Max

[slick]

I have a few minutes now for an complete update.
First of all, thank you for all your prayers and candles. I know that there are a few other kitties on board here who need many more candles so I appreciate you taking the time to say a word for my Max.

I took him in mainly because he was/is hobbling on his back legs and he looked like he might be in pain.

Max has lost more weight. He weighs just under 5 lbs now. When Dr. Singh first felt his back end, he mentioned that he could feel some major swelling in both his knees and he made me feel it too. It felt like a hard lump on both sides. Anyway Dr. Singh said it could perhaps be a tumor (cancer of the bone) - that alone scared me silly. He said I would have to leave Max there for a few hours while the xrays were taken. Max had to be sedated to get the xray taken, then another injection to wake him up. I didn't ask for blood tests because I already know that it would come back as CRF. When I showed up to collect him a couple of hours later Dr. Singh showed me the xray. Good news is no tumor - bad news is very extreme arthritis and Max has been in pain for a while now. I'm beating myself up about this. I've noticed it but didn't take him in right away.

So what do we do about it? Max received a steroid shot (I have the name of it at home - it's not cortisone) and he needs to get another shot once a week for the next 4 weeks and if it helps, then he will receive an injection once a month. In addition, I am to increase the Metacam to 4 drops in his wet food every day. Needless to say Max's savings account and my chequing account are depleted right now. Thank goodness for a great line of credit.

When Max came home, he dived into his dry food and that was good to see, but at night he only eats 1/2 of what he used to.

We have a routine in the evenings now. Now that it is cold outside, I wear my big fluffy LL Bean housecoat that is now two sizes too big. I wrap it around me and when I'm finished my evening chores (sounds like I'm on a farm ) and Max has had a couple of helpings of wet food, I sit down on the couch and Max comes to sit on my lap. He hasn't done that for a while now but last night he decided to see of my lap was just as cozy. He stayed there quietly napping for a couple of hours. I dared not move. I had the remote beside me and I had already peed () so we both were comfortable. I snuggled him and told him that I wanted him to tell me when he is ready to go. I said that I would be there until the end and that I'm counting on him staying with me through the Christmas season. I told him how much I loved him and that I was very sorry that I didn't take him in before then. I was crying buckets of tears and it's so hard to fathom that indeed, this is more than likely his last Christmas with me. LES

He still spends most of his time behind the bed. He sleeps there at night and in the morning when I get up he's still there and doesn't come out until his dinner bell goes off around 6pm. He retreats back behind the bed usually around 10pm. When he's out in the evening I put out another bowl of ice water and he loves to lick the ice cubes.

Also, every time I leave the house I have to close the en suite bathroom door. I have a soaker tub with high sides and he can jump in, but can't jump back out again so he's stuck. After my shower this morning I watched him struggle to get in (I helped him) and he was licking up the water.

So that's the news and to all my friends who have tried to contact me, please accept my apology. Those of you know know me best, know that I "shut down" at a time like this. I'm sorry but that's just me.



Edit: forgot to add that Max has had the runs everyday for the last 4 days and he never makes the litterbox. He leaves presents for me in his selected corner - whichever corner he picks for that day. I think this is something that I'll have to put up with from now on.

Edit: I'm at home and the name of the injection is Cartrophen. I'll have to google that.