foster Mac, which now that it's colder out, I found in a bag of older fluffy kitty winter beds. It's got something in it that helps retain the heat from their body and it radiates it back to him. He and the other fosters loved it, so I found the same kind online and had a new one shipped here, and it is now in the box for Barnacles.

Hope customs won't have an issue with kitty stuff. I purposely didn't pack any loose catnip in it, just in case!

[Scooter's Mom]

Prayers are continuing from me too. I am so glad he has you.

Give him an extra pet from me, please.

[jennielynn1970]

Is there any kind of antibiotic ointment that you can put on his nose?? The vet never specified anything about his nose, but I know a few months after he was adopted, when I saw pics, his nose looked good.

Maybe some nose kissies would make him feel better?

[Purr-tender]

Oh, Lara, it is so hard to look at that sweet, pitiful face and not be able to hold him. When is his next appointment? I think that you are right about sedating him and really giving his ears intense treatments. Can you let the vet's office know ahead of time that you want them to do that? I am so happy that your cans were a success. Are you going to keep them going?

Please give Barney an extra gentle hug from me. Love that baby!!

Mary

[Emeraldgreen]

Ok, somehow I missed the post where it was confirmed that Barney does indeed have an ear polyp. This poor boy sure has had the stuff heaped on him, hasn't he? Well, I shouldn't call him a poor boy; he's actually lucky because he found you and Angela, Lara. Every time I read an update, I wish I was there to help. I could relieve you so that you have more time to yourself but if you're like me, you'd be there anyhow. His face is just too much. It makes me want to just hold on to him and never let him go, so I can imagine how you must feel. Please know the prayers are continuing.

Hi Mary, the vet had a look at the left ear on the second exam and she's pretty sure it's a polyp. I shouldn't say it is but I guess I'm hoping it is because if it isn't, it is a tumour. But because it bleeds so easily, she thinks this is what it is. Thankfully it hasn't been bleeding since he's been here which is great. Though it does cause him discomfort. I would like to get him in to have it removed but the vet said it's too soon and we need to get him in better health. Thank you for the continued prayers.


JennLibrarian wrote:

Just wanted to let you know that there will be a package going out in the mail tomorrow for you and Barnacles. Just a few things I found for him. There is a self heating bed in it.

Thank you so much Jenn!! I have never heard of a self heating bed and it will be perfect because there are only two outlets in the shop and one is used for his heater and the other has his nightlight in it.

I hope customs won't bother with the package but probably a good idea to leave the loose catnip out. lol I will let you know as soon as it arrives!

JennLibrarian wrote:

Is there any kind of antibiotic ointment that you can put on his nose?? The vet never specified anything about his nose, but I know a few months after he was adopted, when I saw pics, his nose looked good.

That's a good idea. I will ask the vet about it tomorrow when I go to town. Maybe polysporin would be okay. I hadn't thought of that! Or maybe something natural from the health food store that is safe for cats.

Scooter's mom wrote:

Prayers are continuing from me too. I am so glad he has you.
Give him an extra pet from me, please.

Thanks! Will do.



I ran into the woman who publishes our weekly news flyer on the island and I thanked her again for letting me run the ad and picture of Barney for only 5.00 instead of 50.00 and told her how surprised I was that out of 2,500 people, no one called about Barney and I hadn't even mentioned that he had all these diseases and wasn't neutered!!
She said that it is always interesting to find out that what you thought about people turns out to be completely different. You have this pre-set idea that everyone loves animals, especially people who live on a small island who are very environmentally conscious and peaceful and that sort of thing (David Suzuki even lives here on and off!!) but in reality, cats on this island are not a priority. We have a terrible problem with feral cat colonies and pet cats are often viewed as 'working' cats for their mousing abilities. Of course there are people who have cats that are wonderfully spoiled (as they should be! ) but I'm realizing that it is not the norm here.

My hope is to start a group here on the island that will deal with the feral cats and abandoned cats by feeding them and ultimately trapping, neutering and returning them and letting the colonies age out. I know there are lots of people on PT who are involved in this sort of thing and I have no idea what I'm doing but something has to be done and I want to get it started.

I put a call into another rescue org that TNR in a town about 40 minutes from here and left a message asking if someone would be willing to come up to a community meeting that I would set up and speak about their group and how it works etc.. I would put an ad in our paper and invite anyone who loves animals and who is interested in helping the ferals to come to the meeting. We'll see what happens but I think Barney will be the poster boy and can show people what condition a cat can get into when left alone in the elements with no family.

