Kater
05-07-2005, 11:38 PM
My little Nipo-potamus went to the Vet today.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/kmillen/Nipo/f9f82c1d.jpg
I have been watching her like a hawk for the past few weeks. I suspected she was slowly losing weight. Looking at her you can barely tell - but when I pet her and have her in my lap I can tell that the fat layer over her shoulder blades, spine and pelvic bones has lessened (although she still has her droopy little belly pouch). I am only home during the weekends this semester and so I don't have the most accurate picture of Nipo's "normals" anymore. :( I had to repeatedly question my Dad about any changes and he eventually agreed that she has lost weight and also told me that she seems to be eating less.
This morning in the exam room Miss Nipo was happy to come out of her carrier, but quickly realized what she was in for! She was sooo good though :), just some squirmy acrobatics in an attempt to return to the previously dreaded carrier (LOL - "the lesser of two evils" as the vet put it) but no angry sounds or bite attempts.
The vet did a very thorough exam, including palpating her twice and listening to her heart/lungs/etc. for a good 5 minutes. On a good note, her teeth look great - fabulous for her age (she'll be 11 this summer)! YAY! :D She never lets me open her mouth to examine them. Today I couldn't see a speck of tartar from where I was sitting in the exam room! He also didn't find anything wrong with her upon his physical examination. He did mention that she had only a small amount of matter in her bowel, which is in line with her smaller than usual appetite and smaller than usual tootsie rolls. As I was getting a stool sample from the box this morning I was quite surprised at the size of her deposits. I'm pretty sure they weren't that small last weekend. :(
The bad news is that she has lost weight - nearly 1.5 lbs. :( I have to admit - I thought it would be less than that! I guess she was a little less than 10 lbs. before (9 lbs. 6-10 oz. around...) and now she's 8 lbs. 4 oz. The last time she was at the vet and the last time her weight was taken was about 5 months ago. However, I feel that this weight was lost over a shorter period of time, perhaps 2-2.5 months. So the main two symptoms are the weight loss and the decreased appetite. She was not overweight before and she is not underweight now, so the concern is the fairly rapid pattern of weight loss. I'm happy to report that her behavior, water consumption, urination, activity level, etc. are all normal. :)
At the end of the appointment they decided to take blood for a panel. They will call us with the results on Monday. I'm quite a nervous Meowmie as Nipo has lead a fairly healthy life with just a few UTIs in the more recent years. Please send my baby girl some good thoughts for Monday. I will continue to update as I learn more.
Thanks for reading! :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/kmillen/Nipo/f9f82c1d.jpg
I have been watching her like a hawk for the past few weeks. I suspected she was slowly losing weight. Looking at her you can barely tell - but when I pet her and have her in my lap I can tell that the fat layer over her shoulder blades, spine and pelvic bones has lessened (although she still has her droopy little belly pouch). I am only home during the weekends this semester and so I don't have the most accurate picture of Nipo's "normals" anymore. :( I had to repeatedly question my Dad about any changes and he eventually agreed that she has lost weight and also told me that she seems to be eating less.
This morning in the exam room Miss Nipo was happy to come out of her carrier, but quickly realized what she was in for! She was sooo good though :), just some squirmy acrobatics in an attempt to return to the previously dreaded carrier (LOL - "the lesser of two evils" as the vet put it) but no angry sounds or bite attempts.
The vet did a very thorough exam, including palpating her twice and listening to her heart/lungs/etc. for a good 5 minutes. On a good note, her teeth look great - fabulous for her age (she'll be 11 this summer)! YAY! :D She never lets me open her mouth to examine them. Today I couldn't see a speck of tartar from where I was sitting in the exam room! He also didn't find anything wrong with her upon his physical examination. He did mention that she had only a small amount of matter in her bowel, which is in line with her smaller than usual appetite and smaller than usual tootsie rolls. As I was getting a stool sample from the box this morning I was quite surprised at the size of her deposits. I'm pretty sure they weren't that small last weekend. :(
The bad news is that she has lost weight - nearly 1.5 lbs. :( I have to admit - I thought it would be less than that! I guess she was a little less than 10 lbs. before (9 lbs. 6-10 oz. around...) and now she's 8 lbs. 4 oz. The last time she was at the vet and the last time her weight was taken was about 5 months ago. However, I feel that this weight was lost over a shorter period of time, perhaps 2-2.5 months. So the main two symptoms are the weight loss and the decreased appetite. She was not overweight before and she is not underweight now, so the concern is the fairly rapid pattern of weight loss. I'm happy to report that her behavior, water consumption, urination, activity level, etc. are all normal. :)
At the end of the appointment they decided to take blood for a panel. They will call us with the results on Monday. I'm quite a nervous Meowmie as Nipo has lead a fairly healthy life with just a few UTIs in the more recent years. Please send my baby girl some good thoughts for Monday. I will continue to update as I learn more.
Thanks for reading! :)