[Catty1]

Lara - GREAT idea on the TNR group! I am sure they would he happy to set up another one. Local humane societies etc know where all the feral colonies are.

Barney as a poster boy! LOL That is great.

Hope the polysporin works...it's got a teeny bit of anitbiotic in it, and just might help.

Have you heard from Angela since she left?

I hope Barn-Barn is well enough soon to get the polyp surgery.

Any more meat on those bones? Just wondering - is there a low glycemic kitten food that might give him more of a weight-gaining punch?

Give him a kiss and hug for me!

[Medusa]

Now is when I wish Dr. Lee could see Barney. He did such an incredible job w/Yodie and her ear polyp. No one in my area even knew how to do the surgery and I really had to do some digging to find him. He did laser surgery on it and he said that his instincts told him to give the polyp a little tug to get at the root. Several months later, he attended a class and they addressed ear polyp surgery and said to give the polyp a little tug. He felt vindicated and I felt awestruck of this guy. Hopefully, you'll be able to find someone just as capable to do the surgery when Barney is strong enough. If they don't get it at the root, it just grows back again and again. Sweet little Barn-Barn, as Candace calls him.

[Emeraldgreen]

Candace wrote:

Lara - GREAT idea on the TNR group! I am sure they would he happy to set up another one. Local humane societies etc know where all the feral colonies are.

Barney as a poster boy! LOL That is great.

Hope the polysporin works...it's got a teeny bit of anitbiotic in it, and just might help.

His spine does seem to be slightly less boney but just a bit. I stopped into the clinic today and left a note for the vet with some questions. I asked if I could give Barney a paste that I have on hand called Nutrical that I got from the clinic for Tiger. It is a high caloric paste to help cats gain weight. My only concern was how it might interact with the diabetes.

The Merrick low glycemic canned food that I'm giving him says 'for cats and kittens' on the label so it is for both.

I also asked if I could put polysporin on his nose and asked them to put together a quote for me for what it would cost to sedate him and clean out those ears. I just can't put the drops in anymore, he actually screams when I do and I just can't do it. He doesn't trust me for days after I do it and tries to bite and scratch me even if I lift my hand in a way that looks like I'm up to something. And on the days that I do put the drops in, he shakes them wildly all day long and falls off balance and is just plain miserable. When I stop for a few days, his ears are much more tolerable for him and we get along great.

My hope is that the vet can get the ears completely clean and that I can give him some meds in pill form to attack the bacterial infection in his ear. The receptionist is going to fax me a quote at work tomorrow or the next day for that and for the polyp surgery.

Have you heard from Angela since she left?

She emailed me a few days ago and I sent her a video of him. I don't think we'll be in touch that much but I will send her a video every now and then so she can see his progress. I only met her last month for the first time and she lives back east so I don't think I'll see her again except when she comes to visit my coworker on occasion.

Lara - GREAT idea on the TNR group! I am sure they would he happy to set up another one. Local humane societies etc know where all the feral colonies are.

I called the SPCA to ask if there were any groups in Campbell River that help the feral cats and she said there weren't any!! She said there are many colonies of cats but nobody helps them. I'm so shocked by this as the town has a population of over 30,000 people! The area I used to live in also had a population of this size and there were multiple rescue groups helping the ferals.
They told me that there is one woman who feeds the feral colony by the ferry dock and she has managed to get them all spayed and neutered out of her own pocket. They gave me her cell number so I can talk with her about her experience. Other than that though, there isn't anything the SPCA can do. I asked them if they would be willing to subsidize feeding if a rescue group was started on our island and told her that someone had told me they would. She told me that 'they' were misinformed and that all they could maybe offer was some extra food that they might not need for the shelter cats.
I asked her if they would be willing to take kittens if we could get them under 7 weeks of age. She said 6 weeks was better and yes they would. They will try and foster them and socialize them but if they are too feral they will be put down. I asked if I could get the kittens back if socializing didn't go well and she said "no".
I'm going to speak with the rescue group from the town 40 minutes away and see what else I can find out.

Anyway, back to Barney!! LOL


Mary, your cheque came today!!! Thank you so much. Your donation will be going towards Barney's vet visit (which is not booked as of yet) and will be added to the one already there. We have a total of 158.00 now for the upcoming exam and I also have Barney's bag of gold which will go towards that as well.

Momtomany, thank you for the diabetic dry food. I picked that up today and the receptionist 'Lorraine' said "it is so nice of someone to do such a thing" and I smiled and said "it sure is". I could tell that she wanted to know who all these fabulous mystery people are and why they would be calling about a little scrawny cat like Barney. It was neat. Thank you.

Medusa wrote

Now is when I wish Dr. Lee could see Barney. He did such an incredible job w/Yodie and her ear polyp. No one in my area even knew how to do the surgery and I really had to do some digging to find him. He did laser surgery on it and he said that his instincts told him to give the polyp a little tug to get at the root. Several months later, he attended a class and they addressed ear polyp surgery and said to give the polyp a little tug. He felt vindicated and I felt awestruck of this guy. Hopefully, you'll be able to find someone just as capable to do the surgery when Barney is strong enough. If they don't get it at the root, it just grows back again and again. Sweet little Barn-Barn, as Candace calls him.

I'm thinking about having my old vet do the surgery. It would mean having to either drive Barney there (5+ hours) or flying him by floatplane (2 hour drive and 20 minute flight). They only charge 20.00 to fly a cat so it's not too bad.
He is an amazing vet and his clinic is very high tech. He has all the bells and whistles (digital xray, ultrasound, ecg machine, endoscopic equipment that is smaller than any other vet that I have been able to find).
I receive a discounted rate because I created and maintain their website so it would be a much lesser bill. I don't really utilise it though because he is so far away. And I'm about to make some other major changes to another site I made for him for his orthopedic veterinary equipment that he sells and normally I would bill him for this but I'm thinking about sending him an email proposing that we exchange a polyp surgery for the work on the site. It's worth a try.

Barney was absolutely full of beans this morning. When I opened the door he started meowing away and was pacing back and forth like a tiger in a cage. I gave him some food which he ate a little of but then he came back to the front of the enclosure and was pawing at it and tried to climb it a bit. His balance is so terrible that he fell backwards onto the dog bed and just laid there for a sec a bit disoriented. But he got back up and was pacing back and forth so that is a good sign.

I think I might find a harness for him (I'm sure I have one in a drawer here) and take him for a walk. Or I might just put him in the outdoor enclosure for a bit so he gets some exercise.

[Medusa]

Oh sweet boy, I just want to hug you so badly! Your little face is just so sweet!

Good idea about proposing to trade some website work for the polyp surgery, Lara. It never hurts to ask. When the time comes, I'll be sure to donate if your proposal is rejected. What an awesome Xmas present it would be to have Barney on the mend and healing nicely. Until then and always, many prayers are being said.

[Emeraldgreen]

Oh sweet boy, I just want to hug you so badly! Your little face is just so sweet!

Good idea about proposing to trade some website work for the polyp surgery, Lara. It never hurts to ask. When the time comes, I'll be sure to donate if your proposal is rejected. What an awesome Xmas present it would be to have Barney on the mend and healing nicely. Until then and always, many prayers are being said.

Thank you Mary.
I will update in the thread after I ask him.

[Emeraldgreen]

Okay, this is going to sound silly but Barney just did the most amazing thing! I was in the shop just now to give him one more meal and tuck him in for the night. I had the top of the enclosure off and I was scraping the old food off his plate into the garbage just as my husband walked in. He said "hey! look at Barney!" and I turned around and saw Barney standing on the green crate I have inside the enclosure so I have something to step down onto when I climb in. He was standing on the tips of his tippy toes and had his front paws on the top of the enclosure gripping like crazy and his little froggy grumpy face was looking at me with these heart grabbing eyes that looked like they were going to pop out of his head because he was trying so hard. It was like he was saying "I can do it foster meowmie, watch!" and he pulled him self out!! I couldn't believe it. I scooped him up before he could fall and just hugged him. He seemed to realize his great accomplishment because he started purring away and doing paddies in the air with his feet. He's still scrawny and sickly but he is improving, I just know it! I wanted to cry but I was thinking my husband would think I was nuts. LOL He thought it was amazing too considering the shape he's been in since we've known him.

I took this picture earlier today.
This is the top of the enclosure where he climbed out:



And I brought in an extra light so the movies wouldn't be sooooo dark. It's a bit better now.